More than 85 protea bushes in the nature reserve have fallen victim to a mysterious attacker.
The race is on for researchers to save the protea bushes of the Melville Koppies nature reserve from being wiped out completely by an unknown, undocumented natural force.
On Sunday, April 16, a group of 10 local volunteers and researchers from Wits and the University of Johannesburg (UJ) gathered to spray a mixture of soap, methylated spirits and cooking oil on the Koppies protea bushes to kill an unidentified insect believed to be killing the plants. The mixture was created through trial and error by the nature reserve’s conservation committee, and seems to have had positive results in recent weeks.
According to Jessica Howard, a third-year BSc student at UJ doing research on the Koppies proteas, the 85 identified dying protea bushes all appear to suffer from the same ashy black substance on the back of the leaves and the presence of a mysterious, unknown insect.
Because little is known about the insect, student research has focused on trying to understand and identify the suspect. “We think that it could be an unknown, under-researched or exotic psyllid (lerp), part of the Psyllidae family under the Aphidoidea superfamily,” Howard said. Similar to mosquitoes, these insects suck the life out of the host plant to survive.
A sign of infection among a cluster of proteas at the Melville Koppies is eggs of an unknown insect on the leaves. Photo: Kimberley Kersten
Tam Scheideger, head of conservation at the Melville Koppies watched the infection rapidly spread. “In October [2022] there was one tree in a cluster that was infected and by April [2023], 25 trees in that cluster had become infected.”
The infection is mostly affecting the north side of the park but has recently spread to the ridge and the south-facing side, threatening to infect every Protea caffra in the park. “It seems that once a protea is infected, it takes around a year for it to completely die,” said Howard.
The start of the infection is difficult to spot. The noticeable difference between healthy plants and infected plants is the blackness on the back of the protea leaves and small, brown bumps on the leaves of the plant, in which the eggs of the insect can be found. However, once the infection takes over, the bushes turn black, shrivel up and die. These can be spotted throughout the north side of the park.
According to the Melville Koppies website, the nature reserve is a well-used tool for teaching and learning at Wits. According to volunteers at the park, departments which utilise the Koppies include the geology department as well as the departments of archaeology and of animal plant and environmental sciences.
Student researchers such as Howard hope that DNA from surviving plants can be used to develop a cure for the disease, but this will take time and will depend on getting to the root cause of the deaths.
FEATURED IMAGE: A volunteer sprays an infected protea bush at the Melville Koppies with a special mix of insecticide on Sunday, April 16, 2023. Photo: Kimberley Kersten
After discovering the root of my depression and anxiety, it became clear why stress is referred to as “the silent killer”.
At only 20 years old, I found myself sitting on my bed with a handful of pills ready to take my own life. I was tired of how I was feeling, and I wanted it to end.
Two years earlier, in 2016, I had taken a gap year after I did not get accepted into any university I had applied to. I was embarrassed because in my community there is a stigma attached to taking a gap year.
I was constantly being asked: “What are you doing with your life now?” and “Doing nothing this year will make you lazy.” While at a funeral, grieving, someone said, “Your brother didn’t take a gap year, so why are you?”
This constant comparisons to my brother who went to university straight out of school hit me hard. So did seeing my peers move forward while I felt stagnant, and constantly feeling as if I was disappointing my parents. I started doing admin work at our church office and applied again. I eventually got accepted in 2017 for a higher certificate in journalism.
I could have gone on to work as a journalist, but my plan was always to get an undergraduate degree first. When I received a rejection letter from UCT, I remember feeling embarrassed and like a failure again. Fortunately, I was admitted for an undergraduate degree in copywriting at Vega.
Within the first two weeks I knew the course was not for me, but I decided to complete the year and switch to a different university or degree programme the following year. As time went on, I found myself feeling sad and angry all the time and going to class made me feel so anxious, I would cry every day.
My breaking point came the day I received my mark for an assignment that I had worked on day and night – 37%. After that soul-crushing moment, I left campus early without telling anyone, and stopped at two different pharmacies to get as many pills as I could.
