2014: Edition 9. by VARSITY

SINCE

1942 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN

26 August 2014

VOLUME 73: EDITION 9

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Jammie pilot project Robyn Ausmeier The UCT Jammie Shuttle Service will be changing its routes as of Monday, September 8th, with the introduction of a pilot project. This project is intended to cut costs and ensure that the shuttle system will be sustainable for future usage. The new system will undergo a testing period until Tuesday, September 30th. Following a three week trial, the project will be assessed and if proven to be effective the changes will be made permanent. Implementation of this plan is included under the Properties and Services portfolio at UCT. The pilot project is anticipated to cause an initial inconvenience to students and there is expected to be a necessary period of adjustment. The central changes to the system will be the closure of the West Bus

Stop and the introduction of a new South Stop. South Stop will be moved to the Stop and Drop along Rugby Road, where the Sandown Jammie currently operates on Upper Campus. Due to the new routes, buses will no longer pass along Madiba Circle thereby reducing costs. Students who drive by car and make use of the Stop and Drop area will also be required to change their normal route.

If proven to be effective the changes will be made permanent Despite the revisions, the usual number of buses will continue operating and will follow a strictly maintained schedule. In addition, the same number of students – approximately 25 thousand per

day – will be catered for with the new system. André Theys, Executive Director of Properties and Services at UCT, commented that the main aim of the project is to reduce the budget that is being spent on the Jammie Shuttle Service. He explained that various issues have made the present shuttle system unsustainable, the most significant of these being the “exponential rise in the cost of diesel”. Owing to these concerns, consultants were approached for recommendations and the pilot project was devised as a possible solution. “Once we have tested the project and find that it indeed results in a saving for UCT, we will advise on possible infrastructure changes,” remarked Theys. In response to queries about congestion, they assured students that there will be provisions undertaken to make sure that there

is a smooth transition. Monitors and traffic officers will be positioned at both North Stop and the new South Stop to supervise the process.

UCT students have expressed uncertainty about the project The Jammie Shuttle staff have also been informed about the changes and will be able to assist the students. Additionally, a Risk Management team gave the project its approval after evaluating potential issues regarding safety and congestion. UCT students have expressed uncertainty about the project as well as anxiety over the added inconvenience it may cause. Refentse Ramatlhodi, a student at the University, commented that

she had heard of the pilot project but did not know much about it. “Jammies are already overcrowded. If you change the stops it is going to be even crazier,” she remarked. Ramatlhodi says the changes will definitely affect her as she often uses West Stop in the afternoons. Another student, Yvonne Natukunda, raised similar concerns. She predicted that people will be confused at the beginning because they are familiar with the current system. One of the Jammie drivers also brought up the issue of congestion and mentioned that he is concerned about potential time delays. New timetables and route maps are available on the UCT website and posters have gone up around campus. Students have been encouraged to become familiar with the new routes and to remain patient during the trial period.

IN THIS ISSUE

Images: Robyn Ausmeier and Maura Sanderoff

Ebola treatment

PAGE 2

Disposible bodies

PAGE 6

International days

CENTRE

Night at Crew

PAGE 12

Bring it on?

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

PAGE 16

SINCE

1942 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN

26 August 2014

VOLUME 73: EDITION 9

varsitynewspaper.co.za

@varsitynews

varsitynewspaper

is a smooth transition. Monitors and traffic officers will be positioned at both North Stop and the new South Stop to supervise the process.

IN THIS ISSUE

Images: Robyn Ausmeier and Maura Sanderoff

Ebola treatment

PAGE 2

Disposible bodies

PAGE 6

International days

CENTRE

Night at Crew

PAGE 12

Bring it on?

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

PAGE 16

news

v73 e9 – 26 august 2014

News Bites UN organise aid displaced Iraqis

Experimental Ebola treatment being tested on Liberians to

Iraq – The United Nations Refugees Agency is planning an aid operation to assist over half a million people who have been displaced by conflict in northern Iraq. They will send supplies to the displaced by air, road and sea. It is understood that Iraqi forces have recaptured the Mosul Dam, near where the majority have been displaced, from the Islamic State militants. – BBC

Man killed by crocodile

Australia – A man was killed by a Saltwater Crocodile while he was fishing in Northern Australia. The 57-year-old was attacked by a crocodile measuring around 4.5m in length. His wife heard a scream and turned around to see “a tail splashing in the water”. The man’s body was found a few hours later and the crocodile was killed by police. – BBC

Police counter protest

Pakistan – Protesters in Islamabad were planning a march into the city’s red zone in an attempt to overthrow Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. On the eve of the march, police arrested potential demonstrators in a bid to prevent protest leaders from taking part in the march. Police say that about 150 were held in custody overnight. – Al Jazeera

Men re-enter court following shooting

Johannesburg – Two men accused of house robbery and illegal possession of firearms are set to re-enter court, after earlier escaping from holding cells and shooting a testifying policeman and a court orderly. Neither was killed, although ER24 paramedics said that the policeman suffered serious injury from a shot to the head, while the orderly suffered minor injuries. – News 24

Pistorius brother makes recovery

Johannesburg – Carl Pistorius, older brother of Oscar, has made what has been described as a “miraculous recovery” after being involved in a serious car accident earlier this month, said a family spokesperson. He is expected to remain in hospital for a few more weeks but doctors say he is “recovering”. – News 24

Google cars speed to keep safe

Google – The driverless cars being developed by Google are being programmed to occasionally exceed the speed limit by around 16km/hour said the projects lead software engineer, Dmitri Dolgov. He said that in an environment when other cars exceed the speed limit it is likely to be safer to keep up. Google has been testing prototypes on public roads in the US. – BBC

Fanie van Zijl

Mosa Arcilia Makapa

hree Liberian health workers are receiving an experimental drug, ZMapp, as treatment for Ebola. On Thursday, August 14th, the limited supply of ZMapp drug doses was sent to Liberia, in West Africa, where the number of Ebola deaths was higher than any other African region. The three Africans who received the drug were showing “remarkable” progress, according to a statement by Liberian medical professionals on Tuesday, August 19th. Liberian president Elle Johnson

experimental drug, ZMapp, as treatment for Ebola Sirleaf directly appealed to US President Barack Obama for the Zmapp drug to be sent to Africa to treat infected doctors. On August 11th, his request was approved by the US government and the Food and Drug Administration. Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), also authorised the shipment of these samples and the drug was delivered by a WHO expert. Although ZMapp has not been tested on humans before, it has shown positive results in monkeys. When two American missionaries, Dr. Kent Branty and Nancy

Image: Wiki Commons /Cynthia Goldsmith

Writebol, who contracted the Ebola virus while working in Liberia, were immediately treated with the drug and “improved miraculously” according to one of their doctors, Dr Sanjay Gupta. Brantly and Writebol had recovered enough to be flown back to America a few days after treatment. A Spanish Priest, 75-year-old Miguel Parajes, also received a dose of the drug after the reported recovery of these two US missionaries but he did not recover. He died five days after being airlifted from Liberia to Madrid. The ZMapp drug, manufactured by the US Company Mapp Biopharmaceutical, is a combination of modified antibodies which boost an individual’s ability to fight off the Ebola virus. Zmapp is a very scarce drug due to the difficult manufacturing process, making it hard to produce on a large scale.

Mapp Biopharmaceutical reported that the twelve doses sent to Liberia were the last ones available.

it has shown positive results when tested on monkeys According to WHO, over 1200 people have died of Ebola in West Africa. WHO responded by holding emergency meetings on August 6th and 7th. Thereafter, Dr. Margaret Chan declared the Ebola outbreak an international public health emergency. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stressed that despite the drug showing positive results when tested on monkeys, it had not yet undergone the standard procedure

of a clinical trial. This means that the drug cannot be tested on humans yet. Obama addressed the issue at the US-Africa Summit on Thursday August 7th. “Let’s get all the health workers that we need on the ground. During the course of that process, I think it’s entirely appropriate for us to see if there are additional drugs or medical treatments that can help,” he said. Ebola, the fatal haemorrhagic virus which begins as a severe fever with muscular pains, headaches and a sore throat, is easily spread through close contact with bodily fluids, secretions and organs once it has entered the human population. The World Health Organization has reported Ebola to be spreading mainly in rural regions due to burial practices and traditional healing which involves contact with animals.

Reshaping the view of equality Mahlatse Phasha The Department of Philosophy hosted the UCT Social Equality Conference in the Humanities Graduate building over the weekend of August 15th to 17th. On the Friday, Dean of Humanities UCT Professor Sakhela Buhlungu, briefly introduced the event, stating that inequality is evident in Cape Town and that UCT is in itself part of the issue due to concerns relating to our admissions policy. After the opening talk by Buhlungu various speakers presented their arguments in three lecture theatres. Up to 37 academic speakers presented their views, concerns and solutions to social difference in relation to our contemporary world issues. These are some of the key speakers who presented at the event: University of Sheffield Professor of Philosophy, Miranda Fricker, presented her mindfulness of equality, maintaining that we operate under natural pressures of competition, which questions notions of freedom through contribution and access. Deputy Minister of Public Works South Africa, Jeremy Cronin, suggested that South Africa’s dependence on GDP is unsustainable because it excludes other social issues that affect people, such as unemployment. UCT masters candidate Motlatsi Khosi proposed that Ubuntu can be applied in a social context with

Image: Lusizo Mlanjeni her talk “Ubuntu as a Philosophy from Below.” She emphasised that Ubuntu as a philosophy teaches how black people’s humanity has been denied by nullifying the existence of African philosophy. “Part of being in a Eurocentric thought is that it creates the categories, it creates the meanings, and it defines what it means to be black,” stated Khosi. Northwestern University Professor of Moral and Intellectual Philosophy, Charles W. Mills, focused on racial equality. He stated that “race does not exist biologically but as a socio- political construct,” therefore the complication lies within social processes – racial equality becomes an issue and a goal against a background of racism. A UCT Masters candidate who is working with alternative South African intellectual histories

challenged Mills, asking: “[in a South African context with a different political history] is it not possible to fight to include ideas of human flourishing or something else into a separate tradition… Why liberalism? And in a South African social context is it worth fighting for in this kind of tactical political level?” Connecting social justice to care was Director of Teaching and Learning Vivienne Bozalek from the University of the Western Cape (UWC). She argued that individual interest is not always reliable – recognition has to do with how people are regarded in relation to their attributes. Mentioning the political ethics of care she prompted that we are all dependent at different times of our lives and that dependents all need to be

cared for. Bozalek then challenged her statement asserting that care in terms of institutional care has been demonised, and that people are overly dependent and deprived of their capability to provide personal care. Robin Zheng, a PhD candidate in Philosophy at the University of Michigan, presented practical solutions on how philosophers can help contemporary societies to minimise inequality. Zheng highlighted that “moral philosophers who work to reshape normative expectations also play a role in restructuring causal explanations and hence interventions for social inequality.” Equality is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, or opportunities.”

news

v73 e9 - 26 august 2014

2014 air safety: is it all coming crashing down?

