The Centre for Applied Legal Studies is working with the South African Human Rights Commission using film and media, to make the public aware of their rights.
FILMING THE LAW: Lisa Chamberlain is the deputy director of the Centre for Applied Legal Studies. Photo: Zimasa Mpemnyama
THE CENTRE for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) has embarked on an interdisciplinary film project with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), to produce a documentary called Breaking the Steel Wall.
The film project aims to use film and media as a tool for advocacy and allows for film projects to also be used as evidence in court. “Last year CALS decided to start thinking about how to incorporate alternative forms of storytelling and media into the work that we do,” said Lisa Chamberlain, the deputy director of CALS. The documentary, which is available in English and isiZulu versions, tracks the journey of communities in the Vaal, trying to access information from ArcelorMittal South Africa, the largest steel producer in the African continent, which the community feels is a big contributor to pollution in the area. In the documentary, the Steel Valley and Louisrus communities explain how the runoff from the factory water has negatively
affected the health of the community members and their animals.
“Access to information is being used by both the state and the private sector to thwart community agency,”
Apart from bringing awareness about the problems of pollution in the Vaal, the documentary also aims to educate the public about the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), the basis of which is found in Section 32 of the Constitution and allows “for the constitutional right of access to information”. Chamberlain said: “In South Africa, information is not a privilege, it’s a right.”
Chamberlain said that PAIA is a tool that helps communities to access information that might be useful for their broader struggles. “We have also produced short documentaries that we have submitted into the Marikana commission of inquiry,” Chamberlain said. “We are trying to shake it up and be a bit more creative about the work that we do. “PAIA is an enabling piece
of legislation, it is a necessary precondition to the realisation of other rights in our Bill of Rights,” she said. “Access to information is being used by both the state and the private sector to thwart community agency,” said Chamberlain.
Doing the documentary in both English and isiZulu was a conscious effort to ensure the material would be accessible to the larger population for whom the documentary is most relevant. “Our plan is to make it available in more languages than the two… It wouldn’t make sense to perpetuate the same exclusionary problems that we are trying to address.”
CALS is planning to have screenings of the documentary in the community in which it was filmed. “In the long term what we want to do is turn some of the chapters in the documentary into a format that can be shared using cellphone technology, so that it can be transferred easily without using the Internet,” she said.
The English and isiZulu versions of the documentary are available on the CALS Wits YouTube channel.
The Wits SRC organised Africa week to create awareness about issues affecting the continent.
SRC AFRICA WEEK: A student takes a picture of the graffiti on the East/West tunnel. Photo: Zimasa Mpemnyama
THE WITS SRC has organised a week in honour of Africa to create awareness about the issues that affect the continent, though the effort has been hampered by internal politics. Omhle Ntshingila, clubs, societies and organisations officer, said that South Africans were sometimes guilty of alienating themselves from the rest of the continent. “The idea came even before the xenophobic attacks started. The whole idea was to celebrate African pride and to learn certain things about other African countries that we don’t know,” she said.
But Ntshingila said the week was not properly advertised because of internal politics within the SRC. “It was difficult to implement anything because everyone is focused on one issue … People have forgotten the bigger picture. The bigger picture of leadership,” said Ntshingila. However, despite the poor promotion of Africa Week, Ntshingila said she was happy with the reception by students. “The turn-out has been good so far. I don’t like impersonal events, I want people to leave with something in each event, so I am happy with the turn-out,” Ntshingila said.
“The idea came even before the xenophobic attacks started. The whole idea was to celebrate African pride.”
Africa week kicked off on Sunday with a series of tweets from the Wits SRC account, quoting former president Thabo Mbeki’s iconic ‘I am an African’ speech. Official events started on Tuesday with a night of theatre at the Nunnery. Students shared their experiences about xenophobia, and Drama for Life would interpret the stories using drama and performance. “[The show] was awesome because I have never experienced dramatic arts like that. The stories that came from different people in the audience were beautiful,” said Ntshingila.
