by Palesa Tshandu | Apr 11, 2014 | News
LIPSTICK ART: Artwork made from lipstick by Sarah Britten sits at Vèlo Café for customers to enjoy.
Corrugated iron doors almost make you shy away from the Ithuba’s politically satirical imagery found in the gallery space until you see what’s inside: Bullets, whips and Jacob Zuma occupy the floor space in the gallery commemorating the 20 years of South African democracy that encourage critical discourse to take place.
This exhibition titled Tension Torsion: 20 Years On, is a group exhibition curated by Farieda Nazier, with new works from Gordon Froud, Avitha Sooful and Oupa V Mokwena.
The Revival of Art
Art galleries are part of the revivalist strategy for the student community, for instance, the Stevenson gallery, which occupies the corner of Juta street and plays host to artist Nandipha Mntambo’s solo exhibition called Transience. Stevenson offers the contemporary art audience in and around Braamfontein an alternative solution to the otherwise high-end art galleries in Johannesburg.
[pullquote]The gallery’s pieces are all under R10 000, affordable by art prices in Joburg.[/pullquote]
Director and curator, David Brodie, views the decision to open a gallery in Braamfontein as “culturally important” crediting the opening of the Wits Art Museum (WAM) as one of the primary reasons for opening the space.
The artwork is set against a navy background with an eggplant chair made from cow-hide hanging loosely from the ceiling and portions of hair protruding from the works that are displayed on the walls in a trendy and avante garde atmosphere. The less alternative pieces hang quietly at the entrance of the gallery which leads visitors and art enthusiasts into the transient world of Mntambo’s mind.
Affordable luxury
The gallery’s pieces are all under R10 000, affordable by art prices in Joburg. According to Brodie, prices range on the artist’s credibility in the art scene. A comparatively smaller and contained gallery space located walking distance from Stevenson, aptly called ‘Room’ is a “space that is full of concepts and where concepts change”, says special projects manager Megan Mace. It depicted issues about space and how this changes.
The current exhibition is by young artist, Mack Magagane, titled Somewhere Between and is a photographic journey of the three months he lived in Europe, as an outsider. A red curtain separates the gallery space, creating what Mace refers to as a “haphazard space” that plays with the idea of the concept of space.
However if you happen to want to catch a bite while perusing through artworks, then pop into Vélo Café which offers a double a treat of food and art. Artworks by Sarah Britten made from red and pink lipstick add an interesting contrast to the white walls and work as an ice-breaker for first date conversation.
So, if you’re planning to go out to explore the city, Juta street’s art hub is the perfect location for developing your art palette.
by Tendai Dube | Mar 24, 2014 | News
PLANET JAZZ: Jazz great, double bass legend, Herbie Tsoaeli rehearses for his performance at The Orbit. The new Braamfontein hotspot is the perfect night out for jazz music lovers. Photo: Tendai Dube
THE ORBIT, a sleek new jazz club and bistro, stands out with its frosted glass and bright green wall from the surrounding concrete and face-brick of the neighbouring Braamfontein buildings.
As you approach The Orbit’s transparent doors, you are lured in by the out-of-place music amidst the sound of midday traffic.
[pullquote]”The Orbit is devoted to contributing to the development and refurbishment of the performing arts.”[/pullquote]
Three lovers of jazz music conceived the concept of a jazz club in the middle of the city. Aymeric Péguillan, Dan Sermand and Kevin Naidoo said they wanted to create a platform for creative expression for jazz musicians in Johannesburg.
The Orbit is devoted to contributing to the development and refurbishment of the performing arts in Johannesburg and has entered a partnership with the University of Witwaterand’s music department.
The collaboration will see Wits music students being invited to perform during lunchtime sessions every day. “The Orbit is not just about showcasing professional established musicians. It’s also about giving a chance to young artists to display their talents in a proper professional environment,” Péguillan said. Wits music students will be performing everyday during lunchtime. ‘Jam Sessions’ hosted on Tuesday nights at the club with an entrance fee of R40 is part of The Orbit’s plan to appeal to students.
“We loved the idea of jazz in the city. [Jazz] draws its influences from the pulse of the city,” Péguillan said explaining the choice of Braamfontein as their location. “It has this very interesting mix of people.” The Orbit hopes to reestablish the concept of a permanent venue for people to listen to jazz music instead of waiting for events.