Image: Tasneem Amra

Tasneem Amra

n Wednesday, August 13th, a private Cessna 560XL jet carrying the Brazilian socialist party candidate, Eduardo Campos, crashed into a residential area in Santos, south of Sao Paulo, Brazil, killing him and the six other crew and passengers on board. The jet was flying from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to the city of Guaruja, near Santos. Officials have blamed the crash on bad weather, but a federal investigation remains underway. This is but one of a plethora of aviation accidents to have made headlines this year. Over the past six months, some of the commercial carriers to have made headlines include: March 8th: Malaysian Airlines

flight MH370 carrying 239 passengers and crew on a scheduled international flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing, China, disappeared en route from radar. This led to the most expensive search in aviation history, which has, to date, yielded neither the plane status nor location or any plane debris. July 17th: Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 carrying 298 passengers and crew on a scheduled international flight from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was shot down by a surface-to-air missile near Grabovo, Ukraine, killing all on board. The missile is believed to have been fired from the territory controlled by proRussian separatists. The Russian government, however, has blamed the Ukrainian government for the shoot down. July 24th: Air Algérie flight

AH5017 carrying 116 passengers and crew on a scheduled international flight from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, to Algiers, Algeria, crashed in Mali, killing all on board. The plane contacted air traffic control about 50 minutes after takeoff to request a course change because of poor weather; it then disappeared from radar. According to the Aviation Safety Network, there have been nine further commercial aviation accidents this year. Is 2014, then, one of the deadliest years in commercial aviation history? Data from the Aviation Safety Network, quantified in the graphs above, show that the numbers of annual worldwide commercial airliner accidents and fatalities have been dropping for decades. The International Air Transport

Activating active citizenship Tayla-Paige van Sittert The UCT History and Current Affairs Society in collaboration with the SRC hosted their second Civic Week, with events running from Monday, August 11th to Thursday, August 14th. This year the focus was on Civic engagement after voting. Civic week is important for people to become more socially aware and better equipped to affect a positive social impact in the community. The week began with a student panel discussion on what it means to be an active citizen which involved members from civically active societies at UCT. The panel included Stephanie van der Mey from Ubunye, Elise de Kock from the Rural Support Network (RSN), Kgotsi Chikane from Inkulu Free Heid (IFH), and Jessica Breakey from the SRC.

“its only mad people who challenge things to change things” Most of the panellists agreed that consciousness was an important characteristic for an active citizen. Chikane made the point that “by acknowledging that there are problems in your community then you are conscious, but doing something about it makes you active". The second event was a talk by South Africa’s notorious political

Association (IATA) found that between 2001 and 2010, the aviation accident rate was cut by 42%. Similarly, the CNN report, “Is 2014 the deadliest year for flights? Not even close,” states, “The world has been enjoying the safest-ever overall period in aviation history, according to the aviation safety number crunchers.” 2012, for example, saw the lowest number of commercial aviation accidents – 23 – since 21 accidents in 1942. And last year saw the lowest number of commercial aviation accident-related casualties – 265 – since 1945, when there were 245 casualties. Even though the 761 casualties to date this year are almost triple that of last year – indicating a particularly bad year for aviation accident-related casualties – it is still relatively low. Rudy Quevedo, Global

Programme Director of Washington’s Flight Safety Foundation, advised in the CNN report that one also has to factor in the amount of overall aviation traffic in order to get an accurate idea about aviation safety. Once data from the end of this year are collected and analysed, the aviation accident rate can be measured and compared to previous years. This will give a more accurate idea of commercial aviation safety in 2014. For now, IATA claims that “over the five years [from] 2009-2013, the industry has shown improvement in both accident rates and fatalities, although year-to-year comparisons may fluctuate.” This sentiment was echoed by Quevedo to CNN, when he said that data from the past few years show less fatal accidents overall. “It’s a perfectly safe system,” he said.

ONLINE THIS WEEK: Buhlungu delivers annual Marikana memerial lecutre should encourage thinking like an active citizen: “the foundation of citizenship is to think…and the academy is an important crucible in the kind of deep thinking that necessitates active citizenship.”

“a participatory democracy is what we want here”

Image: UCT HCA

cartoonist Zapiro, who spoke about being an active citizen as a creative and a commentator. He explained how it was his conscription into the army that launched him into activism; “I always had pen and paper on me... in the middle of the night I would be doodling,” he said. From then on he was involved in numerous campaigns, cultural projects and anti-apartheid workshops that developed his presence as an active citizen. With 4500 cartoons since 1994, Zapiro says he sees himself as less of an activist now and more of a commentator. “As an active citizen there are intellectual and physical risks but we should not be supporting injustices by doing nothing,” he says.

The last event was a guest panel discussion with Ronnie Kasrils, Deborah Posel, Bob Mattes and Chris Roper, talking from a professional perspective on active citizenship after voting. Posel, a professor of Sociology at UCT, claims that the academic space

Politician and activist, Ronnie Kasrils, became active in a time where radical things were required of citizens: “I know I’m a rebel but its only mad people who challenge things to change things.” He acknowledged that as an active citizen it is challenging to get involved and reach out, but there is so much to do outside the body politic. “To be active is to be

well informed and understand the world to change it…a participatory democracy is what we want here,” Kasrils said. Chris Roper, the Editor-in-Chief at the Mail & Guardian, included the public space of social media sites, like Twitter, as a place for active citizens to fight battles. He explained how despite the regimented laws on journalism from the Secrecy Bill, ways to whistle blow will develop on technological platforms. “It's important that SA's elite (UCT) interrogate what it means to be active citizens in our fledging and far from perfect democracy,” says Monique Atouguia, the head of the HCA. The general consensus was to be conscious, knowledgeable, respectful and engaged, as one participant wrote: “It may seem pointless, it may seem unnecessary, but if somewhere down the road society benefits, keep on doing it.”

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editorial

V73 E9 - 26 AUGUST 2014

2014 Collective editor-in-chief Laurie Scarborough

Editorial

A magic white pill

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deputy Editor Katy Scott

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online editor Daniël Geldenhuys

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news Clare Garrard & Aisha Abdool Karim news@varsitynewspaper.co.za

opinions Parusha Naidoo & Vikash Gajjar opinions@varsitynewspaper.co.za

xam stress is mounting and your life is feeling more and more like a sad and boring movie about people who die from never leaving the library. The thought of

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sportS Mark Nandi

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centrespread Krysia Gaweda

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images Sofia Gilli & Khanyisa Pinini

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something, anything, to save you from such a fate is not just appealing but seemingly necessary. The little white wonder pill of concentration floats across your mind’s eye like the acorn in Ice Age (you are the squirrel in this scenario) and you see yourself in a field of clouds bounding in slow motion, a dreamy smile stretched across your face, towards the magical pill sitting upon a silver silk cushion. Your problems will soon be over. What can it hurt, you think. Little kids take this pill. You know someone who knows someone who sells the pills for R40 each, a price you are more than willing to pay when you think about the mountainous piles of papers you still need to (skim) read through. So, why not? Here’s why. That magical little white pill (Ritalin) is a schedule 6 stimulant, the most potent schedule of legal stimulants available in the

Editor-in-Chief country, and administered only to people with a medical script and a diagnosis in ADHD or ADD. If you don’t know much about drugs, here are couple more stimulants for you to consider: cocaine, ecstacy, meth. Yes, same class of drug as Ritalin. Ritalin can become addictive, and it’s more common than you might imagine. Many students begin taking the pill at first to pay attention while studying and during tests or to pull an all-nighter. But if you find yourself feeling the urge to crush and snort it, or take it before you go to a party so you can stay up later, then you may have problem. Just because you’re buying it on University Avenue instead of a dark alley, doesn’t make it okay. Also, since you are only allowed to take Ritalin if you have a script issued by a doctor, when you buy Ritalin from a friend, you are technically buying medicine from a drug dealer. And if you take Ritalin when you don’t have ADHD or ADD, that’s

called substance abuse. And if you become dependent on Ritalin to get you through the test/exam/ party/drug, that’s called drug addiction. That little technicality aside, cast your mind to people who actually do have ADHD and take this medication to treat their disorder. They have a real problem, that makes them unable to do things that you would take for granted (sitting quietly for longer than 10 minutes, waiting their turn to speak in a conversation, paying attention on just one thing at a time, remembering their lunch, and even remembering to take Ritalin at all). All of this on top of dealing with the stigma of ADHD, and the symptoms that make you look like you have little control over yourself, despite concerted effort to be “normal”. These are the people that really need Ritalin. Not you.

“Kiss catch” and “rape rape”

features Lynne Marie Fraser & Busang Senne

Design Zona Magadla

Laurie Scarborough

Katy Scott

Deputy Editor

The bell rings for break time at a primary school just around the corner. Books and pens fly into the air as girls and boys bullet toward the playground. A game begins. The girls screech and scurry away as the boys run after them with arms outstretched. Once a boy catches a girl he pins her down on the ground and pretends to rape her for 10 to 20 seconds while she screams and writhes, trying to get away. In “rape rape”, once a girl has been “raped” she is out of the game. The game finishes when every girl has been raped, only to start again next break time.

Principals and parents at primary schools in Mitchell’s Plain have recently alerted governing bodies and the Western Cape Department of Education about this game that is contaminating the province. So far this month more than 45 thousand South African women have been raped. Does that statistic shock you more than the fact that children are simulating rape for fun? Probably not. Why are we so shocked at this occurrence? All that we are witnessing here is early desensitisation. It didn’t take long for us so why should we

expect it to be any different for the youth? Think back to the days of “doctor doctor”, “kiss catch” and the other various, dodgy, experimental games we played. We did not understand the implications of what we were doing. We were equally as impressionable, but at the same time more fortunate. More fortunate to be living in a time where rape and even the raping of a baby was not such a commonplace activity. Hopefully now that our own born-free baby boomers are “joining in” will we acknowledge that there’s an epidemic.

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ERRATA Volume 73 Edition 8 Please accept our apologies for the following errors: Page 13 Photo credits for the article “Mother City Bling” by Shannon Holcroft amended as follows: Image 1: Tarryn Gordon photograph of bullet rings by High Horse Adornment. Image 2: Gerda Genis photograph of vertebrae necklace by Famke. Image 3: Image provided of cut-out spoon pendant by Anomili.

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opinions

Beyond the bucket Vikash Gajjar While you were busy drenching yourself in a bucket of ice and water, you probably failed to recall the frail woman on the corner of Klipfontein Road and Jan Smuts Drive who, hunched forward with a wailing baby tied to her back, begged mostly for food – but at times, water too. As you motor toward the airport on Friday, comforted by the thought that a mid-semester break awaits you at the end of your flight home, I doubt you’ll spare a thought for the South Africans whose humble dwellings tightly hug the N2 highway. It would be foolish of me, then, to assume that you’ll remember that those very poverty-stricken homes are not fitted with taps through which clean, drinkable water flows. Instead, you’ll be chortling heartily, watching vines of #ALSIceBucketFails.

