by Tendai Dube | Sep 19, 2014 | News
Statements were found spray-painted on the Wits Great Hall stairs on Friday morning.
Photo: Luke Matthews
CORRECTION: The article originally omitted the word “building” giving the impression that Umthombo is a student residence. Additionally, the term “racial statements” in the photo caption has been changed to “statements”.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
“Black power, Biko lives” and “fuck white racism” were the words that greeted Witsies as they approached the Great Hall this morning.
The graffiti appeared overnight, sprayed in black paint, on the steps of Wits’ most iconic building.
Student residences Sunnyside, Mens Res and the Umthombo building were also targeted in separate but apparently related incidents. The graffiti appeared to favour the renaming of buildings on campus. Mens Res residents found their building sprayed with “Robert Sobukwe Hall” while students at Sunnyside res found their res had been “renamed” after Winnie Madikizela.
Susan Laname, a Sunnyside resident, claimed that the EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) may be responsible for the tagging of the buildings as the renaming of campus buildings was part of their election campaign.
Other buildings vandalised were Umthombo, Mens res and Sunnyside res.
Photo: Luke Matthews
EFF chairman Vuyani Pambo confirmed members of his organisation were not involved in the spraying of the graffiti, saying he had only found out about it through social networks.
“We are not responsible for the tagging, we engage the university directly as we did about our campaign, he added.
“I, for one, think it’s telling, maybe the pressure the students are feeling, and this is one way in which they are finding expression,” said Pambo.
Wits Campus Control say they have no strong leads and little evidence as to the guilty parties.
“So far we have received the complaint and we have seen the graffiti and we are taking it very serious and we are doing own investigation,” said Lucky Khumela, Campus Control’s security and liaison manager .
by Tendai Dube | Sep 11, 2014 | Sport
Tendai Dube & Lutho Mtongana
The Young Doctors (Medics) celebrate their 16-13 win against Masakhane in the finals of the internal rugby league. Photo: Lutho Mtongana
CORRECTION: Wits Vuvuzela initially reported that Men’s Res won against the Engineers but it was the Engineers that won the game. We regret the error.
After a 10-year losing steak, the Medics have finally claimed the top spot on the internal rugby league by beating Masakhane 16 – 13 at Wits University last night.
The Young Doctors scored the winning try of a high-pressured game that saw both teams at 13-all in the last ten minutes.
“My favourite part of the game was when Charl Stonewall Bosman (medics) slotted that drop goal”, medics captain, Patrick Chappel said.
“It was a tremendously difficult game, it was really tough, there has been a slow rivalry between us and Masakhane for a while now but it was fantastic and the boys are over the moon,” said Chappel.
Although the game ended sadly for the Masakhane boys their captain, Katlego Maseko believes the team put their all in the game.
“The team played amazingly, I think the boys put their all and their hearts into it but as captain, I let them down”, Maseko said.
“We deserved more from the outcome of the game,” he added.
The first half of the game showed Medics leading 13–0 against Masakhane but the Masakhane boys came back hard after an intense pep talk from their captain, telling the team to put out their hands, face-up and grab for the coveted trophy. In the second half Masakhane managed to equalise the score 13-all, but it fell short as the Medics scored once more.
The evening started with a “curtain raiser” match between, Mens Residence playing once again against the recently disqualified Engineers, Engineers won 47-8.
Humanities (Titans) and South African Hellenic Association (SHA) also played a “bowl final”, where the Titans walked away 64-0.
by Tendai Dube | Sep 5, 2014 | Opinion
Professor Guy Richards graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand in 1978 with a MBChB degree. He went on to become a Fellow of the College of Physicians of South Africa in 1985 and acquired a PhD in medicine in 1992. He is the director of the intensive care unit at the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital. Professor Richards is also a professor in the department of medicine at Wits and a principal physician in the pulmonology department.
How and why did Ebola resurface?
