by Sibusiswe Nyanda | May 10, 2013 | News
Mpumelelo Mfula organises Babatunde gear at his RHTC stall at The Grove Market in Braamfontein
On Sunday mornings, while most people go to church, inner-city Jozi becomes a refuge for urban youth looking for spaces to express themselves.
The Grove Market in Braamfontein turns into a platform where urban cool kids like Mpumelelo Mfula and Andile Jila meet to further their cause. Vintage print jackets and tweed pencil skirts constitute their voice of protest – affordability and exclusivity providing them with a weapon against urban consumerism.
Thrift shopping or “thrifting”, as it is commonly called, is the art of finding one-of-a-kind items of clothing at markets and buying them for next to nothing.
A stall owner, who would give her name only as S’ponono, sees thrifting as her way of sharing her sense of style with the world. While doing her regular price negotiations she said: “I just feel like, if I’ve seen a piece for too long, I have to give it away.”
This is at the centre of thrifting culture – the sharing of exclusive items with people who share your passion for being different.
While profit is not the main goal, thrifters benefit from the income they make. Andile Jila, 1st year BA, uses the money he makes from thrifting to pay his fees.
“I’m paying the NSFAS interest, I buy my own books and I have to live. I’m surviving, though. Girls love clothes.”
Thrift stores have evolved from selling women’s clothing only, to becoming mini-department stores in their own right.
Bright African wax print bow ties and colourful clutch bags are some signature Babatunde brand items sold by Mfula, who started wearing the bright hats and matching ‘90s style sweaters when he was a Witsie years ago.
“It all started from varsity culture and wanting to be unique. I started wearing certain things before they were popular and that became my form of expression.”
Mfula, who has an honours degree in Politics, admits that thrifting is an unusual career choice for a graduate.
“People always say: ‘You have two degrees, you could do so much with that’, and I could be, but I’d be dying on the inside. I believe I’m part of a movement of urban politics.
“About five years ago we would take our money and spend it at the malls. Now our money stays in these circles and we benefit from our culture by developing an economy. It’s quite progressive.”
Asked if he felt the money from thrifting could sustain him long-term, Mfula admitted the average person would not think so but that it was good enough for the lifestyle he preferred – a “humble” one.
Mfula plans to grow his online store and one day develop pop-up stores around the country. “I want to promote the street culture that comes with thrifting and have stores for a few months in different spaces.”
He said it was important to remember that living with purpose wasn’t easy. “I’m building from the ground up and taking a stand in what I feel is an urban politics.”
buyisiwe@witsvuvuzela.com
by Pheladi Sethusa | May 10, 2013 | Featured 1, News
NO ENTRY: A Locked out student couldn’t even fit her key in the keyhole. Photo: Pheladi Sethusa
Thokwadi Seabela had left out mince to defrost. It was 8pm and after a long day at the UJ Law Clinic, she was looking forward to a nice hot meal. But when she reached her South Point flat, she found herself illegally locked out – with no clothes, no food and nowhere to sleep.
The Peppermint House resident and fourth year LLB student at UJ was locked out of her flat in April – with no warning. Although she had paid her rent, South Point administration claimed she was
R8 200 in arrears.
She is not the only one. Lebohang Motaung, 3rd year BSc Chemistry, heard his lock being changed while he was in his Norvic room. He was lucky though. He was able to persuade admin staff to return his key – but only after an angry exchange of words.
It’s a lockout
Seabela found herself in a worse, and certainly more dangerous situation. When she reached her flat, she thought the key would work.She continued struggling with it, thinking she might have used excessive force and broken it.
She went to ask the security guard, who helped put her in touch with “the guy who deals with locks”.“The lock guy just said: ‘It’s a lockout. It means you haven’t paid your rent’. Then he just left.”
After calling around for a place she could stay for the night, she finally got a hold of her cousin, who put her up for the night in Pretoria.
Not a rare occurrence
Motaung said he had seen students forced to sleep in their building foyers, after being locked out of their flats without notice.