It’s a mockery of those struggling with a realworld problem What’s not to love about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge? Awareness is created around a degenerative illness that affects the lives of our fellow citizens. Funds are raised to further prevention, treatment and care, and we get to have a bit of fun while we’re

at it. Surely it’s all fair game? Not really. I’ve always disliked online awareness campaigns, especially those that go viral, because of the unfruitfulness of it all. Hardly any of them are paired with active education. How many of you took the Ice Bucket Challenge and actually went to research the disorder? I doubt any of you donated to the cause – I mean, we’re students who can’t afford to just give money away, right?

there has to be a better way to raise awareness Yet we’re able to fill a bucket with water, top it up with ice, and dowse ourselves in it without thinking twice – without thinking of that helpless mother who stands on Klipfontein Road begging for a bit of water; without even considering that perhaps your very pail of water could save a family dying of dehydration. No, you didn’t think before you soaked yourself. You drenched yourself in hope of raising awareness for ALS, aiding the betterment of humanity. And that’s ok. But you did so at the expense of one of humanity’s most pressing and dire crises – water scarcity. And that’s not ok. Together with our constant desire for an adrenalin rush, our longing to belong – that yearning

to be acknowledged, to be a part of a movement, to have some form of an identity – is so strong that it clouds logical judgment. We rushed to participate in the campaign – we’d be contributing along with the Beckhams, Lady Gaga and Anna Wintour. But just like them, we never fully calculated the cost of the act, because water – for those of us who are fortunate enough – is almost always taken for granted. Water scarcity is a growing global issue. We don’t have to look far to see its effects. South Africa is still battling to meet the basic sanitation needs of its citizens: poo protests are evidence of this. But here we are, tipping buckets of water on our heads in hope of raising consciousness around an issue. I don’t find that very admirable. I find it incredibly sad. I acknowledge those that have donated to the campaign. It’s comforting and, in a way, reassuring that so many people care about ALS – but there has to be a better way to raise awareness than wasting a bucket of perfectly drinkable water. I find it astoundingly disrespectful to so many of our own people who battle with basic sanitation. It’s a mockery of those struggling with a real-world problem. So, in the 140 characters, @sesmith writes: “How about the empty bucket challenge: put a bucket over your head, go to the corner, and think quietly about what you have done.”

Transformation: not a tired topic Tsepo Ngwenyama On August 7th, I stumbled across a poster by the UCT Transformation Services office inviting all members of the UCT community to a debate entitled “Employment Equity and Affirmative Action measures for transformation at Universities in South Africa”. Given the recent debates around UCT’s new admissions policy, Associate Professor Xolela Mangcu’s argument on the number of black professors in South African universities (particularly at UCT), and a myriad of other issues regarding transformation at UCT the timing of the debate was fitting.

the usual tactics of diplomatic rhetoric filled with academic jargon I expected that a great number of students would respond with haste to such an invitation. Instead, staff members dominated the numbers in the audience with very few students present and no representatives from the SRC or faculty councils in sight. This was particularly concerning as the topic at hand affects every member of the UCT community. It is clear that the University is in desperate need of more practical measures of transformation, particularly in challenging and dealing with issues of classism, racism, sexism, accentism and any other “-isms” that dividesthe UCT community. This can be observed in cases where students

Image:Khanyisa Pinini

from one faculty strongly believe that students in other faculties are less intellectually inclined, or the idea of an accent being a determinant of one’s intellectual capacity. The new Transformation Charter, headed by Jessica Breakey (UCT SRC transformation rep), is one example of transformation at a policy level. Although not a policy in itself, it aims to guide future policy. However, more practical methods of transformation are needed at ground level, like the “I TOO, AM UCT” campaign where students shared their experiences of social exclusion, and the instalment of the new gender neutral toilets. A great deal of work has been done to ensure that the diverse UCT community succeeds in achieving the kind of transformation that is just and benefits all members. Despite this, an apathy that engulfs our student leadership bodies, and transformation representatives in particular, seems to exacerbate the problem. Issues of race, gender and class are still depicted as the proverbial elephant in the room. Negative labels are attached to those that choose to speak out and challenge the status quo, with the accusation that they are rocking the boat too much and being unnecessary.

In instances like the controversial article “Is love colour blind?”, transformation reps, and the University at large, should have viewed it as an opportunity to hold dialogue and debates. We should have discussed why this article resulted in a public outrage, the cultural sensitivities we face, and why race is still an issue 20 years post-apartheid. However, we instead resorted to the usual tactics of diplomatic rhetoric filled with academic jargon and an apology. Real transformation should be equitable, inclusive, and afford individuals the opportunity to voice their opinions on issues concerning oppressive prejudices without being ostracized or discriminated against. If we aim to be truly transformed as a university, both policy wise and at a ground level, we need to stop getting uncomfortable when speaking of social prejudices and instead tackle them head on. Platforms need to be provided by our elected transformation reps that encourage students to be active agents of change and true transformation. As students, we all need to be a part of the transformation process by critically engaging with policies that influence structural practices within our University.

v73 e9 – 26 august 2014

The lady doth protest

Parusha Naidoo

Opinions Editor

Mzansi not fo sho The fourth view has been a cynical and critical observation on the response of government and other parties, compared to the lack of response to former matters – circa Marikana, Nkandla, service delivery protests, Gaza… (You get the point). In most cases the general public has become desensitised to strikes, apart for the usual hum from economists and political analysts regarding the repercussions facing the economy. Not sure on the viability of addressing the ife without Khethiwe, impact of striking actors as having Sibusiso and Queen is consequences for South Africa’s inconceivable for some. Regular monetary and fiscal outlook, the guests in many South African issue has taken a different angle: homes, they’ve dropped by every save the impoverished artist weekday. There visits generally who is exploited. involved a tragic love story, Overnight, the 16 actors have with a dose of backstabbing, a collectively become a poster child, company merger r e p r e s e nt i n g and perhaps South Africa’s someone rising creative and from the dead. performing the debacle is a cliffIf the names artists. The hanger to the plot mentioned above handling of the don’t sound situation has familiar and you trivialised the don’t recall having these guests in actual struggles facing artists from your lounge, you were probably working conditions, employment never exposed to SABC 1, or prospects down to remuneration. what the privileged folk refer to as With the rough estimates of the “government TV”. actors’ salaries being revealed, it has Generations is one of the most even been questioned whether the watched television shows in South actors are even deserving of their Africa despite being labelled as current salaries. having sub-par acting, a poor But the indirect message has storyline and exaggerated clichés. been that, in order for an artist’s The past week saw the firing of 16 struggles to be acknowledged by actors from the show following politicians and unions, it would their refusal to conclude their strike need to be part of a show that and return to work. The SABC is has been running for 21 years. back in the news along with Mfundi In the process there has been Vundla, the creator of the show. a misrepresentation of the real Both parties have been depicted hardships facing countless South as exploitive slave-drivers with no African artists. regard for the actors. Quiet fittingly, the debacle is Like clockwork, #Generations a cliff-hanger to the plot, leaving was trending with Twitter protesters everyone guessing the outcome. and commentators. Divided along Perhaps a solution would be to different camps, each group voiced appeal to the original sponsors of their views on a matter that has now soap operas – Procter & Gamble been dubbed a national crisis. There and Palmolive – to pay the salaries have been four dominant views, the of the actors. first being: “Generations? What is For the 7 million loyal viewers that? I’ve never heard of it before,” left in the lurch, there is still Isidingo followed by, “That show should’ve and 7de Laan, and for those that been cancelled a long time ago”. On are more adventurous there’s the other extreme, there has been telenovelas – the story lines are a bit a radical call for solidarity through questionable but Carlos and Maria boycotting the show. are easy on the eye and don’t strike.

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opinions

v73 e9 – 26 August 2014

Disposable bodies Ihsaan Bassier

wenty years into democracy and the 34 miners killed by the police in Marikana in 2012 have yet to see any justice. In Philippi, over one hundred homes were destroyed in evictions during the two-year Marikana commemoration, reminiscent of the Group Areas Act. And after so many years, these people form part of nearly half of the country that live under the poverty line, the disposable bodies that don’t deserve Pistorius’ media attention when killed, raped or exploited. This postapartheid version of South Africa is an insult to what it promised in 1994.

into the double standard evoked by power privileges “We are all Marikana” is a rejection of the class-apartheid that is ignored in our free and democratic society. The UCT Left Students’ Forum helped form a Marikana Solidarity group which tried to ignite an activism in students surrounding the marches on August 15th and 16th, hitting students with some myth-busting facts, including the mining corporation Lonmin’s ample economic ability to meet the demands for a living wage, as well as a seminar series.

But the real work happened anonymously under the cloak of darkness in some innovatively artistic representations of Marikana. The 34 crosses on the Woolsack intersection reminded us of the very real deaths that wives and children faced. Later, a blanket – knitted by women to honour the side-lined role of women in Marikana – was thrown around Cecil John Rhodes’ shoulders on Rugby Road. This was an ironic juxtaposition of the colonialist, symbolising mining exploitation and capital, against the green blanket of Mambush, an economic martyr and leader of the 34. God forbid Rhodes be offended, UCT removed this blanket within hours. The word “Marikana” was further plastered across Jammie steps. Despite UCT’s apparent efforts to forget Marikana, “Remember Marikana” pops up resiliently across campus. The work to externalise the 34 deaths has spread out across Cape Town. The CBD’s streets were renamed to honour Marikana victims, harmless signs that were removed by city officials. Banners hung across highway bridges were quickly taken down by Cape Town police. A sit-in at Cavendish was met by a flurry of indignation from Management and a call to the police. The people in power do not like that we remember Marikana. It is precisely this watchful paranoia, authority removing the

Image: Yanna Romano

memory of Marikana wherever it appears, that should be our most alarming warning.

UCT to stop its prototypical white liberal fence-sitting For 20 years, we have idly bought into the double standard evoked by power privileges. Not only is the contrast of rich separated by a train

line from the poor tolerated, but it is perpetuated. Economic policy has massively favoured the rich, which has been protected in capturing an elite – black, union or political – for control and using public police to subdue. Equality is forgotten. The fierce anguish of our oppressed is muffled by layers of security guards containing the oppressor. This is not a tragic process that we can comment on from afar. No, “We are all Marikana” is a call for UCT to stop its prototypical white liberal

fence-sitting and start leading justice, as a community of thinkers should. If we are indeed the best university in Africa, we need to lead ethically: we should not be afraid of cutting our contract with G4S who have tortured prisoners, or divesting from Lonmin, who allegedly colluded in the killing of the 34. We must pay our workers decently. We can no longer contribute to this moral corruption. Stop worrying about serving the colonialist Rhodes statue, UCT, and start standing up for justice in South Africa.

jobs because of connections and people inside.

renowned. His former party, the ANC, will miss him because of his insights, while the opposition reveres him for making the right decision to step down. A number of headlines have applauded him for making this decision, by “owning up” to fraud. While he may appear to be very knowledgeable, the fact that he lied about his qualifications casts doubt on his image. Yes, there are some people who, despite lack of formal education, are considered very intelligent (Bill Gates being one of them), but what needs to be taken away from this is that lying about your merits can cause people to lose faith in you.

