by Yanga Soji | Sep 30, 2011 | News
A RACIST rant sent by an unknown person has left students and staff at the school of statistics and actuarial sciences shaken.
“Actuarial science and mathematical statistics are tough darkies, they aren’t for you…So if you k*ffirs thought you might pass them, all I can say is hahaha think again…”
This was the e-mail sent to stats 1 and stats 2 students, from a fake Yahoo account on Wednesday evening last week.
The following day, the same e-mail was sent from the same Yahoo account to the Stats 3 class but this time the unknown sender added “once a stupid monkey, always a stupid monkey” and named two black third year actuarial science students, saying they were “repeating 3rd year for the third time and ended, “monkey go back to the jungle…”
Thokozani Mogano is one of the two third year students mentioned in the offensive e-mail. He says all the information about him and his classmate, who did not wish to be named in Vuvuzela, is false and degrading.
Mogano says he had heard about the e-mail sent to the 1st and 2nd year students but only read the second one after a classmate told him about it.
He says the e-mail has made things uncomfortable for his class and, whoever the sender is, the person is just “trying to cause a war between blacks and whites”.
“I can’t trust even the people I hang around with anymore and I can’t say it’s a white person who sent that e-mail, it could be anyone,” Mogano says.
He has laid a complaint with the investigations unit at Campus Control.
Head of the school of statistics and actuarial sciences, Professor Peter Fridjhon, sent an e-mail last Friday to students in stats 1, 2 and 3 and to the university’s management, condemning the e-mails, labelling them as “highly offensive”.
Fridjhon vowed that “once this person is caught, there will be a serious disciplinary hearing with dire consequences”.
Wits University’s code of conduct states that each individual is required to act ethically, which includes preventing racial and other forms of harassment, disrespect for persons and discrimination on the basis of race, amongst others.
The code of conduct also lists responsible conduct as “preventing misuse of personal and university information and property and the name of the university”.
Shashilan Singh, administrator at the school of computer science, which administrates the e-mail address used by the stats 3 class, says: “In terms of security, we never considered possibilities of people using e-mails like this, but in future we will consider all security loopholes to prevent such from happening again.”
Fridjhon says in his e-mail that the university authorities are investigating the source of these e-mails.
by Yanga Soji | Sep 30, 2011 | News
All great things eventually come to an end – the same applies to Vuvuzela.
It is very unfortunate that our last issue exposes an incident of racism at the school of statistics and actuarial sciences.
There are individuals in society who always take our progress as a democracy a step back, and resort to racism instead of resolving their issues sensibly.
Campus was abuzz with celebrations at Wits Pride and the theme for this year was acceptance of each other’s sexual preferences.
We want to thank all of you who have picked up an issue from the stands and read our stories, for Witsies by Witsies. Even those who gave us flak – you made us better journos.
by Yanga Soji | Sep 23, 2011 | News
There’s a thin line separating the influence language has on cultural identity. This is according to a panel of academics discussing the topic ‘Does language determine your true cultural identity?’
The discussion, held on Tuesday evening, was organised by the Student Development and Leadership Unit (SDLU) and the SRC as part of a series of events organised by the two parties to celebrate Heritage Week.
Language, the verbal form, was broken down as were the identities assumed and stereotypes created by it.
Common stereotypes surrounding South African languages are that isiXhosa is a hybrid of English words and therefore lacks authenticity, isiZulu is a rough language and that Tshivenda is a primitive –sounding language. These language stereotypes tend to also be used to charactarise members of these various tribes.
Nigerian–born African literature post-doctorate fellow, Jendele Hungbo, argued that language can be used for the purpose of solidarity, saying that people naturally attract to those similar to them, especially in language. He also said that globalisation has led to some languages becoming more dominant than others.
Overall he argued that language is not necessarily related to identity but rather to citizenship, and that the concept of identity is a broad concept which is a result of social construct.
Dr Nhlanhla Twala, director of the Wits Language School, defined human language as one of the certain characteristics that separate our species from animals. He acknowledged the enormous role which language has played in our history, but fast forwarded to the present, saying “we were initially coerced to speak English but now speak it voluntarily”.
