The Matric Class of 2024 broke numerous records, and one in their number achieved it all at just 16.
Meet Ngeletshedzo Mutwanamba. She considers herself a simple girl who likes reading and listening to music. But these hobbies and her social life took a back seat so she could achieve something extraordinary.
At just 16 years of age, Ngeletshedzo has managed to pass Grade 12 with a remarkable seven distinctions, becoming the top achiever of her school, Blue Hills College. Her high school journey, marked by the challenges of the covid-19 pandemic and constant load shedding, was anything but easy.
Achieving seven distinctions in Grade 12 involved little sleep and a seemingly unending workload.
“I had to make sure that I was able to manage my time because the minute you start making things pile up everything just goes crazy. So, I really had to make sure that I was able to stick to what I wanted to do for the day,” she said.
As the year went on, Mutwanamba found that she got lazier, another mental barrier she had to overcome. “My motivation was the distinction at the end of the day. I knew that if I did not do (an assignment) at that exact moment I might be costing myself a distinction in the next coming year,” said Mutwanamba. She added that she aimed for eight distinctions, but “unfortunately” only achieved seven.
Mutwanamba started her high school journey in 2020, the year of the covid-19 pandemic, a huge shift for her personal and academic life.
“It was the first year of high school, a whole new environment for me…now all of a sudden there’s this disease, now I can’t go to school, and I personally enjoy seeing the teacher physically,” she said, stating that online Zoom meetings were not ideal.
Due to the pandemic, her school implemented a system where different grades attended on different days, which in turn meant that the curriculum was cut short. “…I actually missed out on fundamental things that would have really helped me out in Matric,” said Mutwanamba, as some of these fundamentals include core elements of English and Mathematics.
Social distancing restrictions eventually eased in 2022, but it was the same year that load shedding became a very frustrating issue as South Africa experienced 205 days of load shedding.
“Load shedding was quite the killer,” she said, as the load reductions would delay her from doing work at certain times. The blackouts also meant that she would have to work in the dark using rechargeable lights and plan her days in advance.
An early start at school and skipping a grade five were indicators of Mutwanamba’s smarts, but for her, seeing a friend achieve a 90% pass in their grade eight year is what fuelled her further. This drive culminated in a Mutwanamba donning the coveted white blazer at her school for being the top achiever.
When asked what advice she would give to people pursuing their dreams, she said, “Always remember your goals…. If you remember the reason why you are there in the first place, if you’re in school the reason why you chose a specific subject. If you’re working the reason why you applied for that job…there’s that specific reason that pushed, you to make that choice. So, remember that reason, remember the goals you set for yourself.”
Mutwanamba will go on to study Computer Sciences at the University of Pretoria this year.
FEATURED IMAGE: Photo of Ngeletshedzo Mutwanamba with her parents. Photo: Lungile Makiza.
Despite South Africa’s constitution enshrining that every citizen possesses the right to access social security – a large demographic has been excluded from the social grant system.
While it may appear inconceivable to subsist on a grant of a mere R350 per month, this harsh reality befalls millions of South Africans, who find themselves teetering precariously below the food poverty line, trapped in a crippling dependency on social grants.
Wits Vuvuzela delved into the lives of five South Africans, confronting the stark reality of surviving on that R350 per month. When questioned about how their families manage on such an allowance, a resounding “We don’t!’ echoed around the room. Donavan Du Pelsen (53) lamented, “R11 a day! It works out to R11 a day!” Another recipient chimed in, “A loaf of bread is R12!”
Social security is firmly embedded in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.
Section 27(1)(c) of Act 108 of 1996 stipulates that every South African has the right to access social security, which includes appropriate social assistance for those unable to support themselves and their dependents.
Yet, in a country with a 32.6% unemployment rate, millions of citizens have been excluded from receiving this core socioeconomic right, resulting in 18.3 million South Africans between the ages of 18-59 living below the food poverty line.
The quarterly labour force statistics published by Statistics South Africa for Q2: 2023. Infographic: Terri-Ann Brouwers
Prior to 2020, when the Social Relief of Distress Grant was implemented in response to the covid-19 pandemic, unemployed and able-bodied South Africans between the ages of 18-59 were completely excluded from the social grant system.
The grants which exist in South Africa include the older person’s grant, child support grant, grant in aid, care dependency grant, foster child grant, disability grant and war veterans grant.
