by Nqobile Dludla | Apr 30, 2014 | News
NEW TEAM: The newly elected executive committee is hoping to fill in the vacant positions soon before it fully takes over. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
A new Wits Postgraduate Association (PGA) executive committee was elected this afternoon following a secret ballot.
The elections, which privately took place inside the SRC (Students Representatives Council) boardroom, consisted of some members of the outgoing executive committee along with a few members of the PGA Council who were overseeing the election process.
The Wits PGA is a student representative body for postgraduate students at the University.
Unlike the usual elections whereby candidates read out their manifestos to students, the PGA Council which is made up of postgraduate student representatives from each of the 35 Schools within the university elects members to serve on the Executive Committee.
Expressing his hopes for the newly elected executive committee, Manoshe Phasha, outgoing PGA chair stressed the importance of communication as coordinating the association was a difficult task.
“Running PGA is not as easy as running SRC whereby everyone is a fulltime student and around here.. So it’s difficult coordinating PGA. If they [newly elected executive] keep on the communication they will do well and I do hope that they stick together as a team ” The PGA often has members who are part-time students in full-time employment which can be difficult to manage.
2014/2015 PGA Executive Committee
Chairperson: Vuyisani Kuboni
Deputy Chair: Siyanda Mngadi
Treasurer: Dominic Khumalo
Secretary: Samantha Jack
Media and Liaison Officer: Ayodimeji Biobaku
Residence Student Representative: Vacant
International Student Representative: Patience Gumbo
Local Student Representative: Vacant
Research Student Representative: William Wright
Coursework Representative: Moorosi Leshoele
Faculty Rep- Commerce, Law & Management: Phelelani Mpanza
Faculty Rep- Engineering: Grant Davis
Faculty Rep- Health Sciences: Nicholas Bacci
Faculty Rep- Humanities: Vacant
Faculty Rep- Science: Marcelle Johnson
by Nqobile Dludla | Apr 25, 2014 | News
NO POLITICS, JUST MOTIVATION: Businessman and Patriotic Alliance (PA) Secretary General, Kenny Kunene was invited by the Wits Black Lawyers Association as part of their Motivational Talk series where he told students never to abort their dreams. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
Give yourself the opportunity to dream big, said Patriotic Alliance (PA) secretary-general and businessman Kenny Kunene to Wits students on Wednesday.
Kunene was speaking at a seminar organised by the Wits Black Lawyers’ Association (BLA) at Wits University.
“It is through a practical story that I believe that one can draw inspiration because we can quote so many words but if one doesn’t understand the journey that has been traveled, one would not be able to understand how one got to where he is today,” Kunene told the audience.
Taking the wide-eyed crowd to a small house in Odendaalsrus, Kunene relived the indignity of taking out buckets full of human faeces almost daily as part of his youth. He also spoke of his small business of selling fruits in high school to afford the clothes his rich friends wore at that time.
It was during this time that Kunene was exposed to mining, through his encounter and relationship with gold smugglers which eventually landed him behind bars for running a ponzi scheme.
“I have never defined my life through pain. I have literally changed every pain into champagne. Never allow negativity to define your life. Let positivity be your lifestyle, your past must not define you.
Those who make it academically and business wise are those who specialise and work harder than others. If you’re going to be a lawyer, ask yourself, what will make me a better lawyer? Education is the foundation. The reason I’ve gotten so far is that at least I had a teacher’s qualification,” he said.
BLA chairperson, Zareef Minty said: “It’s a privilege to bring my mentor to our established university, Kenny is not only a great inspiration to our young students but he is also someone who can motivate a crowd of people better than anyone.”
by Nqobile Dludla | Apr 25, 2014 | Sport
SUNNYSIDE UP: (L-R) Jubilee’s Dia Mpopo and Sunnyside’s Venia Chirombe. Sunnyside has managed to win two out of three games thus far whilst Jubilee has only won one out of three. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
Once the most-feared netball team on campus, Jubilee was defeated 22-8 by Sunnyside in the third leg of the Wits Internal Netball League at the Digs Field on Tuesday, April 22.
Captain Makoma Molapo admitted the team lacked sparkle and “were not up to par”.