As you cross the threshold and enter the club, you are engulfed in the romance and warmth of the wood, leather and glass-themed venue. True lovers of the genre surround the stage and absorb the instrumentals in a room with the ambience of a family room with a fireplace.
The Orbit is located on 81 De Korte street, the former venue of the Puma Social Club, and is open from 11.30am from Tuesday to Sunday. The venue can seat about 200 people in the theatre upstairs, and 100 in the restaurant downstairs where the live lunchtime performances will take place.
by Tendai Dube | Mar 24, 2014 | News
BOWL ME OVER: Bowls at Zoo Lake caters for the student wallet with affordable food and drink. Enjoy an entertaining environment with friends. Photo: Tendai Dube
WE AT Wits Vuvuzela feel it is our civic duty to make sure students new to Wits and the Braamfontein area do not blow their allowances or hard-earned cash before you try out the treasure known as “Bowls”.
The Zoo Lake Bowling Club has an inviting and casual setup experienced by many Braamfontein students.
Ask anyone why you should go there and the answer is the same: Bowls is affordable, convenient and relaxed.
Except for Friday nights when the resident DJ performs or on Mondays when a local band is on stage.
[pullquote]”Ask anyone why you should go there and the answer is the same: Bowls is affordable, convenient and relaxed.”[/pullquote]
The menu covers a wide variety of pub food, from a large portion of ribs for R80 to slap chips for R15 and a burger or prego roll for R40. You can expect to pay R18.50 for a beer and R22 for a draft, while ciders are R16 and shots are between R15 and R18.
Founded in 1932, Bowls is one of the oldest sports clubs of its kind in South Africa, located just off Jan Smuts avenue on Prince of Wales Drive, inside Zoo Lake.
It is a members-only spot, so for a once-off fee of R20 you receive a card that grants you free entrance for the year.
Order their popular pizza and do yourself a favour: ask for a serving of their famous (and free) chilli sauce. You will not regret it.
A R35 pizza, two R22 drafts and a R16 shot (just to be social) all amounts to R95.
Play a game of pool with your R5 change and it will have been R100 well spent.
by Pheladi Sethusa | Mar 10, 2014 | Featured 1, News
In light of the increased incidents of crime on campus and in the surrounding areas, Wits Campus Control released a statement to inform students on what has been happening and more specifically what they should be looking out for. Wits Vuvuzela captured this information in an easy to use safety infographic.
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by Caro Malherbe | Feb 28, 2014 | News
LOCAL HANGOUT: Kitchener’s Carvery Bar at the corner of De Beer and Juta street is an old English style pub with a modern edge, within walking distance from Wits. Photo: Caro Malherbe
Location, cost and reputation, what more could you ask for? The second oldest bar in Johannesburg, Kitchener’s Carvery Bar, is a golden oldie, right in the heart of Braamfontein, especially convenient for Witsies.
Looking like an old English pub, Kitchener’s will surprise you with its contemporary edge. The bar swings with live music performances ranging from indie rock and Afro beat DJs on Thursday and Friday nights.[pullquote]”Their menu has a little bit of everything”[/pullquote]
Their menu has a little bit of everything, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. According to the manager, the American Burger with a slice of cheese is the most ordered item on the menu, going for R48. The party-goers favourite would have to be the chip ’n dip which is a plate of slap chips covered in any sauce of your choice for R35 – great for lining the stomach before (or after ) a few too many beers.
The sauces you can chose from are mushroom, pepper, cheese, garlic, jalapeño, green pepper, Mexican, chakalaka or roquefort.
Depending on who you ask, the perceptions on prices vary, but the consensus seems to be that the meals are value for money, but that drinks prices on the other hand are on the steeper side of things.
Located on the corner of Juta and De Beer streets in Braamfontein, Kitchener’s endorses a local craft beer called Ace’s, a Mitchell’s Brewery lager. A pint of beer goes for R30 whilst a Black Label dumpie is R21. Spirits prices start from R14 a shot and a small can of coke is R14 as well.
On Saturdays, Kitchener’s fills up with Jozi locals and foreigners alike selling second-hand clothing and accessories in the court area. There are two bars and a carpeted dance floor that has been worn out from years of stomping and swaying.
