by Sakeena Suliman | Aug 4, 2011 | News
Eight Toyota Yaris’s have been stolen since April at the Wits Medical School and Johannesburg College of Education (JCE).
Captain Mfabe, who is assigned to patrol the Parktown area, said they are investigating the matter as this statistic seems to show that Toyota Yaris’s are the targets.
The latest in the string of Toyota thefts in the area occurred on Friday, July 29.
Third year medical student, Michelle Hungwe, parked her Toyota Celica on Jubilee Road at 11am and when she “went back to it at 1pm, it was gone”. Hungwe, who called her car Dimitri, said she reported the case at the Hillbrow police station.
Informal car guard Peter Shilowa, who has worked on Jubilee and York roads for six years, said he noticed the car pulling out when he came back from watching cars further away.
“I asked the fruit sellers if the girl [Hungwe] had come back for her car. They didn’t know so I chased after it to see who was driving it,” he said.
Shilowa said the thief stopped next to a white Mercedes at a stop street, and he saw the drivers chatting before they sped off. When he saw Hungwe return for her car, he realised that it had been stolen and told her.
Wits Medical School Council (WMSC) said the issue concerning car theft in the area and the lack of student parking was being investigated. WMSC committee member Edward Naicker, speaking in his personal capacity, said four of his friends’ cars had been broken into this year.
“Three of them were stolen. Med school has put posters up warning students to be careful when parking on the road,” said Naicker.
He said more students have started to park on Jubilee Road this year “since Wits started a development on JCE which occupies previous parking spots”.
“Something really needs to be done soon because four cars stolen is four cars too many.”
JCE security guard Jabu Shabangu said he suspected two guys of scouting cars this week and reported it to Mfabe. He said Wits hired a security guard to watch the road but cancelled his contract as they could no longer pay him.
Since Wits started a development on the JCE campus, more students have started parking on the road this year. Naicker says parking spaces have been declining ever since the university took in more students in 2009.
by Sakeena Suliman | Jul 29, 2011 | Featured 1
Witsies were entertained by human statues this week. A few men, dressed in cement clad suits posed as statues near the Matrix and promoted a competition run by a local cement company. A first prize of R50 000 is awarded to the best concrete sculpture entered into the competition.
by Sakeena Suliman | Jul 29, 2011 | Featured 1, News
THE annual Ramadan Humanitarian Project packed its last box on campus this week. The Wits’ Muslim Students Association (MSA) project has grown every year since it began in 2005.
It is ending because of logistical reasons said MSA medical school committee member, Yaaseen Cassim. Ramadaan – the Islamic fasting month – falls 10 days earlier every year according to the lunar calendar.
Next year it will fall during the holidays and exam period and running the project then would mean less student involvement and disrupt the project’s week of packing food hampers.
“That takes away from the objectives of the project [which is] to teach social responsibility and make students aware of the underprivileged,” said Cassim.
The project saw its seventh and final year end with the usual “packing week” on the Wit’s library lawns .
RHP – which was initiated by two Wits MSA committee members – has been a joint project with MSAs from the University of Pretoria and the University of Johannesburg who ran their “packing week” at the same time.
Cassim said collectively they aimed to reach a target of R2-million. By Thursday the universities had packed 2600 hampers with a variety of foods in a total of 5200 boxes.
MSA main campus treasurer, Alia Kajee, said the project still gets alumni pupils involved and she was sad to see it end. Like Cassim, she said the end of the RHP does not mean the end of the project entirely.
The committee is thinking of new project ideas to generate support of this nature for next year’s fasting month as well. “In a couple of years when logistics and time permit, the MSA members of that time might revive the project,”said Cassim.
Students who volunteered to pack boxes this week said they did it because it was fun, they were able to meet new people and it was their way of giving back to the community.
by Sakeena Suliman | Jul 28, 2011 | News
WITSIES feel events such as the third Apartheid Archive Project conference which ran this week bring back the past and do not allow us to move forward.
The conference, themed Narratives, Nostalgia, Nationhoods, is an international research initiative. It aimed to be a critical comparison between South Africa’s infamous past and current South African behaviour.