A cycle broken… for now

Quentin Coetzee Pallo Jordan has recently been found to have doctored his doctorate, and has since resigned from his position as an ANC MP. At first glance, this appears to be a good thing, as there seems to be at least some sense of ethical responsibility, even if miniscule, until you remember that there are others who just don't care. One ANC member has taken responsibility, but there is still a large number of MPs and government employees who do not.

her likely secret to success: her father, the President of Nkandla There are a lot of people employed by government who have subpar qualifications, but retain positions in high places despite that. One glaring example is thenacting COO of the SABC, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, who was found by the Public Protector to have forged his matric certificate. When this fraud was exposed, he remained in his position despite calls for him to leave, and became the permanent COO of the SABC. Then there are those who don’t have experience, but get into

Image: Niall McNulty

it isn’t what you know, but who you know One such person is Thuthukile Zuma who, despite lacking in required experience with senior management, acquired a job as chief of staff in the telecommunications department. Her likely secret to success: her father, the President of Nkandla. These days, it is looking increasingly like “it isn’t what you know, but who you know” is what gets you employed by government. But it extends further: those people who hold positions in government almost always refuse to resign when their ability or credibility is called into question with revelation of scandals. Look at Angie Motshekga who failed to get textbooks to schools in Limpopo, but stays on as Minister of Basic Education. There was also then-Police Commissioner, Riah Phiyega and then-Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa, who remained in their posts despite cruel incidents of police brutality coming to light. With Jordan’s reputation and resignation on ethical grounds, he seems to be almost universally

this is just the latest in a long line of scandals Jordan does deserve some credit for having a sense of accountability and, in resigning, breaking away from a popular trend to shrug off responsibility. However, this is just the latest in a long line of scandals, and before long, you may be hearing something about politician X collecting money from tender Y and refusing to resign, instead attacking the whistle-blowers on questionable grounds.

opinions

“Let’s play dress up!” Tsholofelo Kwakwa

hile the majority of the country was out celebrating Women’s Month, two white female students from the University of Pretoria were playing dress-up. Not your basic Halloween costumes kind of dress-up, but the offensive kind, which caused uproar on social media and among South African citizens. The two students dressed up as South African domestic workers for a friend’s birthday party – complete with doeks, padded bottoms and their faces and arms painted brown. The photos were later posted on Facebook. With the rapid transmission of information on social media, everybody was soon up in arms.

exaggeates those traits, thus reducing people to a few essentials Some might argue that this was done in the spirit of fun, but this incident ignited serious issues about racism and black stereotypes. With social networking sites, such as Twitter, giving users the opportunity to voice their opinions using the hashtag #Blackface and #StudentRacism, it became clear

that there is nothing funny or lighthearted about racial stereotyping. Racial stereotyping is put into play by sets of binary oppositions, and these work to separate groups and create boundaries between different races. This splitting not only reduces people of a certain race to their basic traits, but also exaggerates those traits, thus reducing people to a few essentials. This also clearly involves issues of power – one pole of the binary is the dominant one, exercising power. The history of the various interactions between black and white races dates back to the 16th century. With just 20 years of freedom, South Africans are still in a battle to overcome the injustices of the past and become the sought after Rainbow Nation. That obviously cannot happen if racial stereotyping is still so pervasive. The images of #Blackface (as it has been dubbed) are provocative, racist and disrespectful. The outfits associated with those worn by domestic workers are disrespectful to black mothers who work hard every day to be able to take care of their families. The padded bottoms bear resemblance to Saartje Baartman and raise issues of the stereotypes relating to black bodies. The brown paint smeared on their faces just stamps the racist element in this

Image: Linda Mjiki

Zona Magadla The upheaval that these images caused also highlights the extreme cultural sensitivities that still exist surrounding the way in which stereotypes are portrayed. In spite of the fact that this was a private party, racism should not be this impenetrable. Whether done in public or private, the only way to enable SA to move forward is if there is an active changing of mindsets and a genuine concern for other races. South Africans are profound individuals still filled with memories of the past. In order to prevent these past two decades being dubbed as 20 years of “democrazy” we should be sensitive to that and positively participate in moving forward.

Nkhensani Manabe The tradition of large-scale civic protest, which entails citizens coming together to put their voices and actions behind a cause in order to effect social change, has been enjoying a revival in recent years. The type of grassroots organisation that was popular and largely effective during the apartheid era is being revisited and is already proving efficient when it comes to getting attention from government and political organisations.

Image: Sky Orion

is the local chapter of the global campaign for the equality and human rights of Palestinian people. Towards the end of July, BDS South Africa called for South Africans who support the cause of a free Palestine to show their solidarity by boycotting Israeli-produced goods at local supermarkets. While Pick ‘n Pay and Shoprite have also been pegged as stockists of Israeli imports,

The braid runner

racism should not be this impenetrable

#BoycottWoolworths reveals consumers’ social consciousness

The Israeli-Palestine conflict in the Middle East has moved people all over the globe, with conscious South Africans outraged by the imposition of an apartheid-like regime by the Israeli government on Palestinians. While the conflict between Israel and Palestine has been prominent for decades, attempts at intervention and resolution have failed. Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) South Africa

ensemble as that is what was used (by white people in various forms of entertainment) to stereotypically represent and mock black races. These images further reflect how some people still view the black race. Additionally, they also illustrate how blacks are viewed by those who wish to highlight them as the “other”, one who is different to them – and to reinforce their status of power.

One less pretzel

Woolworths’ continued business with Israel is an endorsement of its politics

v73 e9 - 26 august 2014

the BDS campaign has been focusing on Woolworths. Using the #BoycottWoolworths hashtag on Twitter, shoppers have been making it known that they will no longer purchase litchis, mangoes, couscous or pretzels which are among the products that Woolworths sources from Israel. All political conflict has a strong financial element: government policies are funded either by citizens’ taxes or by

It has been almost two years since I had any kind of synthetic hair on my head. I think this places me in a good position to broach the topic of a daily phenomenon at UCT. Do you know the embarrassment I feel when I’m walking on campus and I see that one lonely braid lying on the ground? Regardless of the fact that I know it does not belong to me, I still feel the urge to quickly run my fingers through my short afro to check for any missing braids. Do you know what gets to me the most? Nobody wants to pick it up, not even the girl who knows very well that it belongs to her. I can swear on my dead cat’s grave that she probably walks the same route every day. This begs the question of how she could not notice it, when she’s one of the few with purple braids on. I suppose the act of her picking it up would just confirm that it was hers all along and onlookers would walk past saying, “Mmm… shame. Next time, tie them up properly.” Maybe the Sarahs, Ananyas and possibly the Kirstens can wear their hair down but when it comes to the Mbalis and Palesas, the braid drifter appears out of nowhere saying: “Here I go again on my own, going down the only road I have ever known.” foreign investments. In the case of the Woolworths-Israel relationship, a South African company is investing (albeit indirectly) in the political activities of the Israeli government. From the view of BDS, if placards, marches, petitions, and negotiations fail, the best alternative method to gain attention from governments is to tamper with their bank accounts. The fact that imported products are labelled, or that they reportedly only make up 0.1% of Woolworths’ stock has not appeased pro-Palestine protesters, who maintain that Woolworths’ continued business with Israel is an endorsement of its politics. Those involved in the BDS movement have moved beyond rallies and marches (which are effective, to an extent). Instead they have chosen to sacrifice their comforts as a show of sustained and quantifiable support. This movement is indicative of the fact that when people get angry enough about a social issue, they are willing to give up their personal luxuries

Currently, these braid drifters can be spotted at various places on campus. There’s one chilling on the side of the path dividing the rugby field leading to Middle Campus, just keep your head down at all times and you’ll see it. There’s another lonely soul by the Sports Centre begging for some moisturizer. And the one at UCT West Stop said she wants to be reunited with her loved ones. If found please contact Khumbul’ekhaya via fax on 086… Just kidding. Despite the risk, I am considering getting braids just because I have not had them in a long time. I also want to remind myself of what it feels like to look fancy while flipping my hair to the side with my fingertips. However, I have to wait a month or two because having your hair done in Cape Town is expensive. These cute boys don’t know the real struggle. To the girls who are still rocking braids, my advice is keep it neat and clean, and most importantly tie them up real tight. The last place you want to be is walking in front of the guy you like and… Oops! There goes your braid dropping to your feet. Oh my. And so, my heart goes out to all the lonely braids. May your travels be full of adventure and divine encounters. to see justice served. The #BoycottWoolworths campaign has been taken up with great enthusiasm across the country, but there are still those who don’t believe that they should have to make some substitutions to their lunchboxes to support people that they don’t know on the other side of the continent.

the best way to get attention is to tamper with their bank accounts There is space for both groups, but ideally there should be as much weight thrown behind the campaign for Palestine’s freedom as possible. Boycotts, divestment and sanctions have worked in the past, and can still work with enough people participating. Whether #BoycottWoolworths will convince retailers to trade in a more socially responsible manner, however, remains to be seen.

s u o e g a r t u o s t s y o a d m l e a Th nation r e e t t in a r b e l e c we

September September 19th: Talk Like a Pirate Day

Everyday is a day worth celebrating, but how far should we go? Check out these weird yet wonderful “International Days” we celebrate each and every year. Perhaps you will find yourself celebrating these days in the near future yourself!

February

February 1st: Working Naked Day

January

January 2nd: Happy Mew Year’s Day for Cats

We have all heard of those cat ladies – well this is a New Year’s Day dedicated to those furry felines. Apparently they are entitled and deserving of such a day, where they can come together and paws (get it?) and consider the “mewness” of the brand new season and all of the purrrrrfect possibilities it holds. Crazy? Yes, just a little. January 13th: Rubber Ducky Day Celebrate this special day by taking a long hot steaming bath with, of course, the star of the day, a Rubber Duck! And don’t forget to wash behind your ears! January 14th: Dress up your Pet Day There is not much else to say other than, uhm, okay? Dress Up Your Pet Day is an opportunity to wow the neighbours, and to unleash the inner diva of your favourite pooch or Persian. Once again, this is rather creepy, but hey, whatever floats your boat.

January 19th: Popcorn Day

How can one of the most popular snacks in the world not have an International Celebration Day?! Nothing can beat a good box of fresh popcorn while watching a great movie. So, when this day rolls around next year, grab some mates (or loved ones) put on a good show and make sure you have the biggest box of popcorn by your side. Enjoy! January 23rd: Measure Your Feet Day Another weird, yet existing international day’s we celebrate, but here it is – Measure Your Feet Day. This day is a day for us to consider our feet, and give them a little more TLC than usual. People rarely think about their feet, but they are a vital part of our everyday lives and require as much care as any other part of our bodies. January 27th: Bubble Wrap Day There is nothing more fun than popping bubble wrap! There is nothing more fun than popping bubble wrap! There is nothing more fun than popping bubble wrap! There is nothing more fun than popping bubble wrap! I think you get the point.

If this really does happen in your work place – please do invite us all! As its name suggests, Working Naked Day is the day in which you carry out the day’s work unclothed. But before you get too excited, this does not mean that your turn up at a place of work naked – rather, the whole point is that the day celebrates the act of working from home (naked) and the freedom that results from this situation. #slightlydissapointed

April

April 4th: World Rat Day One important thing to realise right away – rats are not dirty. It is just a myth and misconception that World Rat Day hopes to dispel as it celebrates the joys of fancy rats. Anyone who keeps rats as pets or companions is already in on the secret: these animals are friendly, loyal, intelligent and very endearing. Unfortunately they’ve had a bit of bad press over the years, what with the Black Death, Bubonic Plague and a thousand Pacific islands which have had their native wildlife chewed down to ground level and beyond. Once you get to know rats on a one-to-one basis, then all of their finer qualities will come to the fore. April 17th: High Five Day This day has more to it than just celebrating one of the coolest and most fun ways of communicating with others. This day aims to also promote awareness of cancer, and the effects that it has on all of us. Two in five people are likely to be diagnosed with some form of the disease during their lifetime, and their stories touch and impact everybody in their lives. Give somebody a high-five and see if you can raise sponsorship money for giving as many high fives as you can, or by giving high-fives to celebrities and famous people.

