Edition 8, 26 August 2009
Edition 8, 26 August 2009
4 >> Racist Rhodents
The Oppidan Press responds to the VC’s racism call
Distribution subsidised by the Oppidan Committee and the South African Post Office.
Effective leadership or dismal failure?
President
Kholosa Loni’s presidency has been
known for her bubbly and approach-
able personality. She’s been the type of
president that most students can iden-
tify with. She received so many votes
in fact, that she ditched her position
as Vice-President Internal to take up
the presidential reins. Unfortunately,
however, the 2009 SRC has not done
much to change the institutional
Vice President Internal
Pumeza Mdangayi ran for President
but had to settle for Vice-President
Internal. She is, however, quite ex-
perienced in her title by now, as last
year she was internally elected to the
same position after the resignation of
former SRC president Ricardo Pillay
and Bianca Sampson, former Vice-
President External. Handling internal
Community Engagement
Giuliana Colarossi’s efforts as Com-
munity Engagement Representative
have been one of the most noticeable
on campus. The Community Engage-
ment Week in March was a success
and the Bring a Learner to Rhodes
initiative was very popular. It is, how-
ever, difficult to know how much of
an impact these projects have actually
Treasurer
As SRC Treasurer, Mabocha Moko-
bane is in charge of monitoring the
budget and keeping check of how each
profile spends their allotted funding.
She also advises the different portfo-
lios on how to spend money appro-
priately. Although she has kept a hold
on the purse strings, she has not done
much more than that. And having
5 >> The Naked Truth
An Intervaristy streaker bares his soul
Vice President External
culture of Rhodes University, which Thapelo Tselapedi may have been
Loni calls a “white drinking culture”. new to the SRC but as former
Nor has it addressed the alarmingly Deputy President of SASCO, he
high failure rate in the June exams. is no stranger to student politics.
Loni’s manifesto promised more open Tselapedi has a similar job to the
interaction and communication with SRC President, but his focus is
students, but we are all still waiting for on strengthening SRC relations
the updated SRC website and a copy with external sources. He has to
of the Purple Press. travel extensively to student and
RATING *****
Oppidan Councillor
matters of the SRC is no easy task, but Oppidans now have a wider
this year a new disciplinary structure lunch selection and the option
was put in place, which revokes SRC of having supper in the Oppi
privileges of councillors found to be dining hall, as well as a second
incompetent. She does admit that the Oppi bus - all thanks to Op-
SRC has burned a few bridges and pidan Representative, Jacyn
that the next SRC may have to do Mitchley. In her second year
some damage control. in the position, Mitchley was
RATING ***** another bubbly and approach-
Media Councillor
had on the community. Overspending One would assume that com-
on her budget by R3 000, Colarossi munication is key to the Media
explained that serving the community Representative’s success, but
doesn’t come cheap, and suggests that many students complain that
next year’s Community Engagement they haven’t seen the SRC since
Representative finds outside funding. O-Week, indicating that Aslam
Seedat has completely failed
to improve communication
RATING *****
Societies Councillor
good communication skills is clearly Garth Elzerman ran a tight ship
not a prerequisite for becoming SRC as SRC Societies Representa-
Treasurer, as discovered by one of our tive, adopting a strict approach
reporters who asked to see the budget. towards society budgets this
Transparency was obviously not a year. He also created a SRC
priority for this year’s SRC. RUconnected link for societies
and is one of few SRC members
RATING ***** that has been easy to find and
youth political imbizos although
his strong ties with SASCO have
made some students question
where his allegiance truly lies.
Tselapedi also expressed concern
about the SRC’s failure to change
the institutional culture of the
University.
RATING *****
able SRC member who attended
to the often-neglected needs of
Oppidan students. Mitchley is
one of a few councillors who
have actually delivered on their
promises. Thanks to her efforts,
Oppidans are finally represent-
ed on the SRC.
RATING *****
between the SRC and students.
The SRC website is still outdated
and The Purple Press did not
come out this year. The only
consistent plan of communica-
tion he implemented was a
regular half-page SRC advert in
The Oppidan Press.
RATING *****
communicate with. Elzerman
admits that the SRC society’s
extravaganza at the Great field
was a failure. He is now run-
ning for president as he believes
he can provide solutions to the
problems he encountered.
RATING *****
See page 2 for more.
2 The Oppidan Press 26.08.09 The Oppidan Press 26.08.09 3

Got news? Send your news story ideas to us and we will consider Extra admin. SHARC is lobbying for the University to appoint an HIV/Aids officer. Do you
them for publication. news@theoppidanpress.com. think this is necessary? Let us know. letters@theoppidnapress.com

Seriously Rather Crap (but don't forget our O-Week success!) Is Rhodes ready for change?
President runs out of time SRC piggy bank is empty
the opportunity to show their support Nomampondomise Sihlobo felt that
Gcobani Qambela
for the cause. the drive was a huge success. “We do
Students were given the opportu- parallel testing, whereby we get two
“No more apathy: Rhodes step up to nity to test their HIV/Aids status for results at the same time, so as to ensure
budget is used by the president and the But she did say that the SRC budget HIV!” free at the NEWSTART tents at Eden the accuracy of the results. The response
office, and have represented the students
Robyn McCormick Rochelle van der Merwe two vice-presidents for transportation is available for anyone to look at. “The “We want an officer. We demand an Grove throughout the week. First year from students has been overwhelming.
in the University.”
to conferences, food expenses and ac- budget will be published at the end of officer.” This was the chant of students journalism student, Ziyanda Ntantiso We have had to close a little earlier on
Loni has been involved in the
The previous SRC left the current commodation. The president’s account the year anyway,” said Mokobane. who marched to the main admin build- who tested at the NEWSTART/SHARC some days because the counsellors were
“If you have purple blood, you must resurrection of the SRC website, where

Pic: Sam Classen

show it,” says Kholosa Loni, outgoing
President of the SRC. One of Loni’s
aims in her role as SRC President was to
look at the University’s culture, which
she says is “perceived to be a white
drinking culture”. The presidency has
worked to remedy this, conducting a
survey around issues of race and class
in connection with the Union Bar, and
working towards implementing a policy
to eradicate unfair discrimination, which
will be implemented on 1 September.
documents and information will be
more accessible to students, but it is still
not fully functional and communication
remains a problem. “It is the entire SRC’s
fault. We have to make sure we are not
only doing our job, but looking left and
right; we need to hold the whole team
accountable.”
An individual issue which Loni has
struggled with is time management.
“Personally, I’ve lost the balance with
academics, so one needs to know how to
one with R52 877.90, which was then
added to this years budget, eventually
totalling R877 000. SRC Treasurer,
Mobocha Mokobane allocated some
of this money to projects such as the
community engagement conference
at the University of the Free State, and
to contribute to the more general aim
of creating awareness on important
issues, like the LGBTI pride week.
There has been some speculation
about SRC President, Kholoso Loni’s
is used to fund those students who go
on conferences, and is currently fund-
ing a post-graduate student’s travel to a
science expo in Europe.
Honours student, Dale van der
Lingen requested sponsorship from the
SRC to attend a conference and was
told that the SRC had no money to give
him. When van der Lingen questioned
this, he was rebuffed. "She told me that
it's none of my business how the SRC
manages its funds," he said. Mokobane
Mokobane said she wished she had
done more to sort out student fees for
this year: “I could have done better. I
think that we shouldn’t be expected to
pay half our fees by the end of January.”
She also wishes she could have spent
more time on her academics, although
she acknowledged that, “my greatest
achievement was the advice I gave to
all the different councillors”.
She hopes the next treasurer will be
“vigorous in the budget committee”.
ing during the ‘{Red}y For Change’
march, held last Wednesday during
SHARC’s HIV/Aids Awareness Week.
Students are demanding that the Uni-
versity employ an HIV/Aids Officer.
The main theme for this year’s
SHARC HIV/Aids Awareness Week
last week was ‘{Red}y For Change!’ and
various activities which ran during the
week offered Rhodes students and staff
testing drive had nothing but praise for
the facility.
“It was really great. They counsel you
before the test and also after the test.
Before telling you the results, they tell
you what to do if you are infected and
how to keep yourself safe if you are not.
The test did not even take that long. I
am glad I went and tested.”
NEWSTART testing sister, 'Ponds'
just too tired from the large number of
students who came to test.”
SHARC President, Beth Vale said
it’s disgraceful that we are in 2009
DILDO DELIGHT
and the University still does not have
The safe sex-po certainly shocked some students with its display of condoms,
a meaningful HIV/Aids policy. “The
dildos and flavoured lubricants. The SHARC HIV/Aids Awareness Week focused
policy looks good on paper, but there is
no substance. SHARC is still doing the on educating students about safe sex and providing the opportunity for HIV
work the University is supposed to be testing at Eden Grove throughout the week. For more on the safe sex-po turn
doing," she said. to Page 8.