Twala also said the constituents of identity would have to be broken down in order to assume that language determines identity, but said that language can be used to reinforce identity.
The rest of the Heritage Week celebrations included a Poetry Night and Reed Dance screening on Wednesday night and a traditional dance showcase by Wits societies with a traditional cuisine showcase last night. Celebrations end tonight with a celebration of Muvhenda entertainment and traditional cuisine.
by Yanga Soji | Sep 13, 2011 | Featured 1, News
IMBOKODO: Members of the Wits ANCWL sing outside the Great Hall during their pre-launch last month. The league's official launch has been postponed die to complications at its regional office
THE launch of the ANC Women’s League Wits branch has hit a brick wall.
A message was posted on its Facebook group on September 1, a day before their initial September 2 launch date. The message read: “Comrades, it is rather unfortunate that we will be unable to actually continue with our launch as planned”.
The branch was to become the first student branch of the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) to be established at a university.
Itumeleng Mafatshe, convener of the Women’s League Wits task team, says the league’s regional office is insisting all the members of the Wits Women’s League must belong to the same ANC branch.
“To be a member of the ANC Women’s League, one needs to be a member of the ANC. We have members who live in different areas since they are students and belong to different ANC branches,” Mafatshe says.
Initially the regional office had said this would not be an issue but Mafatshe says they were informed recently their launch would not be possible until their members are centralised.
She says the challenge is that Wits does not have an ANC branch, just the Youth League branch.
“With the youth league, one doesn’t need to be a member of the ANC, it’s not mandatory.”
Mafatshe says the women’s league regional office will speak to the ANCWL national president Angie Motshekga, who is also basic education minister, and inform her of the challenges the Wits branch is facing, as this is an initiative which has never been done before.
“The launch will still go ahead, ideally this year,” Mafatshe says.
She says the task team will continue to manage the Wits branch until the official launch and then a formal executive will be selected after the launch.
She also says Dineo Sithole, a member of the task team, is working on a proposal for the Wits women’s league to become a club or society by O-Week next year.
“We don’t want to rush things because we know the bureaucracy at Wits can stifle our programme. We first need to get our house in order,” Mafatshe says.
The league’s task team is planning more events for the Wits members, which include a panel discussion with Gauteng premier Nomvula Mokonyane and Motshekga.
by Yanga Soji | Sep 13, 2011 | Featured 1, Sport
Wits women's forward Marcele Kutumela (left) scored a brace agaimst TUT Soshanguve on Tuesday night
AN own goal halfway through the second half cost Wits men’s soccer team a top four spot in the USSA (University Sports South Africa) league.
The Wits men played their last league game on Tuesday night against TUT Soshanguve.
They had to win the encounter while TUT needed only a draw to go through to the national playoffs.
A TUT corner kick saw a scramble for the ball, resulting in Wits’s Bandile Mathandela’s attempt to clear roll into his own net.
Wits lost the possession they had gained at the beginning of the first half and lacked the firepower at the front of the posts.
They struggled to keep up with TUT, who attacked mainly from the wings.
After the final whistle, the Wits men missed out on a fourth place spot and had to settle for fifth place, the same position their female counterparts occupy on their league.
Wits men’s coach Karabo Modupi said his boys struggled with nerves as they knew they had to win and their opponents needed a draw.
Similar sentiments were echoed by women’s coach, Dennis Tshabalala, after the women lost to the University of Pretoria last Thursday at home and missed out on the play-offs.
Modupi said he needs to work on the mental aspect of the game with his boys and that he hoped the university would support them with playing in the Castle League.
“Our competitive level can be higher because most of the teams we play against such as UJ play in that league.”
The women gave Wits something to smile about when they beat TUT 3-2 last night, and ended their USSA league fixtures.
by Yanga Soji | Aug 26, 2011 | Featured 1, Sport
Dejected Bidvest Wits midfielder,Fabricio Rodrigues(centre),walks to the change rooms after the team lost to Chiefs on Wednesday night.
THE CLEVER Boys failed to outsmart Kaizer Chiefs, suffering a repeat 2-1 loss with three points at stake, in a high-flying Absa Premiership encounter at FNB Stadium on Wednesday night.
