Starring: Robert Downey Jr. Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, James Spader, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen
Director: Joss Whedon
Wits Vuvuzela rating: 8.5/10
Avengers perfectly set the stage for new members such as ‘Scarlet Witch’ and ‘Quicksilver’ to join the team.
The next instalment of the Marvel superhero franchise, Avengers: Age of Ultron, brings back all the superhero characters we have come to know, with a few new and exciting characters being introduced.
Robert Downey Jr again impresses as Iron Man but unlike in the past he becomes the source of their problems. He is again joined in the cast by Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye.
“The film is everything and more you would want from a Marvel superhero film.”
The film, directed by Joss Whedon, opens with an impressive visual effects action sequence. This sets the tone for the rest of the film, or rather the expectation. Opening the film up to one criticism, by starting on such a high it is no wonder a‘fall’ takes place. After the first five minutes it takes a while for the story to pick up again, but don’t worry it really does just that.
The film is everything and more you would want from a Marvel superhero film. The film is smart, flashy, fun, and most of all funny. This was the highlight of the film to me. The comedy was used perfectly throughout the film in a style that reminded me a lot of the humour used in Guardians of the Galaxy, released in 2014.
With golden nuggets such as the traditional guest appearance of creator of the comics Stan Lee, this nearly two and a half hour film certainly does not drag. Age of Ultron perfectly slots into the bigger story of the Avengers and leaves you craving more at the end.
If you do not enjoy the latest craze of superhero culture that has been sweeping pop culture then this is not for you. But if you enjoyed any of the previous marvel films then Avengers: Age of Ultron is a film you should not miss.
Poetry, song, dance and pledges of solidarity were featured in the anti-xenophobia event in Yeoville.
NO TO XENOPHOBIA: Majesty Mnyandu performing his poetry at the Yeoville Recreational Center. Photo: Valerie Robinson
A Yeoville community hall was filled to capacity yesterday afternoon as locals, politicians and youth leaders gathered to show their opposition to the xenophobic attacks currently sweeping the country.
The anti-xenophobia prayer and seminar was hosted by by the Joe Slovo branch of the ANCYL (African National Congress Youth League) and BDS (Boycott. Divestment. Sanctions) South Africa.
The event titled “Africa and her people are one”, featured prominent speakers, poetry in song by Majesty Mnyandu and prayers by representatives of both the Christian and Muslim faiths. The audience, many of whom wore t-shirts saying, “Je suis afrique” meaning ‘I am Africa’ on them, added to the programme by breaking out into song during the speeches.
Jacob Mamabolo, MEC for Human Settlements and SACP (South African Communist Party) Provincial Secretary, as well as Mayihlome Tshwete, Deputy Director-general, Department of Home Affairs addressed the audience.
“The crowd would break out in song and dance denouncing xenophobia.”
Spokesperson for the BDS programme Kwara Kekana, said that event aimed to “educate ignorant people” that live among us. Xenophobia affects all of us and that it is everyone’s responsibility to dispel the false notions, Kekana said.
A South African teenager, reportedly recruited by the Islamic State militant group, was removed from a plane bound for Johannesburg on Sunday. Questions remain as to how she was recruited by the organisation.
A 15-year-old girl was removed from her first class seat on a plane leaving from Cape Town for Johannesburg last Sunday afternoon. Reports indicate that authorities had found evidence linking the young woman with the terror group on her social media accounts.
EyeWitness News reported that the South African Security Ministry said that it is attempting to determinethe existence or extent of the group’s network inside the country and if any other minors have been recruited by the Islamic State (ISIS).
The ministry is still trying to determine how the teen was able to book, pay for and plan a trip to meet an ISIS recruiter.
The ministry has reportedly probed all of the teenager’s online activities looking for any evidence of who may have asked her to join the cause. This includes a payment to an unknown source.
“15-year-old girl was removed from her first class seat”
The ministry’s Brian Dube said, “We are still investigating and we don’t want to compromise our work by discussing what is happening.”
Dube also said that the complete details of the operation that led to the girl being taken into custody will only be made public when the investigation is complete.
The Department of Home Affairs said adjustments to immigration laws will help in preventing minors from joining the militant group. The department’s Mayihlome Tshwete said the new regulations, which will into effect from 1 June, will require a verified guardian’s consent for a child to be able to travel across South African borders.
Stepping onto the grounds of the University of Cape Town, Wits Vuvuzela journalist Valerie Robinson speaks to two PhD students for their view on the removal of the Cecil John Rhodes statue.
BOXED IN: The Cecil John Rhodes Statue at the University of Cape Town has been boxed pending a final decision about it removal. Photo: Valerie Robinson.