Some of the events planned for the week included a ‘Generation to Generation’ talk with the theme: “Reconstructing the conversation between African female leaders”, where African women of different generations engaged on issues facing African women in the continent. “The whole idea is to get women of different ages to engage,” said Ntshingila. Students were also given the opportunity to graffiti the East/West Tunnel, sharing messages of solidarity with victims of xenophobia. The colourful messages, “Africa unite”, “let’s embrace our differences” and “embrace who you are man, be African” attracted attention from students passing by.
A collage of pictures paying homage to the victims of the attack by militants on Garissa in Kenya and the Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram in Nigeria was placed below one of the boldest and brightest messages on the tunnel, a quote from Mbeki, “we as Africans need to share a common recognition that all of us stand to lose if we fail to transform our continent.”
“People don’t even know that there is a country called Western Sahara, and there is also apartheid there,” said Ntshingila, pointing to the importance of knowing more about Africa.
Young South Africans vote for the ‘coolest’ brands at the annual Generation Next Awards. The award ceremony was held last Friday at the Sandton Convention centre. The full list of winners can be found in this week’s edition of the Sunday Times.
MUSIC ROYALTY: Cassper Nyovest is considered the ‘coolest’ local musician by young South Africans. Photo: Provided
The annual Sunday Times Generation Next Awards survey’s more than 5400 urban South Africans, between the ages of 8 and 23 years. Young people are given an opportunity to share their opinions on South Africa’s ‘coolest’ brands, from celebrities and toothpaste to cellphone apps.
South African youth make up almost half of South Africa’s population, making them an interest group for many brand managers and marketers.
Now, in its 11th year, the awards aim to keep track of the most popular brands young South Africans interact with. The survey has two components, brand preference – which looks at particular brands young people favour, and lifestyle and consumer behaviour – which reflects young people’s spending habits and patterns.
Some of this year’s winners:
The University of Cape Town was voted the favourite university. When it comes to social media networks, youngsters prefer WhatsApp. Fifa 15 is the game of choice for gamers. Samsung is the cellphone brand of choice and Vodacom is the most popular cellphone network.
Nike walked away with the sought-after Coolest Brand Overall. Nike also scooped the Coolest Clothing Brand, Coolest Footwear Brand and Coolest Brand Slogan awards.
And despite the mini chicken scandal in Braamfontein, KFC took Coolest Fast Food Place award.
Coolest Local Male TV star went to comedian Trevor Noah. For the third year in a row, Minnie Dlamini was voted the Coolest Local Female TV star. Coolest Local Sportsman went to Proteas Captain AB de Villiers and Cassper Nyovest was voted as the Coolest Local Music Star.
The survey is conducted annually in urban and peri-urban areas in seven provinces with young people that have access to the media and media channels.
Thembelani ‘Jay Tip’ Gina won the beat-making challenge on Monday at the Back To The City music festival.
JAY TIP: Thembelani Gina won the Back To The City 10k challenge. Photo: Tseliso Monaheng
How does it feel to stand in front of a crowd of more than 20 000 people, with the grand prize in your hands? Jay Tip, a Nuclear Energy Master’s student and part-time lecturer at Tshwane University of Technology, laughs coyly, “well I was very happy. Especially ‘coz the crowd was full of hip-hop heads, meaning they appreciate what I do.”
Thembelani Gina, known to the hip-hop beat making world as Jay Tip, won the Back To The City 10k challenge on Monday, 27th April.
I imagine beat making to be a highly intricate exercise. Requiring patience, as one has to add layers upon layers of sound. All the best beat makers I’ve met have been quiet people. Almost shy. Jay Tip is no different.
“Music is my place of hiding,”
Making music for him is a healing process. “Music is my place of hiding,” he says. But his journey through music hasn’t been easy, or without its bumps along the way. There is a Xhosa saying that I grew up hearing, ‘uThixo akaphi ngasandla’, meaning ‘God doesn’t go out shoving blessings down people’s throats’. Sometimes you just have to get up and start doing things, then he’ll assist you. There is a part of me that wants to believe that- especially considering that Jay Tip entered the competition last year, but was disqualified on a technicality. However another part believes that he is just a talented producer. Finish and Klaar.
The 30-year-old began growing an interest in music in 2007. Moving from KwaZulu Natal to Cape Town to study at the University of Cape Town, he became part of the UCT hip-hop club – meeting and mixing with different rappers, musicians, and producers. The club would not only create and strengthen friendships, but build strong musical relationships that Jay Tip says gave him a voice within the small but growing Cape Town hip-hop scene.