NEHAWU strike discussed

Loni counts O-Week as one of her
success stories. “It was a big eye-opener
for me. People came here and they
didn’t even know whether they had
been accepted or not. I got these people
somewhere to stay.”
Loni has also raised the issue of
financial aid, trying to make it more
accessible to students. “There’s been an
increased number of students not know-
ing where to go, how to get financial aid.
We have strong ties with the financial
juggle the two well.” Juggling an entire
team has been equally tough. “We are
a very diverse group, and you need to
take into account that people perhaps
aren’t as outgoing as you may be, or as
introverted as you, and you need to find
that balance,” she says.
“I don’t think I’ve found that, but as
the year has worn on, we take cognisance
of each others’ strengths and weaknesses
and work together. Not like a well-oiled
machine, but we make it work.”
travel budget and account. The travel
Societies' boot camp
Vimbai Chikukwa
Best known for his authoritarian looks
and military style, Garth Elzerman rem-
bers his early days as daunting because
the role of Societies Councillor needed
some revitalising.
During his term, Elzerman created
denies this.
President of Toastmasters Interna-
tional Society, Precious Garayi com-
mended Elzerman for his creation of
society workshops. “The workshops held
for societies this year were helpful and
he kept people willing to work with him
on point,” she said
Elzerman adopted a strict approach
towards society budgets this year. “When
Elzerman acknowledged challenges
he faced during his tenure. His goal of
creating more cohesion amongst societ-
ies has been as unfruitful as the SRC
societies extravaganza at the Great Field
at the beginning of the year.
Speaking of the SRC as a whole, Elz-
erman felt that, “this SRC has collectively
failed at communication”. He is now run-
Gcobani Qambela
NEHAWU was prevented from engag-
ing in the ‘strike back’ open discussion
on the recent strike last Wednesday by a
University interdict received 30 minutes
before the meeting.
Rhodes took this action because of
to the strike. Corinne Knowles, from
the Rhodes Extended Studies Unit,
criticised the University for representing
the strikers as irrational and reckless hu-
man beings. “We know that racism and
classism exists [at Rhodes] and it is time
that we all questioned our contribution
to it,” she said.
Sociology Professor, Jìmí O Adé-
SRC money matters
of the strike was that “the people that
They also spent R184 600 on the
were disadvantaged in the past, are still
Robin McCormick recent Intervarsity, and over R11 000
oppressed” by institutional inequalities
on community engagement.
inherent at Rhodes.
Where has the SRC’s money gone? The Quite a few expenditures have been
Young Communist League member,
Oppidan Press got hold of the council's made on the general running of the
Luzuko Buku expressed his anger at the
budget to find out. SRC and its offices, but some of them
low pay workers receive at the Universi-
Many societies and individual stu- seem a little unnecessary.
ty. “After [the University] commissioned
a company to do the market remunera- dents have benefited from the budget, The ‘General Account’ of the SRC

Broken SRC telephone an SRC RUconnected link for societies
where they could access information
they needed. He has encouraged societ-
ies to be more responsible and account-
student apathy,” said Seedat. “It is also
a society is in deficit, I tend to watch
them closely,” said Elzerman. “Two so-
cieties have been red flagged and I have
had their accounts frozen because of bad
ning for president to provide solutions to
the problems he encountered.
its concern regarding unresolved issues
surrounding the settlement agreement
between the University and NEHAWU.
The students and staff in attendance
expressed disappointment with the way
sínà said he had been a hall warden
at Rhodes for four and half years and
was shocked that the University treated
“some of the most remarkable human
beings” in such a degrading manner
tion comparison, they found that the
workers would actually be getting more
than other workers in their grades at
other universities like UCT and Wits.
But this is like comparing one sweat
with a total of R25 168 in sponsorship
grants to the student body. R4 000 went
to the Masincedane community feed-
ing project, and R3 000 to the Rhodes
Debating Eastern Cape Schools project.
has spent R3 000 on tea and biscuits
for council meetings, and R 7 258 on
‘gifts and flowers’. The SRC leadership
weekend cost R 13 522.64.

Burnt
Ayushi Chhabra able for their funds. leadership.
hard to juggle responsibilities of being a the University handled and responded during the strike. He said the paradox shop to another.”

Aslam Seedat, Media Representative of

the SRC admits his failure to reconfig-
ure the SRC website and to produce the
Purple Press in his term of office.
The SRC website and the Purple Press
are platforms aiming to ensure optimal
publication of the SRC’s plans of action,
and are also mediums of communication
between the SRC and the student body.
In the SRC manifesto, Seedat men-
tions that the key to the success of the
SRC as a representative body depends on
keeping channels of regular conversation
and thought open. However, this goal
was not achieved as he failed to maintain
the mediums at his disposal.
“One of the biggest challenges I have
faced as Media Councillor has been
Community rep worked to the bone
Jade Smith
“Community engagement is not about
giving a poor person a bread roll, a pat on
media rep and at the same time being an
executive member of the SRC.”
The media portfolio was allocated
R10 000 by the University. Most of this
money goes into publicity for SRC and
University initiated campaigns.
However, there is a general consensus
among students that they were often
unaware of the SRC’s plans of action. “I
don’t even know what the SRC has done
this year. Their existence doesn’t seem
to make a difference,” said a second year
journalism student. Another second year
student said: “I didn't really feel them
as much as I did last year, last year they
were very much out there.”
the school version of an SRC. RCL mem-
bers were mentored by Colarossi and other
members of the committee, who helped
them to solve any problems they had.
However, these projects don’t come
Oppies on top
Gcobani Qambela
“I think the biggest highlight has
been my teamwork with [the] Op-
pidan Committee, specifically Brenda
Magwizi, which resulted in a second
Oppi bus being attained,” says Jacyn
Mitchley, Oppidan SRC Representa-
tive for the past two years. She also got
Residential Operations to extend the
Oppidan dining hall lunch menu op-
tions to provide suppers to Oppidans.
Mitchley points out that there is a
large amount of work done behind the
scenes in her portfolio. She represents
issues raised at Oppidan Committee
meetings at the University Board meet-
ings. “I have also dealt with several
individuals’ personal issues whether it
be landlord problems, mental health
issues, or whatever may arise,” she says.
The biggest challenge Mitchley
faced was communicating with the
Oppies themselves. “I have found that
student apathy is a huge challenge. Lots
of students don’t know or care who
their representatives are, so they find
it easier to complain to other students
than to report the problems to the
relevant people, thus these issues take
longer to resolve,” she says.
But Mitchley says some students
have noticed what she has achieved
in her role as Oppi Representative.
“Some students who I don’t know and
haven’t seen before knew exactly who I
was and what I had done this year and
came to say hi at the Intervarsity party,
it really made me smile,” she says.
Her advice for the incoming SRC’s
Oppidan representative: “Being the
SRC Oppidan Representative is not a
glory position, but if you are passion-
ate about Oppidan issues and serious
about serving your fellow students,
then it can be incredibly rewarding.”
bridges
Robyn McCormick
“Obviously, it goes without saying that
the higher you are, the more work you
have to do,” says Pumeza Mdangayi, SRC
Vice President Internal, as a warning to
future Executive SRC members. “Me,
Kholosa, Thapelo and Mr Charlie (the
SRC liaison) arrive at 08:00 and leave at
20:00. At Intervarsity we left at 01:00,
and at the Street party, we left at 03:00.
If a student is stranded at O-Week, we
need to be accountable.”
One of the problems Mdangayi has
faced as VPI is the difficulty of disciplin-
ing members. “The problem with the
SRC councillors is that they never make
a formal complaint, it’s just hearsay.
Until I have it in writing, there’s nothing
I can do,” she says.
However, there have been changes.