Through scheduled presentations, seminars, talks and debates, participants examined past experiences of “ordinary” South Africans during apartheid and the continuing effects the oppressive system has on individual and group functioning in the new South Africa.
First year psychology student Lerato Ramushu said: “I think that it’s good and interesting but the point is that we should move forward and look at the future. We should deal with the present and look for ways to better ourselves in the future.” This sentiment was shared by most of the students interviewed and many also said apartheid was used as an excuse when it benefitted people.
Her friend Marizel Meintjes, also a 1st year psychology student, said her family would agree with Ramushu because they want to leave the past of apartheid behind. Meintjes, however, thinks “it’s really good for the youth to know our history, to teach us to learn from our mistakes”.
And this is precisely the conference’s objective according to the dean of humanities, Professor Tawana Kupe. He said those who say the conference rehashed an uncomfortable past were wrong.
“If you remember a past that was bad and only remember the good things, the real danger is that you will repeat the bad things from the past. It’s not a rehashing. A conference like this is a critical reflection on the past in order to create a better future where we don’t repeat past mistakes,” Kupe said.
He also urged students to learn about apartheid and the South African past. “You think apartheid didn’t happen, it did. You need to know.”
by Sakeena Suliman | May 27, 2011 | News
Cellphones aren’t just popular for their innovative functions, built-in cameras and pretty looks but also because they make Witsies who are “armed” with them feel safer and more connected to the world.
Aside from offering the function of making and receiving calls, cellphones have many innovative functions such as texting, Bluetooth and internet; mobiles are now also seen as a safety feature.
“I got on the wrong bus once and it dropped me off in the middle of nowhere. If I do get lost I always have a backup because I have my cellphone on me,” says 1st year computer science student Madeeha Laher.
Many university students have had a cellphone since 10 years of age and say they would often turn back to get their cellphone once they realised they had left it behind.
“I do run back to get my cellphone if I forget it,” says Laher.
Second year electrical engineering student Sabelo Thiyane feels carrying a cell phone is “like a tradition”. “My mum was pregnant [in labour] and wanted me to call the ambulance,” Thiyane says.
Many of the students felt the reason they felt safer was that it kept them connected in case there was an emergency. “If you collapse or something and they need to look for your mother’s phone number, at least you’ll have your cell phone with you,” says 2nd year BA student Lerato Mufamadi.
British paramedic Bob Brotchie created the ICE (in case of emergency) programme in 2005 which enables first responders, such as paramedics and police officers, to identify victims and contact their next of kin to learn important medical information.
The programme encourages people to enter emergency contacts in their mobile contact list under the name “ICE”.
Thiyane and friends say that even though they felt safer with their mobiles on them, in “high risk” places such as Bree Street taxi rank and places with lots of people they didn’t feel as safe.
“If someone comes up to me and wanted my cellphone I’d give my cheaper one,” says Thiyane. Carrying a cheaper second cell phone was a common habit among the circle of friends.
by Sakeena Suliman | May 27, 2011 | Sport
WITS sport undergoes budget cuts at the beginning of each year like every other department and is less important to the university than academics and research.
“Sports has always been a secondary priority [at Wits], the most important priority is research and academics,” says John Baxter, director of Wits Sports Administration.
“We might not all agree [about this] but the reality is that you have to get qualified. It’s where the university’s thrust and responsibility is.”
Every department makes a budget proposal and is allocated a certain amount each year and not every department receives the funds they request.
“Sports, like the SRC and any other departments at Wits, is going to be faced with budget cuts,” Baxter says.
Most clubs feel tight budgets and strict quotation procedures make it difficult to run their clubs effectively. Baxter says they have survived over many years and have never had a situation where clubs are short at the end of the year.
“It’s debatable how much money is required to survive,” says Baxter.
He says the procedures of accessing club budgets were put in place as there needed to be accountability from both club and administrative members. Regular meetings through the year, if attended frequently, give sports club representatives the opportunity to discuss their budgets and raise issues.