There was a rigorous process to entering the competition. Participants needed to submit their beats and from that a shortlist of 20 nominees were selected. Those 20 nominees needed to campaign for votes online. The 8 nominees with the most votes then battled it out on-the-day at the festival.
The annual festival, which started in 2007 brings hip-hop lovers from across the country to Mary Fitzgerald square in Newtown, Johannesburg.
Jay Tip is still very grounded when speaking about his success.
“I still have to grow. I still wanna work on my music, and improve on some of the things the judges advised I improve on. I have contributed beats to a couple of albums, so watch out for that. But for now I’m gonna go with the flow.”
FREDDIE GRAY: Gray died in police custody two weeks ago after sustaining severe spinal injuries. His death has sparked protests in Baltimore, USA. Photo: Wikipedia
Freddie Gray joined a long list of Black men who died in the hands of the police in the United States. These incidents have garnered public interest, with some feeling the media hasn’t been fair in narrating the story. The 25-year-old died earlier this month from severe spinal injuries inflicted while in police custody. Peaceful protests broke out in Baltimore city, with pockets of protesters looting and throwing stones and bricks at police vehicles. The governor of Baltimore has declared a state of emergency and a curfew has been introduced.
The Baltimore protests have reintroduced a long standing conversation around police brutally in the United States, especially against young black men. Activists and protesters are rallying behind the #BaltimoreRiots hashtag on social media to voice their views on what they feel is an unjust system that devalues black lives. There are still many unanswered questions regarding Gray’s death. This timeline tracks the events from Gray’s death to the current state of emergency imposed on Baltimore city.
April 12:
8:39 am – Freddie Gray was standing on a street corner in his “impoverished” neighbourhood when he first made eye contact with a Baltimore Police lieutenant. Fearing victimisation by the police, he ran. Officers on bicycles chased after him. There are conflicting views on the treatment the police meted out to Gray at this stage. Initially police said no force was used while arresting Gray, but residents, who were watching and some taking video footage, refute this claim, saying police were violent, even dragging the now limp legged Gray to a police vehicle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7TZaLpHJhU
Amateur video taken by a bystander of Freddie Gray being dragged into a police vehicle.
When the officers caught up with Gray, a few blocks down, they found a knife in his pocket. This, they say, is what gave them reason to arrest him.
09:24 am – According to The Baltimore Sun, police drove around with Gray at the back of the van for close to 30 minutes before paramedics were called for the man who was now in “severe distress”. Gray, who had asthma, apparently asked for medical care several times, but was never attended to. From the time he was shoved into the van to the time paramedics were called, he had sustained severe fractures to his spine and was unable to speak as he had a shattered voice box.
April 19:
Gray remained in a coma in hospital for a week, until he died on the 19th April. After his death, activists gathered at the Baltimore City Hall to protest for justice and call for the police officers involved in Gray’s death to be investigated.
April 23:
As protests grew stronger, the tensions between the community and the police continued to build. Thousands of peaceful protesters poured into the streets of Baltimore, stopping traffic.
April 27:
April 27 was the day of Gray’s funeral, which was held at a church in Baltimore West. According to The Guardian, the Black Lives Matter slogan – made famous during the Michael Brown riots in Ferguson, Missouri, where an unarmed 18 year old black boy was killed by a police officer – was written on a neon sign outside the church and was seen on two large screens, inside the church. Also present at the funeral was Eric Garner’s daughter (Garner was an unarmed black man killed by police in New York City) and the mother of Amadou Diallo (another unarmed black man who died after being shot at 41 times by police).
But after the funeral, massive riots broke out in Baltimore, with protesters burning vehicles and shops. This prompted the governor to call a state of emergency and introduce a week long curfew between 10pm and 5am, starting on Tuesday. At least 15 police officers were hurt and dozens of people arrested by Monday evening.
The ANC (African National Congress), its alliance members, Cosatu and the SACP (South African Communist Party), and pro-Palestinian organisations held a press conference at Cosatu House earlier today, denouncing the Israeli government for denying Minister Blade Nzimande and his delegation visas to enter Palestine.