The defeat came while Wits were still recovering from an MTN 8 quarter-final defeat at the hands of the mighty Amakhosi, at the same venue three weeks ago, with the same score-line.
The game got off to a rather slow start with both teams showing respect for each other in the opening minutes. As a result, the first 20 minutes saw minimal scoring opportunities created.
With home support behind them, Chiefs started opening the game up in the latter stages of the first half, with Siphiwe Tshabalala notably posing the biggest threat to the Wits defence on the right side. Tshabalala supplied two assists to Josta Dladla and Kaizer Motaung Jnr respectively to put Chiefs in the lead, but Wits keeper, Energy Murambadoro, pulled off good saves to keep the half-time score at 0-0.
Chiefs keeper Itumeleng Khune was also busy keeping out the Wits attack which was spearheaded by pacy wingers, Bongolwethu Jayiya and Sifiso Myeni, who had to be closely watched.
The attacking play by both teams was more exciting in the second half and it was Chiefs who broke the deadlock with a powerfully headed goal by Dladla, in the 53rd minute, from a Tshabalala cross.
Playmaker, Thando Mngomeni, was introduced into the game by coach Roger De Sa to add firepower to the Wits attack and the Clever Boys were rewarded with a 67th minute equaliser by Sibusiso Vilakazi, setting up the game for a grand finish.
Chiefs coach Vladimir Vermezovic was not to be outdone with substitutions and sent on striker Lehlohonolo Majoro, who scored within five minutes via a header from Dladla’s cross.
Wits continued to fight back but the resilient Chiefs backline held on strongly, coping with Wits’s threat. The final whistle meant Chiefs sailed to the top of the Premiership log with three wins from three games. Wits stand in ninth position with four points, also from three games.
by Yanga Soji | Aug 26, 2011 | News
“I FIND that you put the word sex in the title of a lecture and it fills the auditorium,” said Porofessor Francois Venter, generating laughter from the predominantly adult audience present in the medical school auditorium.
Sex, drugs and complex relationships are some of the themes that dominated this year`s A.J Orenstein Memorial Lecture, held at the Wits Medical School on Tuesday night.
Venter, a Wits medical school graduate and a specialist in infectious diseases presented the lecture under the topic “HIV prevention and sex in southern Africa: Why can’t we get it right?”
His lecture was no laughing matter though. The underlying theme of his lecture was that prevention efforts regarding HIV have been disappointing and that despite a lot of money spent on public sex education, there seems to be a disconnection between knowledge and behaviour.
The experienced doctor, who has been treating HIV/Aids patients since the early 1990s says although there have been numerous education campaigns on HIV, “the clinics just never get emptier”.
Half of South Africans will contract HIV because of the failure of prevention programmes and millions of rands have been spent telling people how they can contract HIV, according to Venter.
He advocates that the discord between knowledge and behaviour is critical and it needs to be addressed.
Although his bottom line was that people must stop “screwing around”, the professor said studies show that cheating is on the rise worldwide saying, “there are complex sexual networks in our society”.
The professor also said sexual patterns and preferences constantly evolve in society and these changes need to be accommodated and understood.
A surprising statement by Venter was that research is currently being conducted to confirm whether hormonal contraceptives could possibly spread the HI virus.
He also tackled marriage, saying the idea of monogamous couples is a “misconception” and that the reality is if one is likely to cheat then one is likely to bring the virus home.
by Yanga Soji | Aug 26, 2011 | News
The Law Students Council [LSC] has started a petition drive to obtain as many signatures from students to get an ATM installed on West Campus.
The abrupt closure of the O-Village restaurant on West Campus earlier this year has not only left the campus quiet, but it has also deprived west campus students of an ATM.
Yusuf Peer, President of the Law Students Council (LSC) says they decided to start the petition drive after students from Commerce, Law and Management faculty and some staff members were unhappy with having to walk to the Matrix to use ATMs.
Peer says, “It’s quite cumbersome on students having to rush to East Campus all the time particularly with purchasing from the shops and print. We just felt that it’s a huge inconvenience for us students to be rushing to East [Campus], especially with the limited time between lectures. We heard that Education Campus had this problem and the previous SRC managed to resolve [it], although there are legal problems there at the moment.”