As I sat on my bed later, the stress of dropping out was too much. So was the stress of continuing with the programme. I was ready to end my life. At that very moment, a friend messaged me: “Are you okay?” I am alive today because of that message.
Since then, there have been a few more instances when I have felt the only way out was to take my own life. In 2022 I started seeing a psychologist and psychiatrist. What came out of these sessions was not only an ADHD diagnosis, but the fact that I have clinical depression and general anxiety disorder.
The root cause of my mental illnesses was revealed as stress. In the sessions with my therapist, we found a pattern. Whenever life became what felt like unbearably stressful, I would reach such a low that I would only see suicide as the only way out. This discovery is what saved me.
The constant stress I had been under since 2016 had taken its toll on me mentally. I realised that I had suppressed my emotions because life was stressful for everyone, and I thought not being able to handle the pressure would make me seem weak.
Looking back, there are many things I would do differently. I would pay attention to the feelings of hopelessness and the lows that were not just a bad day but would stay constantly with me.
A clinical professor at Brown University, Carol Landau says that the impact of stress on depression is “one of the most important problems of our time”. I would like to echo her sentiments and add that it is one that we should treat with the seriousness it requires.
A non-profit initiative wants to help humanities students graduate regardless of historic debt.
Each year as graduations roll around, some students watch on despondently, knowing they will miss theirs because of fees owed to the university. A group of professionals is looking to put an end to that for some.
The Canon Collins Thekgo Bursary promotes access to higher education and has been assisting students with debt to cover the shortfall needed to get them their academic records.
Graduates patiently waiting for the end of the ceremony. Photo: Colin Hugo/File
One of the founding members of the initiative, Grace Musila told Wits Vuvuzela that the bursary only covers R10 000 of student debt and that humanities students are the focus as funding options remain minimal for these students.
Musila said this year, they are covering students in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and Northwest who have completed their studies. Selection criteria includes academic performance, community participation and financial need.
“Our aim is to support such students to release their academic certificates so they can proceed with other plans, whether that is [to] further[their] studies or pursue employment opportunities,” Musila said.
Wits University senior manager of financial accounting Amanda Kort told Wits Vuvuzela that the number of students who are eligible to graduate this year but will not be able to due to outstanding debt was estimated to be at 2800 with a total debt of R138m.
Kort said that students with a gross household income of less than R600 000 per annum are assisted by the university. “These students may sign an acknowledgement of debt if they owe less than R15 000 and may enter into a payment arrangement to make payment after they have started working.”
Wits has a Discretionary Fund which students are advised to apply for. Kort said although funding is not guaranteed, the university can match students with the financial need to donor’s requirements.
For this year, applications for the bursary will close on April 26, and can be submitted here.
FEATURED IMAGE: Wits Chancellor, Dr Judy Dlamini commences the ceremony. Photo: Colin Hugo/file
Milk the Beloved Country is a provocative historical exploration of South Africa’s past and present.
“I am not just reflecting on certain key episodes in our country’s story, I am at the same time questioning things that, to an extent, have not received the contemplation and deliberation they deserved.”
It has been just over a month since South African author and Wits business school graduate Sihle Khumalo’s book, Milk the Beloved Country hit the shelves in bookstores and e-commerce sites.
The subject of Khumalo’s newest book is a hybrid of travel and history, which begins by exploring the landmarks and names of South Africa through a historical lens. The book reflects on South Africa’s history and asks, “how did we get here?”
Ntokozo Ndlovu, South African Facebook book reviewer said the “interesting part of this book is about the naming of towns and cities” which makes for “thought provoking history”. An impressed Ndlovu said, “[Khumalo] is incapable of writing a boring sentence.”
The author’s approach to non-fiction utilises irony and humour as Khumalo mixes historical fact with myth, anecdote and controversial opinion. With discussions such as the failure of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), filling in gaps in South Africa’s colonial history and a name-and-shame approach to dealing with powerful groups such as the Broederbond, Khumalo confronts the reader with an uncomfortable deep dive into some of the issues which have been skimmed over in modern texts.