According to a study conducted by UNICEF one of the common misconceptions held by policymakers, the media, and stakeholders in general, is that providing social assistance to citizens between the ages of 18-59 will lead to long-term dependency. Those who hold this view think such social assistance will disincentivise active job seekers and promote laziness.
This kind of thinking imagines that social grants should exclusively be allocated to the ‘deserving poor’ while unemployed people of working age are simply not trying hard enough to fight their circumstances.
Social Relief of Distress Grant (SRD)
Implemented to help the economically vulnerable South Africans during the pandemic, the SRD grant provided a monthly stipend of R350 afforded to recipients. In the 2023 budget speech finance minister, Enoch Godongwana stated that the grant would be extended until 31 March 2024. Although it was a much welcomed extension, the implementation has less than smooth.
On 27 July 2023, the Pay The Grants campaign and the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) sued the government over the unfair exclusion of millions of people from the SRD grant. They also included concerns about “the real terms reduction of the value of the grant.” They stated that while all social grants have increased over time, the SRD grant has remained the same since its implementation in 2020. “Given headline inflation over 6%, the value of the grant has decreased to R294 in real terms. Inflation in the price of food is even higher than headline inflation, having reached over 11%,” read the court documents.
“We would rather have jobs than the R350!”
– Euradiece raiters
Commenting on the exclusion of social grants for people between the ages of 18-59, Pay The Grants chairperson, Elizabeth Raiters, who is also a recipient of the SRD Grant said: “We are not lazy to work. If you [are] over 35 it’s a big struggle to find a job because of your age. So, what happens to us after 35? There’s no grant to support us, we [are] not lazy to work, we are looking for jobs.” Raiters sister, Euradiece Raiters, who is also a recipient of the SRD grant echoed the sentiment, “We would rather have jobs than the R350!”
“There is totally no grant that covers those people, until you get old age (older person’s grant), so for all those years how must you survive?” said Raiters.
Charmaine Martin, another grant recipient and mother, was forced to quit her job when her husband developed a chronic disease which left him dependent on two oxygen tanks and unable to stay home alone. “I have a chronic patient, a daughter that’s 14, no income, we’re waiting for a grant that may never arrive, so in your mind how do you think we’re surviving now at this moment?”
She continued: “Tomorrow, he needs to go to hospital, I don’t have money for him to go to hospital for his appointment.” Martin is receiving a grant of R500 for her daughter, “She’s 14, how much is toiletries? R500 is for toiletries. So where does she eat? Where is she getting clothing from?”
Feeling despondent and out of options Martin said: “I’m at a point now where I want to send my husband to a place where they can help him with his illness, his lungs and everything, and me and my child can go to the shelter and live there… At least at the shelter, we will be able to eat breakfast, lunch and supper.”
Martin is constantly managing her hunger, “I don’t eat [for] like four to five days. I’ll rather buy a grandpa and that will fill me and boost me for the day ahead,” she said.
Valentia Mahlaela (22), an honours in physiology student at Wits University, was a recipient of the SRD grant in 2020 and said she was only able to use the R350 for toiletries. “I used it as my allowance, especially toiletries,” she continues, adding that “I was never granted NSFAS so it helped my folks [parents] a lot.”
Universal Basic Income Grant
Pay The Grants has been campaigning for the government to implement a Universal Basic Income Grant (UBIG) of a minimum of R1500. According to Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice& Dignity Group household affordability index, the average cost of a household food basket is R5124,31.
Commenting on the need for the UBIG to be implemented Pay The Grants said, “Debts are skyrocketing and so is child malnutrition. Rising unemployment is a structural feature of the system, currently 35% overall and 70% for youth without any signs of improvement.”
The organization says that UBIG is a way to restore the basic dignity and survival of most of the country.
An infographic outlining the premise of a universal basic income grant. Infographic: Terri-Ann Brouwers
Although deeply embedded in our constitution, it is clear that a significant portion of South Africans have been left behind when it comes to accessing social grants. One would think that the mother in the Eastern Cape who killed herself and her three daughters due to the extreme poverty they endured, would be a cautionary tale to the government to not only increase the grant amount but also make it more accessible to people of working age. However, this has not been the case. The question stands – how many more tragedies must occur before all South Africans’ constitutional rights are met?
FEATURED IMAGE: South Africa is confronted with a striking dependence on social grants, yet millions have been left out of the social security system. Photo: Terri-Ann Brouwers
The Wits Postgraduate Club remembered its fallen patrons who ‘contributed to the making of The Pig what it is today’.