PRO-PALESTINE ALLIANCE: Members of COSATU, SACP, BDSSA, YCL, and SAUS, amongst others at Cosatu House announcing their plans to boycott Israel earlier today. Photo: Zimasa Mpemnyama
Various African National Congress-aligned and pro-Palestinian organisations vowed today that they would force the South African government to expel the Israeli ambassador, amongst other demands.
The demands, in response to Israel’s refusal to grant a visa to Minister Blade Nzimande and his delegation to travel to Palestine, were announced at a press conference held this afternoon at Cosatu House.
Organisations present at the press conference included the South African Communist Party (SACP), Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), the ANC Youth League (ANCYL), Young Communist League (YCL), South African Students Congress (SASCO), the South African Union of Students (SAUS), and members of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions South Africa (BDSSA), amongst others.
The organisations said they believed that Nzimande, the minister of Higher Education and Training, was denied access to Palestine because of Israel’s “apartheid” laws.
“The embassy of Israel must go.”
The acting National Spokesperson of Cosatu, Norman Mampane, said Blade Nzimande’s stance against Isreal should not be viewed as his individual views, but rather as ANC policy, adopted by the ANC National Executive Committee.
Government given an ultimatum
Mampane highlighted an action plan that included requesting the ANC government to impose bans on Israeli nationals travelling to South Africa, holding a national meeting with Student Representative Councils (SRCs), from universities around the country to discuss an academic boycott of Israel, and calling for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador, Arthur Lenk, from South Africa within 10 days.
“It’s clear that they [Israel] don’t want to talk … so in ten days if the embassy is not closed, we will go and close it ourselves,” said Matome Chiloane, Chairman of the Gauteng ANCYL.
Bheki Ntshalintshali, Cosatu Deputy General Secretary said that they are not surprised by the Israeli government’s decision to deny Minister Nzimande a visa, because the “Israeli government has been consistent in denying Palestinian people their freedom”.
“The embassy of Israel must go,” Ntshalintshali said.
Nzimande was invited to Palestine to discuss and participate in the launch of the Centre for African Studies at a Palestinian university. Nzimande did not attend the press conference.
PRESSURE IN CHECK: Sister Hlengiwe Dikeledi at the Campus Health Awareness Day, checking the blood pressure of first year Health Science student, Lulamile Mazibuko. Photo: Zimasa Mpemnyama
The Campus Health and Wellness Centre held it’s first Health Awareness Day of the year on Wednesday, checking students for illnesses like high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Campus Health and Wellness Centre hosted its first health awareness day of the year on Wednesday at the Senate House concourse. The aim of the health awareness day was to educate students and staff on the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle and getting regular testing for certain illnesses, including high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Sister Bongiwe Sithole, the Health Promotion Facilitator at Campus Health, said health awareness in both the student and staff community is important, as it helps increase productivity.
“If you are sick all the time, you tend to miss classes and your performance tends to drop. With staff members that is manifested through work attendance,” she said.
The concourse was divided into two sections catering to staff and another to students, all testing for blood pressure, blood sugar levels, Body Mass Index (BMI) and cholesterol.
Students appreciated the intervention. “Since my dad stopped medical aid, I literally got cut off from private doctors and the GP, so this is the quickest way to go check for everything in less than an hour, which is really cool,” said Thandeka Dube, 3rd year BA.
Celukuthula Shange travelled all the way from Education Campus to get himself checked out. “It is very useful to know about the state of your health because if it is not good, then it will also affect your studies,” said Shange.
Students were also able to get their eyes tested by 3rd year students and staff from the optometry department, and their feet checked by the staff from the podiatry department from the University of Johannesburg.
“It’s important for people to test their eyes regularly. At least annually. That can save you from a lot of diseases and from losing your sight. But importantly it makes your standard of living better,” said 3rd year optometry student, Muhammad Bulbulia.
“Our target is to have two wellness days in a year. We are hoping to have another one (health day) at Education Campus sometime in September,” said Sithole.
Makhaola Ndebele is an actor, performer, producer, theatre director, writer and a part-time Performance Studies and Dramatic Writing lecturer.