He was locked out because the administration claimed his roommate owed R8 000 – despite having only lived in the flat for a week, and having paid a deposit.
Motaung said it was impossible a new tenant could owe so much money. And even if he did, Motaung could not understand why he was being made to pay for his roommate’s error.
“It turned out they had made a mistake on his account and they did not even try to contact him before locking him out.”
Late payment(s)
When Seabela went to South Point central the day after being locked out, she was told she was late on her January rent payment. She had not even been living in the flat in January.
“When I signed the lease I was told my deposit includes the first month of rent payment, which was in February.”
She had received an inflated statement at the end of March, stating that she owed R8 200. She said alarm bells should have gone off, but she just thought they had included the next month’s statement as well.“A statement doesn’t constitute a notice,” said a visibly upset Seabela.
Former Van De Stel resident, Kelebogile Mothlomedi, said at her building they used to put up a list on the notice board of students in arrears.
“Students then had a week to pay up their rent before being locked out if they failed to do so.”
Legally speaking
Alina Starosta, Head of Property and Evictions at the Wits Law Clinic, said: “A lockout constitutes an eviction.”
Lockouts like these were illegal because the landlord had not sought a court order to remove the tenants, she said. However, if tenants defaulted on payments, landlords had every right to evict them.
Starosta said students could sue or lay a complaint with the Rental Housing Tribunal in town. “Students should not let inaccuracies in the statements lie. People often think they can get away with stuff because they’re dealing with students.”
No comment
Wits Vuvuzela approached South Point administration, but were told the responsible person was away on holiday and could not be reached for comment.
by Mfuneko Toyana | Apr 12, 2013 | Featured 1
Zesty Work: Local graffiti artist Zesta’s mural on Main street in the CBD. Photo: Mfuneko Toyana
Braamfontein’s dull concrete facades have come alive with graffiti as part of the City of Gold Urban Arts Festival.
The festival started on Sunday and features showcases of street art by local and international artists. It’s managed by Braamfontein’s own Grayscale Concepts gallery on 33 De Korte Street.
The festival includes graffiti murals painted around the city in places like Braamfontein, Newtown, the Maboneng Precinct and Jeppestown and will also include walking tours and film screenings.
The festival is in its third year and is the brainchild of respected graffiti artist Rasty, who runs the Grayscale gallery and tattoo parlour.
The festival kicked off with an opening at the gallery where a large mural covering the entire wall of the adjacent parking lot was painted by artists Pose, Love and Curio. This was the first of many murals that will adorn the walls, alley ways and other locations around Johannesburg for the next year.
Organisers of the walking tour, Past Experiences, say that Johannesburg has the potential to become the “graffiti capital of Africa”. This is because the city has so many spaces that can be painted, and unlike overseas, art works tend to stay up for much longer and become an important part of the environment.
The aim of the festival and the art work is to enhance sites around the city that might have previously been “feared or forgotten by the city’s inhabitants”, according to the festivals website.
On a graffiti tour of the Maboneng Precinct, Troyeville and Jeppestown on Wednesday, a large group of tourists walked through parts of Johannesburg notorious for crime and violence with carefree curiosity. 
One of the tourists, a Singapore-born woman who moved to Johannesburg almost three years ago, said that this was her third time on the graffiti tour and she was amazed at the number of people who had joined the walk this year compared to last year.
“Before I came to Johannesburg I was so scared. I cried for three days because of all the things I had heard and read about South Africa,” said the woman.
The City of Gold Urban Arts Festival takes place until the 13th April and is open to the public.
mfuneko@witsvuvuzela.com
by Pheladi Sethusa | Apr 9, 2013 | Featured 1
Wits Vuvuzela journalist Pheladi Sethusa participated in a photo walk hosted by the Lomography Embassy store in Braamfontein this past weekend.
The idea behind the walk is for participants to hire out a lomography camera for R180, then go out and take photo’s. When you hire a camera you get to keep your film. You could bring your own camera and only pay R150 for the walk.