Rhodes culture has not changed

the back and leaving,” says SRC Commu-
nity Engagement Representative, Giuliana
Colarossi. “This is a person’s life you’re
touching. You should build personal rela-
tionships with the people you work with.”
Colarossi’s aim for the year was to get
students more involved in community
engagement.
“I’m only one person,” she says, “so I try to
encourage residences and Oppies to start
projects too.”
She implemented this strategy by orga-
nising Community Engagement Week in
March, which brought students into con-
tact with children involved in the Rhodes
Student Volunteer Project. Popular events
included the human chain, Bring a Learner
to Rhodes, and the fun day where children
could play games with students.
Colarossi also started a programme
where local schools elected a Representa-
tive Council of Learners (RCL) which is
cheap. The Community Engagement fund
is almost R3 000 in deficit of a R9 000
budget. “I did overspend on my budget,”
Colarossi says, “but hopefully this will urge
the incoming community representative to
find sponsorship. Nobody has money for
transport and resources like art supplies”.
While there are numerous projects in
the community portfolio, some students
have not seen evidence of them. “I’ve been
kept in the dark,” says first year student
Phathiswa Galeni. Another first year, Mbali
Sebaeng agrees. “I haven’t seen much of the
SRC since they introduced themselves in
O-Week.”
“It’s disappointing when you work
yourself to the bone and students don’t
even know,” said Colarossi. “It’s really up to
you to read the SRC posters and open the
newspapers with SRC notices – the com-
munity rep can’t run up to every student
and introduce herself.”
Khanyisa Titus
Outgoing SRC Vice President External,
Thaphelo Tselapedi found the decision-
making process within the SRC rather
challenging. Team work was needed to
make events such as O-week and Inter-
varsity a success.
“We pushed hard. Not everyone
participated but those that did stayed
committed,” he said. The SRC now has
to deal with the repercussions of these
events, such as the racism issue that oc-
curred during Intervarsity.
Tselapedi stated that overall, the
SRC has performed well. “We have to
make decisions on a policy level and we
have played a major role in this regard,
especially political events that were held
on campus,” he said. But the SRC did not
reach some of its specific goals, such as
making the Union Bar more culturally
inclusive.
“My heart pains more at the institu-
tional culture of the University,” said
Tsepaledi. “In my opinion, Rhodes has
not begun to be a home for all. We are
losing black students and whether there
will ever be a real transformation, only
time will tell.”
“I’m tired of the SRC and anyone
would be two months after O-Week,” he
said.
Overall, Tselapedi has carried out
all that he wanted to during his term of
office. “I know that people either love me
or hate me,” he said.
“There is now a new disciplinary
structure being brought into place. Ac-
tions can be taken against the offender,
depending on the nature of the crime.
They will have their SRC privileges,
like the use of the office, invitations to
events, and their stipend removed,” says
Mdangayi.
She first joined the SRC as Oppidan
Councillor as she was dissatisfied with
the service that Oppies were receiving,
and is now sad to leave. “I do not regret
one minute of it. Of course there are
some things we could have done better,
some decisions we should have done dif-
ferently. But all in all, it was fantastic.”
“Good luck to next year’s SRC. I’m
not going to lie, we’ve burned some
bridges this year and amends are going
to have to be made. Just remember that
the SRC is accountable to students, and
no one else.”
 4 The Oppidan Press 26.08.09
Opinion
Racist Rhodents
Everyone has sobered up and recovered
from the purple-fueled weekend of Inter-
varsity. With the inclusion of Walter Sisulu
University, I’m sure students had four
times the fun. But the drunken misbehav-
iour of students has once again placed the
future of Intervarsity in jeopardy.
We should feel very embarrassed to call
ourselves Rhodians after the racist incident
that occurred during the weekend, involv-
ing a lecturer, his family and some rowdy
and racist Rhodes students.
It is shocking that students subjected
one of our lecturers to racial prejudice and
abuse and the incident certainly taints the
reputation of a fine institution. It’s probably
the most embarrassing incident to happen
to a respected member of the Rhodes com-
munity and sadly, it is not an isolated case.
We were all outraged by the racist
video from the University of the Free State
that surfaced last year, and were no doubt
relieved and proud to live in such an open
and accepting university environment.
But unfortunately, as much as we might
think we live in a purple bubble, we are not
separate from the rest of the country.
The fact is that racism never disap-
peared from Rhodes. I know students
on this campus who have been victims
of verbal abuse, and I have personally
fallen victim to racism. The digs hunt is
difficult for every Oppidan, but imagine
how frustrating it is when door after door
is slammed (figuratively) in your face
because of the colour of your skin. I didn’t
think that this kind of thing still happened,
especially not in Grahamstown.
Racism has become an everyday oc-
currence and many students don’t see the
point reporting these incidents because we
don’t think it will make any difference. But
isn’t this passive response to racism just
allowing it go on?
The University Administration and the
student body need to acknowledge that
racism is a problem on this campus. At
least the recent incident has prompted Dr
Badat to encourage everyone to “actively
act against racism”.
The Oppidan Press would therefore like
to call on anyone, staff or student, who
has been a victim of any form of racism at
Rhodes to speak out. In publishing your
letters in The Oppidan Press we will be tak-
ing a stand against racism. Racial prejudice
and abuse cannot be tolerated. We want to
do our part in breaking the silence about
racism.
At least then we can all walk on campus
conscious of the fact that we need to make
a change. If we are not constantly aware
of a situation we will never feel the need
to change it. We need to put an end to
prejudice ourselves.
Send your accounts or messages to let-
ters@theoppidanpress.com and say no to
racism at Rhodes.
Tumelo Tladi
072 589 7230
editor@theoppidanpress.com
Editor: Tumelo Tladi
Deputy Editor: Siphosethu Stuurman
Managing Editor: Dagmar Kahn
Multimedia Editor: Lisa Bringham
Multimedia Editor: Paul Harris
Marketing Manager: Mohammed Shabangu
Advertising Manager: Sam Masilakhe
Financial Manager: Garth Alistoun
Distribution Manager: Gugu Baduza
Assistant Distribution Manager: Qcobani Qambela
Technical Manager: Andrew Lynch
Editorial cartoon >>
Letters to the editor >>
Response to 'Strike for strike'
Dear editor,
I would like to comment on the ‘Strike
for strike’ article and respond to the
question you posed on what students
think of the strike.
Well let me tell you what I think,
as an SRC member, but above all, as a
student at this fine institution. Firstly
this needs to be stated: the problematic
flaw with the conceptualisation of
programmes and policies, with the SRC
and its substructures, of University
administration and others alike is
that we assume that there is one
homogeneous student body, which will
act, think, be one.
Although this may make our (SRC
management’s) job easy, it is not so.
Our different and diverse cultures
and backgrounds not only give this
University a cosmopolitan environment
but it also dictates how we feel and
interact with different challenges. Clear
example: depending on which student
you approached, you would have heard
different views on the consequences or
even on the industrial action itself. Some
would be pro-NEHAWU or working
class; others pro-Rhodes University
Admin or fiscally-sound policies, most
(which I found) ‘neutral’ (still have not
grasped that one, personally).
So what might be a ‘food/comfort
issue’ to some is bread and butter to
others. With that said let me state that by
the third day of the industrial action by
NEHAWU, some students were fed up
with the status quo and were threatening
to take matters into their own hands.
Community Engagement: Hlengiwe Kweyama
Community Engagement: Nicole Wilson
Designers: Andisa Ndlovu, Joy Niemack and Marshall Patsanza
Chief Sub-Editor: Cath Boulle
Chief Sub-Editor: Laura Durham
Chief Sub-Editor: Cath Sackville-Scott
Arts Editor: Lauren Minnie
Business Editor: Marcelino Nkuna
Entertainment Editor: Melissa Radebe
Environment Editor: Nicole Venegas
Features Editor: Sarah Cohen
The SRC decided to facilitate the student
protest (note: NOT strike; PROTEST)
to have it run smoothly (security,
contacting the Municipality, the police,
the Traffic Department etc under the
Public Gatherings Act) to ‘legalise’ the
protest. And mostly, to see to it that
when the students arrived at the Admin
Building, there was someone to meet
them and accept the memorandum.
Now I will not waste my time
debating the merits and demerits of this
protest and why it was held etc but I will
say this: within three hours of students
marching to the Admin Building, there
were cup-a-soups handed out at the
Oppidan dinning hall to ‘top up’ meals.
Cup-a-soup you may ask, is she serious?
Well at least it’s something. What did
you do?
Within two days, Residential
Operations publicly apologised to
students for the “inconvenience caused”
and introduced in the interim, some
hot meals. Again I ask: What did
you do? I can tell you what the SRC
did. If anything I have learnt one
thing in this SRC: in students’ non-
homogeneousness you cannot please
everyone, because everyone is different
– but we sure as hell made a difference to
some students’ lives.
Again I repeat: Besides complain on
side corners about how ineffective the
SRC is, what did you do? Think you can
do better? Voting for the new SRC is
now open.
Ms P Mdangayi
SRC 2008/9 Vice President Internal
News Editor: Robyn McCormick
News Editor: Vimbai Chikukwa
Opinion Editor: Shea Karssing
Pictures Editor: Amy Attenborough
Pictures Editor: Jess Hall
Pictures Editor: Megan Lewis
Politics Editor: Lonwabo Fayo
Sci-Tech Editor: Zukiswa Kota
Sports Editor: Anesu Chingono
Ombudsman: Robert Brand
Printers: Dupli-Print
Feel like ranting and raving? Let us know what you think.
letters@theoppidanpress.com.
POST STRIKE LIFE
Municipal strikes over the last
month have caused chaos and
disruption all over the country.
A ministerial strategic team
has been established in an
attempt to help minimise strikes
in the country. Co-operative
Governance Minister Sicelo
Shiceka hopes that the team will
look at building a relationship
between the employer and
the unions in all sectors of the
economy.
The team will look at the wage
gap between the workers and the
unions, a problem which union
members raised during recent
municipal strikes.
Illustration: Abongile Faxi
Letters
Letters to the Editor:
letters@theoppidanpress.com
Editorial complaints: r.brand@ru.ac.za
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Distribution queries:
distribution@theoppidanpress.com
Racism. Have you been a victim of any form of racial abuse at Rhodes?
Let us know. opinion@theoppidanpress.com
BARE BUM
Intervarsity streaker, Rhett Quin, momentarily escaped the eyes and clutches of The Control to sprint down the
rugby field, cheered on by hundreds of spectators.
We don't need no (FET) education
Benjamin Fogel
During the last set of exams, Rhodes
recorded some of the worst results
and highest failure rates in its history.
Some of the blame for this can be
attributed to the new school curricu-
lum which the majority of first years
passed through.
I matriculated in 2008 as a guinea
pig for the Further Education and
Training (FET) curriculum imposed
by the education department. At first,
being the government’s lab rat was
just an inconvenience and a mild
irritation. But the sudden changes to
curriculums and previously never-
been-taught work which popped up in
the classroom from Grade 11 onwards,
Mobilise then criticise
Nicolene McLean
On campus I stumbled upon a large no-
tice reading only: ‘Hello Larissa, it’s the
guys’. Initially I was amused by the na-
ïveté of the message, and then greatly an-
noyed by it. It seemed to imply that ‘the
guys’ felt left out, ignored by our Student
Services Officer, Larissa Klazinga.
Some may forget that there is a men’s
organisation/campaign – Men as Part-
ners. Perhaps this is where guys should
place their energies. Do some research
and get involved. Activism doesn’t come
to you, you go to it. Women (and men)
involved in 1in9 and the Gender Action
Project (GAP) went to these organisa-
tions and put their names on lists to do
something. No one is going to help you
out until you mobilise constructively. In
other words, instead of forming an anti-
feminist organisation, pull yourselves
together to challenge gender inequity
as well as the lack of past papers from
which to study, had a serious impact
on our education.
I attended Reddam House, a pri-
vate school in Cape Town. Although
the school had top facilities, and good
teachers and resources, there was a
perpetual state of confusion regarding
my year’s subject matter and how it
should be taught.
Many strange experiments were
attempted in my all-important Matric
year (perhaps because the education
department was making things up as it
went along).
For example, our English Literature
paper was divided into two essay sec-
tions – a short piece on our Shake-
speare set work, and a longer essay on
another set work. Our short essay only
and patriarchy.
Guys, it is not about you, anyway.
It’s about challenging social relations.
If you’re not up to putting your energy
behind gender-based activism, perhaps
it’s because you feel uncomfortable
about what’s being said. Realise that your
insecurity, defensiveness and wondering
about what’s being done for ‘the guys’
is probably directly related to your fear
of having to give up your positions of
power.
You should be targeting the insti-
tution of patriarchy, rather than an
individual. Question why it is necessary
to only focus on women’s issues. Perhaps
it is because patriarchy is so institutiona-
lised that it is natural or invisible. Hence,
you are incapable of seeing the necessity
for groups of people such as the 1in9
campaign and GAP who pull together
and make it visible. This goes back to
the issue of feeling defensive and under
attack for reasons unknown to you – it is
Pic: Amy Attenborough
counted for a third of our mark, taking
the focus away from writing the essay
and developing the argument so that
all we had to do was write a good plan
and then fit in enough information to
get by. Small things like this were part
of the overall problem – shifting the
focus from developing skills to getting
easy marks.
Another cause of confusion reared
its untried head in the form of a new
subject, Maths Literacy. None of us
really knew if universities would rec-
ognise it or not, but we feared that it
might be awarded less entry points.
As the Mathematics curriculum
got harder, more people dropped to
Maths Literacy and the issue was clari-
fied when various universities made
presentations at our school.
unknown because you have not stepped
out of your space, and are yet to look in
on patriarchy.
If you want to address an individual,
make your statement upfront. Only cow-
ards make an unattributed public display
of it. Maybe you realise that Larissa is
not responsible for your neglect. Hold
yourselves accountable: what are you do-
ing about gender inequity, gender-based
violence, rape, and hate crimes?
This response is not only addressed
to men, but to women, too. It is easy for
men and women to criticise an individ-
ual, an organisation or a movement – far
easier than it is to criticise yourself for
doing nothing. Acknowledge that you
are yet to contribute to making Rhodes
University, Grahamstown, South Africa
safer places and more equitable spaces.
Stand beside the individuals working so
hard at creating a fair society, and then,
when you have contributed your energy
in your own way, you may criticise.
The naked truth
Shea Karssing and
Rhett Quin
He bared his body, and now he bares
his soul. The Oppidan Press did some
uncovering of its own, asking one of the
infamous Intervaristy streakers how it
feels to shed your overalls in favour of
your birthday suit.
Rhett Quin:
This is it. The moment I’ve planned for
the last 20 minutes (Ok, I lie, probably
since first year). The threat of spiked
fences, CPU guards, and disciplinary
action requires meticulous planning.
Having left all but my trusty purple and
white overall with a Rhodent in the
crowd, I stroll casually and inconspicu-
ously down to the edge of the field.
Nervous adrenalin, spurred on by
copious amounts of Dutch Courage,
courses through my veins. Taking careful
note of the position of the authorities I
pick a gap in the spiked fence, and with
one last swig of the cane and coke that
I’ve cleverly managed to conceal from
the ever-watchful eye of The Control, I
jump the fence.
Before I’ve hit the ground my overall
is off and I’ve let it all hang out…well
perhaps not “hang” as it was a lot colder
than I thought. My feet are moving as
My fellow ‘learners’ (the appalling new
description given to us by the educa-
tion department) and I were told by the
University of Cape Town that they would
indeed award less points for Maths
Literacy, and that many departments
such as Economics would not accept
Maths Literacy students. Stellenbosch
and Rhodes told us otherwise, confirm-
ing that subjects which require mathe-
matical competence would accept Maths
Literacy students. We are now seeing the
not-so-fruitful results of this decision.
The most irritating thing about
FET was the sheer mind-numbing
political correctness of it all – from
the horrific new label ‘learners’ to the
painful classes of Life Orientation,
which was essentially brainwashing
by people who could not succeed at
The Oppidan Press 26.08.09
Opinion
quickly as they can, fuelled mostly by
what is sure to be pure ethanol! I’ve been
careful to hold on to my overall and keep
an eye out for guards. In my excitement
I can’t even hear the crowd so, to give
them something to cheer about, I run up
to the opposition fly half and show him a
Rhodes hakka like he has never seen.
Turning quickly, I see the authorities
bearing down on me. I swiftly elude one
guard and make for the fence on the far
side. If I can just make it over the fence
and up the benches I’m away…I think.
I climb the fence and fly up the stand.
Almost there, I jump to clear the last
step, EFFFF!
The guard ankle-taps me just as I
leap! I fall with a thud on the other side
of the stand as CPU and The Control
dive on me. But it’s over – I’ve done it! I
lie there shouting, “I surrender!”, grin-
ning and laughing the whole time. As
they carry me off I cling tightly to my
overall, covering what is most important
to me.
They threw me out the grounds, but
a happier man I couldn’t be! Streaking
in front of hundreds of people during
the rugby at Intervarsity was the stuff
legends are made of.
I feel privileged to have joined the
many that have gone before me in this
timeless tradition.
anything other than the instruction
of bullsh** . From self-help books, to
making us explain our ethical leanings
using a marking grid, the subject was
an utter waste of time. As was the
endless stream of politically correct
material wheedling and whining its
way into various other subjects.
FET did not adequately prepare
me for university – it taught me how
to bullsh** my way through exams
and still get a good mark. Very little
of what I learnt at school has helped
me at university. High school did not
teach me how to think critically and
I was not challenged to question the
world around me. Rather, I accepted
everything I was ‘taught’ and learnt
how to repeat it, so I could get an A.
Pic: Warwick Preddy
6 The Oppidan Press 26.08.09 The Oppidan Press 26.08.09 7