What can R100 get you at Kitchener’s? An American burger with cheese for R48, an Ace’s draft and depending on which night you go, R20 cover charge for nights of performances. All of this adds up to R98.
by Nomatter Ndebele | Feb 14, 2014 | Featured 1, News
Students who moved into a new Wits residence had a nasty surprise when they learned they would have to pay for their own electricity.
Noswal Hall, located on Stiemens street in Braamfontein, opened as a student residence this year on February 1.
Students who expected to be offered the same services as other residences were left disappointed when they found out, upon moving in, that they would have to pay for their own electricity.
Tshepisang Mkhize, 3rd year BSc, told Wits Vuvuzela that if she had known she would have to pay for her electricity, she would not have moved into Noswal.
“They’re giving us 150 units every month, and when that runs out we have to pay for it ourselves,” she said.
Mkhize said it would be difficult for bursary students to get money for electricity from their sponsors.
“Now we have to ask our parents for money and we’re already self-catering,” she said.
Wits Vuvuzela contacted the office of Wits Residence Life head Rob Sharman for comment but he did not reply.
That was not the only surprise Mkhize had when she moved in. On Saturday evening, Mkhize’s bachelor suite was flooded for four hours, after water came up through her shower drain.
“I heard a funny noise from the drain after my shower but I didn’t think anything of it because it always happened,” she said.
The dirty water, which had a “pungent smell that reeked through the bathroom”, soon spilled into her living space and around her bed.
According to Mkhize, plumbers had frequented the residence throughout the week as a lot of students in her wing had had problems with their toilets or showers.
In addition to the plumbing and electricity problems, Mkhize said she was unhappy with the size of her room and its layout.
“You have more space for your dishes than for your clothes, and there is a fridge in the cupboard,” she said.
Another resident, 3rd year LLB Gugu Khoza, shared Mkhize’s sentiments and had believed that Noswal would be a cushier residence like Wits Junction.
“It was quite underwhelming,” Khoza said.
[pullquote]”I heard a funny noise from the drain after my shower but I didn’t think anything of it because it always happened”[/pullquote]
Despite Noswal not meeting her expectations, Khoza still said that it was an improvement from her previous residence which was run by a private company.
She particularly liked the view of northern Johannesburg from her room on the 15th floor.
“It’s really beautiful especially at night,” she said.
Khoza’s roommate, third-year BSc Busi Mncube, said that she was content with the residence.
“Considering the fact that they worked as fast as they could so that we could move in now, they did a good job even though there’s a lot of stuff that still needs to be fixed,” Mncube said.
The gym facilities are still under construction, and students do not have access to the basement parking as yet, as ICAM is still processing student access to the res and the parking.
In the meantime, Mncube is parking her car at Men’s Res. Though she has to walk to Noswal at night, she feels safe because it is close to main campus and there is security.
“It’s the closest to campus and the security guards are quite strict,” she said.
Related articles
New RES complex for Witsies, September 23, 2013
Parktown residence to open doors, May 19, 2011
Let it burn, September 19, 2013
by Pheladi Sethusa | Feb 10, 2014 | News
#NekNomination, a social media challenge, has flooded profile pages and time lines of young people around the world. Formerly a drinking game, #NekNominations are now used to encourage people to do good.
A person or organisation challenged does an activity that helps someone else out, then passes along the challenge. It’s sort of like a electronic chain letter for charity.
The Wits Vuvuzela team (#teamvuvu), was challenged in a #NekNomination from Wapad, the student publication of the North West University. We had 24 hours to take on the challenge of making a difference and recording it.
Wits Vuvuzela reporters hit the streets of Braamfontein to hand out cupcakes to the homeless. But we also wanted to ask the homeless what they needed because sometimes a simple gesture is not enough.
by Nolwazi Mjwara | Nov 8, 2013 | News
When Louis and his brother first came to Johannesburg they had arrived by train from Kimberly with nothing but a backpack each. They were welcomed to the City of Lights, the City of Promise by being mugged The few personal items they had were taken, including their ID documents
Instead of the City of Gold offering riches and opportunity, two years later they still pursue bags of gold in the form of a few rands.
Louis Vermaak (37) spends 12 hours a day outside the PicknPay on Jorissen street in order to survive.