Last year’s SRC held a hunger strike outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office (?) in a campaign for the installation of an ATM at the Education Campus, subsequent to which an FNB ATM was installed at the Cafeteria on the Park town campus.
But earlier this year, the ATM was removed, allegedly because of legal complications surrounding the installation of the ATM there.
The current SRC is in full support of the LSC’s petition, although they admit management may be reluctant to consider the idea
“We think it’s necessary because if students feel they want an ATM and they’ve had it before then why should they not have one? “, said SRC Vice President Internal, Itumeleng Mafatshe.
She admitted the SRC is still working towards the re-installation of the Education campus ATM and they need to get the legal requirements right so that they can ensure that an ATM on West Campus will not be removed?
Getting the ATM approved by university management will be a challenge,- and the biggest obstacle, Mafatshe says, is identifying a suitable location for the proposed ATM on West Campus.
“We have advised the [LSC] to, in line with their call for an ATM, to suggest that O-village be re-opened, as there was an ATM there previously”, explains Mafatshe The LSC are distributing the petitions to classes on West Campus and the West Campus residences at the reception desks. Any students interested in signing the petition can visit the LSC office, number 2 at the School of Law,or contact LSC Grievances Officer, Klaas Mokgomole on 076 209 0192
by Yanga Soji | Aug 26, 2011 | News
The Law Students Council [LSC] has started a petition drive to obtain as many signatures from students to get an ATM installed on West Campus.
The abrupt closure of the O-Village restaurant on West Campus earlier this year has not only left the campus quiet, but it has also deprived west campus students of an ATM.
Yusuf Peer, President of the Law Students Council (LSC) says they decided to start the petition drive after students from Commerce, Law and Management faculty and some staff members were unhappy with having to walk to the Matrix to use ATMs.
Peer says, “It’s quite cumbersome on students having to rush to East Campus all the time particularly with purchasing from the shops and print. We just felt that it’s a huge inconvenience for us students to be rushing to East [Campus], especially with the limited time between lectures. We heard that Education Campus had this problem and the previous SRC managed to resolve [it], although there are legal problems there at the moment.”
Last year’s SRC held a hunger strike outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office (?) in a campaign for the installation of an ATM at the Education Campus, subsequent to which an FNB ATM was installed at the Cafeteria on the Park town campus.
But earlier this year, the ATM was removed, allegedly because of legal complications surrounding the installation of the ATM there.
The current SRC is in full support of the LSC’s petition, although they admit management may be reluctant to consider the idea
“We think it’s necessary because if students feel they want an ATM and they’ve had it before then why should they not have one? “, said SRC Vice President Internal, Itumeleng Mafatshe.
She admitted the SRC is still working towards the re-installation of the Education campus ATM and they need to get the legal requirements right so that they can ensure that an ATM on West Campus will not be removed?
Getting the ATM approved by university management will be a challenge,- and the biggest obstacle, Mafatshe says, is identifying a suitable location for the proposed ATM on West Campus.
“We have advised the [LSC] to, in line with their call for an ATM, to suggest that O-village be re-opened, as there was an ATM there previously”, explains Mafatshe The LSC are distributing the petitions to classes on West Campus and the West Campus residences at the reception desks. Any students interested in signing the petition can visit the LSC office, number 2 at the School of Law,or contact LSC Grievances Officer, Klaas Mokgomole on 076 209 0192
by Yanga Soji | Aug 18, 2011 | News
I once asked a good friend of mine if she had ever used female contraceptives, specifically the morning-after pill.
She replied that if she had known about this pill, she would not have become a mother in her second year at Wits.
Contraceptives allow women to be responsible for their bodies and give multiple options to prevent ‘oops situations’ and unplanned nappy-changing sessions or trips to Marie Stopes.
Nicole Barnes, voluntary counselling and testing counsellor at Campus Health, breaks down what contraceptives are, what they do and the common myths surrounding them.
She explains that contraceptives take various forms, with the most commonly used being the barrier method (male and female condom) and the hormonal contraceptives (the pill and the injection).
Hormonal contraceptives prevent a woman from ovulating.
The Pill
The biggest myth about the pill is that it can make you fat. “What the pill can do is increase one’s appetite, and how one responds to the change in appetite is what affects the body,” Barnes says.