The image of the past which comes to life on the pages of this book is a multicultural, multifaceted history which describes our complex nation in a way that a chronological, fact-based timeline could not do, although the author’s interrupting and digressive style can at times be difficult to follow. As Khumalo writes, “History, like life, is complicated.”
In the context of South African history, Khumalo’s book is a refreshing antithesis to previous historical analyses of South Africa which tended to fall either on the side of Afrikaner nationalism (pre-1994) or African nationalism (post-1994) which discredited counter-ideologies and portrayed the historical as natural and inevitable. Khumalo examines the ifs, buts and maybes and the various available perspectives on the past.
The book also discusses the “power brokers” of our nation, including the heavy influence of the Broederbond during apartheid South Africa, the influence of communism in the formation of a new South Africa and the legacy of freemasonry in South Africa. Each of the topics are explored with nuance and a colloquial, conversational style.
Khumalo clearly is not afraid to hold up a mirror to our, as he calls it, “perfect-from-a-distance-but-very-structurally-shaky-rainbow nation” and explains in detail who is responsible for the situation we find ourselves in today.
In reflection on the text, Khumalo asks vital questions such as, “When did the feeding frenzy on state resources begin?” to which he answers that South Africa’s corruption and nepotism problems extend so far back in its history, one might believe “we have always been led by rogues”.
In an interview with Polity, Khumalo said that his reason for writing this book is that he believes it is time, “to have open, frank conversations about the state of the nation…It is time that we hold our leaders responsible.”
Throughout the book, the danger of leaving out certain histories in favour of upholding the image of a rainbow nation is criticized by Khumalo, who writes, “Due to our obsession with the ‘rainbow nation’…and all those fluffy terms, we lose endless opportunities for having genuine national conversations and instead end up putting lipstick on a pig.” Khumalo’s retrospective on South Africa examines the whole pig in a witty and daring way.
Copies of the book are available online for R300 in its paperback form on Loot, and Takealot.
Vuvu rating: 7.5/10
FEATURED IMAGE: Sihle Khumalo’s Milk the Beloved Country soft cover. Photo: Kimberley Kersten
Reading enables me to escape the confusing and confining circumstances of my own world through gaining a deeper understanding of others.
Literature has always been my escape from everyday life, and when I do face real people, it is also the reason that I resist judging a book by its cover, so to speak.
When life becomes hard for me, such as in 2020 when the covid-19 pandemic trapped me within the walls of my house and I experienced grief for loved ones and family members, I turned to books to escape. Sometimes the characters I used to escape were heroes who looked at the world and tried to make it better. Other times, the characters I read were villains. However, when I read a story, even one whose main character was someone who did bad things, I still grew to understand them, sometimes even root for them. In escaping from the confusing and confining world of my own, I entered the world of others.
A 2012 study by researchers from Dalton State College and Converse College in the US, explains the phenomenon of ‘rooting for the bad guy’. Richard Keen, Monica Powell McCoy and Elizabeth Powell examined how narratives make readers feel empathy. The study used psychological concepts and linked them to literature to conclude that literature makes us feel so deeply for characters because we are given a first-person perspective into their lives and so we avoid blaming actions on the characters themselves but rather blame their circumstances. This is similar to the perspective we take on when examining our own actions. We judge our actions by blaming things outside of our control and rarely blame our own internal thoughts and values for wrongdoings.
Getting lost in these characters has shown me how stories have the potential to make us understand the most incomprehensible situations. Later in life, when covid-19 released its deadlock on our lives, I came across people I couldn’t see eye to eye with, people who hurt me or made me feel inferior but, I had learnt that behind every one of these people who seemed incomprehensible to me, there was a whole story that had led them to where they were. I could not judge them for how they treated me without keeping in mind the villains that I grew to know and love through books. Stories made me feel mercy and empathy in the judgement of the most despicable characters, in books and in life. As there will always be people who hurt me in some way or other, this is something that I like to think I carry with me through life.