[pullquote]”I think this is because we help when we witness some crime”[/pullquote]
For the first seven months after Louis and his brother arrived they lived on the pavement behind the Protea Parktonian hotel, a place that hosts many new arrivals to the city with four-star hospitality. Now they beg so they can afford to stay at the Braamfontein Shelter.
Louis is still saving up to pay for a new ID. Over the past week, Home Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor received criticism for the new ID smart card prices. The Democratic Alliance (DA) released a statement saying that R140 for the new identity cards was too much for the poor.
DA spokesperson Manny de Freitas said for many South Africans R140 was the difference between survival and hunger.
Braamfontein is a largely student populated area but Louis said he liked that.
“I chose this area because we are not chased away by the security here. I think this is because we help when we witness some crime. The students are also friendlier than older people. Some students generally donate some food for me too.”
[pullquote align=”right”]”I told myself I would rather beg than steal”[/pullquote][/pullquote]
When Louis stayed behind the Parktonian, he met a fellow street dweller who introduced him to informal recycling. Louis worked as a recycler for six months but then his trolley was stolen but he did not have money to replace it..
“This is how I ended up begging. I told myself I would rather beg than steal.”
Louis hopes to get an artisanal job once he has made enough money to pay for his ID. “That ID will be a ticket for me to have a decent job so that I can even afford to have my own family one day.”
There may be hope for Louis to get his ID though. The spokesman for the Department of Home Affairs Ronnie Mamoepa said Pandor was in “discussion with National Treasury regarding fees for certain categories of persons that may be exempted”.
by Nomatter Ndebele | Oct 8, 2013 | News
A 26 year old man collapsed and died on campus two weeks ago.
The young man was part of a group who were visiting the Wits main campus on a Saturday morning apparently to participate in training for Parkour. During a break, the man collapsed between the John Moffat building and the student club BAQT.
The young man, whose name has not been released, complained that he felt light headed before he collapsed, according to witnesses.
Emergency personnel respond to the collapse of a young man on Wits Main campus. Photo: Thikolwi Segudu
The president of BAQT Thikolwi Segudu called Campus Control to the scene.
Campus Control dispute response time
Segudu said “Campus Control took 45 minutes to respond and they were more concerned with my student number, than anything else.”
Michael Mahada, head of special investigations at Campus Control has disputed these claims, saying that they are “untrue”.
“Campus Control reported to the scene, the minute they were notified of the incident”, said Mahada
According to Mahada, Campus Control arrived on the scene and called an ambulance “which arrived within ten minutes” but by then the young man had already passed on.
Segudu however claims that Campus Control didn’t do anything when they arrived on the scene, prompting him to call for an ER ambulance and Parklane Hospital itself.
When a student dies on campus, Campus Control is to required assess the situation and then contact the relevant parties. In this case, Campus Control contacted the “emergency services, SAPS and the deceased’s family”, said Mahada.
The university has been in contact with the family of the deceased over the weekend, according to Segudu. The cause of death was given as “natural causes,” believed to be a blood clot that went to his lung.
by Staff Reporter | Sep 17, 2013 | News
This information is taken from Wits News: please contact wits.news@wits.ac.za
[hr]
Celebration – by Harold Pinter; directed by Clara Vaughan.
The last play Harold Pinter is a scathing comedy depicting three couples dining at a oh-so-elegant restaurant and how each character fights for status and power, their noisy, witty conversation reveals past betrayals and distorted memories, and tries to hide the desperation and emptiness at the heart of it all.
Date: 17 – 29 September 2013
Time: 19:30
Venue: Wits Downstairs Theatre
Bookings: www.strictlytickets.com and at the door
More information: www.wits.ac.za/witstheatre
by Mfuneko Toyana | Aug 27, 2013 | Featured 1, News
Wits cleaner Degracia Mothupi was walking along the pavement on Bertha Street when she was hit by a motorbike earlier today.
“I didn’t see anything but the Indian guy who saw everything said the bike nearly ran into him as well,” Mothupi said slowly in isiZulu.
Mothupi was on her way back from buying cakes and snacks for a Wits staff member’s birthday from Pick ‘n Pay, when she felt the motorbike ram into her from behind. She was flung a couple of meters into a near-by gutter. Pink and white cream was smeared on the side of the road and over her black uniform.