ACTING OUT HISTORY: Makhoala Ndebele is a multi-talented performer and part-time lecturer at Wits Photo: Zimasa Mpemnyama
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced as a performer?
I guess, you learn to go through a lot of rejection because you are constantly going through rehearsals and stuff. You learn to depend on yourself a lot, which is a good thing. The industry is relatively young, monetarily it’s been a challenge.
What role do art and performance artists play within the context of a changing society like ours? A ‘new democracy’?
Well I think, people need to express themselves. Politics in South Africa are very dominant, and I think actually it can help ease the stress of people. Art enables society to reflect upon itself and I think the arts in our country have yet to take their rightful space. By that I mean we still take our cues from politicians… I think there’s still a lot of room to allow society to reflect on themselves.
Do you think art is doing that at the moment, reflecting society?
Yes. I think to a small extent but not enough. There’s still a lot of room for it to do that. I think at the moment, especially with television, the United States is very dominant and we want to emulate. Even when we do local stuff we want to say “American but local”, you know what I mean?
What would it take for us to create our own African identity within the arts generally?
It is to recognise your own, to love your own first of all. If you love yourself then you want to project yourself, to the world. There is a lot of work we need to do on ourselves. I think it’s coming.
The more we do our own thing the more other people will be interested in us. There are so many things that are particular to South Africa.
Transformation within the arts. Is enough being done?
Having been a lecturer here at Wits, there are a lot of women and there are a lot of Africans. Even if you were to go to other schools like AFDA, there is a lot of Africans and mainly females. The question then becomes what do they do once they are in the industry? Do they stay? But what I’m saying is that the change is happening. I can confidently say transformation is happening in that sense, but there is yet to be unity across the board. We’re still very much divided by race.
How would you like your work to be viewed in terms of subverting and interrogating South Africa’s racialized identities that have been given to us and we have come to assume?
That’s what I try to do with my work. The fact that I do a (August) Strindberg and it’s an all-black cast is to say something. Or I’d love to put on a play that’s in Zulu and has white people in it. I want to tell human stories and in my casting I want to break what we expect of it. In an effort to say humanity comes first. I really try to get people to see themselves differently through my work.
Three EFF MPs have been expelled and one suspended with immediate effect, after they were found guilty of misconduct.
Andile Mngxitama: One of the four expelled EFF MPs Photo: File
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has, with immediate effect, expelled three of its members of parliament (MPs) and has suspended one.
Andile Mngxitama, Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala, Mpho Ramakatsa and Lucky Twala, now known as the EFF Four, have repeatedly accused top brass leadership of gross financial malpractice. They were found guilty of misconduct by the EFF’s National Disciplinary Committee (NDC), chaired by Dali Mpofu.
The 63 page disciplinary report outlines some of the charges laid against the members, including conducting unauthorised media interviews, giving misleading information to the public about the organisation and being absent from a parliamentary sitting without an apology or notice to the organisation.
The report also details how the NDC issued the Four with letters on the 18 February, to which they had to respond, explaining why they should not be suspended. According to the report, only one MP, Twala, contacted the NDC chair outlining his preparedness to meet with the NDC.
“The party is facing a serious ideological crisis”
After the announcement, the EFF Four issued a statement using a blog called EFF Black Views. The EFF Four claim they were not informed of their expulsions. “We wish to reiterate that we remain members of EFF and we are also Members of Parliament. Therefore, we shall be carrying out our duties as expected.” the Four said in the statement.
The Four have submitted a High Court application seeking to nullify the December NPA. Mngxitama told Wits Vuvuzela, that should the NPA be nullified, then a new process will be undertaken to “rebuild the party.”
“The party is facing a serious ideological crisis. If they succeed in expelling us then they will have succeeded in reducing EFF to another ANC. It will be terror inside the party and people will not have a voice.” said Mngxitama.
The Four also claim that the current leadership has no authority to proceed with the disciplinary action. They claim the NPA was unconstitutional and illegitimate. The current leadership of the EFF was elected at the 2014 NPA.
“Lying to the nation has become the common strategy of the leadership of the EFF to divert attention from its gross political and financial misconduct.” The statement said.
The Four launched the Save the Soul of the EFF campaign which they say is aimed at cleansing the EFF of its “ANC culture”, through a series of rallies, statements and talks.