Entertainment
Celebrity recipe. Have you tried any of our celebrity recipes? Let us know. entertain-
ment@theoppidanpress.com
Budding with creative inspiration? Send us your recommendations on what to do
and see on the art scene. arts@theoppidanpress.com Arts
RJ Benjamin: Celebrity Recipe >>
Slikour from Skwatta Kamp's favourite
recipe

• 1 cup barbecue sauce,
Preheat oven to 150° C. Place ribs in a shallow
pan, cover with foil and bake 2 hours. Prepare
Intervarsity: your head is your canvas
South Africa's soul
Barbecued Baby Back Pork Ribs grill. Remove from oven and grill for 12 minutes,
Duncan Fleming, a second year BSc stu-
Prep: 10 min, Cook: 2:15 turning frequently and basting with barbecue Nthabiseng Moroane dent, has somewhat of a reputation for
• 1.8 kgs baby back ribs sauce. his past crazy Intervarsity hairstyle. This
It’s no surprise that, after this year’s year was no different. In preparation,

sensation
chaos, rumours of Rhodes being banned Fleming went bald and grew a beard that

RMR keeps raising the bar

Andiswa Leve
RJ Benjamin, the 30 year old who burst
onto the music scene with his debut
‘Who I am’ and hasn’t looked back since,
is deemed by many to be South Africa’s
most soulful singer.
“My parents weren't keen on me
studying music after school,” Benjamin
recalled. “I did body double and basic
stunt work after school and after seeing
how cruel the film industry could be, I
convinced my parents to let me study
the one thing I knew I had always been
good at – music.”
Benjamin is both a singer and song-
writer, but feels that he was definitely
born a songwriter, as writing his own
music adds sincerity to his perfor-
mance. He has written for, and with,
an array of well-known South African
singers, including Tamara Dey, Lira and
Danny K, as well as idols contestants
Karen Kortje and Gift Gwe.
His latest offering, entitled Swim-
ming in the Soul of Music, was released
this year. “Personally this album
served as a goodbye to note the period
after my father’s death and a five-year
relationship which ended in a very ugly
manner,” Benjamin said. “My writing
has always been a reflection of my life,
my own diary entry of that moment in
my life.”
Benjamin’s dad raised him on soul
music legends like Lou Rawls and Bill
Withers, and on Jazz artists such as Al
Jareau. The songwriter also lists the late
King of Pop, Michael Jackson among his
musical influences: “Michael, like many
people, made me fall in love with music
and the dream of being a musician one
day”.
Benamin learned a lot, too, from
listening to Prince and Stevie Won-
der. He enjoys listening to artists
such as Maxwell, to whom Benjamin
is often compared, and to D’Angelo,
Eryka Badu, John Mayer and India Arie
amongst others.
Benjamin hopes to work with
Proverb, Gloria Bosman and producer
37MPH in the not too distant future.
Ettione Ferreira
Rhodes Music Radio (RMR) celebrated
its 28th birthday on 1 August, making
it the oldest campus-based community
radio station in South Africa. “This
year we want[ed] to celebrate that fact
by inviting alumni,” said RMR Station
Manager, Gugulethu Mhlungu.
In 2008, RMR celebrated its incep-
tion by holding three parties in one
night with different styles of music
at the three different venues. “This
year we decided to split the events up
during August,” Mhlungu said. “The
point is that it is a family affair. RMR is
lucky enough to have many good DJs,
and RMR was the platform for their
careers,” she noted.
Most of the events in celebration of
RMR’s birthday will involve ex-RMR
DJs or musicians. RMR’s second and
biggest gig for the month was the highly
successful Intervarsity party on the
Great Field, which featured big-name
bands like Prime Circle and Flash Re-
public. Mhlungu said it was the biggest
event ever hosted by RMR.
But let’s go way back to August 1,
1981 and take a look at the life and times
of RMR.
The station began by narrowcasting
for the Rhodes University Cafeteria,
only expanding to residences on campus
later. Six years after this humble begin-
ning, RMR was narrowcasting to 16
residences on Rhodes campus.
In 1990, five RMR presenters broke
the record for the longest non-stop
broadcast by a campus radio station,
with a monumental 336 hour show. The
last few minutes of this groundbreak-
ing event were broadcast live on Capital
Radio. The event set off a revolution for
campus radio.
In June the following year, RMR was
granted permission to broadcast at the
Grahamstown National Arts Festival to
Grahamstown listeners within a 15km
radius, and received a temporary licence
as ‘Festival-FM’. This was another
groundbreaker for the station as it was
the first temporary licence in the coun-
from future Intervarsity events are fly- put Dumbledore to shame. The beard
ing. Rhodents go absolutely mad for was dyed purple just in time for the big
the duration of the tournament: bar a weekend.
sprinkling of black, blue and yellow from Another digs unleashed their wild
other universities, Grahamstown was sides with streaks of purple and blonde
completely purple as Rhodes students in their hair. Management Honours stu-
try to counter SABC’s monopoly.
proudly displayed allegiance to their dent, Adam Seager whipped out a rather
RMR continued to cover the National
teams. 90’s look with a head full of blond and
Arts Festival until June 1994 when their
Students take advantage of Inter- purple pigtails, while third year BA, Nick
application for a temporary broadcasting
varsity to express themselves creatively Luksich went for the popular blonde/
licence was rejected by the Independent
through their overalls and various purple not-quite-a-mullet look. DipAcc
Broadcasting Authority (IBA). The result
unique hairstyles. From purple cornrows student Mark Knox, however, seemed to
was that, a year later, RMR applied to
to peroxided mohawks, Rhodents go all have dipped his head into whatever came
run as a community broadcaster. This
out, taking extreme measures with long- his way, and then whipped out some
was successful and RMR was given
term repercussions. Even now, two weeks snazzy razor work on his stubble.
licence to go on air for a year.
after the event, many a purple tinge can Consider these individuals in isola-
17 May 1995 was a big day for RMR
be spotted amongst the student popula- tion and they seem supremely odd. But
and the Grahamstown community, as
tion. in the context of Intervarsity weekend,
the station finally went live 24 hours a
Third year BCom student, Kudzai they fit in just perfectly.
day as a community broadcaster. A few
Chanakira teamed up with a friend, Outsiders casting their eyes over the
years later, RMR finally received their
ManAcc Honours student, Ronald Chin- rugby stands at the big game on Saturday
four-year licence.
deka to create a crazy hairdo for their could be forgiven for thinking that
Reflecting on RMR’s development
grand finale Intervarsity experience. Rhodes University is in fact a hairdress-
and success over the years, Mhlungu
Both dyed their hair blonde, shaving ing academy…where first year practicals
said: “The fact that the station is so
lines as well as the letters R and U on went really, really wrong. Some call it
dynamic stands out. The kinds of people
opposite sides of their heads. lunacy, we call it art.
that come out of RMR are some of the
country’s best broadcasters. For me it is
inspiring. As a station manager, I have
a big legacy to look after. People all over Hair mare:
the world are tuning into RMR. The (From clockwise from top right) Nick Luksich, Adam Seager, Kudzai
audience is constantly growing. RMR is Chanakira and Mark Knox did not hold back in getting creative this
constantly growing.” Intervarsity.
Pics: Mary Hensman and Nthabiseng Moroane

