HEARTBEAT: The contraceptive pill that Thokozane Dyosini believes contributed to her heart attack. Photo: Provided
Monday August 11: Thokozane Dyosini started feeling light-headed. She attended lectures, but saw her general practitioner, who told her she was stressed and anxious. He prescribed vitamins and rest.
Tuesday August 12: The 23-year-old fourth year education student woke up feeling slightly better, but worse when she walked across campus. After climbing a flight of stairs, she sat down to rest with her head on her arms.
It was then that she dropped to the ground with a full-blown heart attack. Dyosini later discovered she had been having a heart attack since the day before. By Tuesday, when she fainted, it had reached its deadliest stage. She was told by her doctors that the oral contraceptive she was taking to regulate her periods, Yaz, may have contributed to a pulmonary embolism, which could then have led to her heart attack. The doctors added that a pulmonary embolism is a blood clot, which reaches the lungs and blocks blood flow. This could result in a heart attack or other serious medical problems.
According to retired gynaecologist Dr Ronald Levine taking the pill did increase your chance of having a blood clot. There was a significant statistical change, in that the pill could create a two or three-fold increase in your chances of getting a clot. There was some research to show that Yaz was associated with a slightly higher chance of blood clots than other drugs, he added. However, people who suffered clots often had a predisposition. This could be a genetic tendency or it could be associated with immobility, recent surgery, smoking and other causes.
“It doesn’t mean that every women that uses the pill will get a blood clot.”
Dyosini had been taking Yaz for a month and two weeks prior to the heart attack. It was prescribed by her gynaecologist at Park Lane Hospital, but she is now against the use of the drug.
“I don’t like it, I don’t recommend any woman to take it for any reason,” she said.
Dyosini is expected back at university in early October in order to finish her degree this year. She believes she was lucky and that circumstances played in her favour.
She is unsure of what action she can take against Bayer Pharmaceutical Company, who produce Yaz, since the package insert does list clotting as a possible side effect to the drug.
CAPTAIN’S DUEL: Sibusiso Vilakazi battles for the ball with Maritzburg United captain Ashley Hartog in a match which saw the Clever Boys create multiple chances but manage to only score a solitary goal. Photo: Luca Kotton
Bidvest Wits beat Maritzburg United by a solitary goal to remain unbeaten in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) at Bidvest Stadium this evening.
The Clever Boys started the match with a number of new players and managed to create multiple scoring opportunities but ended the game with little to show for it apart from the goal of Sthembiso Ngcobo.
The change in formation with no wingers in midfield and two strikers upfront seemed to challenge the home side’s creativity.
Gavin Hunt, Bidvest Wits coach told Wits Vuvuzela after the match:”To play with two strikers you have to play with no width, so we played with no width today although on Sunday we tried and we just got burnt.”
Phumlani Ntshangase played his first game of the season for the Clever Boys, received the man of the match award along with weighty praise from the coach.
“He was the difference in the team, he was fantastic … I should have put him in a long time ago bit obviously he was suspended in the beginning of the season and now he can come in,” Hunt said.
Cornelis Kwakman, a Wits defender, also played his first game since arriving from the Netherlands and kept a clean sheet for his team, putting himself in strong contention for selection as the team’s main centre back.
Kwakman told Wits Vuvuzela: “The teams performance was very good, if you saw the pitch it was very difficult to play. We had a lot of chances today, I have not seen more chances for the team this whole season.”
The Clever Boys face Orlando Pirates in the second leg of the MTN8 at Orlando Stadium this Saturday with a two goal deficit working against them.
Ruth First, a South African journalist, activist and former Witsie was assassinated 32 years ago, yesterday. Every year, Wits awards a fellowship in her name, to address the need for in-depth reporting on social issues. Wits Vuvuzela spoke to this year’s fellow and others about the impact of the fellowship on communities around the country.
CHASING DOWN: Buhle Mkhwanazi of Bidvest Wits watches Kermit Erasmus run past him during their MTN8 semi-final clash. The Clever boys are chasing Pirates after the Buccaneers took a two goal lead in the two match tie. Photo: Luca Kotton
Orlando Pirates outsmarted the Clever Boys in a 2-0 victory at a packed Bidvest Stadium earlier this afternoon.
The win leaves Pirates in a commanding position over Bidvest Wits in the two-leg MTN8 semi-final.
The Buccaneers tactically looked stronger than the home team with ample goal-scoring opportunities and a very tight defence.