Wits Sports Council chairperson, Brendan von Essen says the process is a traditional university practice and is “largely accepted as a workable evil” which “could lead to frustration as it is lengthy and has resulted in suppliers being unwilling to work with Wits”.
Baxter says sport is voluntary and outside the academic arena and students participate because they want to and should know there is a cost implication to it.
“Other universities have a different perspective on sport and what it can achieve for the university. Their emphasis is placed differently and they use the publicity they get differently,” he says.
Wits has almost 10 000 students registered with its various sporting clubs, a competitive sporting code, inter-university and inter-faculty leagues and varsity shield games that generate a large spectatorship. However Von Essen “personally believe[s] this exceptional campus presence is often lost on the university council and senior management”.
After 32 years at Wits, Baxter is retiring at the end of this year and has played a vital role in maintaining and developing Wits sport. He believes sport is valuable to student development and their growth as individuals, giving them a social and administrative advantage when they step into the working world.
“Sport has integrated people at Wits,” he says.
by Sakeena Suliman | May 27, 2011 | News
Not everyone uses fancy branded products to keep their hair and skin at its best, some, especially students use alternative ingredients which come in handy on a student budget.
Sugar, eggs and honey are great for baking cakes but come in handy for students who find it difficult to purchase fancy branded cosmetics on a student budget.
There are tons of items around your house, in the kitchen, pantry cupboard, vanity and even laundry room waiting to be used in a beauty treatment recipe handed down to you by your great grandmother.
These home-made techniques are also sometimes professionally recommended as they are more cost effective and, in some cases, the natural ingredients are less damaging to your skin and hair.
Popular recipes are brushing your lips with toothpaste before lipstick application to make the colour last longer and the lips soft, lemon juice to lighten the hair and petroleum jelly combed lightly through the tips of eyelashes to get a sexy, subtle sparkle.
Even udder balm – yip, the stuff farmers use on cows – makes the list as a miracle cure for dry and chapped hands and feet. Although Vaseline has the same effect once it is applied, udder balm is less greasy.
If you are wondering whether these remedies work, according to Witsies they do. First year BA student, Monique Roxanne, says, “Toothpaste on pimples dries it out. I’ve tried it out and it works.”
Another recipe she says works is egg white and mayonnaise with a little vanilla essence – to give it a nice smell. “It conditions the hair and makes it shiny and soft.” But remember to rinse out with lukewarm water or else you’re stuck with egg hair.
Her class friend Cloe Murugan exfoliates with a liquid soap and sugar mixture and says it works just as well as the brand products. Her mum also used to use horse shampoo in her hair to make it thicker, stronger and to grow faster and she says that worked too.
“A lot of people put yoghurt on their faces, it cleanses the pores and cools your face,” says 1st year BSc student, Naadhirah, who did not want her last name mentioned.
Recipes other students gave include a ground mustard powder and water paste which when applied to the roots prevents hair loss. Olive oil used in your hair once a month, left wrapped in a warm towel for an hour also makes your hair soft and healthy and 30 plain aspirins applied to a normal bottle of shampoo and used normally helps to relieve dandruff.
by Sakeena Suliman | May 27, 2011 | Featured 1, News
Whudu Khana: Male students washing before afternoon prayers
The Wits musalla (prayer facility) has experienced some incidents of vandalism during the two months since its official opening and hand over to the Muslim Students Association (MSA) in March.
The vandals are supposedly people visiting campus on school trips to the Planetarium situated directly next to the musalla.
MSA chairperson Abubakr Osman said people using the facility have reported incidents of people urinating in the washing area, walking on the carpets with dirty shoes and items such as a vacuum cleaner and glassware missing from the storeroom.
“The [storeroom] door was found open. [There are] no details of who found it though,” said Osman,
“Apart from the entrance foyer and bathrooms, the rest of the facility is a ‘no-shoes’ zone. Often the carpets to pray on have been stepped on with dirty shoes. We also face the issue of vandalism where people urinate in the ablution facility. The ablution facility is where people are expected to wash themselves before praying.”
Osman said the incidents were reported by students who live on res and people off campus who use the musalla.