“This is not like Jubes. Everyone knows that this is the team to look out for. Today particularly I feel like most of the players were not up to par. I don’t know what was wrong with everybody: not catching balls, not throwing in the right spaces, it was just a mess. No-one looked prepared to come play the game and win the game.”
Commenting on their recent performance, which has lost them two games out of three in this year’s league, Molapo said: “Most of our team members graduated and left this year so I’m literally the only one standing from last year. Clearly we have a lot of work ahead of us and we need to learn how to work as a team.
“From this game forward I’m hoping that the old Jubes can come back because we left the bar so high, it doesn’t make sense to be losing games right now because, literally, we did not lose a game in these Tuesday games. It’s a new thing for us and it’s not a good thing. We need to get back to where we were.”
Mpho Mokoena, Esselen coach and an umpire for the Jubilee-Sunnyside match, said it was a problem that most players in the internal league still could not adjust to the level of netball required in the league.
“We’re still playing high school level netball. Meanwhile, some players have actually played at regional and provincial levels, so that becomes an issue. We play at different levels based on where we come from – either from Gauteng east, north and central, where players play differently. So it’s problematic when I have to judge the high school level players against more equipped players.”
Game of the East Campers
Five minutes into the game, an attempt inside Sunnyside’s circle paid off for scoring machine, Lebo Mokwena. Jubilee’s Naledi Maubane netted one with a powerful angled shot, but their joy was short-lived when Sunnyside’s Khanya Zwelibanzi and Lebo Mokwena paired up for a cleverly executed goal.
The first quarter saw Sunnyside dominating with a 6-1 lead. Jubilee came back in the second and third quarter following a stern talk from the captain. Both teams were warned a number of times about stepping and crowding, which led to clumsy play by both sides.
The end of the third quarter saw Sunnyside leading 15-5. Jubilee rallied strongly after the break with some much-needed shooting by Maubane. But Jubilee could not maintain the intensity and scored only another three in the final stretch.
Sunnyside has won two out of its three league matches so far. Their captain, Musi Lidovho, applauded her team.
“The team performed really well. I think we are capable of far more, especially considering the fact that we don’t even have a coach. But otherwise, the team’s been gelling well and we hope we can keep with this winning streak.”
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by Nqobile Dludla | Apr 17, 2014 | Sport
Bidvest Wits stole a late victory over Moroko Swallows last night, as the league leaders, Mamelodi Sundowns, kept their lead at the top of the table.
The Clever Boys finished 2-1 in their crucial PSL (Premier Soccer League) match against the Swallows on their home turf at Bidvest Stadium.
Despite the win, time is running out for the Wits team as they remain eight points behind the table toppers with five games left to play, despite them having two games in hand over Sundowns.
The Clever Boys will have to win their remaining fixtures and rely on other teams to get results against Sundowns in their remaining three games, if they are to lift the PSL trophy for the first time in the modern era.
GRINDING IT OUT : The clever boys celebrate after a late winner from captain, Sibusiso Vilakazi, which gave his team the crucial three points needed to remain on track with the league leaders Sundowns. Photo: Luca Kotton
On loan Sundowns midfielder, Jabulani Shongwe, who plans to ink a permanent deal at Bidvest Wits next season, told Wits Vuvuzela, “We still have hope of winning the league, we don’t know what will happen in the remaining games but we will try our best to win all our games.”
In the face of rivalry with his parent club, Sundowns, for the league title, Shongwe added, “Sundowns can slip up and we can win our remaining games to win the league … I think they will slip up. “
Wits hungry for victory
Their 2-1 victory over Moroko Swallows left the Clever Boys still in contention for this year’s hotly contested title. The performance showed a side hungry for the three points as they spent most of their time in the Dube Birds half, creating multiple goal scoring opportunities.
The deadlock was finally broken after 83 minutes as Ethiopion striker, Getaneh Gibeto, tapped in from close range after some exciting play from the captain, Sibusiso Vilakazi.
With the game looking finished, Moroko Swallows equalized with their first attempt on goal in the second half with captain, Lefa Tsutsulupa, netting for the visitors in stoppage time.
