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 Caro Malherbe | Mar 15, 2013 | News
Head of Department of Political Studies, Prof Daryl Glaser
POLITICAL Studies students have welcomed a letter from their department addressing sexual harassment allegations but worry the information is too little, too late.
Students who spoke to Wits Vuvuzela said that they are pleased the department has decided to speak out about sexual harassment allegations around former head of department Prof Rupert Taylor but are unhappy about being left in the dark for so long.
Pearl Pillay, a politics studies honours student, said: “I am glad about the letter; I am glad that the department has chosen to be open with the students. It’s sad that it is an ‘at least’ situation, but at least they are doing something.”
Many shared the feeling that the department only came forward because of outcry following allegations against senior Drama lecturer Tsepo wa Mamatu.
“The letter was just a reactionary response that they felt they had to do,” said third year politics student Lerato Machaba.
Muziwandile Sangweni, 3rd year politics, said that more speculation was created because no information was provided from the department.
“I think the department handled it badly by being hush-hush. If they explained to us then we could have understood what was going on.”
Machaba said that if the politics department was legally bound from releasing information, they still should have made students aware of sexual harassment within the department and made provision for any students who wanted to come forward and report on the matter.
“It could have been anonymous,” said Machaba.
The students were responding to an open letter released on Monday by the Political Studies department regarding their approach to sexual harassment.
The department wrote that they are “deeply disappointed” by the action taken by the Wits Legal Office following allegations of sexual harassment made by Wits Vuvuzela, last year.
Political Studies alleges that the reason no information was given to students about why Taylor stepped down as head of department because the Legal Office had advised them not to take action.
“When Prof Taylor stepped down, we were explicitly instructed not to say anything about why there was a new head of department. When we raised the prospect of discussing sexual harassment with our students, we were expressly forbidden from doing so, as it might compromise the investigation,” said the open letter.
The politics department said they were “frustrated” by the lack of action taken by the Legal Office and that their response “suggest a desire to avoid grappling with the full dimensions of this critical issue and feel that a general inquiry primarily focusing upon general policy and procedure is inadequate.”
“When our students wanted to hold a public meeting to exchange experiences and handling of sexual harassment on campus, they were informed that no persons or departments could be named, that it could only take the form of a protest,” the letter read.
by Stephanie Hodes | Aug 11, 2011 | News
After failing to secure any seats in last year’s election, the DA Students Organisation (Daso) has vowed to make a come back.
With 13 candidates put forward to run in this election, Daso chairperson Nazley Sharif says she is confident Daso will win seats on the 2012 SRC.
“Despite not having seats last year, we have continued to fight for student rights and fearlessly represent the interests of our students,” Sharif says.
“We are confident that more and more students see Daso as a vehicle to realise positive and constructive change on this campus.”
Daso’s fiercest competition will come from the Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) who managed to secure all 15 seats in last year’s election. But Daso appears undeterred.
“The PYA represents the interests of a closed group of students and has displayed extreme political bias, particularly during the local government election campaign period,” says Sharif
“Daso has no doubt that, given the chance, we could reverse this trend and transform the SRC into the open, responsive and accountable forum it needs to be.”
Sharif says Daso’s manifesto will focus on issues directly related to students such as parking, security, services at res and transparency within management.
“Voters deserve to know the action plans and activities of those whom they have elected, thus Daso will strive for openness and accountability in all matters. We aim to bring the SRC closer to students and make it more responsive to students needs.”
