by Dhirta Jinabhai | Mar 28, 2011 | Sport
The inaugural Memorial Cup to honour Witsies who died last year was held last Thursday at the Bidvest Stadium.
The sports administration of Wits invited four soccer teams – faculty teams Educators FC and Miners FC and residence teams Earnest Oppenheimer Hall of Residence (EOH) and Men’s Hall of Residence -to participate in a mini-tournament.
“The idea is important to the memory of those who have departed,” said assistant registrar for residences, Naziem Randera. “I think it’s quite fitting that they’ve organised the Cup, it makes you not forget the people who have left.”
Randera added that the students who died were also “keen soccer players- both at EOH and at education campus”.
Vuyolwethu Xulu, a resident at EOH, lost a friend in a car crash last year.
“It’s a very good idea to have a memorial match,” he said. The 3rd year law student was also a participant in the game on Thursday. “It’s a good feeling to know that the school acknowledges when people get hurt and someone dies.”
Xulu believed the teams were playing for much more than the trophy and that the game was a good way of honouring their friends, “instead of just saying they’ve died”.
Boitumelo Seake, the sister of a student who passed away, was invited to the match by members of the EOH house committee. “The match is a nice thing, now I know that my brother is going to be remembered,” she said.
“In a big school environment like this,” said the 4th year civil engineering student, “you don’t think that the deaths of students will be remembered. But my brother was good at soccer and the match is a good way to remember that and his memory.”
Seake said that she was surprised and pleased when she got the call about the match.
by Dhirta Jinabhai | Mar 18, 2011 | News
Student Village has launched a new student card that will enable students to get discount deals at selected retailers and restaurants.
The Student Village Card allows students to get deals from shops such as Jay-Jays and Superga and restaurants such as Steers and Cappello. The first batch of cards was handed out at a launch at Wits last week, said Jono Dicks, head of the discount card programme at Student Village.
“The idea came about through research done on the spending habits of students,” he said. The process involves registering yourself by signing up for the card, which is free.
“We decided to put out opportunities in the areas that students normally spend in,” Dicks said. This includes restaurants and shops in the Melville area. Over 800 Wits students signed up for the Student Village Card, according to Dicks.
Mosima Matlala, a 2nd year student said: “I got it because I like to shop a lot, and I like going out too, so it’s in my best interest to have it – especially because I’m a student.”
The LLB student said her friends had also signed up for the card and that she was hoping to get a good deal from Student Flights, one of the companies participating in the programme.
Nsuku Ngobeni, a Bcom law student, said she would want the card if it was being offered for free, “because I don’t have to pay anything, but I get something in return”. The 2nd year student said she wouldn’t mind the discount as long as it was a reasonable amount.
Dicks said that another launch of the card took place at UJ this week and more were taking place at UKZN and at varsities in the Western Cape.
Scooters Pizza, Net Florist, the HP Shop and UI Café are some of the other businesses that are part of the card programme.
by Dhirta Jinabhai | Mar 18, 2011 | Featured 1
WALK into the Matrix at lunchtime and you could find yourself surrounded by a crowd of hungry-looking students.
Their objective is probably the same as yours: to get food and get it fast. From about 11am onwards the areas in and around the Matrix become packed as students begin their wait in queues outside the shops.
The lunchtime rush was described as “crazy” by Jonathan Chipako, a 2nd year student. “I only come here after lunch, there are just way too manypeople,” he said.
- Lunchtime rush: Crowds of students begin to fill the matrix from around 12pm onwards. Shop owners around the area of Delhi Delicious, Nino’s and Kara Nichha’s have to handle this lunchtime rush everyday as hungry students mill around and wait in the long, winding lines. Students agree that the matrix becomes “crazy” at lunch time. Photo: Anthony Kaminju
The electrical engineering student only had to wait one minute outside the Chinese Lantern takeaway. Other students who chose to come early had similar experiences.
Mpho Gadisi was one of them. “I came earlier so I didn’t have to wait too long,” he said. The 4th year quantity surveying student said there were too many people there.
“I think there should be another Matrix on West Campus,” he added.
Sithaialima Abdool agreed that the Matrix was too full. “I was wondering if Wits took in more students because this place is packed,” she said. The 2nd year BA student said she also came earlier to avoid the rush.
Many students can be seen standing in the long line outside Delhi Delicious and Kara Nichha’s. Gadisi said he buys lunch from Kara Nichha’s because “nothing is more than 20 bucks” there.
The owner of Kara Nichha’s, Hitesh Kanjee, said he thinks the shop handles the lunchtime rush well. “Students want affordable food and quick service and that’s what we offer,” he said.
Kanjee said he thinks the Matrix has been busier as the 7/11 shop is not open at the moment. Jack Meng, owner of the Chinese Lantern takeaway, agreed and said that with 7/11 closed, they were “busier during lunch time”.