As a journalism student and an avid news reader, I notice how often the world and the press in particular refer to people who have done bad things, as bad people. There is little room to explain how factors beyond their control lead people to where they find themselves in the latest gossip or news article. I believe literature is such a valuable art form because through it, while escaping from my own life, I have entered the lives of others and lived how they have lived. It is so important to keep in mind that we judge the actions of others differently to how we judge ourselves, unless we know their whole story. But there is always a whole story. I hope to carry this idea into my own practice of journalism and avoid creating two dimensional characters out of multi-dimensional people.
The Wits University’s rowing club has their sights set on a strong end to the 2023 season.
The Wits Rowing club has made it to the fifth out of 10 positions at the University Sports South Africa rowing sprint championships at Mis Verstand dam, in Cape Town this past weekend.
Wits rowing chairperson Malose Makwea and Jason Westman won gold in the men’s lightweight pair category, in a time of 3 mins and 36 secs. The lightweight category allows for each contestant to weigh 70kgs, and there is no person steering (coxswain). The pair defeated the University of Pretoria, which was trailing behind by just six seconds, along with three other teams.
The two also came second in the men’s lightweight double, which does not consider the participant’s weight.
Unfortunately, the women’s team was not able to get any medals in this competition, however, their captain Amy Cooper said that “everyone gained important experience, especially those new to racing.” Meanwhile, Makwea said: “the team spirit is very high, and people want to do better, which is good.”
Wits Sport rowing officer Tebogo Rabothata said that he is happy with the consistency of the club and he is hoping for podium finishes at the end of the year. “We really need to up our game [going forward] to finish top two or three.” He added by saying that as training increases, so will the depth of the club.
The team at Wits is predominantly made up by those who are new to the sport. This is referred to as ‘novice rowers’, which consists of rowers who have less than one year of rowing experience.
Deborah Cronje, who steers the boat describes rowing for the club as extremely fulfilling, with the team consistently developing. “We are largely a novice team, with [the club] winning the development award at the previous boat race,” said Cronje.
Members that the Wits Vuvuzela spoke to added that it is the culture of the Wits rowing that separates it from other clubs and contributes to the rower’s growth. “Unlike high school, or other university rowing environments, we focus on enjoying the sport,” said men’s captain Troy van der Westhuysen, adding that “with [enjoying the sport] comes growth.”
Across the board, those involved with the club are looking to recruit more Witsies to row, regardless of experience level.
Currently the club is busy with preparations ahead of the Gauteng and South African Championships, which will be taking place this month.
Gauteng championships will take place on the 14th – 15th, whilst the South African Championships will take place on April 28th to the 29th at Roodeplaat dam. From the 7th to the 12th of September, the club will also take part in Boat Racing in Port Alfred, Eastern Cape. The club is hoping to send two men’s and two women’s teams to these competitions.
FEATURED IMAGE:
The Wits Rowing club’s ladies team on the water at USSA sprints. Photo: Wits Rowing
Wits accounting students pass with flying colours at the first annual chartered accountancy qualifying exams.
Graduates of the Wits School of Accountancy, who sat for the January 2023 Initial Test of Competency (ITC) exam achieved a 97% pass towards being chartered accountants.
Of the 3 021 candidates who sat for the exam, the Wits School of Accountancy was represented by 248 candidates and a whopping 240 of them passed.
The ITC is the first of two qualifying exams for the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (Saica) – a regulatory body for all chartered accountants in the country. The second qualifying exam is the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC), candidates must pass the ITC before qualifying for the APC.
Although Wits came fourth behind the University of Pretoria (first), North-West University (second), and the University of Stellenbosch (third), the school managed to produce the second highest pass by full time African students at 96%.
In addition, Muhammad Sharaafat Moosajee, Lenn Maja and Riyadh Lakhi from stood out with Honour’s passes – a total mark 75% or more -in the exam. With Moosajee coming joint fifth in the overall candidate’s results rankings.