These are Pheladi’s images as she followed other enthused photographers as they roamed the quiet inner city that morning.
by Shandu Mulaudzi | Mar 15, 2013 | Featured 1, News
Lutendo Maiwashe standing at the door of the Legit store where she was scammed. Photo: Shandukani Mulaudzi
A group of “motherly” con artists scammed a Wits student last week after luring her away from a clothes store with promises of back door deals.
Lutendo Maiwashe, 2nd year BEcon Sci, was browsing through clothes at the Legit store in Braamfontein when a middle-aged women approached her.
The woman said she had a cousin who could help her get clothes at half price.
“The lady seemed very sympathetic to the fact that I’m a student and clothes are expensive. She said we could go meet her cousin outside,” Maiwashe said.
The woman led Maiwashe outside and, as they were walking, another woman joined them. They all walked to a spot outside a bottle store on Melle Street.
“The second woman asked me if it was the first time I was doing this and also convinced me that it was a great deal and for my benefit. She referred to the ‘cousin’ as Zandi,” Maiwashe said.
Maiwashe said that very soon after they had stopped outside the bottle store, “Zandi” joined them. The first woman said she needed to quickly go to the bank and left Maiwashe with her belongings. Maiwashe thinks this was to establish trust.
“Zandi” explained Maiwashe would come with her to the store and they would go through the staff entrance. For this reason Maiwashe would have to leave her bag behind.
When they got to the store “Zandi” suddenly realised it was closing time and said Maiwashe should come back with her friends on the weekend. When Maiwashe went back for her bag, the other women were gone. And so was her bag.
“It was traumatic. I mean I would never have expected this from women. I am a trusting person and now I’m not. These women represented a mother figure,” Maiwashe said.
After the incident Maiwashe recalled that one of the women was wearing a pale blue shirt which looked like it could belong to a Pick ’n Pay employee. After searching the streets with some of her friends they went to Pick ’n Pay to ask if they could check the surveillance cameras to see if they could identify the con artists.
A Pick ’n Pay manager, who asked not to be named, confirmed they had heard of two similar incidents in the past two weeks. She said, however, these people were not employees of Pick ’n Pay.
Simangele Bhila, a Legit employee, said she had also heard of two incidents, one at their store and one at Pick ’n Pay. She said the one who robbed a lady at their store was a man who was allegedly working with women.
Maiwashe has reported the case to the police but she said she wasn’t sure if they would investigate as they did not ask her to describe the perpetrators.
“I could’ve just bought the shirt, it was only R80 and I had the cash in my bag,” said Maiwashe, adding she has been put off discount offers for life.
by Emelia Motsai | Mar 1, 2013 | News
A FEMALE Wits student was allegedly assaulted on Monday night in Braamfontein but found herself in jail for a night after calling the police.
The treatment of the student, Oratile Godirilwe, 2nd year LLB, by the police was “shocking”, said Wits Campus Control officer Sydwell Chauke.
“They treated her like a criminal, a murderer. What they did broke my heart,” said Chauke.
Godirilwe and her friend were at the Total garage on the corner of Jan Smuts avenue and De Korte street between 9pm and 10pm when a man started making advances on her.
“I told him no, leave me alone,” said Godirilwe.
“He started swearing at me, then grabbed me, pushed me to the ground and kicked me in the tummy a couple of times.”
The man then left in his vehicle.
Godirilwe’s friend was able to get the vehicle registration number of the man’s car. They to Campus Control (CC) on de Korte street, and Chauke called the police after which two male police officers responded.
Godirilwe said she explained to the police officers what had happened but one of them replied: “So, what do you want us to do?”
According to Chauke, the police officers did not try to help Godirilwe with her case.
One police officer walked away and got back into the police car. Godirilwe followed him to the vehicle and closed his car door in frustration, nipping his fingers.
“It was a mistake and I apologized,” she said.
Godirilwe admits to being angry and said that she swore “at the whole situation.”