Injury
Mothupi had a deep gash above her right ankle and her groceries lay sprawled among torn plastic bags next to where she was sitting. Mothupi said the lady from the Nunnery who witnessed the entire incident told her sit down and not to move.
[pullquote]I don’t have a license but he was speeding[/pullquote]
Paulina Ditshilwane volunteers at the Nunnery, said she was emptying her dustpan when she saw the accident as it happened. She said Mothupi as well as a Wits student were walking along the pavement. She said the biker just missed the student and hit Mothupi.
“I don’t have a license but he was speeding”
“I don’t have a license but he was speeding.” She said he should not have hit Mothupi because she was walking on the pavement. Mothupi complained of pain in her left shoulder but said she was “fine”. Paramedics treated her on the spot and eventually loaded her into the ambulance after necessary forms had been filled out by Mothupi’s manager and supervisor. The driver of the motorbike Mduduzi Mnyanda said the accident was not his fault.
He said he was trying to avoid a pedestrian who had dashed in front of him when Mothupi appeared as well and he hit her.“A coloured guy crossed the street. I tried to avoid him then she (Mothupi) followed and I hit her.” An employee of a courier services Mnyanda said Mothupi was in the street when he hit her.
He suffered scrapes and bruises on his knees and knuckles. He said it was the first accident he had been in the six years since joining his company. Mothupi was taken to Milpark Hospital for further treatment.
by Mfuneko Toyana | Aug 16, 2013 | Featured 1, News
I’VE GOT YOUR NUMBER: Zwelinzima Vavi revealed evidence of a political conspiracy. Photo: Thuletho Zwane
The atmosphere outside Braamfontein’s Parktownian Hotel was fraught with tension and expectation, as supporters of beleaguered Cosatu secretary-general danced and chanted slogans of support for Zwelinzima Vavi (@zwelinzima1) asking why he was being targeted.
“uyenzeni u vavi?, we Sdumo awu phendule,” asked the crowd as they waited for him to address his first press conference since his suspension. Sdumo Dlamini is the president of Cosatu.
Inside, Vavi, sporting a red National Union of Metalworkers of SA (NUMSA) tee shirt , provided the answer when he handed out two sets of documents that he said revealed a plot to turn the labour union “into a labour desk of the governing party”.
Fake intel report reveals conspiracy
One document was a letter from his lawyers challenging the legitimacy of the committee that suspended him. The other was an annexure to the letter, and reproduced an “intelligence document” that Vavi said revealed a plot by those “waiting in the long queues of the corruption trough” to blacken his name and the names of those who were fighting for the working classes.
“One of the intentions of the so-called intelligence report is clear: to destroy Cosatu,” Vavi said.
Vavi claimed the report was being distributed by those whose aim was to divide Cosatu, as well as “discredit and destroy a number of other prominent South Africans such as Tokoyo Sexwale, Judge Dikgang Moseneke, Cyril Ramaphosa, Irvin Jim etc.” “It aims to create paranoia to achieve its aim of annihilating its opponents.”
Doctored conversations
The document contains transcripts of meetings and telephone conversations, with Vavi discussing amongst other things plans to join Julius Malema’s party the Economic Freedom Fighters.
Vavi said the document was a complete fabrication doctored by “rouge” intelligence agents under the influence of factions in tripartite alliance.
At a number of stages during the press conference Vavi took deep breaths and the weight of the allegations against seemed to tell. He said nowhere else would having a consensual relationship with a co-worker, demand the dismal that his detractors were gunning for.
“If Jesus was to return… [he] would be surprised at some of the people throwing stones.”
Vavi said he had apologised for his mistake, and that the incident was being used to remove him as general-secretary via trail by media. “I face no criminal allegations as I stand before you now,” Vavi said in response to a question of whether it would not be best for him to just step down.
Vavi sets to challenge legality of suspension
Vavi said he had instructed his lawyers to challenge his suspension, citing amongst other things that Dlamaini and other members of committee that suspended him had prejudiced themselves by circulating the “intelligence report” and publicly declaring him guilty.
Vavi said Dlamini denied circulating the report. Earlier on in a Numsa press conference the federation’s secretary general Irvin Jim said they had no confidence in Dlamini as a leader.