The head of the school, professor Nirupa Padia (60) told Wits Vuvuzela, “when I started as head [in 2013], [Wits’ pass in the ITC] had been about upper 80s, lower 90s. It wasn’t this high, and it didn’t have [this many] transformation [African] students.” She attributed the stellar results to the school’s teaching approach in the second semester of last year, where they managed to get students back on campus.
An information graphic from the Wits school of accountancy found inside FNB Commerce Building on West Campus, tracking the school’s progress since Professor Nirupa Padia’s appointments as head in 2013 until last year in 2022. Photo: Otsile Swaratlhe
Lenn Maja (22) who is currently an academic trainee at the school, said that he had mixed feelings when the results came out. “I could not be excited because I had to focus on my master’s [degree in commerce],” he said. However, he added that the pass came as no surprise to him, “the moment I got my results for postgraduate diploma, I knew I was ready.”
He attested to Wits’ participation in his preparation and said that they showed him and his 2022 group great support. “Consultations, tutorials and ITC past paper were all provided by the school,” he said. Maja was full of praises for the school as he closed off by saying, “When Wits says you are ready to wite ITC, you are ready to write ITC”.
ITC exams are written twice a year, in January and in June. With Wits having performed this well in January, we are all looking forward to seeing their performance in the June exams.
FEATURED IMAGE: A third-year Wits school of accountancy student compiling their lecture notes, shortly after collecting them from the school. Photo: Otsile Swaratlhe
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 will not be progressing to the Varsity Cup semi-finals after being defeated by the NWU Eagles
North-West University’s Eagles have secured their spot in the Varsity Cup semi-finals on Monday, with a 36-3 victory against Wits.
The Eagles, affectionally known as Pukke had a strong start to the game, leading with a score of 10-3 before the game was suspended due to heavy downpours and lightning strikes.
The match was resumed 40 minutes later when the rain subsided, but Wits’ attempts to get the quanco into the end zone failed, ending the first half with the Eagles dominating with a score of 17-3.
When half-time ended, the heavy rains had intensified again and the game was suspended for over an hour. Most spectators left the stadium as they assumed the game would eventually be cancelled, but it carried on despite delays.
In the first 20 minutes after the game resumed, Pukke extended their lead through full-back Santino Swanepoel, who received the ball from out wide and finished with a successful try. This resulted in the NWU Eagles leading with 24 points while Wits remained at three points.
In their final try, which was finished off by inside centre Luke Fortuin, the NWU Eagles solidified their win with a final score of 36-3.
NWU player, Farai Sibanda who was sitting on the bench said the Eagles are excited about making it to the semi-finals, but “the job is not done.”
NWU Eagles trying to turn over possession during their match against Wits. Photo: Otsile Swaratlhe
Wits player, Ziyanda Msipha said that he believes the bad weather conditions negatively contributed to their overall performance. “I feel when they called it [halted the game] at first, during the first half, I believe they should have cancelled it and made us play [the next day]. I think that would have made sense because there’s a lot of momentum shifts when you’re stopping the play three or four times.”
He explained that it was unfortunate that they did not make it to the next round. “The team is hurt, it’s badly hurt, and it’s tough because there’s quite a few players that won’t play next year, so this would’ve been their last one, so in that aspect, players are really hurt.”
Wits head coach, Hugo Van As said the team was “very devastated” about not making it to the semi-finals He said although the weather was bad, he did not think it contributed to Wits performance, alluding that it was just a bad game for his team.
He added that overall, the team performed well this year. Out of the seven games they played, the games against Stellenbosch University and the University of the Free State were the only two games where they were not “on par.”
Wits player Jason Lee Cloete said despite the defeat, Witsies can hold their heads up high because they put a good effort on the field.
FEATURED IMAGE: Wits rugby players in a maul with the NWU Eagles. Photo: Terri-Ann Brouwers
Residents contend with crumbling buildings, leaking roofs, infestations and absent, uncaring landlords.
Students staying at Auckland Park private residences are complaining that the landlords continually increase rent while not maintaining the residences.