Ebola is a virus that seldom affects man. However, as we invade areas that were previously wilderness, we will interact with viruses that are usually limitedexclusively to these zones. The reservoir host is the fruit bat, which itself is unaffected by the virus. It can however infect primates or possibly other animals and can then be transmitted to humans if they eat or slaughter these animals – so called “bush meat”. It is frequently associated with diarrhea and bleeding from the gut or nose etc. People who come into contact with these secretions could become infected, especially if they have cuts or beaks in the skin or they get the secretions on their mucous membranes or eyes. Women are most often affected as it is their duty, traditionally, to wash and prepare a body for burial and, as such, are most frequently exposed. The other problem is that health care workers (HCW) dressed in protective clothing look frightening and seldom can speak the local language. They then attempt to remove the bodies in order to dispose of them safely, which is in direct contradiction to cultural beliefs that dictate thata person should be buried in andaround the village where they lived.
Regarding the widespread panic: is the public overreacting or not?
There are no cases in South Africa at present. If there were, they would be isolated and spread of infection limited. Only people who have been recently in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea or, to a lesser extent Nigeria, HCW in Lagos hospitals or HCW who have dealt with such patients, are at risk. It will not “waft” across our borders and the prime mode of spread would be by air as those who are ill would not survive a road or rail trip from West Africa.
What precautions are taken to screen individuals at our South African borders?
Those people coming from West Africa are given a questionnaire regarding their contact with ill patients and all patients are screened with the “fever screen” device. This would only pick up patients who are already ill, whereas those incubating the disease would present later with fever.
by Tendai Dube | Sep 2, 2014 | Sport
DISQUALIFIED: Engineers in a huddle at the Wednesday night game where they beat Men’s Residence, 10 – 5. Photo: Tendai Dube
The Wits Engineers rugby team has been disqualified from the internal rugby league for fielding players in breach of regulations.
The team will not play in the semi-finals tomorrow night after it was found that two of the team members who won 10-5 against Men’s Res last week, belong to other clubs.
The disqualification was confirmed today by the team’s captain, Matthew Peter, and league coordinator Alan Leonard.
The league’s regulations dictate that “a player that has played for any other club during a specific calendar year, whether it was in a friendly or in a league match, will not be allowed to participate in the competition during that specific year.”
According to Leonard, the Engineers’ captain requested permission on the morning of the game to allow a Pirates club member to play that evening but he (Leonard) denied the request. Engineers opted to field the player anyways.
“In our opinion, what would have been more fair is to discuss the terms of a rematch,” said Peter.
“As a whole the internal league has very few Wits students to begin with, there aren’t that many Wits students who are keen to come down and play internal rugby, which is a problem. If that’s the case, you’re forced to bring in outside players.”
Peter also said the issue is more about the handling of the disqualification and how Men’s Res only complained at the end of the match when they knew who the two players were from the beginning.
“Literally, as I walked off the field I was pulled into a meeting, I was standing there in my full kit, sweating off the field, having to explain the two players’ status (sic),” said Peter.
According to Leonard, the Engineers have accepted the ruling and the disqualification from the competition.
As a result of the team’s disqualification, Men’s Res has been granted a second chance to move forward in pursuit of being titled the internal league winners in the final next week Wednesday.
“We are very grateful to be given a second chance and in all honesty we think we deserve it,” said Sbonga Mthalane, Men’s Residence captain.
The semi-final will be an all “M” final, with Masakhane, Medics, Monash and Mens Res, thrashing it out in the hopes of becoming one of the two remaining teams to go head-to-head in the finals the following week.
The lineup sees Masakane playing the first game against the second time lucky Men’s Res, and Medics versus the newcomers to the league, Monash.
The semi-finals are this Wednesday, September 3, from 7 pm on Rugby Field A on East Campus.
by Tendai Dube | Jul 29, 2014 | Featured 1
The exhibition, From Sitting to Selfie, creates a history of the phenomenon of taking ‘selfie’. Photo: Tendai Dube.
The ‘selfie’ has had such an impact on society that the word itself is now part of the dictionary. To capture the history of the phenomenon, the Standard Bank Art Gallery is currently hosting the exhition the From Sitting to Selfie. The exhibition showcases the origins and history of the phenomenon, often seen to be the result of social media and camera phones.
“There is a lot of variety, it covers a long period of time”, said Sue Isaac, gallery administrator. The exhibition showcases 300 years of South African portraits, dating back to the 1617 with two portraits by Cornelis van der Voort, Portrait of a Gentleman and Portrait of a Lady.