Ribbons and rubbers on the runway

Yvonne Nhuta
The SHARC Anti-Fashion Show held
at the Great Hall last Friday night was
more than a display of mainstream
fashion culture and did not conform to
people’s expectations. “Typical models
are tall and skinny. Our models were
different and they had a message,” said
one of the show co-ordinators, Ithuteng
Mashabela.
Co-ordinated by Mashabela and
Veronica Malebye, the Anti-Fashion
Show, which will now be an annual
event, was the finale of SHARC’s HIV/
Aids Awareness Week campaign.
The show substituted the dramatic
conventions of a traditional fashion ex-
travaganza with features which helped
emphasise of the purpose of the event.
The absence of a ramp, the poetry
recited at intervals, and the appearance
of Condoman reminded the audience
and participants of SHARC’s important
cause.
Scantily-clad young men and
women strutted their stuff across the
stage, donning placards with messages
such as 'It’s sexier sealed', 'Embracing
femininity' and 'Real men don’t rape'.
Some models showcased some ex-
traordinary clothing designed by third
year design student, Bonolo Diseko
from the University of Johannesburg.
But the main attraction was the body
paint and the newly-coined, “Condom
Couture”.
One of the body-painted models,
Nomathamsanqa Mhlakaza said: “I did
it to show people that you should feel
comfortable in your own body. I think
people are still ignorant and take the
message in the wrong way. It’s not all
about fashion. It’s about you.”
Audience members were impressed
by the creative use of condoms in the
design of some garments. “It is a nice
way you can relate to the issue, saying
that the condom is there, it exists. Use
it,” Mhlakaza commented.
According Mpho Raborife, another
model in the show, “being half-naked
on stage was liberating. Promoting
the strength that a woman has within
her…We were different models and it
wasn’t only about what the body art
was saying, but we also had to embody
the emotions being expressed in the
art.”
“We wanted to challenge people to
really think about HIV/Aids and to
consider that abstaining is actually an
option,” Mashabela said.
The show was sponsored by Pick ‘n
Pay and included a raffle for a handy
‘Safe Sex Hamper’. Proceeds from the
raffle and the show will go to various
charities such as the Raphael centre.