The police officers called her rude. They said that in South African culture women do not speak in “such a way”.
Godirilwe was taken to Hillbrow police station where she was kept in custody from Monday night until Tuesday evening. While there, a female police officer told her she was “lucky” she was not beaten by the police.
Godirilwe said the police taunted her, calling her “the Witsie.”
Wits CC officer Maxwell Nkuna went to the police station after Godirilwe was taken. But she said he was not helpful because he only got the police’s side of the story.
Godirilwe said she referred to Nkuna as uncle: “but he said ‘don’t say that. I won’t be related to something like you.’”
Nkuna could not be reached for comment.
Godirilwe was told by police that the charge against her was for assaulting a police officer due to her slamming his fingers in the car door.
However, Hillbrow police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Mduduzi Zondo, said Godirilwe was charged with crimen injuria—unlawfully, intentionally and seriously impairing the dignity of another.
“When the police came she shouted at them and insulted them,” he said.
Godirilwe said she was injured by the man who attacked her, showing Vuvuzela her swollen and bruised leg, but was not taken to a doctor.
“They said I am rude so I will not get to see a doctor,” she said.
However, Zondo said she was not taken to a doctor because she did not need medical treatment.
Godirilwe said she never got to open a case against the man who assaulted her.
“I have a case against me now. I do not have the energy to open a case against someone else.”
by Hazel Meda | Oct 9, 2012 | Featured 1
Hazel Meda tells the story of Mama Yvonne who has been running a soup kitchen in the city of Johannesburg for the last 32 years.
Yvonne Moloelanga has run the soup kitchen at Holy Trinity Catholic Church for the last 32 years. Photo: Tanyaradzwa Nyamajiyah
- Yvonne Moloelanga has a shrill voice and powerful lungs. Dressed in a brown beret, blue housecoat and white sneakers, the tiny old woman shouts across the courtyard, telling one of the volunteers he has brought out the wrong box of bread and must go and get the right one.
She runs a tight ship at the 11 o’clock soup kitchen at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, but she also has a soft spot for the homeless people.
At the end of the meal, she distributes small, transparent sandwich bags containing an orange, a few biscuits and a packet of chips.
“Enjoy your weekend,” she says, as she hands the package to an elderly man.
She found her calling in 1980
Mama Yonne, 62, has been running the soup kitchen for the last 32 years but she will retire in three months’ time. The stomach ailment which necessitated an operation and six months of sick leave last year will force her to leave the homeless people who have, quite literally, become her family.
She used to work in a factory, making melamine cups, saucers and salt and pepper shakers. But she found her calling in 1980, when her best friend told her that the Jesuit priests at Holy Trinity were looking for a housekeeper.
Her predecessor, an elderly lady, used to make sandwiches and pass them though the window to the homeless people who came knocking.
A sandwich wasn’t enough to get the homeless people through the day
But Mama Yvonne thought a sandwich wasn’t enough to get the homeless people through the day and suggested giving them a proper meal. She told her bosses she was young and energetic enough to prepare the food, which she did in addition to her housekeeping duties.
Mama Yvonne prepares the daily meal for the homeless people of Braamfontein. Photo: Tanyaradzwa Nyamajiyah
She describes her work with the homeless in between preparing vegetables, hamburgers, gravy and rice for the priests’ dinner and answering the phone, which screeches to life every few minutes.
She says she enjoys looking after the homeless and they look after her too. She feels safe walking around any part of the city centre after dark.
“I will just hear them calling ‘Mama Theresa, Mama Theresa!’ from all corners. It’s what they call me, because Mama Theresa used to feel for people.”
“I feel for them. I really feel for them”, she continues. “Especially in this cold weather and in the rainy weather. When you sleep in your warm house you think of them: Oh, the poor children, the poor people, what are they doing now in this weather?”
Even those who are currently being helped at the soup kitchen spare a few rand to buy her treats to show their gratitude.
Her compassion led her to take two homeless boys, Thabo and Dumisani, to stay with her and her family in Soweto sometimes.