Moshood Olayiwola, a geosciences PhD student, saw school students urinating in the ablution facility. He said he stopped them and explained to them what it was used for.
“I think they didn’t really know what it was used for and aren’t aware of Islamic culture, so I’m not sure if it’s really vandalism,” said Olayiwola.
To avoid such incidents happening again, the MSA has decided to lock the facility and only open it during prayer times. Osman says this is “cumbersome and disadvantageous to people who want to benefit from the facility out of these times”.
The MSA committee has also decided to install an ICAM system. “This would ensure that the safety, security and maintenance of the facility is not compromised and also ensures the easy access of students and card holders,” said Fatima Mukaddam, MSA vice chairperson.
Posters explaining registration by any Witsie wanting access to the musalla will be put up soon.
by Sakeena Suliman | May 19, 2011 | News
I was drinking a glass of water in our faculty kitchen the other day when another student walked in and said: “Ah, Sakeena. Nice to see you here where you belong.” The look of confusion my eyebrows drew must’ve urged him to explain, “In the kitchen, the place where women are most happy.”
Gasp, choke, faint… horrific, right? In this era of liberalism there are guys that hold those “dark aged” opinions, and at a university where we’re supposed to be free and progressive thinkers. You’re probably wondering what my response was other than possibly choking on my water. I gulped the rest down, said “you’re joking” and made my escape.
Even though we pretend to have moved away from archaic notions of men and women and their “places” in society, it still exists. So, as women, do we continue trying to fit into a “man’s world”, becoming pseudo men to express how equal we are?
A firm, solid handshake to prove you’re as tough as the boys, power suits with exaggerated shoulder pads to express strength and authority, and no tears – those are for “girls”. We wouldn’t want to come across as what we really are would we, because over time the essence of being female has been sacrificed for the right to fit in.
Even the labels we give ourselves in our efforts to be equal make it less so and more like we’re trying to measure up to a standard; female stock brokers and lawyers, business women, female athletes, ladies soccer, women boxers.
I guess what I’m saying is you don’t need to “burn your bra” to be equal. The women in the 1960s didn’t either, that was just misrepresented by the masculine powers that be at the time, painting feminists as men haters.
Equality comes from realising that even though you have smaller shoulders, a higher-pitched voice and smaller feet which thankfully don’t get compared to another part of our anatomy, power is our birthright too. Those outer elements have no bearing on how smart and focused we are.
I can cook – because I like being in the kitchen; I can change a tyre – because I drive and need to know how; I can throw a punch and do clap push-ups, jump a fence and I can do it in stilettos if I had to and none of that scores me points in the equality ratings because the fact that I am, is enough.
So to all the ladies out there, your place is where you willingly choose, your power is in your presence, your equality your right. Don’t compromise your womanhood, embrace it. Peace…
by Sakeena Suliman | May 19, 2011 | News
Witsies are unaware of network security at the university and how it affects them. Some students do not know what a network is.
“I don’t know [what a network is], but I think it’s so important to know about all this,” said 2nd year political science student Nokuphetha Mlambo.
Students are also unaware Wits spends a large amount of money keeping its network as safe as possible and that a network ultimately composes their personal information. Some express an “ignorance is bliss” sentiment, saying the idea that their information could be “hacked” scares them.
Andrew Alston, chief technology officer at an internet access and support company, defines a network as “an interconnected set of computer systems that can communicate with each other… allowing an individual who is utilising one of the computer systems to interact with the other computer systems”.
Universities have become “hacker” targets since 2006. Breaches to university networks and theft of student and staff information have occurred. The most frequent reasons for hacking into university systems are to steal identities to apply for fake student loans, steal exam papers stored electronically, gain access to financial information for other nefarious purposes or use the network to multiply spam e-mails.
Wits Central Networking Service (CNS) is dedicated to the maintenance and security of Wits’s networks and servers. Nita Lawton-Misra, Wits acting registrar, says she is “quite positive the university tried to ensure that information entering and leaving the systems was as secure as it could be in the technology world”.