I stepped onto the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) campus as an outsider for the first time in the middle of the Rhodes statue debate, this past week, to find a massive box where the statue used to sit.
The words “Fuck Rhodes”, spray-painted over the crisp clean letters of the memorial plaque that has probably greeted its last generation of graduates.
The debate about transformation on campuses came into the spotlight this past month following the protests over the Rhodes statue on UCT’s campus.
What started when students threw human waste at the Rhodes statue on March, 9 has now spread throughout the country. The future of the Paul Kruger statue in Tshwane’s Church Square has now also come into question.
“Zambians can also say some things in South Africa were built from our mineral resources”
James Mwase, a PhD student at UCT said that he does not believe that the removal of the statue will make a difference.
He believes that the issue of transformation goes much deeper and that it is something that should have been started with our first democratic elected president, Nelson Mandela.
WATCH: Witsies weigh in on #RhodesMustFall
Another PhD student who comes from Zambia, and did not want to be named, said she does not believe the statue signifies anything but what really matters is if someone is able to live free of oppression today. “I feel like it has happened and its past and people have to move on.”“I mean it doesn’t really wipe out the history of Rhodes so whatever injustices people think he did, I don’t think it changes all that,” said Mwase.
“He owned our country too so us Zambians can also say some things in South Africa were built from our mineral resources so what should we do for us to get it? And I don’t think it really matters now we just have to move on,” she added.
The council in charge final decision on the statue’s possible removal is set to meet on April 8.
With winter fast approaching and bank balances just starting to recover from the December holiday strain why not rather stay right here in Jozi. Soak up the last bit of sun and make the days count.
World TB day yesterday saw The Wits Students’ Bioethics Society raising awareness amongst students at the Wits medical school.
TB awareness boards at the Wits medical school. Photo Valerie Robinson.
The Wits Students’ Bioethics Society (WSBS) raised awareness on world TB day yesterday by handing out N95 respirator masks to students at Wits medical school.
WSBS is the student wing of the Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics. Member Joseph Tewson said that the response from students was great, with many students being very thankful to receive a mask.
“One student even said to us that they need them for the hospitals because the other day they were working in a potentially exposed area and the nurses there would not give them masks saying, sorry we can’t give you the masks because there is not enough for everyone and they are only students,” said Tewson.
“South Africa has the third highest incidence rates of TB in the world”
The masks that were handed out were for the students to keep as they can be reused multiple times.
South Africa has the third highest incidence rates of TB in the world with reported cases having increased by 400% over the past 15 years. Out of the 500 000 cases in South Africa the World Health Organisation estimates that 330 000 (66%) people have both HIV and TB infection.
World TB day, commemorates the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the cause of tuberculosis. Koch’s discovery revolutionised the way TB was both diagnosed and cured.
Wits SRC and the City of Johannesburg took a pro-Palestinian stand yesterday, as they hosted a presentation with guest speaker Dr Husam Zomlot.
Dr Husam Zomlot at the Wits yesterday addressing “the situation in Palestine.” Photo: Valerie Robinson
Wits University SRC and the City of Johannesburg hosted a pro-Palestinian presentation, at Wits main campus yesterday.
With Palestinian Week in South Africa taking place next week, Dr Husam Zomlot spoke on “The situation in Palestine”
This event was part of a series of events put together to celebrate the relationship between South Africa and Palestine by the City of Johannesburg. This follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the City and Ramallah.
The guest speaker was Dr Husam Zomlot who is the director of the Commission for International Relations in Palestine.
The meeting started off with the chairperson, Prof Noor Nieftagodien, who is the Chairperson of the History Workshop School, shouting to the audience: “Viva Palestine!” To which the crowd responded “Viva”. He said he did this to see if the “right people are present.”
The South African Union of Jewish Students issued a statement on their Facebook account leading up to the presentation.“The mandate of the SRC is to promote the interests of all Wits students, not those which align with their own personal ideological agendas…We have no problem with hosting Palestinian week; but let perspective be added. We request the SRC invite an Israeli speaker; to share their story, and let our students decide for themselves.”
“We are expecting us, as leaders of the SRC, to be charged as well after making this speech”
Wits SRC President Mcebo Dlamini visited Palestine in November and said at the presentation that what is happening in Palestine now “it is an advanced form of colonialism from what we experienced here.” He said that negotiations will never assist anyone because there are those who have power of the media.
“We are expecting us, as leaders of the SRC, to be charged as well after making this speech because racism is still here in this university and it is still run by rationalists and people who do not want to hear the truth,” said Dlamini, when referring to taking a stand against Israel.
Zolmot said that Israel has won every battle against the Palestinians but has lost the war, with Palestinians having won on all moral, political and legal fronts.