“And my children welcomed them. They never said ‘Who’s this? Who’s this?’”
She says Thabo and Dumisani are big men now. Thabo is struggling, doing piece jobs, but Dumisani is doing well, having been sponsored by a parishioner to go to art school to develop his talent.
“Even today they come and visit me. They are part of my family,” Mama Yvonne says proudly.
“They never forget me,” she says, her voice getting higher and louder as she gets more and more excited.
“They always say ‘Mama, if it was not for you, I wouldn’t be this today. Here’s a drink for you. Here’s something for you.’”
Even those who are currently being helped at the soup kitchen spare a few rand to buy her treats to show their gratitude.
Mama Yvonne pulls a small chocolate bar out of her apron pocket. It’s a present from Eric, a homeless man who now helps her to prepare the daily meal.
“He knows I like sweet things. You know, when you get old you like sweet things,” she says, laughing.
She crams the confection into her mouth and chomps on the ball which forms in her cheek.
She got her love of clothes from her mother
Mama Yvonne has always had a taste for the good things. She liked beautiful clothes and has many photos to prove it.
There’s a photo from 1970, when she was pregnant with Clementine, the first of her three children. She wears a fluffy white beret and a housecoat-style blue dress. In fact, the outfit looks strikingly similar to what she wears today, except for the big white-and-red embroidered flowers on the hip pockets, the chunky brown suede heels and the lipstick.
She says she got her love of clothes from her mother, who worked in a menswear factory, and who used to make Yvonne and her three sisters matching Christmas clothes which made them the envy of the neighbourhood.
“We were the best, with our stiff-neck dresses, like wedding dresses. They buy lace and they sew it and they will buy starch and it will look like a peacock.”
But life wasn’t easy for Yvonne and her three sisters and two brothers.
“My mother struggled with us.”
Yvonne’s father walked out on the family when she was 14 or 15. To make matters worse, he used their address to open an account at a furniture shop.
“He take things with our address. He never brought them home. He take them wherever he went after he depart with my mother,” she says shaking her head.
When her father failed to pay for the radio and other items he had taken on credit, workers from the shop came with a truck and took Yvonne’s mother’s furniture.
View Larger Map – the location of the Holy Trinity Church in Braamfontein, Johannesburg
The family survived thanks to help from Yvonne’s relatives and to her mother’s sweat and “smarts”.
“I have learned a lot from my mother, because my mother used her hands, her brains, to do something. She never just sit and wait for income to just come from her boss,” Mama Yvonne says admiringly.
Her mother sewed clothes for neighbours and also sold food.
“Every weekend, she used to wake up early in the morning. We used to bake koeksisters and samoosas. Saturdays and Sundays we used to go out at six o’clock in the streets to sell all those things.”
“That’s why today I can also use my hands and my brains,” She says.
Mama Yvonne has run a catering and decorating business on weekends to supplement her income since her husband died in 1990.
“When you are a mother … you have to work hard”
She has catered birthday parties, including her granddaughter’s second birthday party, weddings for people in Soweto and Holy Trinity parishioners, and church functions.
She has beautiful photos of some of her work.
She will continue with the catering and decorating to get income when she retires from the church
She says she learned to cook from her mother, who was a very good cook, and decorating comes naturally.
“You know, this is so simple. People are going to school to do this, but if you can just use your common sense you see that something nice can come out of it.”
Mama Yvonne says she will continue with the catering and decorating to get income when she retires from the church.
Her children, Clementine and Patrick, are unemployed and she supports them and her three grandchildren and one great-grandchild, who all live with her in the small house she worked hard to extend.
Mama Yvonne and her husband Henry – also known as Prince because of his good looks and regal bearing – on their wedding day. Photo: Yvonne Moloelanga
Her children help with the business, but it was their late brother Eugene who was a very good baker and cook. Mama Yvonne has a photo of him cooking on a small grill in their garden.
She shows me about 30 more photos of him.