August

February 18th: Drink Wine Day There is absolutely nothing wrong with at least one, or five, glasses of wine a day, so this day seems like a good fit! This day might be an international celebration, but who’s to say we needed a reason to gurgle down a glass of our favourite wine, anyway?

March

March 3rd: What If Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs Day Another one of those weird animals days... Apparently, this day is meant to prompt us to think about how our dogs and cats would cope with having opposable thumbs – seems legit. Apart from using What If Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs Day to celebrate our pets, it’s also an excuse to make use of Photoshop and post relevant pictures of cats and dogs with opposable thumbs on social media. Sounds fun.

Yarr! One of our favourite days, Talk Like A Pirate Day encourages you to inject pirate-themed words and noises into everything you say. Talk like a pirate at home, at work, with friends, on the phone and to everybody you meet; top it off by dressing like a pirate too!

August 17th: Thrift Shop Day

May

May 2nd: No Pants Day Not a fan of pants? Are they constricting you? No Pants Day is the perfect opportunity to brandish your pasty white ankles, and to liberate your legs. Take the initiative to have a pants-less day walking around your home (but please don’t go out in public).

October

October 8th: Pet Obesity Awareness Day Again with the pets... The aim of this day is to stop thinking about ourselves and look and to start thinking our beloved pets. Believe it or not, animals suffer greatly as a result of obesity too. Not only does it drastically impact their general health, it also reduces their overall quality of life, often interfering with daily activities and their enjoyment of things like walking and playing ball. It is difficult to deny our furry companions the food they constantly beg for, and seeing the delight on their faces when they are given treats and scraps from lunch or dinner – it is one of the greatest things about having a pet. But doing this regularly is doing more harm than good. We need to help our pets and promote a healthier lifestyle for them!

Thrift Shop Day rules: Save money and be economical by purchasing second-hand, repaired or simply cheaper products. These products can range from clothing to furniture, or even household goods – whatever you can find that is not brand new and does not cost a fortune.

June

June 17th: Eat your Vegetables Day Nothing like a good plate of veggies to fill you up! Use this day to be as healthy as possible and stuff your face with vegetables so that the rest of the year you don’t need to! Perfect plan. There are many other International Day’s celebrated, VARSITY has only highlighted a few. For more strange yet funny international days, be sure to check out: www.daysoftheyear.com

December

December 30th: Bacon Day

I think this day speaks for itself. Have some bacon and enjoy the day!

features

v73 e9 – 26 august 2014

Take a Peep inside? Cape Town’s community of creatives Busang Senne

he lights were dimmed and out she came, silk robe and 1950s jazz seeping through the speakers and taking us back in time to smoky bars and bourbon. Mistress Morphine takes the stage, nipple tassels included…

The purpose of Peep Show is to inspire Filmmakers, dancers, musicians, art performers and Cape Town creatives welcome, a wonderland of bohemia and burlesque. Introducing Peep Show, a community of artists with a variety of talents coming together in this eclectic platform to showcase short films, poetry, music, drama performances, comedy acts, and burlesque. The initiative was started in February by UCT student and organiser, Kelly Grobler, as a way

for local performers to expose and explore, engage and interact with other twenty-somethings in the creative industry. Last week Peep Show was an ode to Women’s Month, celebrating female directors and filmmakers, featuring recitals from the poetry of Antjie Krog and Maya Angelou and burlesque acts Mistress Morphine and Cherry Lesque giving an empowering performance from a very sexy craft. The lights, camera and action of the event took place at Cape Town’s art hub, The City Bowl Market. R30 later, I made an eager dash for the free (and much needed) glass of wine – free because I’m a woman, much needed because it was a Thursday. The downstairs section featured food and clothing stalls from vintage leather to cinnamon pancakes. I arrived just as a UCT short film on a woman defying gender roles and following her dream of being a professional motorbike rider began. The films included a segment on suicide and a girl’s struggle to salvage a burnt gingerbread man (aptly entitled BURNT). The recital

Image: wikimedia.org/ Peter Tjoe Fat

fortune smiles on those with an affinity for the unique and whimsical of Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” had a secure place in my heart as I have the line etched in ink on my

arm and Antjie Krog’s “Mama” (my Afrikaans is rusty but the emotions surely not) concluded the poetry for the evening. The purpose of Peep Show is to inspire, to create and to be part of a community to recognise untapped talent in the design capital of the world. Shortly after a rap duet performed a piece of

what the significant women in their life meant to them, I had to leave to less green pastures (Gandalf ’s legendary Ladies Nights on a Thursday – need I say more?). But fortune smiles on those with an affinity for the unique and the whimsical like Peep Show: it takes place every two weeks. Long live the thespian!

UCT Zoo: behind the bars Hannah MacMillan

In the mid-1930s there was an unconventional prison break by a pair of convicts brought over from the Himalayas. And, as I expect all escapee Himalayan convicts might do, they made for the mountain. Table Mountain. At large (and with increasing numbers) until the early 2000s this family of escapee Himalayan convicts, also known as Tahrs (mountain goats), became a regular feature for hikers. But due to their demands on the mountain ecology and their non-indigenous status, the new millennium saw a number of controlled cullings and sightings have become increasingly rare. Just beyond the parking lot opposite South Stop you’ll find a gap in the fence and a path which leads to a group of deserted cells or “enclosures.” Contrary to popular belief, this is not where UCT sends its plagiarism offenders. These structures once housed an array of animals from lions and peacocks to emus and crocodiles, which together formed the institution known as the Groote Schuur Zoo. This was the institution from which our friends the Tahrs made their escape. The Zoo was a popular location right up until it closed in 1975 and is still visited today by many nostalgic Capetonians; the odd student; informal settler; or Anthropology class. Its closure was the result of a combination of improved Animal Welfare standards and apartheid’s financial demands; but it is still open to the public at no cost whatsoever (as it was throughout its operative days), albeit empty of the animals for which it is famously remembered.

Image: wikimedia.com/Danie van der Merwe

Most of you will have paid a visit to Rhodes Memorial. Most of you will have noticed that Cecil had a thing for lions. This correlates with the old Zoo. The most prominent feature of the Zoo, both now and when it was functional, is the Lions’ den. Rhodes envisioned a free-standing Greek Temple-like structure in and through which the lions would roam free. This plan was not taken further for obvious reasons. But despite their more conventional accommodation

these lions had a lasting impression on the psyche and memory of those living in the surrounding area, including UCT students. In 1974 a group of students decided to abduct a lion cub. UCT had just won the rugby; this group of friends had been drinking; and I guess that 3am is a bad decisionmaking time for most people under such conditions. The expedition did not go well. “When they arrived at the hospital and declared that their

friend had been bitten by a lion, the doctor’s response was, simply, ‘You are drunk’ to which [they] replied, ‘Yes, but look at his leg!’” Perhaps such after-hours activities also played a role in the closing of the Zoo. The lions, placed in a den which overlooked all the other cages and enclosures, are no more. The Tahrs, on the other hand, got out and are still around. Hikers still see them surveying the city as though waiting for the other animals to

join them. The next time you’re out hiking, keep your eyes open for a Tahr. And the next time you have a free period, make your way over to the old Groote Schuur Zoo and imagine what it must have been like to go to your next lecture with the distant sound of a lion’s roar. Note: This article is based, in part, on some wonderful memoirs. To find out more visit us online at www.varsitynewspaper.co.za.

features

To Bant or not to Bant Dean Horwitz

ver the past year a new food culture has descended on Cape Town. The Low Carb, High Fat Diet has swept across the City, forcing restaurants to adapt their menus and supermarkets to re-think what they sell. The diet, although not new, owes its resurgence to Professor Tim Noakes who, along with a team of professionals from various disciplines, co-authored a book called Real Meal Revolution, which is flying off the shelves. It is a part-cookbook and part-science book and it takes you through all the science behind the diet before enticing you with some incredible recipes. The mantra of the diet is simple: Replace carbohydrates, sugar and refined and processed foods with a combination of high fat and high protein foods. According to

Professor Noakes, the diet is not only useful in aiding weight-loss, but also curing a variety of ailments which he attributes to the intake of carbohydrates. The diet centres on the belief that despite what we have been told, fats are not bad for you and do not cause heart disease. Fats should rather be eaten and enjoyed. However, as with any new diet, Noakes has had his critics. According to Johannesburgbased cardiologist Anthony Dalby, Noakes’ diet is “criminal”. Dalby says that the evidence has shown that children with inherited high cholesterol often had heart attacks or strokes in their teens. Noakes has also had his findings questioned by researchers at the University of Stellenbosch, who recently published a paper in the Plos One Journal. In their article, they argue that the Banting lifestyle resulted in weight-loss only by restricting caloric intake, and

v73 e9 - 26 august 2014

Image: flickr.com/Another Pint Please

not by lowering the amount of carbohydrates consumed. However, Noakes remains adamant and steadfast in his resolve. He continues to lecture and defend his diet and has accrued an army of people who stand by him. Looking online, you will come across several people who have taken on the diet and have either lost drastic amounts of weight or overcome severe health issues, or both.

It is part cookbook and part science book

Personally, I have been trying various diets over the past five years and have found that while many of them work for a short period, I often rebound and put the weight back on. With the Banting diet, I have found

that not only have I lost weight, but have so drastically changed my diet and lifestyle and the result is a much healthier outlook on life. There will always be people on both sides of the debate and until we have done empirical studies on the diet and its longer term effects, we won’t know the truth. But I think the current situation is

well summed up by the Heart and Stroke Foundation CEO Dr Vash Mungal-Singh, “The raging debate about how much carbohydrates and saturated fats people should consume was confusing, but we agree on one thing; there is a need to avoid sugar, processed foods and refined carbohydrates, which is what is really killing people.”

Bringing human rights home A student experience with the United Nations Ashley Van Heerden The World Federations of United Nations Association (WFUNA) hosted a five day human rights training program in Geneva, Switzerland from July 21st to July 25th. The training was attended by 33 participants from 25 different countries. The goal of the training program, held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, was to empower young individuals to take leading roles in upholding human rights in their communities, countries and, ultimately, around the world. I was shocked when I was endorsed by United Nations of South Africa, UCT Chapter (UNASAUCT) and later by the United Nations of South Africa’s (UNASA) national board. Firstly, because I’m not a Politics or International Relations student; I’m a psychology student. Secondly, because I was younger than the other applicants. And thirdly, because during my Skype interview with UNASA I accidently made a three-way call and the line dropped three or four times. The first day aimed at getting all the delegates acquainted and comfortable. They ranged from 20 to 29 years old, from developed countries such as Denmark, to developing countries such as Zimbabwe. We began by looking at the theoretical aspects of human rights. Workshops were attended on building a culture of human rights, the role of civil society in the UN system, and strategies for NGO advocacy. It was interesting to learn about human rights from the people actually involved in the field. They were honest and open and would tell us about the reality of working for the organisation. As the days

67 minutes with SARDA

Mandela day has come and gone but did you do your 67 minutes? Ali Findlay

Image: Provided

progressed, the training became more intensive. We engaged in a lot of simulation exercises pertaining to specific mechanisms within human rights, such as the Treaty Body System, the Universal Periodic Review and Special Rapporteur. It wasn’t all work though. We were able to tour the UN building which is absolutely breath-taking. It is like a piece of history just frozen in time. We were even able to attend the Human Rights Council's Special Session on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This was the most thrilling opportunity. We got to see the UN at work, and see the states at play. I say this because it is extremely politicised, we could almost work out the recommendations of each state on the basis of their relationship with Israel. It was amazing to watch people with such power get together, for the good of the people. The final component of training was the practical aspect of program implementation. We were trained on program design and management. This aspect of the training was the

most useful, as the skills acquired will be utilised in writing up a business proposal, and implementing and evaluating my human rights projects. On the basis of the skills learnt, I am going to be hosting a series of workshops at UCT pertaining to the human rights system, particularly the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). As one of the main mechanisms of the Council, the UPR allows states to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries which result in fellow member states providing recommendations. We are hoping that through the UPR, UNASA will have a strengthened ability to protect human rights in South Africa. I want to strengthen knowledge on human rights as well as the UNASA-UCT network. On a personal level this trip made it clear to me that I want to work for NGOs in South Africa. It is so invigorating to be a part of a human rights team with dynamic and driven individuals. Nelson Mandela said, “To deny people their human rights, is to challenge their very humanity.”