Complaints about My Student Pad, Accommodation For Students and 2 Mortlake student accommodation include that there is mould on the walls, toilets are leaking and there are insect infestations.
From the outside, My Student Pad appears as if in a good condition, but from the back, the paint is flaking from the walls. Accommodation For Students looks neglected and its small garden is full of litter. The 2 Mortlake building looks bright with orange paint, but inside the toilets and taps are leaking, and the roof leaks when it rains.
My Student Pad is owned by Boingotlo Tlale. She told Wits Vuvuzela that rent for single rooms ranges from R3 700 to R4 200 and for shared rooms from R2 700 to R3 500 per person, with an increase of R50 every year. Tlale said that as a property owner, she always has someone on call to manage maintenance and that the only problem she has is that some maintenance work is delayed because students do not pay their rent on time.
However, Wits first-year bachelor of arts student Phenyo Mthombothi said that My Student Pad is not value for money and the rent does not match the condition of the rooms and the lack of service provided.
The paint is flaking off the walls of My Student Pad student accommodation in Auckland Park. Photo: Nonkululeko Mncube
“The place is poorly managed and cleaned only once or twice a week. The floors are dirty, with mould on the walls, and the house has an unpleasant smell,” said Mthombothi, who added that she reports maintenance issues every week over the phone because the caretaker is rarely present, and “the owner never shows up”.
When presented with this accusation by Wits Vuvuzela Tlale dismissed the query, saying, “I am busy.”
A caretaker at one of the Auckland Park student residences who did not want to be identified, told Wits Vuvuzela that, “It is challenging for me to fix anything without funding and equipment. Also, there is no easy access to the landlord.”
Mathaare Kganakga, a Wits student studying BSc in mining engineering, who resides at 2 Mortlake said that there had been numerous complaints to the caretaker about the leaking toilets and crawling insects.
“I pay R4 000 per month and I cannot say I am satisfied with this place, but it is the only accommodation I can afford. Wits residences are expensive,” Kganakga said.
The students said the Auckland Park private accommodation is inferior to that of South Point whose website boasts of safe, clean, convenient and affordable 15 buildings around Johannesburg, some of them right across the street from Wits in Braamfontein. Single rooms cost R4 038, and double and triples from R3 868 per person.
“[Unfortunately] South Point was full by the beginning of February. I could not book a room, and their rooms are clean and well maintained,” said Kganakga. He added that students without bursaries or scholarships are condemned to stay in the dilapidated private accommodation in Auckland Park as it is more affordable.
Wits Vuvuzela reached out by phone to the owner of 2 Mortlake who goes by the name ‘Yusuf’ but he refused to be interviewed, saying “I cannot help you with that information.”
FEATURED IMAGE: The unnamed Accommodation For Students looks neglected and its small garden is full of litter. Photo: Nonkululeko Mncube
Wits snatches victory against Johannesburg neighbour to gain a spot in the semi-finals of the Under-20 version of the annual competition.
FNB Wits Young Guns beat FNB University of Johannesburg (UJ) Young Guns 25-19 on Monday, April 4, to advance to the semi-finals of the Varsity Cup Young Guns league.
Both teams were competitive in the first half with Wits pushing back against UJ, blocking the Orange Army’s advances. But the boys in blue prevailed over the visitors, leading with a score of 15-7 by the break.
Wits’ decent lead was cut short after the restart, as UJ’s flanker Kyle Ehrke scored a try, converted by Kelvin Berriman, earning the visitors seven points. Wits made a comeback with flyhalf Eben Hyman scoring a try. The game quickly got too intense with the UJ side making strong advances, earning them a yellow card. A penalty kick for Wits and a try by UJ Young Guns saw the visitors with a slight edge, 18-19. However, Wits made a comeback with a try five minutes from the final whistle, finishing with a score of 25-19.
Speaking to Wits Vuvuzela after the game, FNB Wits Young Guns head coach Roland Bernard said that he was very happy with the win as the team qualified for the semi-finals. However, he said there were lots of opportunities lost in the game and “would like to change how we play”.