There’s a photo of Eugene wearing a smart black pinstripe suit, Bible in hand.
He was light-skinned, handsome and a snappy dresser, like his father Henry, whom Yvonne says was nicknamed Prince because of his good looks and regal bearing.
A few of the more recent photos are bordered with flowers, thanks to the magic of the digital age.
Most of the photos are from Eugene’s 21st birthday party. There’s one in which Mama Yvonne is giving him a big silver key while balancing a big blue-and-white iced cake.
There’s another one with her planting a kiss on his lips.
Some are from his confirmation. She proudly tells me that he was shaking the hand of Bishop Mvemve of Klerksdorp.
There’s also a tiny photo of a chubby child in red clothes and a white bonnet.
At first, Mama Yvonne thinks it’s one of her grandchildren, but I tell her that the picture looks quite old and that it has the words “seventy three” scrawled on the back in black ink.
He died of a headache
Eugene was born in 1973.
He died in 2011.
Mama Yvonne says he died of a headache.
She says he went to Baragwanath Hospital on Saturday and the nurses gave him Panado for the pain.
When the severe pain didn’t go away, he went back on Sunday and was given more Panado.
On Monday night he called an ambulance and was taken to the hospital, where he waited for hours before being seen by a doctor.
On Tuesday, he was dead.
The doctors said it was meningitis.
Mama Yvonne says she wasn’t angry at the hospital staff.
“What could I do? I couldn’t wake him up,” she says. “When he’s gone, he’s gone.”
She is comforted by gospel music. Her favourite song is Rebecca Malope’s Umoya Wam’.
“When you sing it, you can see there’s something come into you. You feel like you are next to God. You think of all the people that have passed, all the people that have left you behind,” she says wistfully.
She took off the uniform, revealing trendy trousers and started dee-jaying
Mama Yvonne hasn’t let her son’s death rob her of her joy.
She is still fun-loving and mischievous.
About a month after her son’s death she took part in a DSTV programme which was filmed at a church in Soweto.
Wearing a St Anne’s guild uniform which she had borrowed from her sister – she is a devout Catholic but doesn’t have time for all the guild activities – she stood in front of the congregation. She took off the uniform, revealing trendy trousers and started dee-jaying.
“I was dee-jaying. I’m serious. Yes!” she shrills at my amazement. “With all the records and things. And jiving.”
She says they called her DJ Gogo.
She has always loved performing. As a child, she loved reciting poetry and would volunteer to give speeches at assembly when inspectors visited her school.
A fellow detainee begged her not to kill herself
Her performance skills once saved her from spending a night in jail. She had forgotten her dompas or “pass book” at home and was arrested, along with many others, while waiting for the bus one day in 1977.
The police took the group to Booysens Police Station and said they would have to spend the night in the cells unless they told their families to bring R50. She had no way to contact her family and came up with a plan.
Two days earlier, she had gone to the doctor to get medication for the flu and she had the medicine in her handbag.
“I said ‘Oh, I am going to kill myself. I will drink all these tablets. I can’t sleep here.’ ”
Taken in by her act, a fellow detainee begged her not to kill herself, saying his family would pay for her as well.
“That’s how I was safe to go home,” she says, chuckling.
“And since that day, I never left my ID behind. It always stays with me in my handbag, even up to now.”
by Lebogang Mdlankomo | Sep 21, 2012 | Featured 1, News
For Phindile Msomi* using the taxi system from Melville to main campus is efficient and routine. Her mind is occupied with what lies ahead or what’s on her phone.
But last week the Wits Student was mugged inside the mode of transport she trusted and used on a daily basis.
MUGGERS ON BOARD: One of the points where student commuters get taxis to Auckland Park and Melville, on De Korte Street in Braamfontein.
Msomi, a second year BA Law student, was leaving campus last Wednesday evening and boarded a taxi on De Korte Street, a route used by taxis departing from the Bree rank and moving people to Auckland Park, Melville and Cresta.
“I got inside the taxi with another girl I didn’t know from Wits,” said Msomi.