Pirates coach, Vladimir Vermezovic told Wits Vuvuzela,”Every game is a battle on the field, at the end of the day everything depends on players. We as coaches can prepare strategy and tactical approach but everything depends on them. Fortunately , the players did everything we told them before the game.”
The match started in typical fashion for both top-placed Premier League sides with Pirates dominating possession but unable to create any telling opportunities.
The first half ended scoreless but early in the second half, a Daine Klate corner-kick was met by the head of Orlando Pirates captain Siyabonga Sangweni for the first goal of the match.
After the goal, Bidvest Wits pushed for the equaliser, however, after missing a golden chance to score in the Pirates box, the away side countered with more pace and pressure.
Thabo Matlaba netted the second for the Buccaneers, with a composed finish past the helpless Thapelo “Jackson” Mabokgwane who was left one-on-one with the Pirates defender.
The game ended with Bidvest Wits unable to break down the defence of Vermezovic’s men who held the score at 2-0.
Bidvest Wits will travel to Orlando Stadium next week Saturday with a mountain of a two-goal deficit to to climb.
Vermezovich added,” We realise that 2-0 is a very dangerous result and Wits is also a very strong team and we won’t underestimate them, after today’s result.”
WONDER KID: Attacking player Liam Jordan has attracted interest overseas, he arrived back in South Africa this week to continue training with Bidvest Wits first team. Photo: Provided
SIXTEEN-year-old Liam Jordan, the youngest player to sign a first team contract in the Premier Soccer League (PSL), shows a maturity beyond his years when he talks about recent personal hardships and how he got to where he is in his career.
Bidvest Wits have invested in Jordan’s future. He is a South African born youngster who played football in New Zealand for most of his life before coming back to Johannesburg from where he hails. Jordan started playing at Edenvale Football Club in the east of Johannesburg at the age of four. His mother and father moved to New Zealand in 2004, and Liam played football in the country for nine years at East Coast Bays, Albany United and Onehunga Sports. He also played at an academy called Wynrs.
The versatile attacking player’s famous father, Keryn Jordan, was a prolific goal scorer and started his career at Manning Rangers, scoring 52 goals in 94 starts for Rangers. He moved to New Zealand to play for Auckland City where he scored 76 goals in 100 games. Despite his goal scoring prowess he only managed one cap for Bafana Bafana in a 2-1 win over Botswana in 2009. Fourteen years to the day, Jordan was diagnosed with cancer and passed away late last year after a long battle with the disease.
“My father taught me everything that I know, about the do’s and don’ts, on and off the field. We had so many one-on-one trainings, tears and laughs, I have lost count but those were the trainings that built me as a player and a person. My father is my inspiration every day to do better and I want to play professionally one day for both of us,” Jordan said.
Jordan recently has played for Brondby, a Danish club which has been linked to Bidvest Wits captain Sibusiso Vilakazi for over a year. Brondby asked Bidvest Wits for five of their youth players to train with them while in Denmark and three of the Clever Boys were given extra attention from the Danish club.
Liam Jordan and Marcelo Mendes stayed on in Europe with Brondby to play another tournament in Holland, where the two boys impressed as the Danish outfit went all the way to the final of the tournament, losing out to Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The third player, Thabang Mufamadi, is expected to join Brondby next week for a period of three months, on a trial basis.
Jordan relished his experience in Europe. “Of course I want to play in Europe one day; whether or not I can stay here, I am not entirely sure.”
Bidvest Wits coach, Gavin Hunt said Jordan had a role to play this season for the Clever Boys and would definitely play.
He arrived back in South Africa this week and has been given time off training to recover after two overseas tournaments with Bidvest Wits and Brondby FC.
Low night shift allowances for Campus Control are allegedly leading to increased absenteeism among security guards—and putting students in danger.
Security guards are paid a monthly night shift allowance of R203.94.
They work seven night shifts a month, each of which are 12 hours long. This means they are paid about R29 per night shift in addition to their basic salary.
Chairperson of the Wits branch of the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) Nnwamato Sadiki said the low allowance and long hours have started a trend of absenteeism amongst security guards working the night shift.
“Each and every shift you cannot find people that are on shift, some of them are reporting they are sick and some of them are reporting that they are not interested in coming due to various reasons,” said Sadiki.
Campus Control security guards are meant to be posted in the Braamfontein area for the protection of students who live in the area.
Campus Control liaison manager Lucky Khumela said security guards did take off work for sick leave or other reasons. He could not say whether there was increased absenteeism due to unhappiness with the night shift allowance.