Places that sell food aren’t the only ones busy during lunchtime, as crowds of students can also be seen around the Wits Stationery shop and Jetline.
by Dhirta Jinabhai | Mar 11, 2011 | News
About 15000 first year students applied for accommodation in residences at Wits this year.
Claudine Prim, manger at the central accommodation office, said. “And we accepted about 734 students.”
There were 734 vacancies this year, said head of the Office of Residence Life, Rob Sharman. “We had 725 vacancies last year, so there was an increase of new residence students by 9 students.” Sharman said that these numbers often change, because some students move out occasionally and others move in.
Places for first- year students at residences on East Campus were set from the beginning, according to Denise Hooper-Box, the assistant registrar of the East Campus residences. “At Jubilee Hall we had 80 places for first- year students and we took in 79,” she said.
There were 34 places at Sunnyside Residence and 120 places at Men’s Halls of Residence for first years. All these places were filled. Hooper-Box said that these figures remained relatively the same as last year. “The exception being International House, we had more vacancies than anticipated at International House.”
However some students were unable to obtain places at residence because of financial constraints. Fulufhedzani Mulaudzi, a 3rd year student, said she could not get a place at residence because she could not get the finances in time.
“I was given the room, I received the acceptance letter and everything, but I didn’t have the money to pay in the required week, so the room was given away.”
The aeronautical engineering student said that she plans on moving from her home in Soweto to Braamfontein.
Prim said that there is a system in place which determines how students are allocated into residence.
“The criteria [involves] age, distance, the date of application, matric results and additional points are given for accepting the offer,” she said.
Postgraduate students and students returning to residence or transferring to different residences are also accounted for when rooms are allocated.
by Dhirta Jinabhai | Mar 4, 2011 | Featured 1
Students advertising for house-sitting and au pairing jobs have increased on Wits campus as students seek out convenient ways of earning extra money.
House-sitting and au pairing are popular with students, said Liam Patterson, a 2nd year architecture student. “They’re popular because it’s easy money and it doesn’t interfere with your personal time”. He said the money earned from house-sitting can be up to R200 a day.
Many of the advertisements around main campus are placed by Sheli Berger, who organises au pairing and house-sitting through her company. “It’s extremely popular with my clients,” she says. According to Berger, there is a demand for house-sitters and au pairs all year round, but particularly during the holiday period.
Students also advertise to be au pairs on websites such as Gumtree. Amy Bruss, a 3rd year student at Wits, said she advertised on Gumtree and found it reliable. She says au pairing among students is popular, “because most people end (class) in the afternoon, and it’s around the time that kids finish school, so the timetables work out nicely.”
The BA student says she took care of two children and earned about R2 000 a month. Tutoring is also a way in which students earn extra money. “I needed a bit of money and for an hourly pay, it’s quite a lot,” says Kirsten Watt, a psychology honours student. Watt says that tutoring is also popular with students.
Whether students advertise for themselves or go through agencies, they have to go for an interview and a screening process. A well-known au pair agency said that they interview students between the ages of 18- 25 and have a strict screening process. However, some families still preferred older au pairs, the agency said.
by Dhirta Jinabhai | Mar 4, 2011 | News
A world record was broken at the U2 Concert in January this year, when Amnesty International South Africa obtained over 10 000 signatures for a petition as part of their Demand Dignity Campaign.
Members of Amnesty International at Wits were also part of the campaign’s petition. “The petition was to the minister of transport,” said Amir Bagheri , Amnesty International Wits chairperson. “It was part of the Demand Dignity Campaign with Amnesty International for women in rural areas to have access to health facilities.
“Rural women have no transport and when they do have transport they find that it’s too expensive,” he said. The petition is still in progress and has now reached about 17 300 signatures. It can be found at the Amnesty International South Africa website.
Twenty- two student members from Amnesty International Wits joined the campaign along with staff from Amnesty International South Africa. Nachita Halim, deputy chairperson of Amnesty International Wits, said the response to the petition from people at the concert was “very good and better than expected. A lot of people were willing to sign once they knew it was for Amnesty.”
Bagheri said U2 has been a member of Amnesty International for 25 years and the band had given all branches of Amnesty International permission to join them at the concert and on stage. “It was a special feeling knowing that more than 100 000 people watched Amnesty International on stage with U2,” he said.
Pearl Pillay, second deputy chairperson for Amnesty International Wits, said that sharing the stage with U2 was “kind of surreal.” Halim said seeing the band and other people who were trying to make a difference was “life-changing.”
Amnesty International Wits was founded in 2007. The society said they hoped to hold more events during the year to get more people involved with Amnesty International at Wits. The campaigns involve creating awareness around the violation of human rights in countries such as Zimbabwe, Iran and the US.