The collection is proof that the obsession with one’s image has been around for much longer than Instagram selfies.
Capturing a moment in time is not necessarily external; art was created from a retina image from a visit to the optometrist. Another of metal carved into a skull by laser.
One of the more lighthearted time-stamps is a self-portrait of Mikhael Subotzky by Marc Nicolson after being stung by a bee in 2004.
“It’s like looking at Facebook, I just don’t get it [selfies]”, said Linda Engelbrecht, an art aficionado who visited the gallery. “I can’t imagine why people would want to publish bad photographs of themselves”, she added.
Curator Barbara Freemantle explained that sitting portraits in the past were done to “best capture the essence of another human” while selfies are “a memento or to document the photographer’s own presence at a particular occasion.
“I think it’s just a popular fad at the moment which I think will run its course, maybe not because we are all pretty egotistical, so perhaps it won’t”, said Isaac.
The exhibition ends on September 6 and is held on the corner Simmonds and Frederick street.
by Tendai Dube | Jul 25, 2014 | Sport
Gonste Mathabathe worked up a real sweat after the 2.5 – 5 km run on Tuesday. Photo: Tendai Dube
WITSIES braced the cold to participate in the first Nike Run at the Bozzoli Sports Pavilion on Tuesday evening. Fitness brand Nike partnered with Wits Sports Club to launch a weekly running club for those in and around the community.
“We’re running this because we want to really create this healthy lifestyle,” said Liz Chase, Wits sports officer.
Participants had the option to run the 2.5km or 5km route from the Bozzoli Sports Pavilion through East Campus.
The first to reach the finish line were best friends Nhlanhla Vilakazi and Brandon Matthews. The two had opted for the 2.5km, much to Chase’s dismay. “You see, the thing is, I’ve been on holiday now for more than a month and I didn’t want to finish myself,” said Vilakazi.
The launch did not get large numbers but had Witsies known it involved swopping your old sneakers to run in a brand new pair of Lunar Glide Nikes then perhaps more would have attended.
We’re running this because we want to really create this healthy lifestyle
“It’s not the easiest thing to do but there’s a saying, ‘summer bodies are created in winter’ and that’s what keeps people motivated and training in winter,” said Zama Mthethwa, coordinator of the Nike Run at Wits.
Witsies and staff are encouraged to join the runs taking place every Tuesday evening at 5pm starting at Bozzoli.
by Tendai Dube | Jun 6, 2014 | News
KICKIN’ IT: Kurium Govender, representing the Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics and Wits students Bioethics society members, Tumisang Molokwane and Necole Pelsner at the launch of the news society. Photo: Tendai Dube
Seven passionate health sciences students have launched the first Wits Students Bioethics Society at the med school campus on Tuesday night.
The society aims to make bioethics “real and tangible,” and to mainstream discussions about bioethics. Bioethics refers to the application of ethics to medical and healthcare practices.
“Our hope is that students will see bioethics as not something that is theoretical but rather as something you can sit down at lunch and talk about, “explained Lesne Pucjlowski, one of the founding members.
Pucjlowski formed the society with fellow students Brendan Savary, Nicole Pelser, Sizwe Masango, Thabang Mokoena, Tumisang Molokwane and Joseph Tewson.
“As healthcare practitioners of the future and of today, its our duty to question, question everything, said Pucjlowski.
“Blindly following ones’ superiors and then claiming personal innocence is absolutely ignorant, and it’s our responsibility as future healthcare practitioners to eradicate ignorance, especially that of a bio-ethical nature, “ he added.
Guest speakers at the launch event included Brian Rappert, professor of science, technology and public affairs in the department of sociology and philosophy at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom and Dr Chandré Gould, senior research fellow in the Crime and Justice Division of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS).
by Tendai Dube | May 13, 2014 | Featured 1
Hacking is a form of cyber abuse, it’s an invasion of privacy that usually has an element of theft. Whether it be identity theft, stealing access or for financial gain. This infographic is to spread knowledge about this amplified criminal act that has taken over our virtual streets.