Young Directors' Season 2009 Spring Music Festival 30 Aug - 4 Sept

This year's Young Directors' Season will
take place from 26 to 29 August. Tickets
can be bought from the Theatre Café
for R20. The following short 30-minute
drama pieces will be showcased:
Revolutionary Road by Justin Haythe
directed by Natasha Lech:
The pervading thematic concern of
this text is the notion of trying to escape
the constant human state of being stuck;
the idea that once a career has been
established, a marriage has been realised
and children have been attained; one
ends up stuck in the empty routine of
day to day living.
19:00 on 26 and 20:30 on 28 August
Closer by Patrick Marber directed by
Saint-Francis Tohlang
Closer is a text raw in emotion, action,
feeling and sound. It carefully dissects
modern relationships and questions the
collusion of lust, love, desire and inti-
macy in relationships. The core of Closer,
just as of human nature, is sex.
20:30 on 26 and 19:00 on 28 August
Rhodes University is hosting a variety of local and international musicians at the Spring Music Festival.
The Love of the Nightingale by Timber- Here is the concert schedule:
lake Wertenbaker directed by Roshnee
Guptar
Roberto Bonati & Stent Ensemble Quartet Schumann Piano Quintet in E Music Department, Beethoven Room
The Love of the Nightingale is about
St Andrews, Drill Hall flat major Op 44 Wed 2 September
asking questions. It is about interrogat-
Sun 30 August Music Department, Beethoven Room 19:30
ing the past to try and gain an under-
16:00 Tues 1 September R50 Adults, R30 Students/Pensioners
standing of the present. It is about sex,
R50 Adults, R30 Students/Pensioners 13:00
guilt, shame, vengeance, gender roles
Free! Robert Rollin, Juan Munoz & Mariel
and how those roles influence how we
Odeion String Quarte Masterclass Ilusario in concert
think as men, and as women.
Music Department, Beethoven Room Malcolm Nay - Masterclass Music Department, Beethoven Room
19:00 on 27 and 20:30 on 29 August
Mon 31 August Music Department, Beethoven Room Thur 3 September
15:00 Tues 1 September 13:00
Withnail and I by Bruce Robinson
Free! 15:00 R50 Adults, R30 Students/Pensioners
directed by Byron Davis
Free!
London: 1969. Two down-on-their-
Robert Rollin Undergraduate Performance
luck actors (Withnail and Marwood) fed
Lecture Eden Grove Blue Han Jonkers - Masterclass Medelsohn Trio Arnold van
up with the damp and cold, the piles of
Mon 31 August Music Department, Beethoven Room Wyk 5 Elegies Dvorak Piano Quintet
washing up, mad drug dealers and psy-
19:00 Wed 2 September In A major Op 81
chotic Irishmen – find solace in drinking
Free! 13:00 Music Department,
(and other narcotics). Seeking respite
Free! Beethoven Room
from their uneventful lives they leave
Terence Marais -MMus Fri 4 September
their squalid flat for an idyllic country-
Chamber Exam with Odeion String Robert Rollin & Han Jonkers Concert 19:30
side holiday.
20:30 on 27 and 19:00 on 29 August
 8 The Oppidan Press 26.08.09
Features
Your safe sex-po is on fire
Lara van Zyl
A few passed-out purple smurfs had to
be moved aside before SHARC could
begin to paint the campus red for HIV/
Aids Awareness Week last Monday.
The safe sex-po, held at the Kaif on
Monday and Tusday, aimed to educate
students in a fun and interesting way,
with the sex toys on display causing
many a gasp from passersby. The sex-po
was comprised of four sections: Absti-
nence, Be Faithful, Condomise and the
Pic: Supplied
Behind the veil: a peak into the lives of Muslim women
Wilhelmina Maboja
National Women’s Day is not just
an opportunity to redeem yourself
after forgetting your significant lady’s
birthday. Helen Joseph, Lillian Ngoyi,
Rahima Moosa and Sophia Williams-
De Bruyn did not risk their lives by
marching to the Union Buildings on 9
Star of Eluxolweni Children's Shelter shines brightly
Enathi Mqokeli
“A lot is troubling me but I will not
think about it,” said 17-year-old
Simphiwe Matina, who stays at the
Eluxolweni centre. At the age of ten,
Simphiwe moved into the Eluxolweni
Children's Shelter due to difficult family
circumstances. Although happy to have
a new home, he was nervous about the
challenges he would face in the different
environment.
Matina was introduced to soccer at
the Eluxolweni shelter and by the age of
14, he was able to referee the game. He
began teaching his skills to others, shar-
ing the thrill of being a soccer player. He
was part of the Eluxolweni soccer team
which competed in a soccer tournament
at Dlephu Stadium in Joza in 2007. Out
of eight teams they managed to claim
second prize and Matina and a team
mate each received a gold medal for
Do it Yourself section.
Many Rhodes students are sexu-
ally active, so one of SHARC’s goals is
to make everyone aware of safer sex
options – condomise and be faith-
ful to one person whether you’re in a
relationship or not. There seems to be a
stigma attached to safe sex – that it isn’t
sexy – but the sex-po proved that this
is definitely not the case, judging by the
wide variety of condoms, femidoms,
dental dams, chocolate body paint and
lubrication (in all its heat, tingly and
flavoured glory) on display. Lubrica-
SITTING PRETTY
Second year journalism student,
Ayushi Chhabra is a beauty queen in
her spare time, having been named
first runner up at the Miss India
South Africa pageant earlier this
month.
August 1956 for a bunch of flowers.
Some cultures still do not recognise
the role women play in society. Or
perhaps it is just that those looking at
these cultures do not understand, or
bother to understand what it means
to be a woman in that society, simply
because it is different.
National Women’s Week followed
Muslim Awareness Week on cam-
scoring a goal in the final match.
Matina has also participated in the
President’s Awards Programme. In 2003,
he completed his bronze award, and was
presented with a silver award by Prince
Edward in Port Elizabeth in 2008. As
part of the programme, Matina has to
do some form of community service. He
helps out at an old age home by wash-
ing windows and walls and he has also
volunteered at the day clinic, working in
the garden.
“I have dreams of becoming a
well-known player on television,” said
Matina. He continues to play the game,
enthusiastically chasing this dream.
“I encourage him to continue playing
soccer because I can see he likes it,” said
Matina’s caregiver, Luvuyo Botha.
At the moment Matina is focus-
ing on his studies and playing for the
first rugby team at Nyaluza Secondary
School. “I want to balance school and
sports,” he said.
Have a knack for creative writing? Join the features team.
Just drop us a line. features@theoppidanpress.com
tion is an important aspect of safe sex
practice as it lessens friction, which
helps prevent tearing and wearing out of
the condom.
There is no need to feel that safe sex
isn’t sexy. Why not try flavoured, ribbed,
featherlite, or tingly condoms? Or spice
up your love life by using a femidom in-
stead? If a guy says he’s allergic to latex,
no problem: rubber condoms are also
available. This may seem a little hetero-
sexist, but it isn’t. The LGBTI communi-
ty’s safer sex options were also included
in the exhibition through things such as
Rhodes student makes beauty pageant history
Farook Khan
Rhodes journalism student, Ayushi
Chhabra was first runner up at the Miss
India South Africa Pageant held earlier
this month at the Durban City Hall.
Her pulsating dance routine
enthralled the audience and judges,
particularly as it was the first time a
contestant chose Punjabi perform-
ing art for the pageant’s competition
sequences.
The art forms of Northern and
Southern India tend to dominate the
proceedings, so Chhabra’s medley of
dances drew a rapturous response from
the audience. She enhanced her perfor-
mance by incorporating a traditional
Punjabi musical instrument, the kaichi
(a wooden concertina-like instrument).
pus this year, rehashing the topic of
women in Islam, after the usual burqa-
bashing debates had subsided. Many
questions surround Muslim women’s
clothing and their role behind Muslim
men. Western media portrays Muslim
women as oppressed and subdued
behind soft drapes of clothing, but do
these women feel oppressed?
“A Muslim woman’s hair is more
Pic: Enathi Mqokeli
dental dams and posters.
Some people may feel that oral sex is
not ‘real’ sex, but it is and you can still
get an STI, so why not use flavoured
condoms and dental dams to protect
yourself– it’s sexy, it’s fun and let’s face it,
it does taste better most of the time.
Masturbation may be taboo for some,
but the Do it Yourself section of the safe
sex-po promoted it as a risk-free way of
releasing sexual energy. Who better to
know what turns you on than yourself?
Sex toys are becoming a prominent
feature in many people’s sex lives, and
Having secured her place in the finals
at the City Hall after winning the Miss
India Gauteng Pageant, Chhabra was
among the competition’s favourites.
She was awarded first runner up, which
means she will represent the country at
Miss India Worldwide next year, if the
current Miss India South Africa, Kajal
Lutchminarain, cannot.
“I am delighted that the audience
responded so positively to my dance
medley, more so that it was something
very different from what they normally
are offered from the dance stage,” said
Chhabra. She said that while the record
books would reflect her standing in the
pageant, she was extremely proud to
have been the very first contestant to
present a traditional Punjabi rendition
on stage. “I have been told that a special
point will be made in the history of the
valued in her husband’s eye than to
anyone,” says Mufti Ismail Menk, who
held a talk on women in Islam during
the awareness week. “This is why
they cover their hair with a hijab,” he
explained.
But it inevitably returns to the
Muslim woman herself. “I believe
that wearing a burqa or hijab is a very
personal choice and as such should
SHARC used the toy display to educate
students about safety with regards to
sharing, cleaning and using condoms.
Whether you choose to abstain or
not, we all need to take safety precau-
tions, not only for ourselves but also
for the people with whom we choose to
share such an intimate act.
Stop thinking that being safe will
extinguish the sparkle in your sex life,
and have some fun with different ways
to enhance sexy time that won’t compro-
mise your health or that of your partner
– after all it takes two to tango.
pageant that I introduced a new dimen-
sion into the talent pageant,” she said.
The organisers of the 19th Miss
India Worldwide Pageant, which will
take place on 27 March 2010 at the
International Convention Centre in
Durban, are planning to include her as
one of the cultural performers. Pageant
spokeswoman, Roberta Reddy, said
that Chhabra had won many friends
and that she now expected Punjabi
dances to be very popular in South
Africa.
“We are always looking for talent
which we can use to bring all South
Africans together. The Indian dance
forms enjoy considerable popularity
throughout the world,” said Reddy.
For now, it’s back to class for
Chhabra who will have to put her tal-
ents aside, just for the time being.
be respected by everybody,” says
Sarhanna Hassim, a Muslim first year
student.
“There is a lot of misconcep-
tion that surrounds being a Muslim
woman. Women’s Day brings into
focus all the different types of women
that make up this world, and gives
insight into their different religions
and cultures.”
SOCCER STAR ON THE
RISE
Simphiwe Matina,
from the Eluxolweni
Children's Shelter tries
to balance his school
work with soccer
practice. He hopes to
make it big as a soccer
star.
Green living. Are you living a green lifestyle? Let us know what
tips and tricks you use. environment@theoppidanpress.com
To Sweden and back again
Nicole Venegas
Rhodes Honours student, Sheldon Goss
recently returned from Sweden – the
land of Vikings, IKEA and Sony Erics-
son. The purpose of his visit was not
only to soak up the Northern summer
sun, but to learn from the Swedish green
mentality and work on his renewable
energy project.
Goss is doing a joint Honours in Ge-
ography and Botany, a combination he
admits is very challenging. It is through
the Rhodes Geography Honours course
and the Linnaeus Palme Swedish
exchange programme that he and two
other Rhodes students were able to do
the exchange.
Thinking back on his trip, Goss says
it was “a fantastic opportunity to build
character”. He enjoys traveling and
relishes a challenge, so a trip to the little
fishing town of Fiskebäckskil was right
up his alley.
Goss focused his research project
on renewable energy and why (Swed-
ish) people have chosen to adopt it. He
looked at whether it is because they
are concerned about climate change or
whether they choose to go the sustain-
able route for financial reasons. The
latter reason might seem strange to
South Africans as renewable energy is
generally seen as the more expensive
option in our country.
Pic: Supplied
However, in an effort to reduce their
carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020,
the Swedish government subsidises indi-
viduals if they decide to buy renewable
energies. According to Goss, “the gov-
ernment will give individuals 60 percent
off the price of solar panels”. The Swedes
also use heat pumps, which require one
third of the amount of electricity of a
normal heater.
Goss does note that Swedes are not
as green as they would like us to believe.
Most of the popoulation have turned
to renewable energy as it is cheaper for
them, and not out of concern for our
planet. He also adds that renewable en-
ergy does not necessarily amount to the
Eco Fact >>
Sweden is one of the leading countries in recycling; it recycles over 95 percent
of glass, 85 percent of newspapers, 70 percent of metal and 65 percent of plas-
tic.
Look out for >>
• National Arbour Week
National Arbour Week is an annual event
which takes place during the first week
of September. This year it will be from
Tuesday 1 to Monday 7 September. The
idea originated in the American state
of Nebraska in 1872 when the editor of
the state’s newspaper, Sterling Morton,
encouraged his fellow townsmen to plant
trees. He wrote numerous articles on the
benefits it would bring. This led to the
creation of the Arbour Day holiday. It
was celebrated for the first time in South
Africa in 1983 and later, the South African
government decided to make it a week-
long event, to promote the importance of
planting trees.
Every year, two or three trees are high-
lighted. This year’s are the Acacia galpinii
(Monkey Thorn), Halleria lucida (Tree
Fuchsia), and Pterocarpus rotundifolius
(Round-leaved Teak).
Grab your shovels and get your hands
SWEDISH RHODENT
Rhodes Honours student, Sheldon Goss returned from Sweden with greater
knowledge of renewable energy. He hopes to combine it with sustainable
development practices, which will be useful for creating energy policies for
developing countries.
best option. He describes it as “energy
recycling”. Sweden uses wood from their
abundant forests to power heating sys-
tems, and though they might plant trees
after them, the rate at which the trees
grow is not fast enough to completely
justify this source of energy. Windmills
and solar panels are not ideal either, as
their fabrication emits a lot of carbon
dirty! Also look out for some of the trees
being planted around campus. Many are
being planted in honour of retiring profes-
sors, such as Professor Paul Walters.
For more information, visit the
Department of Water and Environmental
Affairs website at http://www.dwaf.gov.za/
events/ArborWeek/default.asp
• Greenworks
If you are looking for useful tips and
information on how to lead a more
environmentally friendly lifestyle it is
definitely worth your while to check out
the Greenworks website at http://www.
greenworks.co.za/
• Mother City Living
The Mother City Living, living green in
Cape Town website is also quite useful
dioxide and, according to Goss, they do
not last very long.
Coming back to South Africa, Goss
has renewed hope in the possibility of
change. Although his outlook on the
continent may seem pessimestic – “Af-
rica needs development and the govern-
ments are too useless” – he does believe
that something can be done.
and user-friendly. It has a few links under
Green Guide and Green Topics which
provide information on events, as well as
tips and advice on how to take small but
positive steps towards living a green life.
• The Digs Greening
Project
GRASS wants to help you green up your
digs. So if you are interested in partici-
pating in this project or want to find out
more, contact GRASS at: grass.info@
gmail.com.
• Farmers’ market
Every Saturday from 9:00 to 12:00 there’s
the farmers’ market at the Old Gaol,
where you can buy fresh and healthy lo-
cally grown vegetables, crafts, and other
goodies.
Environment
The world's big five of
green cities
Tommie Gilbert
I recently received an email which
labeled Vancouver as one of the greenest
cities in the world. Being Canadian my-
self, it immediately caught my interest
and I decided to research the claim to
see if it had any merit. Turns out it didn’t
come in at number one, but it did make
the top five.
At number five is the southern
Swedish city of Malmö, home to roughly
280 000 people and a host of renew-
able technologies. Sweden is a leader in
green electricity technologies – most of
the country runs on hydropower and
nuclear power. However, it is unclear
whether or not nuclear power is a re-
newable source of energy.
One neighbourhood, Western
Harbour, runs entirely on solar, wind
and hydro power in addition to biofuels
made from organic waste. All buildings
are made from sustainable materials
and designed to be energy efficient.
Other areas have botanical roof gardens,
created to insulate buildings, such as
Augustenborg, which is also home to the
world’s first emission-free street trains.
In fourth place is the Danish capital
of Copenhagen, where water and
windmills are used to power the city of
roughly 1.7 million people. Winner of
the European Environmental Award
in 2006, Copenhagen is most famous
for its over 5 600 windmills. These wind-
mills supply ten percent of Denmark’s
electricity and in 2001 they built the
world’s largest offshore windmill park,
generating electricity for 32 000 homes.
In addition, the Danish government has
installed a water quality warning system
to monitor pollution levels.
Portland, in the Northwestern state
of Oregon in America, is the third
greenest city in the world. Its 500 000