“We are constantly looking to improve our network services and increase bandwith to ensure better connectivity,” she says.
Alston, speaking in his personal capacity, says the majority of system compromises are internal. “University networks…are often very hostile places, not because the students are bad, but because part of a student’s nature is to study that which is around you. It would be rare though to see if any actual damage is caused.”
While students say they didn’t think about how secure their information was at Wits, they do try to be vigilant in their internet usage. First year BSc student K. van Wyk says she does not buy things online nor open e-mails that come from unknown people and is cautious while using the internet.
by Sakeena Suliman | May 12, 2011 | News
Witsies are not keen on learning self-defence even though they feel it is necessary considering South Africa’s high crime rate.
While all the female students interviewed felt it was more necessary for women to know how to protect themselves none have any self-defence skills, haven’t read any books or watched any videos teaching any type of self defence and aren’t considering taking up classes.
Should Wits offer a class for free though, Witsies said they would consider attending as long as it was set at a “good time”.
Carrying a weapon as a form of safety was frowned upon and seen as being detrimental. Second year civil engineering student Zwanganya Mohale was mugged and had her cell phone stolen last year. “I wish I had [had] pepper spray,” she said. “I’m going to think about carrying it around.”
Students also criticised the South African Police Service. Fourth year quantity surveying student, Mohammed Shiraaz Jogee, felt that if “criminals were aware of an effective police service they might think twice about committing crimes”.
Jogee keeps a knuckle duster in his car and said he has become more confident after taking up muay thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu almost three years ago,
“It has taught me self-control and discipline and has made me more able to respond to a possible attack,” he said.
Many styles of martial arts include self-defence techniques and Phil Ferrer, Wits aikido club instructor who encourages learning self-defence, said it was just one aspect of martial arts training. He felt martial arts also made you more aware, aided in general growth and had a positive psychological aspect.
“It trains you to use your body as a weapon,” Ferrer said.
The club has previously run free one-day courses specifically for women and children as a community service and are considering planning future programmes which will be advertised.
Self-defence emphasises awareness of one’s surroundings to avoid potentially dangerous situations, an aspect BCom student Joe Fu feels is important. “Students should be more vigilant and aware, it doesn’t take time. [Physical] self-defence is a bonus”.
by Sakeena Suliman | May 11, 2011 | Featured 1, News, Sport
Senior boxer Scott Yarham in a pad session with Khayelihle Maseko.
Senior boxers at the Wits Boxing Club have kept their guards up and jabs going to keep spirits high among beginner members since their new coach resigned after just six weeks.
Eric Manganyi, who was hired in February, resigned as the club’s coach because of a “money matter”. He said although he missed the students and had formed a good bond with them in a short time, the salary he was being paid only covered his travelling expenses.
Despite being without a coach since October last year, Wits boxers have managed to achieve success. One boxer, Khayelihle Maseko, was recently selected as part of the USSA RSA team and another, (Sipho Mhlambi), winning the Wits Sportsman of the Year award last year.
Maseko is happy with the achievement. “The senior boxers took over running the training sessions to teach the beginners and help each other to keep the club going,” he said.
The club has approached Bakhangele Masabalala, a former Wits boxing champion, to help the seniors out said Bakholise Mabuyane, the club’s chairperson. Doctor Tando Melapi – a Wits alumnus who began the club in 1997 – will also be helping the seniors prepare for the May 28 Johannesburg Amateur Boxing Organisation tournament.
“When our coach left last year it was hard for us because he had been training us for a long time but luckily we had Nxumalo, one of our most experienced boxers, and he took over just for the 2010 USSA championships,” Mabuyane said.
Scott Yarham, who has been with the club since 2008, said although the seniors are falling behind with their skill training, they will focus on helping the beginners until they get a trainer.
Although not sure what Wits sports administration is doing about the matter, they are not waiting for somebody to do something and have split running training sessions among themselves.
Dennis Tshabalala, the club’s administrator, said they were in the process of confirming a contract with a new coach.
The Wits Boxing Club trains Mondays to Thursdays from 5pm to 6.15pm in Hall 29 on West Campus.