“I cannot say no or it’s not a problem that has been identified yet because you find that people get sick or they need to get off work,” Khumela said.
UNDER WAGE: Guards from Wits campus control are unhappy with their night shift allowance. Wits union leader, Nnwamato Sadiki, says guards are earning an extra R203.94 for the seven night shifts they are required to do per month. They want R272. Photo Anazi Zote
“I have never really heard of any issue that workers are reluctant to come to work because of low pay. Wits University is competitive when it comes to campus security companies especially in comparison to other universities,” he said.
However, Wits Vuvuzela reporters who live in the area have noticed a lack of visible Campus Control security guards. Many students also said they felt unsafe in the area, especially when they stay late at school to complete their assignments and study for exams.
Matsepo Khumalo, 1st year BA in Dramatic Arts, said she feels unsafe in Braamfontein without security guards.
“I witnessed a mugging outside Bridgeview and that is relatively close to campus. It is really scary to think that you can be mugged near campus … It would be nice to just walk freely,” Khumalo said.
Khumalo told Wits Vuvuzela that while Campus Control was short-staffed, shifts were adequately staffed even after security guards call in sick.
“Although we are we are very short-staffed we are fortunate that we have security officers who stay around Braamfontein and some of them stay on campus. Whenever someone books off sick another security guard will come to replace him,” Khumela said.
Sadiki said the safety of students could be comprised because security guards are not motivated to work.
“We can’t say we need to compromise the lives of the students but if we are not getting enough of what we deserve and of what we have worked for, it can bring the morale down,” Sadiki said.
Deputy chairperson of Wits Nehawu Billy Cebekhulu said the disputes over the night shift allowance has been going on since 2009.
According to a Wits human resources memorandum sent to Nehawu in March of this year, management acknowledged that the night shift allowance had not increased for six years to 2008 from 2002. It said the night allowance “remained constant for reasons of security industry compliance.”
However, management said that while the allowance was fixed, the total pay package for security guards increased “without fail” every year.
Khumela denied that Campus Control security guards were underpaid.
“Wits University pay their security well and if that was not the case there would be no security guards on campus,” said Khumela.
But Cebekhulu told Wits Vuvuzela that Wits security guards were receiving lower night allowances when compared to the University of Johannesburg.
Sadiki said the security guards believe they are also receiving lower pay packages when compared to other service staff at Wits. He feels Campus Control are not being treated equally to the people they are protecting.
“I am disappointed in Wits because I thought it was an institution with a good reputation since it produced intellectual students.
“They are getting exposure from green pastures everywhere but they forget the environment of working classes, which is the security officers on campus, is deteriorating,” Sadiki said.
Nehawu said they were planning on taking action with regards to the night shift allowances to upper management at Wits.
HAPPY PEOPLE: A small crowd of around 20 Bidvest Wits fans watched the game at Lucas Moripe Stadium. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
The new football season kicked off on Friday and last night, The Clever Boys bagged their first three points with a win over Supersports United at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria.
Bidvest Wits started the season off in ideal fashion bagging three points in their 1-0 win.
S’thembiso Ngcobo bagged a second half penalty when captain Sibusiso Vilakazi was brought down in the box after a clumsy challenge by Supersports United’s new signing Michael Morton, previously of Maritzburg United.
The penalty was converted nervously by the Wits striker after hitting the upright and the ball just making it past the Supersport goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
The Clever boys goalkeeper Jackson Mabokgwane was the hero for the night as he made a flurry of saves to keep the Supersport attack at bay. Mabokgwane was rewarded for his efforts with the man of the match award.
Giorgi Nergadze made his first appearance for Bidvest Wits after finally sorting out issues with his work permit. The problem has persisted throughout the Premier Soccer League (PSL) with many overseas players missing out on their new teams first games.
Bidvest Wits will face the University of Pretoria in a home derby on Tuesday night.
DERBY DAY: Vice-chancellor Prof Adam Habib and Bidvest Wits Coach Gavin Hunt swopped pleasantries as the Clever Boys prepare for their derby clash with TUKS. Photo: Luca Kotton
EXTRA-curricular activities, including sports should not be an extra cost to students,according to Wits Vice-chancellor Prof Adam Habib.
“I would like to stop charging fees for sports … [Now] you have to pay for accessing basic recreational sports, maybe if you play high performance sports it’s a different matter but recreational sports should be open access in the fees,” Habib said.
Habib made his comments at a jersey handover ceremony with Wits Clever Boys coach Gavin Hunt.