residents have been a model for sustain-
able living for some time now. Since
1903, citizens have been encouraged to
integrate green spaces into their urban
SSS Take Aways
Open from 9am - 2am
Tel. (046) 622 9121
• Best food & services in town
• A variety of food to choose from
• Hamburgers
• Chicken
• Fish & Chips
• All day Breakfast
The Oppidan Press 26.08.09 9
planning and 30 years ago, a six-lane
highway was demolished and a water-
front park built in its place.
Portland was the first American city
to make a plan to reduce its greenhouse
gas emissions and it is constantly hover-
ing around the top of greenest cities in
the world lists (such as this one). By
next year, Portland aims to supply 100
percent of its energy from renewable
sources, with creative ideas such as
solar-powered parking meters.
At number two is Vancouver, not
only the world’s most livable city, but
also the model for Canada’s aproach
to using renewable energy. 90 percent
of Vancouver’s 560 000 residents live
on hydroelectric energy – the largest
number in the world. This is part of
Vancouver’s ambitious 100-year plan to
green the city and decrease greenhouse
gas emissions by 20 percent of the figure
reported in 1990, when the Kyoto Proto-
col was formed. The city hopes to invest
in wind, solar, wave and tidal energy
systems to reduce fossil fuel emissions.
And with the Olympic Games around
the corner, many of the city’s stadiums
have gone green to keep Vancouver’s
carbon footprint as small as possible.
Finally, drumroll please, at number
one is Reykjavik, Iceland, home to 115
000 people – roughly a third of Iceland’s
total population of 300 000. It may be
small, but this city’s, and indeed this
country’s, impact on the world has been
enormous. While Vancouver may get 90
percent of its energy from hydropower,
Iceland gets all of its electricity from this
form of renewable energy. Iceland aims
to be totally independent of fossil fuels
by 2050 and to become an economy
based on hydrogen gas. Already three of
its city buses run on hydrogen.
Many cities and countries are get-
ting a huge head-start in greening up
their act. South Africa is slowly on its
way too, with Cape Town’s Green Goal
Project which aims to green up the city
in time for and during the 2010 World
Cup.
10 The Oppidan Press 26.08.09
Business
Get dressed for business success
Marcelino Nkuna
First impressions are important. Fact.
People even knew this way back in the
18th century when none other than
Jane Austen considered naming her
most famous novel, First Impressions.
But today, nowhere is the truth of first
impressions more true than in the
working world, where how we dress can
have a tremendous influence on our
Get rich quick and poor even quicker
EVERYONE'S MAD AT MADOFF
White-collar criminal, Bernard Madoff conned big-time American
investors out of billions of dollars.
chances of getting hired.
And, in the current economic
climate, whether we are employed or
not, is a big deal.
So dressing appropriately for a job
interview is of the utmost importance.
As human resources professionals will
tell you, how you should dress depends
on the nature of the job. Someone being
interviewed by an accounting firm will
suit up, whereas someone interested in a
creative job like advertising should opt
Pic: Supplied
for a more casual vibe.
Bryan Thomas, CEO of advertising
agency Thomas, Taber & Drazen
notes that suiting up for interviews for
advertising and writing positions may
work against you. He suggests going for
a hip look without being over the top.
For those of us who are keen to crack
the corporate world, there are a number
of important tips to bear in mind. Do
not show up in your Prada or Armani
suit wearing the Rolex you got for
Marcelino Nkuna
When it comes to investment, if it
sounds too good to be true it usually
is. In America, companies like Enron
posted above average earnings and
profits, and many people, enticed by
the encouraging numbers, invested
their life savings into these businesses.
They lost every cent.
Bernard Madoff will go down in
history as the man convicted for de-
frauding people for a total of nearly $50
billion – the largest act of fraud ever
committed by a single person. In South
Africa, we had our own Ponzi scheme
that took many people for a ride. Desti-
nation: bankruptcy.
A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent in-
vestment operation which pays returns
to separate investors, using investors’
own money or money paid by subse-
quent investors, rather than any actual
profit earned. Ponzi schemes usually
offer benefits which other investments
cannot guarantee, such as short-term
returns that are either abnormally high
or unusually consistent. The perpetu-
ation of these returns, which make a
Ponzi scheme so attractive, requires an
ever-increasing flow of money from an
ever-increasing list of investors. The
scheme effectively runs itself.
The most recent South African
Ponzi scheme was masterminded by
Barry Tannenbaum, grandson of Har-
old Tannenbaum – one of the found-
ers of South African pharmaceutical
Credit crunch: Have you been directly affected by the world economic
meltdown? business@theoppidanpress.com
MATERIAL GIRL >>
graduation.
Your potential employee will assume
that you will demand a large salary, so
keep it simple. Suits should be classic
blue or black, and ladies shouldn’t wear
anything too revealing or extravagant.
Like it or not, appearance is almost
everything when going for an interview.
Final year Oppidans should think
seriously about how to make a ‘suitable’
first impression at interviews with
potential employers.
giant, Adcock Ingram. Mainly aimed
at wealthy South African families, the
scheme offered returns of 200 percent
per year to investors who put money
into Tannenbaum’s pharmaceutical
business.
The Mail & Guardian reported last
week that Tannenbaum’s estate was
sequestrated and that the National
Prosecuting Authority will proceed
with their case against him.
High profile businessmen, such as
former Pick ‘n Pay CEO, Sean Summer
and Former OK Bazaars CEO, Mervyn
Serebro, and other investors are said
to have lost almost R10 billion in the
scheme.
This sort of careless behaviour and
greed can be linked to the recession
we are currently experiencing. At what
point in business transactions does
ethics go by the wayside and greed take
over? The sub-prime mortgage crisis
shows that when banks get greedy,
bonds are given to people who are
unable to pay them back and disaster
ensues.
The collapse of a number of bank-
ing institutions and businesses attests
to the fact that dicey business practices
have long-term effects, and unassum-
ing investors are almost always hardest
hit.
So if you feel the need to invest your
hard earned money into a business, do
your research. There are many tempting
get-rich-quick schemes out there, but
you might do well to keep your money
in the bank where it’s safe. For now.
A golden solution
for Zimbabwe
Ines Schumacher
In a move that may shock even the
most cynical of men, a smidgen of
sense has come out of Zimbabwe
recently. And – hold on to your
wigs – the topic is money. Life
never ceases to baffle.
That’s right, Zim has proposed
a way to lower their ridiculous
inflation that might just work.
The country’s central bank
governor, Gideon Gono recently
suggested the reintroduction of
the Zimbabwean dollar, but this
time it should be a gold-backed
currency.
In other words, Zimbabwe wants
to introduce the gold standard.
The gold standard is a system
in which a region’s medium of
exchange is paper notes that are
convertible into fixed quantities
of gold. The gold standard is not
currently used by any government
and, if you paid enough attention
in history class, hasn’t been since
World War Two.
This means Zimbabwe would
keep the actual gold in its central
bank. The value of paper money
distributed to the public would be
physically linked to the amount
of gold in the bank as well as the
current price of gold.
Gold is a commodity that has
become more like a currency
nowadays. With the recession,
stocks and hedges become risky
investments so instead people have
turned to cold, hard gold.
The gold standard would limit
the power of the government
(always a good thing in Zim) to
inflate prices through excessive
issuance of paper currency. It
may also encourage more foreign
investment as the situation would
no longer be so hideously volatile.
The only flaw in the plan is this:
the total amount of gold that has
ever been mined is estimated at
around 142 000 tonnes.
Assuming a gold price of $1
000 per ounce, the total value of
all the gold ever mined would
be around $4.5 trillion. That is
less than the value of circulating
money in the U.S alone. Adopting
the gold standard, therefore, is not
a worldwide solution.
Gono proposed the currency
didn’t have to be backed by gold,
but could instead be backed by
other locally available assets such
as diamonds or platinum, both of
which Zimbabwe has resources in.
I think the only way Zimbabwe
can reduce their inflation is by
going back to basics. And hey, if
the gold standard worked after
world wars to reduce inflation,
why can’t it work for Zimbabwe?
The affected countries were
basically in the same situation –
starving people, a crazy dictator,
violence, despair. Need I go on?
WTF? Seen anything weird and wacky online lately? Send us a link.
scitech@theoppidanpress.com
Twinkle twinkle Swift-Tuttle comet
Mathilde Brassine
If you happened to look into the sky
on Wednesday night two weeks ago,
you may have seen a lot of streak-
ing lights. Or maybe not. From the
late hours of Wednesday 12 August
through to the early hours of Thursday
13 August, people around the world
settled down and readied themselves
to enjoy the Perseid meteor shower.
A meteor shower takes place when
the Earth passes through a comet’s icy,
dusty debris stream, in this case the
Swift-Tuttle comet. The debris (rang-
DNA unravelled
Ntsika Kota
People often ask me, “Ntsika, how is
it that you’re so clever and irresistibly
sexy?” Well…actually they don’t but
if they did I’d say, “It’s in my genes”. I
recognise the potential for denim-
based phallic references but, don’t
worry, I shall refrain and continue
with the article. Today’s topic is in-
heritance —can you say Paris Hilton?
Actually the inheritance I speak
of is the genetic variety. Accord-
ing to my biology book, the talking
supercomputer that I built myself,
inheritance is the transmission
of genetic information from one
generation to the next. This is an
altogether quite complex…thing,
Private health care not so healthy
Nokwanda Kota
The nationalisation of South African
health care has been a topical issue of
late. The National Health Insurance
document is not available in the public
domain yet but you’ll be able to tell
when it is by the public eruption of mass
hysteria. In effect, the document means
that unless you’re willing to pay for two
ing in size from grains of sand to huge
boulders) burn when they strike our
atmosphere at speeds of up to 50 km
per second, 97 to 193 km above the
Earth’s surface, creating a light shower
visible to the naked eye. The Swift-
Tuttle comet, which was ‘discovered’
in 1862 by two American astrono-
mers, Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle,
orbits the sun every 130 years and last
passed near the sun in 1992.
At the shower’s peak, up to 100
comets passed through the sky per
hour, a count known as the Zenithal
Hourly Rate (ZHR). The meteors
all seem to originate, with their tails
pointing in the same direction, from
but let me simplify it so everyone
(including myself) understands. In
humans, the inheritance of sex (stop
giggling) is determined by one pair
of chromosomes (threads of DNA)
of the normal 23 that humans have.
The pair is made up of an X and Y
chromosome (sort of).
Depending on how these chromo-
somes combine from the male and
female (delivered courtesy of their
respective sex cells), the resulting
spawn will either be male (XY) or
female (XX). If you didn’t know, now
you do.
* The writer is a learner at Sifund-
zani High School. The article is the
product of an exercise in science com-
munication and writing that learners
participated in*
medical aid schemes (one national/
public and your current medical aid
scheme), private health care is a thing of
the past.
It’s called the National Health Insur-
ance (NHI) system and it’s the ANC’s
way of “cementing social solidarity in the
health system”, so that the rich subsidise
the poor and the healthy subsidise the ill
and we all live happily and healthily ever
after…sorry, did you say something Mr
Science & Technology
a point called a ‘radiant’, which lies in
the constellation of Perseus, hence the
name Perseid. I say ‘seem’ because the
meteors do not actually have anything
to do with the constellation, they just
appear to come from it; they are in
fact much closer to us than stars.
The Perseid meteor shower is also
known as the Tears of St. Lawrence
as it often appeared around the saint’s
feast day, 10 August. This year the
meteor shower was, unfortunately,
more visible in the Northern hemi-
sphere and in South Africa few, if any,
Perseids could be seen. Grahamstown
weather further prevented residents
from appreciating the event as cloud
Castro?
So what does this mean to you? Es-
sentially it means that: all tax-paying
South Africans will contribute to the
NHI (which will mean an increase in
personal taxes plus a mandatory payroll
levy); all South Africans will be reg-
istered members of the NHI plan and
will be assigned to specific health care
facilities closest to them. Each citizen
will have an NHI card which must be
cover and rain blocked the action.
Pollution and light from the moon
also interfered with viewing around
the world.
A 48-hour Twitter marathon
called Twitter Meteorwatch was set
up as part of the International Year
of Astronomy 2009 and allowed
skywatchers around the world to
live-tweet photos of the meteors and
other celestial objects. According to
a Newbury Astronomical Society
Twitter-monitoring programme, there
were an estimated 10 000 tweets by 11
August, beating the #WeLoveYouMi-
ley topic, about the Hannah Montana
star, off the top spot for 2 hours.
produced when seeing a doctor, and
members will be allowed only three visits
to the doctor a year. If a member visits
a private doctor or specialist without an
authorised referral form within the NHI
system, he will pay out of his own pocket
for the treatment. While everyone will
have equal access to health care services,
these services will preferably be public
sector clinics and hospitals.
What are the implications of the
NHI plan for your current family doctor
sitting in his air-conditioned consulta-
tion rooms with pictures of his family
on his desk? What of his polite but cold
receptionist with the pink nail polish and
complimentary mints in little glass bowls
between the breast cancer pamphlets?
The world is going to be a darker
shade of grey for them. While the private
sector will not be actively dismantled,
the survival of private health care ser-
vices is not a priority. Private health care
providers contracted by the NHI author-
ity will earn much less per patient than
they have with the medical aid scheme
scale of benefits. This will, in all likeli-
hood, not only herald the further exodus
of doctors but of private hospital and
pharmaceutical companies too (the state
plans to manufacture its own drugs).
But all is not lost. While the NHI plan
is an ambitious one, it is not impossible.
If all goes according to plan, the ANC
will succeed in addressing the downward
spiral that has occurred in the quality of
health care in recent years, aggravated
by sub-Saharan Africa’s overwhelming
burden of disease.
The Oppidan Press 26.08.09 11
Health and fitness >>
The art of running
Zukiswa Kota
At the end of our Friday morning 06:15
run (a decidedly slow slog this time),
my running partner and I stumbled
onto the topic of gym buddies and
running mates and what makes for a
perfect pair.
Having similar goals and being of
well-matched fitness levels is really
important, but what I’ve come to ap-
preciate is that rising before dawn three
times a week to brave Grahamstown
winter mornings calls for really good
company. I usually prefer solitary exer-
cise to partnered training but running
is different.
Besides the concessions one has
to make for personal safety, there is
a certain strength that comes from
hearing someone else’s footfalls and
breathing on a quiet trail. This is not to
be confused with people who breathe,
sniff and hock all the way or insist on
finishing off the pre-run conversation,
wheezing and shouting. I’ve even had
the pleasure of running with someone’s
house keys jiggling in my pocket as she
had no pockets of her own. It was the
perfunctory end to our running rela-
tionship. Running with my mum years
ago was little more than a short-lived
ego booster. Having been a ballroom
dancer and tennis player, she assumed
running would be a ‘breeze’. Not so.
Hello sport-specific fitness and training.
While we’ve been training for the
half-marathon for a while, Faye and
I realised the importance of perfor-
mance-geared training only recently.
According to Eric Harr, world-class
triathlete, runners need to focus
more attention on strengthening their
hamstrings, quadriceps and calves. Not
surprisingly, all leg muscles. Building
total body strength is also important,
as is the need to build endurance and
strength as opposed to increasing
muscle size.
Harr’s numerous recommendations
point to the fact that getting the best
out of your running is something of an
art. A strategy used by elite runners is
concentrating on the core; strengthen-
ing the abs. Carrie Tollefson, a 1 500
metre Olympic competitor advocates
adding interesting challenges to a basic
plank and using the Swiss ball to bal-
ance on. Using moves that mimic the
running motion as part of your regular
workout adds a fresh feel to old-school
crunches.
The ability to discuss goals and share
ideas related to our training regimen is
really important. My running partner
is a qualified spinning instructor and
overall fitness enthusiast (with rock-
hard abs to match) so I can often garner
interesting training tips as we stretch. I
like to think that my experience as an
instructor adds to her bank of knowl-
edge too. Most importantly, there is
nothing as sacred as the confidences
shared between running partners on
quiet Grahamstown streets and in the
solitude of Mountain Drive as the sun
rises.