Wits Young Guns captain Zukhanye Dubulekhwele, affectionately known as ‘Dubs said that the team had put a lot of pressure on themselves and that they should have been more comfortable. He added that going forward they should be “more clinical”, have accuracy and precision.
UJ’s Berriman said that his team had “good execution, however, we weren’t able to finish”.
Supporters of the FNB Wits Young Guns came out in their numbers to support their home team. Takalani Madima, a third-year BSc student, said that “It was a close play, and I am happy Wits won, however, the referee’s decisions were questionable.”
The FNB Wits Young Guns will play on home soil against the University of Cape Town on Monday, April 10 at 16h30.
Wits and UJ engage in a scrum during an FNB Young Guns match at the Wits Rugby Stadium on April 3, 2023. Photo: Sbongile Molambo
FEATURED IMAGE: FNB UJ Young Guns tackle an FNB Wits Young Guns player during the second half of the match. Photo: Sbongile Molambo
After four months of negotiations, the union finds the university’s offer “fair” .
The Wits National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) has accepted the university’s offer of a 6.9% salary increase plus R3 800 once off.
The agreement, signed on March 23, was the culmination of negotiations that started in November 2022 when the union demanded a 15% salary increase for 2023. There was deadlock after the university countered with a 5.5% offer.
Thabo Modise, Nehawu Wits secretary told Wits Vuvuzela that, “Picketing started on March 6, 2023, because the [university’s] offer was below the consumer price index (CPI) which is 6.9% for the year 2023.”
Apart from the salary increase Wits Nehawu was demanding that “parking fees be reviewed as we think the fees are unreasonably priced for the staff. We want to contribute to parking fees, but we want to see how the university calculates the amount it charges the staff,” Modise said.
The union was also demanding a staff housing subsidy “because the majority of the staff in Nehawu do not have houses”, according to Modise.
Wits Nehawu members picket in front of the Wits Great Hall on March 23. Photo: Aphelele Mbokotho
He told Wits Vuvuzela that the 6.9% increases was a win for the union as it was a fair offer, and it benefited all workers. “Our main goal as a union is to ensure that members have fair working conditions and that there is no abuse of power by the employer.”
Other union demands that have not yet been resolved include the issue of night shift, that the university should provide transport that drops workers at their individual locations, instead of the current policy of dropping everyone off in Parktown. The union expects the outstanding matters to be resolved by April 25.
The university spokesperson, Shirona Patel, told Wits Vuvuzela that they had considered the financial affordability and sustainability for the university while also paying attention to the need to maintain the livelihoods of staff when they calculated the salary increase. The university enters negotiations with the recognised unions such as Nehawu and the Academic Staff Association of Wits University yearly.
“Only about 40% of Wits staff belong to a recognised union. Sixty percent of Wits staff are not members of a recognised union. It was prudent for management to observe good labour relations practice by concluding negotiations with Nehawu before exercising its prerogative to apply the agreed increases to all eligible employees,” Patel said.
A maintenance worker belonging to the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa told Wits Vuvuzela that he did not know why his union had not taken part in the picket, but that he was happy to benefit from the salary increase negotiated by Nehawu.
Nehawu was not only striking at Wits. Its members were on strike nationally, along with other unions in the public service, demanding a 10% salary increase whereas the government was offering 3%.
After some unions accepted the government’s final offer of an average 7.5% increase for the 2023/24 budget year, Groundup reported on March 28 that “Nehawu says it will not consider the 2023-24 wage agreement with the government, which other unions have signed, until a deal is reached on 2022-23 wages.”
FEATURED IMAGE: Wits Nehawu members wait on March 23 to hear from chairperson Sam Mandela about the university’s latest offer. Photo: Aphelele Mbokotho
In episode six of We Should Be Writing season 7, the team unpacked the evolution of music as a form of expression and protest, through four decades in the South African context. The episode explores the journey of South African music and its consumers from the 80s, 90s, early 2000s and contemporary listeners. From the […]
