67 minutes for Nelson Mandela Day

by | Jul 15, 2016 | News

 

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NELSON MANDELA DAY: 67 minutes of outreach in honour of the 67 years Mr Mandela spent fighting for social justice and human rights . Photo: Stock Image

Nelson Mandela International Day, also known as Mandela Day, is a global event that occurs on July 18 each year in celebration of the late South African president Nelson Mandela’s birthday and his achievements (more…)

Newbie’s guide to the elections

by | Apr 29, 2016 | Featured 2

Municipal elections are set for Wednesday August 3, and according to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), there are almost 700 000 registered voters who will be voting for the first time.

What are Municipal Elections?

Municipal elections are for local government and take place every five years. They are to elect councillors for metropolitan councils in big cities such as Johannesburg and Cape Town; local councils for towns such as Potchefstroom and Standerton and their surrounding rural areas; and district councils which coordinate a number of local municipalities in a region. These councils are responsible providing services such as water, electricity, and waste removal.

Why is it important to vote in the municipal elections?

It is the responsibility of citizens to vote for councils that they think will provide satisfactory services and access to resources in their area.
What electoral system is used in South Africa?
There are three main types of electoral systems in the world. The first is the Proportional Representation (PR) council where you vote for a party and the party gets seats according to the percentage of votes it receives. The different parties then decide which candidates will fill those seats.
The second is the Constituency based system where voters vote an individual to represent an area and the person who gets most votes is elected.
The third system, which South Africa uses, is the mixed system which uses a combination of the PR and constituency system.

How many ballot papers will I get?

The number and type of votes you have depends on where you live.
Voters who are registered in metropolitan areas will receive two ballot papers. The first one is for a party. The second is for a ward councillor who may be an independent, or be from a party.
For local councils voters receive three ballot papers: one for the party, another for a ward councillor and the last for a party for the district council.

Your rights as a voter:

You have the right to free and fair elections by being fully informed and deciding for yourself who to vote for.
As a democratic citizen you have the right to vote, no one should stop you from voting. However, you also have the right not to vote.
You have the right to choose which party or candidate you would like to vote for and no-one is allowed to try to bribe or threaten you to vote for a particular party.
You have the right to a secret vote where your vote is anonymous and where no one is allowed to watch you make your vote.
You have the right to get help to vote if you are blind, disabled or elderly by asking a family member, friend or election official for help.
You have the right to vote in a safe environment and the right to make a complaint to the Presiding Officer if you are unhappy about harassment or intimidation within the voting station.

Related articles:

“Importance” in the youth vote, Wits Vuvuzela, April 2016

Will the youth affect local elections, Wits Vuvuzela,  March 2016

 

Slice of life: The pressing issues of climate change

by | Apr 24, 2016 | Opinion

 

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Today we find ourselves stuck in a tug of war with economic challenges and political disputes. Where one could feel overwhelmed just trying to keep afloat while junk status is a threat to our country. Yet one forgets that there are other factors, such as climate change, that should wave a red flag other than political and economic problems.
We naturally adapt to the climate we live in, but what happens if the changes to our climate take place quicker than we can keep up?

Climate experts revealed that February was documented as one of the hottest months ever recorded and the effects of climate change are being felt abroad and close to home. Scientists believe the unusual heat is a combination of El Niño climate patterns and man-made global warming.
In South Africa we have experienced minimal rainfall and intense heatwaves, causing crops and livestock to die. Due to the intense heat, water levels dropped and reservoirs evaporated causing water shortage in parts of the country. As a result water restrictions were put in place and food prices increased, all having a ripple effect on our economy and our daily lives.
Though not as important as increasing food prices, the effect can be seen in recreation as well.
In December I went with a group of friends to Hartbeespoort Dam for the weekend hoping to go boating. However, due to the lack of rain the water had dropped so much that we were unable to launch the boat.
Towards the beginning of March, the complete opposite happened. Hartbeespoort Dam had received so much rain that the dam had flooded, forcing the authorities to open all the sluice gates.
A classmate whose grandfather owns a farm in the Free State told me that her grandfather used his dying crops as cattle feed and that they had to sell some of their cattle as they did not have enough water for all of them.
My brother, along with his friends, went on multiple water runs to Steynsrus and Virginia in the Free State in February and March as part of the Education and Care Horse Outreach (ECHO) programme. This is a group of concerned horse lovers that responded to the call for water and food in the drought-stricken Free State.
I strongly believe that individuals should care about the earth. I’m no tree hugger if that’s what you’re thinking, but the fate of the one and only planet we call home is uncertain if we do not address the challenges we face.
Carbon dioxide and greenhouse gasses occur naturally, trapping heat inside the atmosphere and keeping the earth’s climate stable. However, due to higher amounts of greenhouse gasses being released the earth’s temperature is rising.
According to the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre, the Arctic’s ice cap has shrunk by nearly a third since 1979 and this winter’s sea ice is roughly a million square kilometres less than its average for this time of year.
Friday April 22 is Earth Day, which aims to encourage people across the world to be more environmentally friendly. This might mean increasing the amount they recycle, volunteering in local events, planting a tree, reducing their energy consumption or simply just spreading the word

Related Articles:

Five things to do this Earth Day Wits Vuvuzela, April 2016

UPDATED: Wits food vendor workers protest

by | Mar 4, 2016 | Featured 1, News

Workers and students protesting against alleged exploitation by franchise owners

STRIKE: Workers and students protesting against alleged exploitation by franchise owners                                                                                                                                                                            Photo: Nasya Smith

UPDATED: Protesting workers from food franchises at Wits have met with their bosses to give their demands and will go back to work as they await a response next week.

“We have pitched our needs, demands and grievances to our bosses and we are waiting for responses and resolutions by next week Thursday,” said Thandiswa Yaphi, a protest leader and worker at Sizzlers.

Nicholas Matthes, a member of Wits Services, had helped facilitate Friday afternoon’s meeting and said the issues were sensitive with “many contributing factors.”

 

By Nasya Smith, Aarti Bhana and Leanne Cumming

Workers from food franchises on campus launched a lunchtime protest in the Matrix on Friday complaining that their working conditions are exploitative.

The singing and dancing workers were soon joined by some students during the protest as they forced the closure of Matrix shops.

Thandiswa Yaphi, who works at Sizzlers and is one of the protest leaders, said that some of the workers have been employed by food franchises on campus for over fifteen years but still do not have a contract. Some of the workers that do have contracts, allegedly have to adhere to strict bathroom times and still receive a wage below the legal minimum wage.

Yaphi said that the Labour department is not assisting them in dealing with their problems.

The protesting workers are also unhappy that they were not included in an insourcing agreement with Wits workers that topped-up salaries to a minimum of R4,500.

Akies Berdanis, owner of Zesty Lemonz, said that all food franchises on campus operate independently from the university and his employee’s pay is the same as in any other Zesty Lemonz franchise. Berdanis admitted that not all franchises on campus were aligned with regulations of the Bargaining Council, an association of staff and employers, last year but apparently most have “come to the party” since then.

When asked about the bathroom regulations, Berdanis said that the franchises merely ask if employees could avoid going to the bathroom during busy hours, but says “we are human, if you have to go you have to go”.

The protests are continuing and the workers are currently having a meeting to discuss the way forward.