Pics: Amy Attenborough
PURPLE PEOPLE
Supporters, swimmers, sports spats and streakers. All in a day's play at Intervarsity.
Moments of madness and mayhem
Taona Karidza
Purple overalls, purple faces and purple
streakers decorated this year’s momen-
tous Intervarsity held at Rhodes. Nelson
Mandela Metropolitan University
(NMMU), Walter Sisulu University,
Fort Hare and Rhodes collided in a
sporting frenzy like none other.
Yet, the highlight for most support-
ers, unsurprisingly, was not the sport
itself but rather the classic moments of
madness which followed the alcohol-
induced excitement of the weekend.
The over enthusiasm of supporters
started early on Friday 14 August at
water polo: students blew up condoms
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and threw them into the pool while
the water polo was taking place, one
of many instances where students
took things too far in support of their
respective teams.
Another notable act of stupidity
took place at the rugby, where confident
and not-so-sober students decided that
nudity was the best way to prove their
status as diehard fans.
Four particularly keen supporters
took the opportunity to don their birth-
day suits for players and spectators for
the duration of Saturday’s games. And
apparently the three female streakers
were part of our very own student body.
Once again, Rhodes proved itself at
the forefront of general misconduct,
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although reports claim that none of
these students was under the influence
of alcohol.
Sporting disturbance is not particu-
lar to Intervarsity, however, nor to Rho-
des. In fact, streakers have been known
to make appearances in all corners
of the globe and in numerous sports,
ranging from tennis to the gentleman’s
game – golf. In the football world, how-
ever, disturbance is on a different level
altogether.
Globally, soccer fans are infamously
ranked as the most violent and passion-
ate supporters in the world, with actual
brawls occurring between rival club
fans across Europe and South America.
When teams with such intensely loyal
fans come head to head, injuries are
not probable; they are expected. These
can range from broken noses to, on
occasions, loss of life. Players often join
in on the madness, like Manchester
United’s legendary Eric Cantona, who
will forever be remembered for his
flying kick into a supporter during a
match against Crystal Palace.
Bringing the madness back home
again, the misbehaviour of Intervarsity-
goers is generally regarded as being
“all in good fun” by the student body.
But that was before Vice-Chancellor
Saleem Badat’s report of an incident of
racism. Now the mischievousness of
excited Rhodents has taken on far more
disturbing overtones.
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Triumph and
tragedy
Anesu Chingono
World football is undergoing a real
revolution as Real Madrid captures the
attention of millions with their extrava-
gant transfer activity. The return of the
so-called galactico era has become a
source of much excitement for football
lovers, and with the FIFA World Cup
only ten months away, football is on a
natural high.
The athletics world is also experi-
encing a coup d’é tat of sorts: Usain
Bolt continues to claim the sport for
his own with eccentric yet brilliant
sprinting performances. On the topic
of sporting greats, it may be prudent
to reflect on the deserved, or perhaps
not so deserved, winners of the fifth
and deciding final test of cricket’s oldest
rivalry – The Ashes.
But away from the glory, screams
of fans, and sheer joy provided by our
favourite sportsmen and women, there
is also a far less pleasant side to be seen
of world sport.
Dani Jarque, the captain of FC Bar-
celona’s regional rivals Espanyol, died
from cardiac arrest in his hotel during
pre-season training. His death has
stunned the football world, and what’s
more, it comes only two years after the
tragedy of Sevilla’s Antonio Puerta who
collapsed during a league match and
died of multiple organ failure three days
later.
But football has not been the only
sport to suffer. Argentine rugby player,
Juan Cruz Migliore died recently, after
being hit on the head at the bottom of a
ruck. And who can forget the incident
that nearly cost Ferrari’s Filipe Massa
not only his Formula 1 career but his
life? When a detached suspension on
the road flicked up and hit Massa on
the helmet, he was knocked uncon-
scious and drove straight into a barrier
at full speed.
Us sports fanatics are no strangers
to the joy that sport brings: we gather
in thousands in large stadiums to cheer
on our heroes, we sit at home antici-
pating the various upcoming sporting
attractions, and we gather with friends
to make each game a social event. But it
should be remembered that not too far
off from the excitement that surrounds
the world of sport, tragedy often lurks.