Africa and Europe met at the Great Hall last night. Bassist, composer and Wits lecturer, Carlo Mombelli reunited with his European touring band, the Stories Ensemble, joined by Capetonian pianist Kyle Shepherd. They played music from Mombelli’s latest album, Stories.
PLAYER AND TEACHER: Carlo Mombelli tells ‘Stories’ through music Photo: Michael Hoefner/WikiCommons
Groove met classical and traditional at the Wits Great Hall last night. Composer, bassist and Wits music lecturer Carlo Mombelli and his band, the Stories Ensemble, took jazz music and stretched it. They played music that not only entertained, but pulled at the heartstrings – places indescribable by words.
“I love teaching, and I am very anti the ‘jazz police”
Mombelli brought his European band, the Stories Ensemble, for a South African tour that had them performing at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, at the University of KwaZulu Natal, in Maputo, Mozambique and ending off at the Wits Great Hall. They mainly performed music from Mombelli’s latest album, Stories (Instinct Africaine), recorded in Switzerland.
Born in Pretoria, Mombelli taught himself how to play the bass at age 16, and later went on to start his own band called Abstractions in 1985. He has performed with South African jazz greats like Marcus Wyatt, Zim Ngqawana and Miriam Makeba. He has, and continues to, perform all over the world.
Last night, the bassist was joined by Zulu ‘traditional’ vocalist Mbuso Khoza, whose clean yet strong and passionate voice effortlessly blended in with the ensemble. Adrian Mears’ warm trombone transitioned from powerful to delicate melodies in an instant. Drummer Dejan Terzic created a full, rounded powerful sound. Cape Town pianist Kyle Shepherd, who was not part of Mombelli’s original recording in Switzerland, merged his Cape jazz style with the eclectic sound of the band. His playing was intimate, compelling and strong, as usual. The classical element was brought by cellist Daniel Pezzotti, bringing elegance and originality to the group.
Mombelli began the set with a composition titled Requiem, originally performed with his band The Prisoners of Strange in 1996. The Hunter had the crowd grooving to its infectious bouncy melody. Shepherd took it to Cape Town, Khoza brought in a dynamic traditional component, resulting in a trance-like element to the music. A poetic tribute to Mombelli’s first piano teacher titled, For Mrs Loveday, then followed. Experimentation, creativity and improvisation. All elements piercing through the music.
On stage, Mombelli was tiny and short, and his bass guitars seemed almost too big for him. But, he connected with his band members like a choir master would to a 60 voice choir. Making eye contact, hand signals and head nods that indicated when to start, stop or pause. A seamless form of communication.
At times, Mombelli played with his back turned to the audience. Not as an act of alienation, but to rather unite – the audience, the band members, and those only among us in spirit.
“I love teaching, and I am very anti the ‘jazz police’” Mombelli told The Cape Argus last year. This shows in the Ensemble’s style of playing – going beyond rigid boundaries. Their music moves. It drives itself, creating new possibilities for the art of making music.
Carlo Mombelli and the Stories Ensemble delivered a solid performance, but what else can we expect from some of the world’s most creative and sought after musicians?
“The #RhodesMustFall movement at the University of Cape Town has spread to other universities in South Africa, sparking debates about institutionalised racism and sexism. The campaign seeks to decolonize our universities.
As a former University of Cape Town student, I came face to face with the statue of Cecil John Rhodes many times, sadly, unaware of what the bold figure standing before me meant. My ignorance was unsurprising, institutional power makes a deliberate choice to cleanse figures like Rhodes so that Black people unknowingly accept them without questioning or fighting their presence.
As a science student at the university, I was confronted with a curriculum that was so white and Western you would swear Africans had never contributed to the sciences. Africans only appeared as victims of malaria and HIV or as assistants to ‘great’ White, male, heterosexual, able-bodied scientists.
Our lecturers were mostly white and male. The few Black lecturers we had were always mocked for their accents or their lectures hardly ever attended because their lecturing style was not “appealing” enough, both by white and black students. All this in a university geographically located in Africa and in a country with majority black people. No wonder sometime early this year, when my Journalism Studies lecturer asked what I thought of UCT, the first thing that came to mind and mouth was, “I didn’t like it. I never felt any connection to the place.”