With time running out, Vilakazi netted the winner to out-do his Swallows counter-part. This sent the crowd into a frenzy as a Vilakazi’s goal gave the team and their fans new hope for the league title.
Other match results
Chiefs won their game against Polokwane 2-0 to keep the pressure on Sundowns, who were 1-0 winners against the in-form, Mpumulanga Black Aces.
by Nqobile Dludla | Apr 16, 2014 | Sport
SHOOTING MACHINE: (L-R) Goal scorer Miya Mathapelo from Medhurst and Jubilee’s goal keeper Zamokuhle Buthelezi. The fast paced match left Jubilee struggling to keep up as Medhurst dominated the last three quarters with solid goal shootings earning them a 25-9 victory over Jubilee
Medhurst Hall beat Jubilee 25-9 in the second round of the Wits internal netball league last night.
After a victorious start to the season, Medhurst finally appear to be finding some consistency, backing up last week’s thrilling win over Sunnyside with another meticulous performance against Jubilee.
Stand-in Jubilee captain, Naledi Maubane said the team played well and showed consistency despite a few errors.
“Considering the fact that some of our players are sick and couldn’t pitch, we had to make do with what we have. People were playing positions they had never played before. We played pretty well. Generally I don’t think that we’re that bad. Just the small mistakes like stepping and throw away balls is an issue,”
The fast paced match left Jubilee struggling to keep up as Medhurst dominated the last three quarters with solid goal shooting. Jubilee, as usual, produced their strongest and most consistent performance, frustrating Medhurst with their strategically high and long passes.
Locked in a goal-for-goal battle in the first quarter, Jubilee did not allow the frustration of being unable to stop Medhurst shooting machine, Miya Mathapelo, to affect their own attacking game. The first quarter ended with both teams at three all.
Heading into the second quarter, Jubilee and Medhurst proved equal to the task working the ball around the circle while waiting for spaces to open up. When they did, the results from Medhurst were spectacular, with the shooting pairing of Mathapelo and Jessica Mathekgane combining beautifully. Despite Medhurst’s dominance, Jubilee made solid advances to their goal posts attempting to score. The second quarter left Medhurst with 10 and Jubilee 5.
A couple of clumsy passes in the shooting circle between Jubilee’s goal shooter and goal attack started to decline as Jubilee continued to show strong resolve early on in the third quarter, stretching their goal attempts out to three goals. But as they tired later in the quarter, their intensity began to drop off witnessing Medhurst stretching their lead to five goals heading into the final quarter.
Medhurst continued to challenge Jubilee into making errors early in the fourth spell, quickly opening a 10 goal advantage to prompt some desperate changes to the Jubilee defence. The final quarter witnessed Medhurst emerging victorious leaving the score 25-9 in their favour.
Despite the victory, acting Medhurst captain, Merriam Maila, said “We definitely need to improve in the centre, I think when we play in the centre we’re not calm. When we’re playing we get too excited and lose focus. So we have to work on that.”
by Nqobile Dludla | Apr 13, 2014 | News
![Mvangeli[1]](https://witsvuvuzela.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Mvangeli1.jpg)
MTN RADIO AWARDS: Mvangeli Nzuza won himself the News Reader (sport) award at the glittering ceremony at the Sandton Convention Centre last night.
Photo: Provided
Wits campus radio station Voice of Wits (VoWfm) is celebrating a scoop of four radio awards at a glittering ceremony at the Sandton Convention Centre last night.
The team walked away with four MTN Radio Awards: News and Actuality Show: Law Focus (Female Miners), Drama Programme: Law Focus: (The Right Stuff and Female Miners), and News and Actuality Producer: Paul McNally (Municipal By Laws and Creches in SA Townships). Mvangeli Nzuza won the Best News Reader (sports) award.
Speaking to Wits Vuvuzela this morning, station manager Michael Smurthwaite said “For the station it is a great step forward and shows the year on year growth” as the station entered the awards for the very first time in 2013 and only managed seven nominations and one award in the Bright Young Star category.