As a student, life can get busy. Days flash by as you do assignment after assignment and test after test. It’s easy to forget about things that aren’t part of your usual routine and suddenly you find yourself doing the same things every week. Your focus can become limited to your own little bubble. Pop that bubble. Have a new experience, help people, get to know people and have some fun outside of your usual routine. This year I started volunteering at the South African Riding for the Disabled Association (SARDA) in Constantia. The organisation provides free horse riding lessons for over 200 physically and/or mentally disabled children from around Cape Town every week. Working with horses and children leads to a very unique bond developing between horse, rider, and volunteer – a bond that is unforgettable.

The emotions that flooded out of them were exceptionally touching I expected to find working with disabled children upsetting at times, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. SARDA is an environment that encompasses positivity. The kids are full of excitement and smiles, and they cannot wait to climb onto their horse. The positivity that exudes from the children, their parents, the instructors, volunteers, and the horses is unbelievable. Interacting with kids that are disabled helps

Image: Provided by SARDA

me to put my life and problems into perspective; it reminds me again how fortunate I am to be healthy and have a body that functions without any difficulties. Recently, I helped at a fundraising event where the children who took part in the lesson had never visited SARDA or even ridden a horse before. All of the kids in the lesson were deaf, but that didn’t make them any less observant or any less capable. The emotions that flooded out of them were exceptionally touching. The little boy I was helping didn’t stop smiling once and one girl was so happy and overwhelmed that she got tears in her eyes. But my favourite moment always comes at the end of every lesson. The rider’s eyes squeeze shut as they lean over and wrap their arms around their horse’s neck, giving their horse a gigantic hug, thanking them for the ride. I always feel so privileged to be able to have a part in the bond between a child and their horse. With July 18th now over a month ago, how many of us did our 67 minutes? I could take this opportunity to preach about how we should all be making time to help fellow South Africans every week, but the reality is that life is hectic. So let’s take some of Madiba’s best advice and start with 67 minutes.

features

v73 e9 – 26 august 2014

Knit-a-row-and-go

Crushing the Cape winter one row at a time

Shannon Holcroft

Image: Victoria Chasi

In the event of a zombie apocalypse

Learning to knit in technology class may have seemed entirely pointless. But those needlework skills can be put to use in the Me-amama Knit-a-row-and-go campaign to make this winter a little less harsh for underprivileged Western Cape children. Me-a-Mama is an online maternity wear store, but the company’s concerns go beyond keeping moms-to-be from looking frumpy. For the past three years, their public knitting relay has helped meet basic winter clothing needs for local children in impoverished areas. The company places wool and needles in local hangouts. These are participating restaurants around the city and the supplies are donated by Elle Yarns. People simply knit what they can and leave their work behind for the next person to continue. Besides the obvious benefit of helping those in need, the project is a perfect fit for budget-conscious students with a lot on their plates. People can volunteer as much time as

they want, with baked goods and hot beverages as a delicious incentive. I ask Me-a-Mama’s Creative Director Nicola Jackson a few questions about the campaign: What inspired the initiative? We wanted to create a community who donates spare moments to benefit those who cannot help themselves. It is also meant to make people feel great about giving, not forced into doing something through guilt. Everybody can knit or learn to knit. People feel great, because even knitting a single row helps keep a child warm. Where did the 2014 knitting relays take place? Knead Bakeries, Field Office in Woodstock at the Woodstock Exchange, La Cuccina in Hout Bay, Peter’s House, Fox and Vixen, and the Cape Craft and Design Institute in town. What are the campaign's aims for 2014? Our aim every year is to knit at least 1000 scarves or beanies. So far,

we have an incredible 1560 units. Which organisations will receive the 2014 donations? A number of crèches across Noordhoek, Franschoek and the borders of Cape Town. What has been your most rewarding experience in the campaign so far? It was the first donation of 137 blankets, to a crèche in Delft. The whole school came out and each child was wrapped in a different coloured blanket! What are your future plans for the campaign? An expansion throughout South Africa, and there is also interest to start it up in the UK. Knitting sessions are still taking place at all the Cape Town venues, so be sure to drop in and help out. Me-a-mama is also looking for volunteers to help with their 2015 campaign – so make a commitment if this is the kind of change you want to be a part of.

Never have I ever

been to Crew

Image: flickr.com/danhollisterduck

The zombies are coming. Take shallow breaths, and avoid the city centre Nkhensani Manabe Consider the zombie. Rotting former human, escaped from the grave, growling with arms stretched out, eating the brains of anything that walks along its path. It sparked a dance craze in the 80s, and it has been the stuff of nightmarish movie scenes for even longer. The end of the world as we know it is a topic that fascinates so many people, and makes up the content of so much popular media, that it is almost as if people look forward to some type of Armageddon. So what if the theory of a zombie apocalypse in our lifetime can be supported by science? According to pop scientists, zombies could very well be created – if the right type of virus were to be introduced into the human nervous system. Living humans could be infected with a virus that travels through the olfactory nerve, and affects parts of the brain (the amygdala, frontal cortex and hypothalamus, specifically) which would make them into aggressive, impulsive, braindead beings with an insatiable appetite for (human) flesh, i.e. zombies. In the hands of the right diabolical-yet-socially-conscious mastermind, this virus could do some serious good. For example, a scientist who had more time and money than the director of a standard “splatter film”, could

use the virus to eliminate a few of the dictators, war apologists and human rights violators in the immediate vicinity over time. After luring – ahem – inviting these people to an isolated warehouse under the pretence of some ground-breaking seminar on how to successfully take over the world, the scientist would release the virus (now distilled into a vapour) into the room through the air vents, then make a swift exit. In a different scenario, the virus could be released into the air in one of Cape Town’s trendiest neighbourhoods. After a while, the hipsters would throw down their single-origin overpriced coffees and begin tearing into each other. There would be pandemonium as bloodied chambray shirts, 501s, and Air Max 90s went flying everywhere. Afterwards, ordinary citizens could reclaim Long Street, and peace and sound logic would prevail. These scenarios assume that a zombie uprising can be controlled, which is not guaranteed. But if pop culture has taught us something, it’s that anything is possible with a twisted mind, unlimited resources and a penchant for carnage. Still, I’d rather not be here when the world starts to look like the set of Supernatural. I don’t want to perpetuate the stereotype and die first – that’s no way to go.

Shannon Krausey

was prepared. I had spent predrinks listening to Britney Spears, painting my nails with glitter nail polish, and drinking copious amounts of wine. Truth be told, that’s an ordinary predrinks for me; but this was no ordinary night – I was going to Crew. The first thing I noticed was the bouncers. I was taken aback by how polite they were: the greeted us, didn’t ask for ID, and insisted on calling us a cab when we left. Not at all like Tiger, where the bouncers look at you like you’ve just peed on their red carpet, and bounce you for wearing the wrong shoes. I walked into the club and went straight for the bar. Not only were the barmen topless, but they were pantless too. All they wore were tight undies, leaving their six-packs and, er, some other stuff, on full display. A barman assured me that wearing his jocks to work was “the best! And so comfy!”

Image: Shannon Krausey

waving her basoomas around in a room full of disinterested men Another feature of the bar was the bowl of free condoms. I saw more people grab handfuls of these than order any drinks – most likely because of the exorbitant prices. I chose rather to sneak off to a Portuguese Taverna down the road, and had six shots of sambuca for the price of one drink at Crew.

The club filled up quickly. A man arrived with his wife, who was completely bare-chested. A bouncer soon arrived and told her that it was “not that kind of establishment” and ushered her outside. It was a shame to see her go. She looked like she was having a great time waving her basoomas around in a room full of disinterested men. It was a fantastic night. I got to dance with guys who actually knew how to dance, and the DJ played great music and a lot of Miley

Cyrus, which was a great excuse to show everyone how bad I am at twerking. Guys kept on taking their shirts off (win!) and, unlike times I’ve been in Claremont, nobody vomited anywhere (another win!). I’ll definitely be going back to Crew on a weekend, when they have a themed night. The barman offered some sage advice: “If you’re a straight guy looking for a hot doll, come on the weekend.” So, whether you’re looking for a good time, a “hot doll” or just a lot of free condoms, give Crew a try.

V73 E9 - 26 AUGUST 2014

sport

v73 e9 – 26 august 2014

Sports Shorts Bokke need more black players

South Africa's Springbok rugby team should include more black players, Nobel peace prize laureate and leading antiapartheid campaigner Desmond Tutu said Friday. The widelyrespected former Anglican archbishop criticised what he called the "tortoise pace" at which racial integration has taken place in the national team since the end of apartheid 20 years ago. "Particularly hurtful is the selection of black players as peripheral squad members, never given the chance to settle down and earn their spurs," he said in a letter to the Cape Times. –AFP

Ghana drop Boateng, Muntari after Brazil bustup

Kevin Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari, who were sent home from the World Cup in disgrace, have been dropped from the Ghana squad for next month's African Nations Cup qualifiers. Also out is Michael Essien, who made a rare public outburst after the tournament at his lack of playing time in Brazil and then quickly apologised, as well as midfielder Albert Adomah and goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey. –Reuters

Reds agree Balotelli fee

Liverpool has reportedly agreed to a deal with AC Milan to sign controversial striker Mario Balotelli for a fee of £16 million. When the Reds played Milan on tour in America last month, manager Brendan Rodgers had been quick to dismiss interest in the 24-year-old at that time. However, the Merseysiders have been scouring the globe for another front man, making enquiries for Radamel Falcao and Edinson Cavani. Having been knocked back, reports suggest they have settled on the former Manchester City man and seemingly moved quickly to wrap up a deal. –Football411.com

Utseya reported suspect action

Mark Nandi

t has been over a month since the 2014 FIFA World Cup came to a close and, as usual, we have moved on with our lives onto other things. But let’s for a moment bring to the fore an issue that is plaguing this continent’s ability to be recognised as a competitive team in global football - that is, football management. Africa gets five slots for the FIFA World Cup tournament and every single time we hope that maybe, just maybe, we will have an African team progress all the way to the semi-final or even final, if we are uber ambitious. We even get coaches and football analysts speaking of semi final targets and raising the continent’s hopes beyond what is feasible, and time and time again we get disappointed because our hopes have been dashed and the phrase “there is no hope for Africa” starts to hum and buzz throughout the continent. However, just like a doctor would diagnose a disease before prescribing a treatment, it is imperative that a diagnosis is done so as to figure out just why African football is not as progressive as other continents. I’m no expert at this but the dire situation in which our football finds itself needs no scientist or doctor to diagnose. Yes, the continent is blessed with a wide pool of talent, but what is talent without proper management and guidance to nurture it? A key issue that is never addressed is proper funds management. The level of greed and corruption in federations all over the continent is appalling. During the 2014 World Cup, we had situations in the Ghana