SRC president Shafee Verachia told Wits Vuvuzela that the discussion to end fees for extra-curricular clubs and societies has already begun.
“We already started this discussion with [Deputy Vice-chancellor] Prof Tawana Kupe and it’s not only sports it’s also the various other clubs and societies,”
“The extra out classroom activities are not accessible to most of our students. Students on bursaries, National Student Financial Aid Scheme and student loans are affected because all these structures don’t include
extra-curricular activities in their payments,”Verachia added.
Habib said the university’s current fee structure was confusing and should be simplified.
“You must be a PhD student to understand our fees structure because you have the fee, then for the course and for the club and society,” Habib said.
He added that when he went to university there was only a single fee that included extra-curricular clubs and societies.
“If somebody wants to play tennis or do cross country then we shouldn’t be charging them for the basic stuff , the infrastructure is there and it’s not costing anything so why should we be charging,” Habib said.
Past the costly E-toll gantreys on the Golden Highway, just 500 metres beyond the bright lights of the MacDonald’s and the Woolworths, lie the dark streets of Thembelihle.
Packs of dogs scramble for food scraps among the empty bottles and tin cans that litter the dirt roads. Smoke carries the odour of burnt plastic and cooking fires, as people prepare for their day.
SURROUNDINGS: Smoke, dust and rubbish line the streets outside the houses of people living in the informal settlement. Photo: Luke Matthews
Figures appeared on doorsteps with brooms, sweeping the dusty entrances to their houses. Despite the poverty, their pride of ownership is evident.
PRIDE IN THEMSELVES: Two men on their way to sell their home made brooms on the street, any job will do as unemployment is a real problem in the community. Photo: Luke Matthews
The people of Thembelihle have never been provided with legal electricity or running water. They pooled their money to buy a tap for each yard. Portable toilets have been brought in, but they leak sewage into the streets, where children play.
SEWERAGE: A little girl sits on the dusty roads with waste that has leaked from the toilets laying in front of her. Photo: Luca Kotton
A stone’s throw from this informal settlement which lacks all infrastructure, lies the built-up suburb of Lenasia, with fully equipped schools, sports facilities, shopping centres and private healthcare.
Tembelihle has been waging a decade-long battle with local government over the implementation of electricity. Recent protests have turned violent. Electricity boxes in surrounding suburbs were burnt down. Only a few days later, new boxes were installed. Yet still, Tembelihle remains without.
DESPERATION: Live wires running electricity from neighbouring suburbs run through fields and past homes. Photo: Luca Kotton
“We are not wanted here,” said a community leader and member of the Thembelihle Crisis Committee, who asked not to be named. “There’s an undertone of racism from the people of the suburbs.”
Desperation has caused the community to run power illegally from electricity boxes in the outer areas. The wires run across fields and past houses to provide the community with sparse light from sporadic lamps and outside lights.
The children wear gumboots at the slightest sign of rain. Everyone knows the story of the small boy who was electrocuted during a summer downfall.
BROTHERS: The children face the challenge of being electrocuted on a daily basis, enough of a fear to scare any parent. Photo: Luca Kotton
Along the row of houses, a young child with an infectious laugh appears. Bright, named by the people of Thembelihle is only two, but can speak in perfect sentences and run errands for his mother.
BRIGHT: A child of Thembelihle. Photo: Luca Kotton
Given a few coins, Bright ran to the shop to buy himself sweets. Bright represents the future of his community, a future they hope will provide him and the other children with opportunities – the kind of opportunities that come with electricity and an effective infrastructure.
LIFE GOES ON: Bright is too young to understand the problems that exist in Thembelihle, the smile and energy he portrays is not echoed through the older generation. Photo: Luca Kotton
ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END: Bloem Celtic team mates consoling tearful Limbikani Mzava after his penalty was saved by Mabokgwane, seeing The Clever Boys advance to the semi-finals with a 4-3 score. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
By Nqobile Dludla and Luca Kotton
Bivest Wits advanced to the semi-finals of the season’s first big tournament after trashing Bloemfontein Celtic 4-3 on penalties at the Bidvest Stadium on Friday night.
Wits goalkeeper Jackson Mabokgwane won the game for the Clever Boys bysaving an attempt from Celtic’s Limbikani Mzava with the game at 4-3 in the MTN8 tournament. The match ended goalless after 120 minutes of play.