[pullquote]”Law Focus is about making our community legally literate about their rights, that certainly deserves recognition”[/pullquote]
“It’s absolutely fantastic to obtain awards in recognition of work done, especially when the awards confirm, that in the specific areas you were recognised, you were the best within the industry in the past year … These awards also encompass what a community station is about. Programming that is collaborative and works with its community structures,” said Smurthwaite.
Three of the awards obtained are for programming created in partnership with the Wits Radio Academy and the station. The radio academy is the academic space within Wits University that focuses on radio and is home to the VowFM radio station.
Xoli Matomela, news editor and executive producer for the Wits Radio Academy, said “A lot of hard work with an amazing team paid off last night. Law Focus is about making our community legally literate about their rights, that certainly deserves recognition,”
“For all those who were nominated and who won, I as station manager am extremely proud and highly appreciative of their hard work, commitment and dedication,” said Smurthwaite
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO VOWFM LIVE
by Nqobile Dludla | Apr 8, 2014 | News
ASK AWAY: Vice Chancellor Adam Habib along side SRC vice president (external), Shoki Masha, responding to questions from students and staff during the annual Town Hall meeting
Photo: Tendai Dube
Action will be taken on the terrible conditions suffered by students living at Esselen residence, Vice Chancellor Adam Habib promised at a town hall meeting on Tuesday.
Wits Vuvuzela reported in February that students living at Esselen had to endure horrible smells and sewage caused by the derelict Florence building next door, which is allegedly a hijacked building.
“We’ve got a bunch of gangsters who have hijacked the building next door and we don’t have security police or police services to go in to remove them. We have to get either the municipality or the provincial or the national police service to actually intervene in that,” Habib said.
Hijacked buildings are properties that have been taken over by criminals without the permission of the building’s legitimate owner. The criminals then collect rent from the buildings residents.
Habib said the university could not take direct action against the building because it was hijacked. Taking the building back from the hijackers was the responsibility of the city of Johannesburg and Mayor Parks Tau.
“We are engaging with the mayor though. We called and we have scheduled a meeting for next week with the mayor’s officials and with executives from Wits to work out how we are going to clean that place up.”
[pullquote align=”right”]”We’ve got a bunch of gangsters who have hijacked the building next door and we don’t have security police or police services to go in to remove them”[/pullquote]
The Florence building was not the only issue raised at the town hall, students also complained about the lack of a bus shelter at the residence. One student complained that the university had already made “empty promises” to supply the shelters.
Habib said the university had looked into supplying bus shelters but could not because they would have to be built on municipal property. The university has no power to intervene without going through the city administration.
“Bus stops are established on municipal grounds and we had to engage the municipality around building bus stops on their grounds,” Habib said.
Habib said the problem went beyond bus shelters to hazards on city property such as missing manhole covers that the university was forbidden from replacing.
“The problem is if something doesn’t happen in the municipality we can’t fix this thing,” he said.
However, Habib promised that if the municipality would not take action, then Wits would make improvements without permission and challenge the city to sue the university to remove them.
“We might need to say to the municipal government ‘Please do this and if you don’t do this by this time then we’re building it and then sue us.’” Habib said.
“That’s the only way to deal with this. It’s a very dangerous thing I won’t lie to you but we have to take a position with municipality,” Habib said.
Tuesday’s town hall was the first one this year. Only about half of the Great Hall filled with students and staff members. This was a low turnout compared to town halls last year that were packed with students on both Main campus and Education campus.
The town hall meeting opened with the sombering news from Habib that a Wits female student was raped off -campus. He said the university was investigating the attack.
The panel consisted of Habib, Student Representative Council (SRC) president Shafee Verachia, Centre for Applied Legal Studies director Bonnie Meyersfield, and SRC vice president (external), Shoki Masha.
In addition to Esselen residence, the town hall also discussed sexual harassment, international students, medical aid for staff and student fees.
Habib said Wits could not avoid raising student fees when the university’s costs continued with inflation. He said Wits received a subsidy from government but that had only increased well below inflation.
“Our cost structures are increasing every year. So if I have to take income from some place, it has to come from somewhere. You can’t talk about fees if you don’t get increases on government subsidies and that is the challenge that we face,” said Habib.
by Nqobile Dludla | Apr 3, 2014 | Featured 1
EXCELLENT CENTRE: The Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation (NRF) launched the Centre of excellence (CoE) in Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, adding to three CoEs that Wits hosts. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
The Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation (NRF) launched the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in mathematical and statistical sciences which will devote its energy to earth and environmental sciences at Wits.