While these are steps to help you protect yourself online, they are not guaranteed.
by Tendai Dube | May 5, 2014 | Sport
Madibaz (NMMU) in blue and Wits in yellow in focus during their Varsity Hockey tournament match on Wits turf yesterday afternoon. Photo: Tendai Dube
In a foul-filled and frustrating game, Wits University drew one all Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in the Varsity Hockey tournament at home yesterday.
NMMU, or the Madibaz, held a 1-0 advantage up until the last seventeen seconds of the game when Wits netted a goal to level the game.
The first chukka of the game was filled with fouls and green cards instead of goals with NMMU’s Chad Cairncross of the Madibaz getting the first warning within the two minutes off the turf.
Craig Daniel made the first real goal attempt for the Witsies that ended up just high of the post and the team found themselves with two fouls from both Matthew Povall and Michael Daniel before the first third was over.
The Madibaz found some luck in the last two minutes of the first third, when a Witsies’ foul resulted in a penalty. Madibaz Steven Dent then made short work of it, putting the score at 1 – 0 to the NMMU boys.
The second chukka began with a power play for the Madibaz but the boys failed to take advantage of the opportunity when Shawn Pautz was given a green card, soon after Wits captain and goalie, Cole Zondagh had received one too.
Madibaz (NMMU) in blue and Wits in yellow in focus during their Varsity Hockey tournament match on Wits turf yesterday afternoon. Photo: Tendai Dube
Brandon Downes was served with a yellow card, leaving him on the sidelines for the rest of the match.
“A tense game, playing guys who are quicker than us, sometimes we slip and make bad decisions, its just moving on. We played with ten players three times today and we didn’t concede when we had a player off and that’s all that matters,” said Wits captain Zondagh regarding the numerous fouls.
The Wits goal in those few seconds drew the score, 1 – 1 and had the home fans cheering in surprise.
“They were naught one down the whole event until about seconds before the final and they scored and came back, I tell you I have goosebumps, I’m proud of my team,” said Erika Venter, sports officer for Wits Hockey.
“I really feel like we did play really well, we just didn’t take our opportunities when they were given to us, we should have won the game but the boys really did put in an effort and I’m really proud of them,” said Jessica Dignon, manager and conditioner for the Wits hockey boys.
Zondagh won the super saver title for the second time in just as many days and Ignatius Malgraff from the Madibaz was named man of the match.
Wits will be playing against University of Cape Town (UCT) tonight at 18:45.
by Tendai Dube | May 1, 2014 | News
HERO: Charlie Gomez died trying to prevent his girlfriend from falling from the fourth floor of Milpark Mews last Saturday, April 26. Photo: Provided
A twenty-one-year man old died a hero when he attempted to save his girlfriend after she fell from an Auckland Park apartment building on Saturday.
Charlie Gomez was carrying his girlfriend, Minikazi Jojo, 22, were getting ready for a night out on Saturday. Gomez was carrying Jojo in his arms on Saturday as they walked up an outdoor stairwell to their apartment. But as she was being carried up, Jojo lost her balance and fell over the railing of the fourth floor.
Gomez lunged over the railing in an attempt to save her but lost his balance and fell from the balcony.
Jojo’s cousin, who had gone ahead to collect a set of keys, came back to find the couple on the ground.
According to a close family friend, paramedics arrived on the scene and Jojo and Gomez were both rushed to the intensive care unit of Milpark Hospital.
Gomez arrived in hospital with his legs broken. He briefly woke up and attempted to get up before his heart failed and Gomez died two hours after being admitted to hospital.
[pullquote]“He didn’t have to save me, but he died my hero”[/pullquote]
Jojo sustained injuries to her neck, broken bones near her spine and suffered small scratches to her face. According to the family friend, Jojo knows her boyfriend’s last act was an attempt to save her from falling.
“He didn’t have to save me, but he died my hero, ” Jojo was heard saying in the hospital.
Gomez and Jojo, both University of Johannesburg students, had been dating for about two months before the accident.
University of Johannesburg students, Minikazi Jojo, posing against the railing of the Milpark Mews apartment building. Photo: Provided
Jojo is expected to be be discharged in two weeks’ time, but her family hopes she will be able to her attend Gomez’s funeral this coming Saturday.
This is not the first fatality to happen in the building. In 2011, two AFDA students fell from a balcony of the sixth floor. The estimated 15 metre drop killed one of the students instantly.