When on the pill, your menstrual cycle continues as normal but no egg is released, so you can’t fall pregnant.
The Injection
There are two types of hormonal injections, but the one generally used for young women is Noristerat. The injection tricks your body into believing that you are pregnant. You don’t have your period and you don’t ovulate. Noristerat is given at two-monthly intervals.
A common myth about the injection is that it affects a woman’s fertility. Barnes says this is incorrect. “Once you withdraw from the injection, after six months you return to the fertility level you had before you went on the injection.”
The ‘morning-after’ pill
Sister Yvonne Matimba, head of Campus Health, says morning-after pills contain
oestrogen and testosterone, two hormones produced by the ovaries daily.
The pill has to be taken immediately after unprotected sex or no later than 72
hours after.
Matimba says the pill can be used at any time of the month, but is best used
during mid-cycle, when conception is most likely to take place.
The pills have a high failure rate when used regularly rather than occasionally. Their side effects are minimal, and include nausea and vomiting.
Campus Health gives out morning-after pills as well ‘the pill’ and ‘the injection’ for free.
Consultation is R50 for day students and R20 for residence students.
by Yanga Soji | Aug 18, 2011 | News
I recently finished reading a biography of Winnie Mandela, A Life, written by Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob .
What struck me the most after reading the book was that Winnie, the late Albertina Sisulu, Fatima Meer, Helen Joseph and many other women rarely get mentioned when struggle icons are brought up, but naturally Mandela, Sisulu, Mbeki are the heroes of the struggle.
With August being Women`s Month, we hear about the women who led the march against pass laws on August 9 1956 but after this month it will be silence again regarding these phenomenal women.
My point is: the ANC remained relevant during the apartheid years because of the sacrifices and selfless efforts of Winnie Mandela and other women whose husbands were incarcerated. Not only did they join hands to keep the ANC alive but they helped each other take care of their children and homes amidst the ruthless police force presence in their lives.
Winnie Mandela was tortured numerous times by the police, physically and emotionally, but she remained resilient throughout those harrowing years, all in the name of emancipating her people and keeping her husband`s name alive.
But it remains Nelson Mandela who maintains a God-like existence throughout the world. Of course he played a crucial role in fighting our freedom but it was Winnie who spent 18 months in solitary confinement – Mandela only spent three days.
Without Winnie`s undying loyalty, Nelson Mandela would have struggled to keep the revolutionary cause alive from behind bars.
I watched with dismay last week Thursday at the ANC Wits Women`s League prelaunch outside the Great Hall where a few of the ladies gathered but male comrades from the ANC YL ,Sasco and the PYA were nowhere to be seen, except for one skinny-jean-wearing fellow who came to speak on behalf of Sasco.
During all the strikes and rallies on campus, female members come out in their numbers to support the cause without hesitation, couldn`t their male counterparts do the same – without hesitation too?
Letta Mbulu`s song ‘Not Yet Uhuru’, uhuru meaning freedom in Swahili, remains true, but now the uhuru is needed for our women.
The first step would be to actually support each other, because it`s been clear for decades now that men are not going to do that.
by Yanga Soji | Aug 18, 2011 | Sport
ON THE BALL: Wits club members practising for tomorrow`s memorial tournament
THE Wits table tennis club is hosting its second annual Oteng Thlapeng Memorial Cup tomorrow, in honour of club founder Dr Oteng “Zah” Thlapeng, who died last year.
The club’s president, Mlungisi Mabedla, says the club decided to set up the memorial tournament as an annual event last year after Thlapeng’s death in a car accident.
The Botswana national was driving to Rustenburg to play in a league match when the crash happened. Mabedla said Thlapeng started the club in 2002 while he was a student at Wits Medical School.
Initially the club was run by non-students and he was the only student member but he began recruiting students to join. At one point during Thlapeng’s involvement, the club was one of the biggest sports clubs on campus.
The Oteng Thlapeng Memorial Cup is open to all, and Mabedla says the tournament attracts professional players from as far as Botswana and from other universities.
Games begin at 8h30am on the 2nd floor of the Squash Complex on West Campus.
Entrance is R30 for singles and R40 for doubles teams.