Family, friends and members of the Wits Postgraduate Club (the PiG) gathered for an hour-long heartwarming candle-lit memorial service to honour four of its loyal members.
About 45 people showed up at the club on Main Campus on Friday, May 19, at 19:00 to pay their respects to late Wits alumni, Ricardo Oduah, Eddie Ombagi, Percy Makholwa and Mzwakhe Ngubeni who passed away between 2020 and 2023.
Wits PhD law student and MC for the evening, Tulani Mafulela opened with a couple of jokes about the deceased, which took everyone down memory lane and lightened the mood in the room. He offered the guests drinks and urged them to treat the memorial like a party, to which they gladly obliged as they broke out in song.
“I have known our four brothers since 2016. If you speak about Ricardo, you’ll end up speaking about Eddie and if you speak about Percy, you’ll also bring up Mzwakhe. They were all close and connected that way,” said Mafulela.
The foursome had been members of the PiG since their studies and continued going until their untimely deaths. “Everyone knew them [at the club] and they deserve to be celebrated because they contributed to making the PiG what it is today,” said Flavia Kigozi who has officially been president of the club for a year.
Wits mining engineering alumnus, Ricardo Oduah, passed away on August 3, 2022, at the age of 40, from heart-related complications. Oduah, who lived in Northcliff, regularly went for checkups, however, collapsed and died at work. His wife, Nonhlanhla Ngwenya, attended the memorial but asked a family friend, Leon Okonye, to present her speech as she felt overwhelmed. She later told Wits Vuvuzela that although the service had taken her “back to square one” she was glad that the club had acknowledged Oduah.
Nonhlanhla Ngwenya and Leon Okonye celebrate the life of Ricardo Oduah at The Pig. Photo: Sfundo Parakozov
Wits PhD holder in political science and international relations, Percy Makholwa, was undergoing chemotherapy for stage-four colon cancer when he passed away in March 2023 at the age of 39.
“It was difficult being the sister of someone who was good at everything, but one of his greatest achievements was graduating at Wits,” said his 28-year-old sister, Zanele Makholwa. “When I saw him walk across that stage, I also wanted to do that and I’m glad I did,” the bachelor of nursing science honours graduate, said.
Zanele Makholwa eulogises her late brother, Percy Makholwa, at the PiG. Photo: Sfundo Parakozov
Mzwakhe Ngubeni passed away in 2020 because of a covid-19 stroke. “Mzwakhe was the biggest blow we had as a family here at the PiG. It was unexpected because he was only diagnosed on the day he passed,” said Kigozi. The mother and girlfriend of the computer science graduate could not make it to the memorial due to the travelling distance from Rustenburg, North West. The memorial was livestreamed for their benefit.
Ngubeni’s best friend, Lerato Seohatse, told the gathering that he was grateful for the service because he could not attend his friend’s funeral since he had lost his mother around the same time.
Lerato Seohatse sings a song to honour his best friend, Mzwakhe Ngubeni. Photo: Sfundo Parakozov
Another unexpected death was that of Eddie Ombagi, who graduated with a PhD in gender studies in 2019. He passed away in April 2023 at the age of 34 due to asphyxia.
Kigozi told Wits Vuvuzela that the four had all passed away at a time when members of the club could not collectively grieve or attend their funerals for various reasons, hence the memorial service.
“The idea was not for people to come and cry. The idea was to remember them and be happy that we got to share those moments with them at the PiG. That will speak to the fact that the PiG is more than just a bar and restaurant, it’s a home,” said Kigozi.
The memorial officially ended at 20:30, however, Kigozi confirmed that they had stayed well past midnight as everyone continued to reminisce about the good times spent with the deceased.
FEATURED IMAGE: The Wits Postgraduate Club members pose for a picture during the memorial service on Friday, May 19. Photo: Sfundo Parakozov
Jazz musician shares his lockdown-composed album with fans in Braamfontein
Songstress Keorapetse performing The Call at Untitled Basement on March 31, 2022. Photo: Ayanda Mgwenya
Jazz saxophonist Sisonke Xonticaptured the heart strings of young jazz enthusiasts with his first ever Joburg performance of his album, UGaba: The Migration at Untitled Basement.
Xonti composed the album during the 2020 hard lockdown, imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which left many South Africans mourning their family members who have passed, while others were left in a precarious financial position as jobs were shed.