“Israel want the occupied land more than what they want peace,” said Zolmot. He said Israel would rather be known as an apartheid state than relinquish control.
The assumption that Israel wants to be democratic, Zolmot said, is one of the main misconceptions that has kept Palestinians under its control. He ended his presentation by saying: “[Palestine is] much nearer to the finish line than many may think.”
Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra performing Holt’s The Planets at the Linder Auditorium. Photo: Valerie Robinson
There is light at the end of the tunnel for the Wits resident, Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO) who have been in business rescue for the past 2 and a half years.
“I can say with complete confidence that by the end of March we will come out of business rescue” said the Chief Executive Officer, Duncan Gibbon, following their performance last night.
The orchestra performed at the Linder auditorium on the Education campus, showing off an array of talent. Some of the artists included international guest pianist Pallavi Mahidhara, who made her orchestral debut at age 10 and has performed solo and in orchestral concerts in the United States, Russia, South Africa, South America, Europe and China.
Gibbon has been with JPO since 2012 entering as he puts it when the organisation was “in the depths of despair.” A new rescue plan was approved by accreditors in late February which agreed on a new settlement. The new settlement will see the orchestra emerge free of debt by the end of this month, thanks to sacrifices made by the creditors who many are the musicians themselves.
Once JPO emerges out of business rescue the process of applying for funding from government institutions and corporates can begin, who have been reluctant in the past because of the debt.
Gibbon added that the standard of musicianship and the continuous growth of our audiences say there is a future for the orchestra. Many more people of different ages and races are coming to the performances where before it used to be a very definitely aging audience.
JPO Moved from the city hall which was the conventional performing venue for the orchestra to Wits in 2002.
According to Gibbon there is high interaction between the orchestra and the Wits students, but particularly on Wednesday mornings when any students can attend the open rehearsal at a special student rate of R50.
Gibbon said The JPO has a lovely relationship with Wits, the Planetarium contributing to Thursday night’s performance as only one example of how interaction is taking place.
“[The JPO is] almost becoming part of the Wits family, which is a lovely feeling.”
RETIRE OR NOT?: Gillian Renshaw (left) and Odwa Abraham in her offi ce at the Politics department. Photo: Valerie Robinson
A popular secretary in the Politics department will be forced into retirement at this end month over the protests of students.
Odwa Abraham, a former politics student, said he and other students, along with a lecturer, started a petition to protest the compulsory retirement of secretary Gillian Renshaw.
Renshaw is being forced into retirement because she has reached the mandatory departure age for administrative staff of 65.
Abraham, who is now postgraduate LLB student, said the organisers of the petition were told their demand would be reviewed. However, they were never informed of the outcome of the petition.
“Our issue is here our [petition] was disregarded, it was ignored” said Abraham. “How does the university deal with such issues. What happens in the case where we students want the person to stay?”
He added that according to his knowledge there were two petitions. One started by the students which was signed by over 90% of the third-year politics class, and another by the lecturers and other staff members of the department.
The head of the Politics department, Prof Daryl Glaser, said Renshaw could continue in her job if the university allowed it.
“She’d be able and willing to continue if retirement rules allowed. The petition attests to her popularity,” Glaser said.
He said that an effort was to try and keep Renshaw but this only secured a few extra months after which the university insisted she retire. Renshaw’s contract ends at the end of this month, no replacement has been hired yet.
“She’d be able and willing to continue if retirement rules allowed. The petition attests to her popularity.”
Renshaw has been working for the Politics department since July 2009. She told Wits Vuvuzela that she was very flattered by the initiative.
She was not involved in organising the petition. However, she said that if the students were organising a petition, it must be done properly.
“If they were going to do it they must send it through the right channels,” Renshaw said.
She added that while the university has rules of retirement, she feels it should be an individual’s choice whether on not they want to stay on for another year.
Another former Politics student, Bheki Temba, said Renshaw does not only fulfil her administrative duties but supports the students academically and emotionally as well. She knows every student’s name from their first year. Temba said Renshaw even supported him when his grandfather passed away.
Abraham said Renshaw keeps the department going and would even advise students on which courses to take.
A posting for Renshaw’s job is advertised on Wits’ website with interviews for a replacement are already being set up.
Since her announcement as the Democratic Alliance’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, Helen Zille has dominated national headlines. In this bonus episode of We Should Be Writing podcast, hosts Lulah Mapiye and Bonolo Mokonoto dissect a media meet-and-greet with the mayoral hopeful. From her extensive political résumé to her controversial public utterance, we examine why the Democratic Alliance has chosen Hellen Zille as their candidate for the 2027 local mayoral elections. Additionally, […]
