by Anlerie de Wet | Mar 27, 2015 | Featured 1, News
The Wits Students Representatives Council (SRC) organised an “E-week” at the Education campus aimed at addressing apparent issues of racial segregation. But students on the campus
A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION: Students are racially segregated at Wits Education Campus, according to SRC secretary general Senzekahle Mbokazi but many students disagree with her claim. Photo: Zimasa Mpemnyama
SRC secretary general Senzekahle Mbokazi said segregation has created a “negative vibe” on Wits Education Campus. She added that combating segregation was one of the reasons for the Education Week (E-Week) initiative, which happened earlier this week.
“White and Indian people are always together at the expensive cafeteria and black people always hang out at the bus stop cafeteria,” said Mbokazi.
As an education student herself, Mbokazi said she is bothered by the separation of the groups on Education Campus on the basis of race.
“We need more interactive space where we can watch performances and sit together,” she said.
Students interviewed by Wits Vuvuzela though disagreed with Mbokazi’s assertions.
“There is no segregation, not in terms of race. It’s not a bad thing if people are more comfortable sitting next to people speaking the same language,” said fourth-year student Precious Mofokeng.
First-year student, Kalvin van Wyk, said as a white person from a former Model C school it is very difficult to integrate with racial groups he didn’t know or understand “but I am trying”.
by Anlerie de Wet | Mar 18, 2015 | News
Demonstrations that began at the University of Cape Town (UCT) last week, calling for the removal of the Cecil John Rhodes statue have spilled over to Rhodes University yesterday, with students on Twitter calling for a change in the university’s name.
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by Anlerie de Wet | Mar 13, 2015 | Sport
FOOTBALL THRIVING: Lethu Nhlumayo doing drills with Wits U/19 men’s football team on Tuesday afternoon.
Wits Sport are keeping their new strategic budget allocations a secret.
The strategy has been implemented with the start of this year, where Wits Sport has cut-off funding for all but five sport clubs (rugby, football, basketball, hockey and cricket). This has forced other sport and recreational clubs to financially fend for themselves or die out.
The amount of money and its utilisation within these five clubs are “highly confidential”, according to Head of Wits Sport, Adrian Carter.
Carter’s reason for making the budget information privileged is to keep other universities or competitors from finding out “how Wits plans to climb to the top of University Sport.”
“We have needed to come up with a commercial plan to bring in funds on a sustainable basis as, quite frankly, the funds we currently receive are not sufficient for us to compete at any level, never mind Varsity Sport- hence the change in strategy,” said Carter.
Allegedly clubs were told that if they perform better than one of the top five clubs they will get funding back.
“It is a vicious circle. If we don’t get money, then we won’t attract good players and we won’t get recognition,” said third year Medicine student and member of the Wits women’s water polo team, Catherine Bezuidenhout.
Bezuidenhout said they understand that the university can’t cover every club completely, “but we need some sort of assistance.”
Fellow team mate and fourth year Medicine student, Jeanie du Toit, explained that many of her team mates already have student loans and that they can’t afford to pay for kits, transport and accommodation on their own- let alone pay for their coach.
She added that given their academic challenges the new budget decree would now demand they use their own time to fund raise; “We are all studying. Now we must give up time not only to train and work hard to bring attention to our sport, but to raise funds too.”
by Anlerie de Wet | Mar 13, 2015 | News
After hearing someone shout ‘Vimba, Vimba!’ students wearing pyjamas have been seen flooding out of residences into the streets, armed with knobkieries and mops to join the chase for the mugger.
This phenomenon where students play the role of vigilante, has apparently developed in and around the UJ residences in Doornfontein over the past seven years. The students take it upon themselves to help one of their own by searching for the suspects and “beat them to bits” if they find them.
Joy Shikwambana and two of her friends were mugged by three men last year. They shouted for help and within five minutes, hundreds of students were in the streets.
“It is a wise form of protection. Crime would definitely be higher around reses without it,” said the second year Environmental Health student at UJ. Shikwanbana explained victims can only yell after the criminals start running, “because they can hurt you when you scream if they have weapons.”
“When the students hear the call there are hundreds of them running out of the res to go and hit these muggers. But then sometimes they get excited and run in the wrong direction,” said Fidelity security guard at UJ Sunvalley Residence, Ntsieni Manezhe.
He said the students get out of hand and grab stones and bricks in the streets to beat the attackers.
“We security guards from Fidelity, Stallion’s and UJ security have to protect these muggers from the mob, because if every one of those hundred students get one hit in they will kill them. It’s not right to take the law into your own hands.”
This vigilante culture has drawn attention because of its violent nature. The purpose of the use of violence is “to send a message to criminals that pain will be inflicted upon them, which tends to keep them away,” said third year Sports Communication student at UJ, Selby Mogale.
In some of these cases UJ students have chased and beat the wrong guy, according to Marnitz Oldewage, a third year Mining Engineering student at UJ.
“I once drove past a crowd and saw students dragging the mugger by his feet down the street while he was full of blood and unconscious,” said Oldewage. He said although it gets violent he is all for this trend because not only does it scare criminals away, but “no matter what race, gender or background you have they will always have your back.”
Oldewage said students think the police only drop off the muggers somewhere else after taking them away from the crowd, to get out of the paper work.
The police are unaware of the Vimba culture in Doornfontein, where many UJ residences are situated, according to Gauteng Police spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Katlego Mogale.