“a starting point to finally decolonizing our universities, minds and society”
The #RhodesMustFall movement at UCT began when student Chumani Maxwele threw human excrement at the statue of Cecil John Rhodes located at the centre of the university. The movement spread to other universities including Rhodes University, where students began calling for the name of the university to be changed. Students at the University of KwaZulu Natal covered a statue of King George V with white paint and students at Wits held a transformation talk.
“Black people bending over backwards to accommodate whiteness”
Defenses of why the statue of Rhodes shouldn’t be removed (and why Black students should stop being so angry) have come in far and wide. But, no amount of belittling, and calling the cause invalid, has deterred the students. Instead, they are building a stronger and wider movement.
Some may ask why now. But why not now? Students have been watching, for 21 years, Black people bending over backwards to accommodate whiteness in the country of their birth. Students are using the Rhodes statue, as a unifying figure to speak back (and black) to power! Finally!
It is important to note that an overwhelming majority of UCT’s senate recently voted for the removal of the statue. But what does this mean? What does waiting on an overwhelmingly white and male senate to decide on the fate of the statue mean? Should Black students wait for this decision – a decision that I feel will function to pacify the voices of the students or should they take matters into their own hands.
“We can’t breathe”
The #RhodesMustFall movement – along with the Black Students Movement at Rhodes University and the TransformWits movement at Wits, and other growing black consciousness movements on campuses in South Africa – is important and valid. Not only because it highlights the violence that these colonial figures and names carry with them, but as a starting point to finally decolonizing our universities, minds and society. To finally strip white privilege bare. To finally begin dismantling institutionalized racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. To finally start speaking our pain, without shame or fear of backlash and finally labelling correctly what imperialists like Rhodes, and others like him, were – white supremacist patriarchs that unashamedly massacred black people and looted our natural resources without any regard for the people Rhodes referred to as “niggers”. And those who reduce these movements to just the statue, are failing to see the wider picture these students are trying to paint.
Assata Olugbala Shakur, a former member of the Black Panther Party, now living in exile in Cuba, recently wrote a moving letter of solidarity to the UCT SRC:
“[Freedom never comes], until the Afrikan slave uses his force to break the shackles and obtain emancipation for himself,” she wrote. “You and your comrades have hands. Use them. Pull down the statue. If it doesn’t come down, think of something else.”
Black students across the country are crying, “We can’t breathe”. And these movements are an effort to break free from colonial shackles that still bind black bodies to this stay. What will happen if we do not listen to these cries?
The death of music industry legend, Senyaka “Moruti wa Tsotsi” Kekana has shocked many. His three decade long career included many music collaborations, kwaito hits and a popular comedy feature film – Moruti wa Tsotsi.
A LEGEND DIES: Kwaito pioneer Senyaka has left a legacy Picture: Facebook/Senyaka
News of the death of Kwaito pioneer Senyaka Kekana shocked many yesterday. The 58 year old musician and actor reportedly died in a hospital in Vereeniging, after complaining of sinus pain. According to The Citizen, the musician suddenly fell ill and was taken to hospital where he stayed for two weeks before his death.
Fans expressed their shock at the death on social media.
Senyaka began his career in the 1980’s. He is considered to be one of the first people to “rap” in South Africa, paving the way for South African hip-hop and kwaito musicians.
“I believe that he is the founder of Kwaito. He maintained the prominence in that particular music post 1994,” said Eugene Mthethwa, Trompies member and President of the South Africa Music Council. “He probably started kwaito before time and when we revived it post 1994, he still continued to be relevant up until today.” Mthethwa told The Mail and Guardian.
Magents, his diss track to Brenda Fassie in the late 80’s, caused a media storm and etched both their names into the kwaito history books.
He collaborated with childhood friend, Kamazu, to form the kwaito duo the Hunger Boyz, going on to create some of the most popular South African songs, including Romeo Wankolota and Fong Kong. Senyaka also collaborated with DJ Walker on the song, Chesa Mpama.
Senyaka contributed to an unforgettable era of kwaito music. He made music that pushed boundaries, with satirical elements that had young and old in stitches.
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, […]