The safety of Milpark Mews’ balconies is a concern to some residents.
“Nothing is stable, there’s cracks all over the place, and the railings aren’t high enough. I’m just wondering how many people are still going to lose their lives here?” said Jojo’s friend.
Wits Vuvuzela approached Milpark Mews security guards for comment but they professed ignorance about Jojo and Gomez’s accident. The caretaker of Milpark Mews, known only as “Ozzy”, could not be reached at his flat in the building nor on any of the provided phone numbers.
by Tendai Dube | Apr 11, 2014 | Sport
Men’s Residence team in celebration after beating Monash 24 – 18, in the first set of Wits internal rugby league on Wednesday. Photo: Tendai Dube
The Wits internal rugby league got off to a trying start on Wednesday.
Knockando and Humanities supporters left after both of their teams didn’t pitch up for their matches.
“Knockando thought their game only started at 8.30pm and Humanities said they didn’t know they were starting this week,” said Masakhane player Junior Mnisi.
Despite the delayed kick-off, Masakhane thrashed the Engineers in a 38 – 0 win. The SA Union of Jewish Students team and Commerce wound up playing each other after their opponents didn’t pitch up. Commerce won that match 36 -24.
Despite the confusion, the cool night and the 90 minute delay in starting the match, the fans who caught on took to the stands excitedly and not a little rowdy.
The loudest bunch were the fans from Men’s res, who cheered and stamped through their team’s victory, 24-18, over Monash.
As soon as Men’s res won, their fans emptied the bleachers and rushed onto the field with singing and cheering.
The Men’s residence fans formed up in a circle on the field and posed for pictures, bringing the first night of amateur rugby to a close.
The Humanities team won the Wits Internal League last season and competed in the Varsity Cup Koshuis tournament. A new season and the title are all up for grabs again.
by Tendai Dube | Mar 28, 2014 | News
Warren Chalklen in his protest against corruption in Nkandla from Texas, USA.
Photo: Provided
Former Witsie Warren Chalklen embarked on a twenty-four hour hunger strike that ended yesterday, in a peaceful protest against corruption by South African leaders.
The former Witsie and many other supporters of the cause were “protesting against the alleged Nkandla corruption and to protect the dignity of all South Africans” according to Chalklen. The strike began on Wednesday in Texas, from 7am to 7am the following morning.
The protest comes a week after Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s release of the Nkandla report that accused President Jacob Zuma of unfairly benefitting from security upgrades to his private residence in Nkandla. The President is yet to respond to the report.
[pullquote]“How else can I voice my disgust at this situation than to ally with the poor who will go hungry as a result of this?”[/pullquote]
Zuma now has less than a week to respond to the prosecutors report claiming that he should return a portion of the money used on his Nkandla home.
Chalklen believes that if ordinary citizens can go for a full day without food and have the discipline to voluntarily starve, by the same logic, South African leaders can discipline themselves to reduce spending for personal gain.
Chalklen’s final signage as he concludes his twenty-four hour protest on Thursday morning. Photo: Provided
When asked why he chose to do a hunger strike as his form of protest, Chalklen responded: “This is a moral issue that requires a moral response …Through peaceful protest we show them that we will not stand for this impunity.”
Chalklen said his aim with the hunger strike was to stimulate discussion and encourage people to build a better South Africa. “The principle of the matter in my context, how else can I voice my disgust at this situation than to ally with the poor who will go hungry as a result of this?”
Many of his social media peers supported his plight by liking and sharing his posts. However, some criticised Chalken, questioning his rationale in not waiting until after Madonsela’s deadline and then to strike if he did not get answers.
“The aim of the strike is not to gain support, the aim is to use our energies to send a message that each citizen has the power to utilise their democratic freedoms to hold leaders accountable. There is never a good time to act. Corruption happened, powerful people are unaccountable, individuals feel hopeless, and we need, in the short term, something to give people purpose, hope and a sense that they matter. It is likely this will not conquer anything, but that’s not the point nor purpose.”
Chalklen, a South African, graduated from the University of Witwatersrand with a Bachelor of Education where he also received the Jack Hutton Memorial Award. He has since graduated as a Master in Public Service and Administration (MPSA), at a university in Texas, where he currently resides.