“Wits is honoured to be awarded this centre of excellence. I hope that members of the centre don’t see this centre as the end, but as a start of something larger,” said Prof Helder Marques, dean of the faculty of science.
The CoE, launched 1 April, will be bringing much needed specialised attention to what are some of the most pressing issues in maths and statistics.
Citing the International Review Panel Report 2008, Minister of Science and Technology Derek Hanekom emphasised the need of critical maths that can support other disciplines that need to interface with high levels of mathematics and statistics around the country and the world.
“Mathematics is the spinal cord of science, engineering and technology development and as such, it is critical to South Africa’s national system of innovation and to our future as a competitive, knowledge-based economy. This is most obviously the case, perhaps in respect of applied and computational mathematics, but these cannot be divorced from pure mathematics; thus effectively true of mathematics overall,” said Hanekom
The CoE in Mathematical and Statistical Sciences brings to four the number of CoEs hosted by Wits. Others being the CoE in Strong Matrials, and the CoE in Paleosciences. It further co-hosts the CoE in Biomedical Tuberculosis Research with the University of Stellenbosch and the University of Cape Town.
by Nqobile Dludla | Mar 28, 2014 | News
New team, new plans: The newly elected BLA Student Chapter executive council. (Five more members were not available to take the photo) Photo: Nqobile Dludla
The newly elected Black Lawyers Association (BLA) Wits Student Chapter executive council said it was ready to earn the confidence it needs from law students.
This comes just weeks after the rigorous LSC elections produced candidates aimed at accelerating student development and improving services in the Law school. The newly elected BLA executive council was announced last Thursday, March, 19.
Among other things Zareef Minty, chairperson, said the new executive council intends to prioritise innovative student development through mentorship programmes.
“The BLA allows students to develop the opportunity to get involved with meeting advocates, following and seeing how procedure is done practically before getting into fourth year of your degree,” said Minty.
Through a series of educational activities, the BLA intends to create a line of communication between students and the legal profession and promote integration between the two.
Citing the LSC’s Career Week in which big law firms entice potential recruits, Ritondeni Matamela, career liaison officer, said unlike the LSC, their aim is to expose law students to other small firms. “We as the BLA will focus on small firms which are in partnership with our mother body and try to bring them to the students. We want to say to students that you don’t only have to go to the top five law firms; there are many other alternative options available.”
Introducing the 2014 BLA executive council
Chairperson: Zareef Minty
Deputy Chair: Zuko Khoza
Secretary: Palesa Ntentesa
Deputy Secretary: Khwezi Zulu
Treasurer: Sandile Mncwabe
Entertainment: Takudza Muromba
Academic: Mapule Setlaleleng
Career liaison officer: Ritondeni Matamela
Media and publicity: Seadimo Tlale
Community outreach: Vuyo Ngubane
by Nqobile Dludla | Mar 21, 2014 | Featured 1
THE TOP THREE: From left to right: Vuyolwethu Majila, Mandisa Dlamini and Siphindile Gumede. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
Sunnyside residence has earned bragging rights as one of its residents walked away with the Miss Wits Res 2014 title in the Great Hall on Thursday.
Mandisa Dlamini, a 3rd year law student was crowned by the current Miss Wits Varsity Cup, Callie Shepherd, in a pageant that looked for humility, intelligence and beauty in the contestants.
Vuyolwethu Majila, 2nd year, BSc Chemical Engineer from Medhurst was crowned the 1st princess; and Siphindile Gumede, 2nd year, BAcc Science from Jubilee the 2nd princess title.
Though Dlamini had entered a few pageants before, a shot at the coveted title meant coming out of her comfort zone to claim her first win ever. “I’ve entered many pageants before and made it into the top five but because I’m always shy and intimidated by the other girls, I’ve always had trouble answering the questions and well, lost out,” she said.