Msomi said the ride seemed normal until they reached the University of Johannesburg, Bunting Road campus.
“The four men sitting at the back seat told us to take out our purses, cell phones and give them our bank card pins,” she said.
She said that this was done at gunpoint.
The girls were warned not to give incorrect pins because their trip included a stop at an ATM nearby.
They complied but Msomi said the other girl was beaten up because “they did not believe how she could not have a phone but have headphones in her possession”.
The muggers took the girls to the ATM and withdrew cash up to Msomi’s limit.
Msomi said the driver seemed to be with the robbers as he did not need any directions to where the machine was located.
The students were then returned to Braamfontein where they were dropped off near Damelin College on De Korte Street again.
“They told us to just walk off and not run or look back otherwise they would shoot us,” Msomi said.
Thembani Shelenge, a taxi queue marshal working on De Korte Street, said this was not the first incident to happen.
He told Wits Vuvuzela that such cases occurred when unknown taxis from outside the zone and an association other than Faraday Taxi Association worked in that area.
“Taxis allowed to rank here are ones with a green and white sticker written Faraday Taxi Association,” Shelenge said.
He explained that people do not pay attention to this because they just assume that if it is on that street it is ranking legally.
Shelenge said the association’s patrol car found a trend in the kind of taxi model used in cases reported.
“Most of the time the taxi is not a Quantum but a Hi Ace,” he said.
Msomi said she reported the case to the police at Park Station but was referred to Johannesburg Central. But she became dispirited and did not go there.
Published in Wits Vuvuzela 25th edition, 21 September 2012
(*names have been changed)
by Akinoluwa Oyedele | Sep 21, 2012 | Featured 1, News
Suspected foul play has been ruled out as the cause of a fire in the Yale Road staff residential quarters on East Campus on Friday. The fire led to the death of David Sekhoela after he sustained critical injuries.
Sekhoela, a Servest worker, died in hospital on Saturday September 15.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
Most of the Yale Road residents are contract workers at Wits.
Richard Quinton, the responsible engineer at the Property and Infrastructure Management Division, said: “Many unsubstantiated rumours are being spread concerning the circumstances surrounding the case and [we are] considering conflicting statements received from various witnessing parties.”
No answers yet: Grieving Yale Road residents are awaiting the outcome of an investigation into the cause of the fire on Friday September 14.
Some of Sekhoela’s belongings removed from the blaze.
Sekhoela’s former roommate, Paul Skotho, was in Germiston on the night of the fire. He was informed of the incident by phone on Saturday.
He remembered Sekhoela as “a joyful person who enjoyed laughing”.
“He wasn’t very vocal, like if someone made him angry, he would get angry but he would be laughing the next day.”
Chairperson of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) at Wits and Yale Road resident, Richard Sadiki, said Sekhoela had complained that as a contract worker he was not allowed to use just any pedestrian entrance to Wits.
Sadiki said Sekhoela had jokingly said it was better for him to go home because he was a “prisoner” at Wits.
“Maybe this wouldn’t have happened if he had just gone home,” Sadiki said.
Each room in the Yale Road residence traditionally contributes R50 to housemates who have suffered personal tragedies or to the families of those who die. Recently, R1100 was raised for the family of late resident Samson Makhunga. Sadiki said Sekhoela had not contributed to the fund for Makhunga.
Asking for donations for Sekhoela at a house meeting on Tuesday, Sadiki appealed for housemates to give voluntarily “in an African way”.
“Even if he made a mistake when he was alive, we cannot just punish him because he didn’t agree with us.”
Wits acting registrar Nita Lawton-Misra conveyed condolences on behalf of the university.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to the family, friends and colleagues of Mr Sekhoela, and those who knew him well.”
This tragic incident is being investigated by the SAPS in collaboration with the health and safety manager of the company the victim worked for.