The album consists of nine tracks that tell stories of Xonti’s life, including the trials and afflictions he phased when he moved to Johannesburg – the City of Gold – in 2013, from Khayelitsha, in the Western Cape.
Typical of the performances that take place at Untitled Basement, Xonti and his four-piece band were set up at the centre of the venue, surrounded by eager jazz fans who wanted to hear the album, live, first-hand.
His band members consisted of significant jazz maestros such as drummer Sphelelo Mazibuko, pianist Yonela Mnana, double bassist Benjamin Jephta and vocalist Keorapetse Kolwane.
Warm and dim lights hung over the musicians – adding to the soft ambience that permeated all over the entire basement.
The band started their performance with the song, The Migration Suite Part One – which is part of a collection of songs, Migration Suite Part two, three and four in the album. The songs are the essence of the album, as they depict Xonti’s endurance of the difficulties he encountered in his journey to Johannesburg. The Migration One was performed with so much emotion and depth that some audience members closed their eyes, so they could let their other senses absorb the music.
The audience was hungry for more – and Xonti delivered. They also performed Newness, which is the first track on the album. The song isa salutation to the birth of his daughter, explained Xonti to Wits Vuvuzela after his performance. Newness is a beautifully crafted prelude of the album with a significant irregular beat in the bridge, that represent the vicissitudes of life his daughter will experience and overcome. Xonti explained that Ugaba is part of his clan’s name, therefore, the project also pays tribute to his family for walking beside him in his life journey.
The seventh track, TheCall is a smooth composition with soft vocals performed by Keorapetse Kolwane. The song has a catchy melodious chorus that got the audience harmonizing and clapping their hands along with the rhythm. Other songs, like Nomalungelo and Sinivile had the audience up, dancing and singing along due to their upbeat instrumentation.
Tebogo Mohwaduba, one of the event attendees, said that an annual attendee of the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival, Xonti came onto her radar as one of the supported artists in 2020. She said, he is a music scholar, and that academic aspect of jazz comes through a lot in his songs, which she appreciates.
DJ Kenzhero, who is the co-founder of Untitled Based and organiser of Xonti’s event, said for the album to be performed at his space, for the first time, was a goal for him, especially because he is a fan of it. “With the shortage of tickets, Xonti’s show was one of the most successful shows we’ve had,” he said.
FEATURED IMAGE: Sisonke Xonti with his band performing the first track of Ugaba: The Migration. Photo: Ayanda Mgwenya
Wits University will look to increase the ways students’ knowledge and understanding of concepts are assessed, to optimise learning in 2023.
Professor Diane Grayson, senior director of academic affairs, says learning plans are a work in progress. “Using diverse forms of assessment allows us to assess a wider variety of skills, knowledge and competencies.” The university is orientating lecturers this semester on the new standing orders.
Roger De Mello Koch, a fourth-year electrical engineering student, agrees that assessment needs to be enhanced especially for online examination, saying multiple choice does not allow students to show understanding of a concept.
Wits implemented the blended learning programme after two years of remote teaching and learning due to the covid-19 pandemic. Grayson says the main problem with remote learning was students and lecturers became isolated. Brett Freeman, a lecturer in the school of mechanical, industrial and aeronautical engineering, agrees: “You don’t grow as a person socially if you [are] sitting in your bedroom listening to lectures.”
Students sitting and standing in a full SH6 lecture hall during in-person lectures. Photo: Aarti Bhana
Students who experienced in-person, remote and blended learning agreed that the lack of social interaction hampered their learning. De Mello Koch says online lecturing results in less engagement because students are not forced to engage with the material as at an in-person lecture.
Computer science honours student, Sonia Bullah, believes the blended learning programme needs to be developed further to assist with revision. “It would be really beneficial to record in-person lectures and post them online later,” she says.
Both De Mello Koch and Bullah said students of the future should always look to ask for help if they do not understand a concept. De Mello Koch adds: “Often other students can provide more clarity on something you are struggling with as they will explain it in a different way that may make more sense.”
FEATURED IMAGE: Second year chemical engineering student works through a blended learning lab. Photo: Colin Hugo
With the majority of the Wits community vaccinated, it seems the university has been able to successfully implement its vaccine policy within a short number of weeks.
Will we ever have peace and friendship within and across our borders? In this episode of We Should Be Writing, the Vuvu team takes on the final promise of the Freedom Charter: There shall be peace and friendship. We unpack how this vision clashes with the growing issue of xenophobia in South Africa today. Our guests […]