Dlamini walked away with R1000 in shopping vouchers, the 1st princess with R750 in vouchers and the 2nd princess with R500 in vouchers. The event was organized by the Wits All Res Council (ARC).
by Nqobile Dludla | Mar 19, 2014 | Sport
WINNERS: Wits Men Football Club ended the match with an unexpected goal from Tshepo “JR” Motsukunyane resulting in a 3-0 victory over Monash. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
The Wits Men’s football team matched their female counterparts by coming away with a solid win against university rivals Monash at Marks Park on Monday night.
Wits Men’s FC started off their University Sport South Africa (USSA) Gauteng Football League season with a strong performance finishing their match 3-0 against the team from Monash.
The win come after a restructuring of the team through the incorporation of several former Wits Junior players.
Wits coach, Karabo Mogudi, picked six players who have been playing development football for quite some time, bringing some much needed diversity to the team.
“A lot of good talent is coming through. They are well developed and are now starting to get the competitive edge against tougher opponents and the aim is to grow them in confidence,” said Mogudi.
With a few mistakes here and there, Mogudi still worries about the key aspects of the game that need more improvement.
“Although we did well, we need to tighten our defence. We kept the position well, we made forward runs and they played according to instructions. We’re going to work hard in defending set pieces and attacking set pieces. They are a crucial aspect of the game,” he said
What seemed like a failed corner-kick saw Tebogo Digoamaje release a controlled pass to Kaizer Maphanga, who gave Wits a 1-0 lead in the first half.
Wits too strong for Monash
Hungry for a rebound, Maphanga missed a well distributed corner kick 15 minutes into the 2nd half, only having the ball go over the goal post.
Not wasting time, few minutes after Mutsukunyane’ substitution, he netted a solid 2-0 in the second half beating his attacker.
Following Wits’ four attempted goals, Monash pushed further ahead after half an hour with a more controlled counter-attack, forcing Wits to rush their passes instead of sticking to their more composed combinations.
The second half ended with an unexpected 3-0 score, with a final goal from Tshepo Mutsukunyane only two minutes before the whistle was heard.
Sphiwe Mkhonza, Monash coach said although his team started off in a bad note “The guys did well; it’s a good foundation for us. This year when we started I told them that our objective is to be in the top 3,” he said.
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Wits Vuvuzela. SOCCER: Monash feels the wrath of Wits Ladies FC. March 2014.
by Nqobile Dludla | Mar 19, 2014 | Sport
USSA Gauteng Football League: Wits Ladies FC played their first league match on Tuesday after their first match with VUT scheduled for March 11 was postponed due to the waterlogged pitch. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
Wits Ladies Football Club kept their stern hopes of USSA National Champs qualification flickering with an easy 16-0 victory at Markspark in the USSA Gauteng Football League on Tuesday.
The University Sport South Africa (USSA) Gauteng Football League 2014 season kicked off last Tuesday.
Goals from Precious Zulu, Puleng Mofokeng and Linah Maphanga in the first half gave Wits Ladies FC a steady advantage over Monash University Ladies team which staggered goalless until half time.
Setting a precedent, Zulu’s eighth minute goal in the slow paced match saw Wits dominating the first half. Within a couple of minutes after the first goal, Monash was unable to keep up and use more of their forward passes. Zulu dominated the first half with 5 goals.
Monash eventually managed to earn themselves a second free kick, only to have it fall short on the feet of the Wits defence.
With a 7-goal lead going into the second half, Wits took less risks, running at the pace of their opponents. But with Monash lacking match fitness, Zulu casually netted an easy 8th goal.
Sphiwe Mkhonza, Monash’s coach responding to Wits’ dominance said “We won’t make excuses for not performing well even though they [team] only had a week of practice and preparation because Monash re-opened in mid-March,”.
Monash came back in the 2nd half more determined as they boosted their attack and staggering defence. Witsie Puleng “Mshini” Mofokeng broke the now aggressive defence force from Monash with a sharp 9th goal, five minutes into the 2nd half.
Wits added more 7 goals in the 2nd half which saw them walking away with a decisive 16-0 victory.
“Well the victory was what we had expected but little things still need to be fixed, such as positional discipline and not rushing things,” said Jabulile Baloyi, Wits coach.