Image: flickr.com/xavi fotos

and Nigeria camps where players clashed with team officials regarding wage payment. Players threatened to boycott training in the Nigeria camp as they were worried that their wages would not get paid. The fact that hard cash had to be flown from the continent to Brazil to assure the players of wage payment highlights the level of mistrust that exists between players and their respective federations. Such mistrust only damages football development on all levels. The fact that in some countries, football federations are not held accountable of how they utilise the funds allocated to them only exacerbates the situation further. FIFA’s no interference

policy doesn’t help either. When the Nigerian government disbanded the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) over misappropriation of funds, FIFA stepped in and threatened to ban the Nigerian national football team from all FIFA based competitions. One has to wonder why FIFA, who goes on massive crusades preaching football, would go against efforts to see football developed in a certain country. Ever had a situation where more than one football federation lays claim to the footballing throne in the country? As patriotic and passionate as I am about my country, Kenya, my patience together with that of several other Kenyans was tested when two

football governing bodies went head to head over control of the country’s football affairs. The original body was the Kenya Football Federation (KFF), but some members broke off to form Football Kenya Limited (FKL). FKL claimed to have FIFA approval, but so did KFF. And while all this clashing happened, funds were still being misappropriated and the country’s football status was still in ruins. These, among a host of many other problems and challenges, really limit football development in the continent. Yes, some may feel that I’m complaining too much, but such issues need to be addressed. One of the ways we can begin to tackle our problems is to learn by example. Costa Rica went into the 2014 World Cup as complete underdogs, since they were in a group that contained three former world champions, yet they topped the group and went all the way to the quarter finals, only to lose out to the Netherlands. Clearly Costa Rica is doing something right with regards to football and it wouldn’t hurt to learn from them. Ghana stole the show in 2010 due to discipline and cooperation on all fronts, from the federation to the players and when that cooperation broke down in 2014, the results spoke for themselves. Africa needs to wake up and take control of its football. The sport is not a stepping stone into politics, or a means of enrichment, it’s a global force that has the capability to mitigate some of the socio-economic issues that the continent faces. But for football to succeed, every stakeholder needs to take a valid and genuine interest in developing it. One can only hope that this will happen.

Too little test cricket for the Proteas involved in two or three test match series’. Since the start of 2012, South Africa has played 23 test matches. These include historic series victories over Australia, Sri Lanka, India and England.

James Anderson is on par with Dale Steyn

for

Spinner Prosper Utseya has been reported for a suspect bowling action during Zimbabwe's third and final ODI against South Africa at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Thursday, August 21st. Umpires Chris Gaffaney, Jeremiah Matibiri, Owen Chirombe and match referee Rosham Mahanama cited concerns "regarding Utseya's arm ball and fast delivery," according to a statement from the International Cricket Council. ICC regulations dictate that Utseya must undergo testing within 21 days but is allowed to continue bowling in international cricket until the results are ascertained. –Planetsport

Mark Nandi

What next for mother Africa?

Image: flickr.com/rycat

Saadiq Samodien Purists would describe Test cricket as the truest form of the game. It’s a splendid form of cricket which requires mental strength, talent and loads of patience. The word “patience” is used in the sense of waiting for a turning point in the game, not waiting for your team to finally play a game. Sadly, the latter is the case for the Proteas, as it seems

avid cricket watchers have to wait an eternity to see the team involved in a test match. The current Reliance ICC Rankings will show that South Africa is the number one test side in the world. The team recently concluded a 1-0 series win over Zimbabwe, which was followed by a 3 – 0 ODI series victory. That was a one test match series. I was not sure that even existed in test cricket. South Africa is only ever

In 2012, the sentiments were shared by cricket experts in wishing that the South African tour of Australia was longer, rather a five test match series instead of a three. This same sentiment was shared earlier in the year when Australia toured South Africa, when South Africa toured England in 2012 and when India was in South Africa in 2013. A quick glance at these test matches, and one would see that it was all test series’ that came to nailbiting conclusions and test cricket of the highest quality. Why then is South Africa involved in so few tests? Australia, ranked second in the world, has played 29 test matches since 2012. This includes two five test match series’. The third ranked England cricket team has played 34 test matches since 2012, which

include three five test match series. If one considers that test cricket typically consists of two innings for batsmen and bowlers, then South African cricketers are missing out on setting records. It might explain why Alastair Cook makes the preposterous claim that James Anderson is on par with Dale Steyn. The records may be equal over this period, but that is only because Anderson has played 11 more test matches than Steyn since 2012!

Alastair Cook would have had 22 more innings Moreover, batsmen such as Hashim Amla and AB De Villiers are missing out on opportunities to amass runs and go down as true greats of the games. If one considers that England’s Alastair Cook would have had 22 more innings to play since 2012 than South African batsmen, it truly does not do justice to the game. For some strange reason, South Africa has been playing very little test cricket. This may be due to the shift in power at the International Cricket Council (ICC). Or it could be because sides are just too terrified to play South Africa. I’d go with the latter.

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v73 e9 - 26 august 2014

3-5-2: is it what United needs? Mark Nandi

anchester United just can’t seem to stay out of the headlines. In all fairness, they are one of the world’s largest sporting clubs, so one would be surprised if no one spoke about them. However, with the advent of a new era - the Van Gaal era - there has been much optimism regarding United’s season. Some have spoken of lifting the title, others have been subtler and limited the ambitions to a top four finish. But the critics will be all smiles if the opening game of the 2014-2015 season was anything to go by. With a new look for the United team, new kit sponsor, new captain, new coach and new approach, the stage was set for United’s resurgence.

As I understand it, a 3-5-2 system has the sole purpose of incorporating wingbacks The opponent? Swansea City, a club that on paper shouldn’t have given United a headache, but in reality had caused prior upsets at Old Trafford in last season’s FA cup. Swansea ended up as 2-1 victors, to give United a season opener defeat at home and immediately triggered memories of Moyes’ disastrous regime. In all fairness to Moyes,

he thumped Swansea 4-1 in his first premiership game as United’s manager to give him a great start, but we all know how it went from there. The defeat left Van Gaal with a glaring depiction of just how lacking United is in defence. So is a 3-5-2 system viable for United as they try to rebuild? As I understand it, a 3-5-2 system has the sole purpose of incorporating wingbacks. The wingbacks possess the ability to move forward on the wing during attack and drop back into defensive positions as the team defends to form a 4-4-2 system. This system has its benefits since it adds the quality of attack that a team has to offer, especially if the wingbacks have pace, one-on-one ability and excellent crossing skills. However, it is a system that can fail terribly if the said wingbacks lack the ability to track back and fill in the fullback positions as the team defends. Since the exit of key defensive players Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic and Buttner, United has been left terribly wanting at the back, with only Jones, Smalling, Evans, Rafael, Shaw and new kid Blackett to call on. Rafael and Shaw are still unfit to play while Blackett still has to gain relevant experience in the left back position. At the same time, United has a host of attacking players, especially on the flanks. But it seems Van Gaal is putting his faith in Young and Januzaj to spark up attack upfront. The problem, in my honest

Image: flickr.com/MeSHaRi

opinion, is that both Young and Januzaj lack the defensive pedigree that would render Van Gaal’s system a success. United is in a league where teams love to counter-attack, and more so if the team is inferior on paper. Classic examples can be drawn from United’s last pre-season game with Valencia and the Swansea game. In both matches United dominated possession, while the opposition sat back and closed the gaps, making it difficult for United to break through. Once United lost the ball, they would find themselves severely exposed at the back and only

a lack of quality setup and finishing by the opposition spared them a few blushes. A player like Antonio Valencia and new signing Rojo are players who can fit into Van Gaal’s setup perfectly. However, Valencia is going through a form dip and will find it hard to break into the starting 11 unless he steps up. Rojo is a great signing for United, but one only hopes that he lives up to his potential in the Premier League. The season opening defeat was a strong indication of United’s need to sign key players that will inject quality

both in defence, midfield and attack. Teams in the league are becoming increasingly difficult to overcome and having average players in the squad only means that the team will be average. Van Gaal implemented the 3-5-2 system with the Dutch to great effect in the World Cup but for it to prop United’s status, he needs to bring in one or two players that can bridge the gap that currently exists between defence and attack. Hopefully he will do so, and hopefully this is not the beginning of a fade into football oblivion for United.

Video gaming and sports: what’s the link? Fanie Van Zyl Sports games have become one of the most popular genres of video games. Aside from in America, perhaps, where football games are by some distance the most popular. But do video games have any application in real sport, or are they just a very popular way to waste time?

His remarkable story, making the grade from his skill in a racing game The most popular sports game in the world is the FIFA football series, which regularly tops charts across the world. Many major footballing stars are known to enjoy more than just a little bit of FIFA. EA Sports, developers of the series, are in a lucrative partnership with a number of top clubs and regularly post videos of some of the world’s biggest stars taking each other on, except with a controller in their hands instead of a ball at their feet. Currently, many footballers seem to regard gaming as the best way of bonding with each other, so it could be helpful in building team spirit, as at least the players interact with each other, instead of just having big headphones on as football players so often do. The most direct and famous

Image: Sofia Gilli link between gaming and sports is the life of Jann Mardenborough. He grew up as a racing enthusiast, but his parents could not afford for him to pursue his dream of being a professional racing driver. In 2011 he took part in the Gran Turismo (GT) academy competition, playing the racing simulator Gran Turismo, a game renowned for ultimate realism. He beat 90 thousand other competitors to win the chance to partake in the Dubai 24 Hour. He is currently racing in the GP3 series and is well on his way to becoming a real professional race car driver. His remarkable story, making the

grade from his skill in a racing game, is one that most would see as unthinkable.

Udinese in Italy used the ... database to discover Alexis Sanchez Another game that can have application in real life sport is the Football Manager series, a management simulation that has sold over 20 million copies. The game has a vast database of players

not only limited to big established stars. The database is so renowned and comprehensive that clubs all around the world are beginning to use it to discover new talent. Each player has a series of individual traits that they are graded on. Sports Interactive, the developer of the game, has 1300 scouts in 51 countries constantly going to matches to draw up individual ratings for each player. The result: an uncannily realistic simulation of the real sport, with over 300 thousand players and even coaches in the database. Udinese in Italy used the

Football Manager database to discover Alexis Sanchez, who has recently joined Arsenal in a bigmoney deal. Manchester United legend and current Cardiff City manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a known fan of the series, and has professed to using the game to practice for his new career as a manager. After being an avid player of the game during his playing days, more recently he has used the game to practice for his new job as manager, “I remember thinking the same when I played the game as I do now as a manager” he told the Daily Mail. High praise indeed.