First to take the penalty from The Clever Boys was newly signed midfielder Dillon Sheppard who sent Bloem Celtic goalkeeper, Patrick Tignyemb flying the opposite direction giving his team a 1-0 lead.
Trying to catch up to The Clever Boys, Alfred Ndengane’s attempt was quickly deflected by Mabokgwane leaving the penalty score at 1-0.
Toriq Losper and Relato Lamola both added to the scoreboard, putting Bidvest Wits 2-1 over Celtic.
Despite the the crowd cheering on Clever Boys captain Sibusiso Vilakazi as he prepared to take a shot at penalty, he was denied by Tignyemb allowing Celtic to recover to 2-2 after Musa Lakay slotted his shot in. But Sthembiso Ngcobo quickly advanced the home team, earning Wits a 3-2 lead.
The unavoidable scoring machine, Joel Mogorosi caught up with The Clever Boys, equalising the score. While Phunya Sele Sele were still enjoying the equal scoreline, Onismor Bhasera sent Tignyemb flying the opposite direction, putting The Clever Boys in the lead with 4-3.
The goalless draw
The opening half saw Bidvest Wits failing to capitalise on promising goal opportunities. New defender Buhle Mkhwanazi’s header failed to materialise after receiving a corner kick from man of the match, Toriq Losper, sending it well wide.
While a failed free kick from Jabulani Shongwe had Bloem Celtic goalkeeper, Tignyemb reminding The Clever Boys why he is the best at what he does, the Witsies maintained pressure on the Bloem Celtic back line.
Coming in for a rebound, Losper’s header was denied by Tignyemb after receiving a well angled pass from Henrico Botes.
Bidvest Wits’ were often awarded corner kicks much to the frustration of Bloem Celtic coach, Ernst Middendorp, who spent a good part of the match jumping up and down on the sidelines and punching the air in frustration.
“There were a lot of fouls from Wits to which the referee refused to take notice of”, Middendorp said after the match.
Despite Midderndorp’s frustration, Bloem Celtic’s Ruben Cloete managed to break the Clever Boys back line only to have his attempt fly over the top of Mabokgwane’s goal post.
While the game gained momentum towards the dying minutes of the second half, the score still stood at 0-0 at stoppage time witnessing the game move into 30 minutes of extra time.
Bidvest Wits coach, Gavin Hunt told Wits Vuvuzela after the match: “We had a couple of opportunities and they [Bloem Celtic] also had a good couple of opportunities. I thought they battled well; they worked hard and outfought us but we stuck and held our ground”.
SHOW ME THE MONEY: Wits students can start saving for next year as there is a proposed increase to the upfront payment fee. Photo: Luca Kotton
Witsies are going to have dig deeper into their pockets in 2015 with the proposed upfront payment fee increasing to R10 270.00.
The fee, currently at R9340.00, entails a R930.00 increase which is needed by Wits according to university registrar, Carol Crosley. “The universities costs at the beginning of the year are very high,” she said. Crosley added that the registration fee was needed largely due to the department of higher education only providing a portion of their funding at the beginning of April every year and the rest during the start of September.
The SRC (Student Representative Council), though believes the fee is too high and remains opposed to the proposed increase. Shafee Verachia, SRC president said, “We are in the process of doing extensive modelling to see what the process of that upfront payment purpose is and our opposition is that it is to exorbitant and should remain the same. Relative to our peers the upfront fee payment is ridiculous.”
Two years ago Wits started an Upfront Payment Plan (UPP) for students who couldn’t afford the initial registration fee. The students utilising the UPP would only pay half of the registration fee and would still be able to register, the rest of the registration fees would go on their fee statement and could be paid off during the year.
Students on bursaries would have their registration fees waived if a letter by the donor was received by Wits and would then be expected to pay the full tuition fee by 31 March.
School-leavers entering Wits for the first time could avoid paying the registration fee all together if their Grade 12 results were sufficient to secure a university entrance scholarship, which would cover the registration fee in some cases.
Professor Tawana Kupe, deputy vice-chancellor (finance) of the university, told Wits Vuvuzela that the “university finances are stable but the university does not have the funds to do everything it wants to do.”
Typically the upfront fee payment increases by the agreed percentage fee increase for the following academic year, which needs to go through various structures and be approved by the university council, the higest decision-making body in the university.
From the Sidelines is a podcast that uncovers the realities of building a career in football journalism, focusing on the ups and downs of breaking into this competitive field. In second episode, we sit down with Mazola Molefe, a highly acclaimed South African sports journalist known for his impactful coverage and respected voice in the […]