Published in Wits Vuvuzela 25th edition, 21st September 2012
by Akinoluwa Oyedele | Aug 17, 2012 | News
A recent spike in criminal activities in Braamfontein is spreading onto Wits’ main campus, according to Rob Kemp, head of Campus Control.
There have been at least 8 muggings at gunpoint in Braamfontein in the past few weeks, and 6 where dangerous weapons were used, according to statistics from the South African Police Service (SAPS).
On Tuesday, a female student was approached by two well-dressed male suspects near the Planetarium, who threatened her, apparently with a firearm, and took her cellphone.
Last month, Wits Vuvuzela reported a robbery apparently at gunpoint, at the science stadium while in March, two students were robbed at gunpoint outside the Cullen Library.
Kemp, said his biggest concern is that students are not aware that they could be targets of crime.
He said he wanted the Wits community to be streetwise without panicking. Lost or stolen student cards are a common way through which criminals gain access onto campuses and residences. ICAM is able to put a 24-hour block on lost cards if they are reported, and students do not have to pay to unblock them when they are found.
Some suspects also stand around turnstiles, asking students to give them access. Kemp said some of them tell “nice stories” to convince students that they are entering campus for good.
“I left my card in res, I’m rushing for a lecture can you please help,” he said as an example.
Spot checks for student cards are being conducted at bus stops. Campus Control investigations manager Michael Mahada said this is not done to “oppress or harass students”.
There is a proposal to fence the area around the bus stops to restrict access to circuit buses. However, he said it could be “very restrictive, very controlling, and we’re [sic] not sure how it would go down with our population.”
Campus Control plans to fill vacancies within the next two weeks to increase the number of officers on patrol. It has also budgeted for more staff next year, and plans to commission an extra reaction vehicle.
Published in Wits Vuvuzela 20th edition, 17th August 2012.
Campus Control’s tips on staying safe
Avoid isolated areas on campus, including toilet facilities. A student was recently robbed on his way out of a bathroom in the John Moffatt building. Kemp also advised students not to use empty tutorial or lecture rooms to study, they should rather find one that is already occupied.
Do not leave your valuables unattended in public places for any reason, for any length of time. The stranger next to you in the library that you ask to look after your laptop does not have to.
Do not leave your residence room unlocked, even to go to the bathroom down the corridor.
Keep cellphones and other mobile devices out of sight when on the road.
Ask to be escorted to your room or car if you are leaving campus late, and feeling unsafe. Camus control is available to escort Wits staff and students to Wits residences and car parks, and can be contacted on (011) 717-4444. Students living in Braam are urged to ask Urban Genesys security guards (dressed in green and beige uniforms) for escorting.
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by tokelo | Aug 8, 2012 | Featured 1, News
A University of Johannesburg (UJ) student was allegedly raped by her ex-lover on Sunday. She reported a case of assault to the police, but dropped the charges a day later.
Margie*, 3rdyear BA student said she dropped the charges because she wants Thulani* to study and she felt bad.
The couple had an argument outside the McDonalds in Braamfontein, and then walked slowly towards the South Point Norvic residence in De Korte street.
Thulani was apparently drunk and forced Margie out of McDonalds, according to Lisa Xaba, a Wits student who witnessed the argument. Xaba is also a South Point Norvic resident.“I didn’t really stop him when he took off my clothes but I wanted to go,” said Margie.
She reported the incident at the Hillbrow police station on Tuesday but dropped the charges on Wednesday morning after he apologised.
Constable Jacob Maluleke said he could not comment on the details of the case but this was not a unique case. “Such cases are common especially if it involves alcohol and couples or domestic matters,” said Maluleke.
Although Statistics South Africa shows the high rate of sexual violence against women especially by their partners in metropolitan cities, the conviction rate seems to be lower.
Margie said she wants to focus on her studies and although this was a dramatic experience for her, she will still be friends with her ex-lover.
“I just hope he learns a lesson,” she said.
Thulani did not want to comment.
*Names have been changed.
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by Jay Caboz | Aug 7, 2012 | Featured 1, News
Photos by Jay Caboz