Sport

FIXTURES

VARSITY

Varsity Football

USSA Cross Country Champions

September 1st, 4:30pm

September

GREEN MILE

UFS BLOEMFONTEIN

UCT vs. UWC

Should we legalise performance enhancing drugs? Dean Horwitz

here has been much debate among sportsmen and women, sports media, sports authorities and fans over the use of performance enhancing drugs, and the sporting world is yet to come to an agreement on the issue. While the use of performance - enhancing drugs is currently banned, authorities are battling to find and convict offenders who are constantly using new and innovative methods to evade authorities. Those who are in favour of continuing to uphold the ban argue that legalising drugs would create chemically enhanced sportsmen as well as “trigger” happy coaches who encourage their athletes to take drugs in order to obtain fame and fortune. They argue that the legalisation will give license to sports-people to push the envelope with performance - enhancing drugs, creating a

game will be invaded by the ability to chemically enhance every aspect of it. They argue that sport should be a test of man’s natural ability, a test of his ability to go beyond human limits to achieve the impossible. On the other hand you have sports fans who argue that drugs should be legal because sport should be a spectacle, and why should we hold athletes back from pushing the boundaries no matter what they have to do? These people argue that we watch sport to see the best athletes push the boundaries and that they should be allowed to use drugs to do this.

dangerous and unequal playing field. The proponents of continuing to ban these drugs argue that not only would this be bad for sport but also for the athletes who will consume deadly and dangerous drugs. This will lead to short-term gains, fame and success, but will ultimately lead to a decline in their health and potentially death.

sports-people are already using a range of drugs

legalising drugs would create chemically enhanced sportsmen On the other hand, those who argue for the legalisation of performance - enhancing drugs say that, at the moment, sport is losing the battle against monitoring and effectively stopping the taking and dealing in performance enhancing drugs. With limited budgets and lack of cooperation across sports disciplines, administrators are

Image: Sofia Gilli struggling to keep up with the demand for new and innovative performance - enhancing drugs and ways to beat the drug tests. These proponents argue that despite years of legislation and attempts to create a drug free sporting environment, as well as years of drug education, sportsmen are still taking these drugs and are still getting away

with it. They argue that sports-people are already using a range of drugs in attempts to heal faster and make them play longer and better, and so the lines continue to blur between what is and isn’t allowed. In the middle of these two camps you have the sports fan. There are those who vehemently oppose the use of drugs, arguing that the love of the

Sitting somewhere in the middle is my argument. I believe that, while sports authorities are fighting a losing battle, we cannot open the market and trade on all forms of performance - enhancing drugs. I feel that there is room for a moderate legalisation of drugs in an effort to better legislate the system and create an environment where there are solid lines between what is and isn’t allowed.

Bring it on? For who? For what?

Images: Provided by Ikeys Vibe

Megan Thomas In today’s equal age that attempts to diminish all forms of gender stereotyping, people find themselves raising their eyebrows to the foundations of Cheerleading. The assumption is that it is an activity functioned to use sexuality to entertain sportsmen and crowds at intervals during a sports match.

a chauvinistic manifestation of all the stereotypes of women By its stereotype, members of cheerleading squads are usually skinny, pretty bombshells whose flexible legs and noticeable pink underwear get them swiftly labelled by society as

people who do not respect themselves. The question “Are cheerleaders necessary?” is difficult. It is usually accompanied by “What do cheerleaders do for sport?” and “Are they useful?” and leads to a conversation that asks whether or not they are simply a chauvinistic manifestation of all the stereotypes of women that society, to this day, perpetuates. The answers for these differ based on the platform, the two important ones I will look into being: International vs. Varsity. International What people often fail to realise is that cheerleading is a sport and not always simply an accompaniment. I do not think that the problem is that cheerleaders are self-disrespecting members of society who make a “show” of themselves on the sidelines of sports matches, but rather that society views them as such. People hardly appreciate the skill and training that goes

into cheerleading. Internationally, cheerleading competitions are held and teams consisting of both boys and girls compete for the best sequences, and not simply as a sideline attraction.

it is an activity functioned to use sexuality to entertain

Varsity “Cheerleading at university is valuable for bringing a different dynamic to sports matches and a bit of entertainment for the crowd,” says a UCT cheerleader. What can be taken from this is the notion that

varsity sports are not purely about the sport – it’s about “the vibe” as well. “I don’t think UCT cheerleaders can necessarily call themselves a ‘sport’, because they practise specifically to perform at sporting events and to

provide entertainment. However, I do think that cheerleading, in itself, is a sport,” confirms aforementioned cheerleader. It seems that we can say that cheerleaders hold a value in being entertainment at university sports matches, but that their function ends there. While cheerleading in itself is a sport that holds physical value internationally, its function at UCT is purely to entertain and maintain the “vibe”.

news

V73 E9 – 26 AUGUST 2014

NEWS BITES UN organise aid displaced Iraqis

Experimental Ebola treatment being tested on Liberians to

Man killed by crocodile

Police counter protest

Men re-enter court following shooting

Pistorius brother makes recovery

Google cars speed to keep safe

Fanie van Zijl

Mosa Arcilia Makapa

Image: Wiki Commons /Cynthia Goldsmith

Mapp Biopharmaceutical reported that the twelve doses sent to Liberia were the last ones available.

news

V73 E9 - 26 AUGUST 2014

2014 air safety: is it all coming crashing down?

Image: Tasneem Amra

Tasneem Amra

“a participatory democracy is what we want here”

Image: UCT HCA

1st Floor, Atlas Building 18 Main Road, RONDEBOSCH PH: 021-685 5927 Cell: 079 183 9336 1st Floor, St Peter’s Square mydentist@dentistonmain.co.za

www.dentistonmain.co.za

GENERAL DENTISTRY MEDICAL AID ACCEPTED

Main Road, OBSERVATORY PH: 021-448 8449

editorial

V73 E9 - 26 AUGUST 2014

2014 Collective editor-in-chief Laurie Scarborough

Editorial

A magic white pill

editorial@varsitynewspaper.co.za

deputy Editor Katy Scott

editorial@varsitynewspaper.co.za

online editor Daniël Geldenhuys

online@varsitynewspaper.co.za

Copy Editor Jena Ascough

copyed@varsitynewspaper.co.za

Online content editor Katelyn Mostert

online@varsitynewspaper.co.za

news Clare Garrard & Aisha Abdool Karim news@varsitynewspaper.co.za

opinions Parusha Naidoo & Vikash Gajjar opinions@varsitynewspaper.co.za

xam stress is mounting and your life is feeling more and more like a sad and boring movie about people who die from never leaving the library. The thought of

features@varsitynewspaper.co.za

sportS Mark Nandi

sports@varsitynewspaper.co.za

centrespread Krysia Gaweda

centrespread@varsitynewspaper. co.za

images Sofia Gilli & Khanyisa Pinini

images@varsitynewspaper.co.za

design@varsitynewspaper.co.za

“Kiss catch” and “rape rape”

features Lynne Marie Fraser & Busang Senne

Design Zona Magadla

Laurie Scarborough

Katy Scott Deputy Editor

web Tayla-Paige van Sittert

web@varsitynewspaper.co.za

Finance & Ads manager Natasha Makoni

finance@varsitynewspaper.co.za ads@varsitynewspaper.co.za

operations manager Aneesa Lockhat

operations@varsitynewspaper.co.za

human resources Kudzai Tabaziba & Saadiq Samodien hr@varsitynewspaper.co.za

contributors Sub-Editors Courtney Hope & Abigail Munroe Column photos Charlie Turnley

Daniёl Geldenhuys Online Editor

Copy Editor

TELEPHONE: 021-650 3543 Level 5, Steve Biko Students’ Union

Jena Ascough

Have your voice heard. Send a letter to the Editor: editorial@varsitynewspaper.co.za

opinions

Image:Khanyisa Pinini

V73 E9 – 26 AUGUST 2014

The lady doth protest

Parusha Naidoo

Opinions Editor

opinions@varsitynewspaper.co.za

opinions

V73 E9 – 26 AUGUST 2014

Disposable bodies Ihsaan Bassier

Image: Yanna Romano

memory of Marikana wherever it appears, that should be our most alarming warning.

UCT to stop its prototypical white liberal fence-sitting For 20 years, we have idly bought into the double standard evoked by power privileges. Not only is the contrast of rich separated by a train

jobs because of connections and people inside.

A cycle broken… for now

Image: Niall McNulty

opinions

“Let’s play dress up!” Tsholofelo Kwakwa

Image: Linda Mjiki

Image: Sky Orion

The braid runner

racism should not be this impenetrable

#BoycottWoolworths reveals consumers’ social consciousness

One less pretzel

Woolworths’ continued business with Israel is an endorsement of its politics

V73 E9 - 26 AUGUST 2014

s u o e g a r t u o s t s y o a d m l e a Th nation r e e t ni t a r b e l e c we

September September 19th: Talk Like a Pirate Day

February

February 1st: Working Naked Day

January

January 2nd: Happy Mew Year’s Day for Cats

January 19th: Popcorn Day

April

August

March

August 17th: Thrift Shop Day

May

October

June

December

December 30th: Bacon Day

I think this day speaks for itself. Have some bacon and enjoy the day!

features

V73 E9 – 26 AUGUST 2014

Take a Peep inside? Cape Town’s community of creatives Busang Senne

Image: wikimedia.org/ Peter Tjoe Fat

fortune smiles on those with an affinity for the unique and whimsical of Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” had a secure place in my heart as I have the line etched in ink on my

UCT Zoo: behind the bars Hannah MacMillan

Image: wikimedia.com/Danie van der Merwe

features

To Bant or not to Bant Dean Horwitz

V73 E9 - 26 AUGUST 2014

Image: flickr.com/Another Pint Please

It is part cookbook and part science book

67 minutes with SARDA

Mandela day has come and gone but did you do your 67 minutes? Ali Findlay

Image: Provided

Image: Provided by SARDA

features

V73 E9 – 26 AUGUST 2014

Knit-a-row-and-go

Crushing the Cape winter one row at a time

Shannon Holcroft

Image: Victoria Chasi

In the event of a zombie apocalypse

Never have I ever

been to Crew

Image: flickr.com/danhollisterduck

Shannon Krausey

Image: Shannon Krausey

V73 E9 - 26 AUGUST 2014

sport

V73 E9 – 26 AUGUST 2014

SPORTS SHORTS Bokke need more black players

Ghana drop Boateng, Muntari after Brazil bustup

Reds agree Balotelli fee

Utseya reported suspect action

Mark Nandi

Image: flickr.com/xavi fotos

James Anderson is on par with Dale Steyn

for

Mark Nandi

What next for mother Africa?

Image: flickr.com/rycat

sport

V73 E9 - 26 AUGUST 2014

3-5-2: is it what United needs? Mark Nandi

Image: flickr.com/MeSHaRi

grade from his skill in a racing game, is one that most would see as unthinkable.

Sport

FIXTURES

VARSITY

Varsity Football

USSA Cross Country Champions

September 1st, 4:30pm

September

GREEN MILE

UFS BLOEMFONTEIN

UCT vs. UWC

Should we legalise performance enhancing drugs? Dean Horwitz

sports-people are already using a range of drugs

Bring it on? For who? For what?

Images: Provided by Ikeys Vibe

into cheerleading. Internationally, cheerleading competitions are held and teams consisting of both boys and girls compete for the best sequences, and not simply as a sideline attraction.

it is an activity functioned to use sexuality to entertain