Gavin Hunt’s men secured a 2-0 victory over Chippa United in the Nedbank Cup round of 16.

Bidvest Wits are in the quarter finals of the Nedbank Cup after defeating eastern Cape side Chippa United on Monday, February 24, at the Bidvest Stadium in Johannesburg. The victory was sweet revenge for Wits who were knocked out of the same competition by Unbited last year.

The Clever Boys dominated play throughout the match characterised by a lacklustre performance from United. The home side secured their victory with an early two minute spell during which centre-back Thulani Hlatshwayo and midfielder Phathushedzo Nange found the back of the net. Wits’ back five were impenetrable making it impossible for United to set up any chances for themselves. Hunt’s men were relentless for the rest of the game without even breaking a sweat.

In a video posted to the Bidvest Wits twitter account, coach Hunt said he is relishing the opportunity to keep playing games. “It is better for us to play more,”he said, commenting on the number of competitions on the go at the same time. The Wits manager claims that playing three games a week is better for his club but only worries that mental fatigue can be a factor.

Bidvest Wits will face Real Kings, a side from Durban on a date yet to be confirmed. The other quarter finalists in the competition are Mamelodi Sundowns, Highlands Park, TS Sporting, Bloemfontein Celtic, Black Leopards and Baroka FC.

Wits’ next game is an Absa Premiership match against SuperSport United at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday, February 29.

FEATURED IMAGE: Lorenzo Gordinho of Bidvest Wits clears ball from Augustine Kwem of Chippa United during the 2020 Nedbank Cup match between Bidvest Wits and Chippa United at the Bidvest Stadium, Johannesburg on February, 24 2020. Photo: Courtesy Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix. 

Searching for student accommodation made easier through an online platform.

Students in Johannesburg participated at the launch of a new online accommodation service to voice their concerns about the lack of accommodation. The launch of Fundi’s Accommodation Platform was held at the Johannesburg Rand Club on Thursday, February 20.

The launch included a number of panel discussions, one of which was a student panel with representatives from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and the South African Union of Students (SAUS). 

Kamogelo Maseko,  a UJ student who lives at J-One a student accommodation in Braamfontein said, “J-One has a pest problem, there are cockroaches and adapting to that setting is tough. And when you have visitors and when they see the cockroaches is upsetting.”

Three University of Johannesburg (UJ) students and two members of the South African Union of Students (SAUS) members made up the panel which represented students.

Tshego Ratale, second-year strategic communication student from UJ, who stays at a Richmond student accommodation, said that students should receive access to  free WiFi instead of having to pay for it.

Qaqamba Buka, a second-year UJ student told Wits Vuvuzela “it’s important for us to be involved in a panel discussion and to be here, because now they know the problems we are facing.

“When they build student accommodations they build it for us, but we are the ones currently experiencing the problems. We know what the issues are. Us being here helps them get into our minds, getting them to know what we are feeling and what our experiences are,” added the BCom student.

“One thing I am hoping from the Fundi online student accommodation platform is that they will take what we said and implement it,” said Ratale.

In the student’s panel closing remarks SAUS president, Misheck Mugabe, said that students in the Eastern Cape and other rural provinces have more of a challenge with regards to student accommodation.

“Private property owners are more likely to cater to students in urban areas rather than rural areas,” Mugabe added.

Mxolisi Ngcamphalala, a SAUS National Executive Council (NEC) member, emphasised the importance of vetting accommodation owners. “The state needs to vet people who intend to accommodate students. We do not want to find ourselves, as we’ve seen before where students are now being engaged in activities that do not help their studies because they have been exposed to a landlord that has not been vetted.

The vice-chancellors (VCs) of UJ, Wits University, Walter-Sisulu University also participated in one of the panel discussions which were all facilitated by SABC anchor Nzigina Qunta. 

Wits VC, Prof Adam Habib said he would like to move the debate of the student accommodation crisis to include solutions to the problem as well.

“At Wits we effectively have 6,500 beds. At the moment we think the demand for beds is about 12 000 to 16 000. We actually have enough service providers in Braamfontein, many of whom are accredited to supply those beds,” Habib said.

“The problem at Wits is not the supply of accommodation, but the money. Do the people who need the accommodation have the money? And I think that is an important question to raise,” he said.

Fundi CEO, Tshepo Ditshego said “bringing students, accommodation providers and institutions together to the launch was important so that we could talk about the challenges and come up with solutions.” “With the Fundi Accommodation Platform, we were trying to create an ‘Airbnb’ version for students and accommodation providers”, said Ditshego.

The Fundi Accommodation Platform is designed to be a one single solution for students to view, assess, select and choose suitable and accredited student accommodation available.

The platform, which is available through an app and the Fundi website is equipped with real time viewing of apartments and instant accesses to prices and quotes.

FEATURED IMAGE: University students and student leaders discuss their frustrations about the ongoing accommodation crisis. Photo: Tumelo Modiba. 

Witsies make it into Team South Africa at the continental fencing championships.

Two Wits Fencers are competing at the annual FIE Junior African Championships, currently taking place in Accra, Ghana.

Ayanda Tuku and Harry Saner, both second-year BSc students, were selected to represent South Africa by the Fencing Federation South Africa (FFSA) during the KwaZulu-Natal Open tournament in December, 2019.

The FFSA chooses fencers who are top-ranked throughout the year in various styles of fencing.

Saner has competed in international competitions several times before. “Between 2016 and 2020, I’ve competed in the Junior World Championships, Junior African Champs, Bahrain World Cup, Heidenheim World Cup, Senior African Championships, Senior World Championships and the Doha Grand Prix,” said the 19-year-old.

Tuku, who has been selected to represent the country five times before, but couldn’t travel because of a lack of finances, is competing in an international championship for the first time. This time, a fundraising campaign he initiated paid off as the money raised was enough to cover most of the costs for the tour.

“My biggest aspiration for this competition is to come back to South Africa with a medal. I’m aware that it’ll be a difficult thing to do, but I’m more than determined to go through all of that,” Tuku, also 19, told Wits Vuvuzela.

Saner, however, is going for gold. “I have the experience and I’ve done the work to say that confidently. Although I have this goal in mind, my main focus is to fence my best and remember my training and experiences to be able to make the right decisions to take me on a winning path,” the engineering student said.

The South African team in Ghana is made up of 24 participants, male and female, competing in three styles of fencing – foil, épée and sabre. The week-long championships finish on Saturday, February 29.

FEATURED IMAGE: Harry Saner takes on an opponent during a tense battle in Cape Town. Photo: Provided

RELATED ARTICLES: Wits Vuvuzela, Wits fencer set to represent SA, February 7, 2020.

Wits Business School calls for its student to help fight HIV.

Wits Business School (WBS) hosted a briefing about its innovation challenge which focuses on female HIV/AIDS prevention in Parktown on Wednesday, February 26.

The Reckitt Benckiser WBS innovation competition was launched in January this year and aims to fund Wits business school students’ ideas to the value of  R1,5 million to combat community problems concerning HIV/AIDS and safe sex education. The briefing of all the applicants to date was held ahead of the selection of the proposals later this year.

Dr Bhekinkosi Moyo, director of CAPSI (Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment), one of the partners in the project, said, “The two-pronged approach [education and access] is critical to delivering meaningful and effective behaviour change in sub-Saharan Africa”.

According to the UNAIDS website, South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS infections, with women making up every four out of five people living with this disease.

Addressing the applicants, Moyo empasised the need for the integration of education and access saying, “Education without access to protection is of limited use for solving the region’s sexual health challenges”. He encouraged students to, “be as aggressive as possible; do not be afraid to think out of the box.”

According to the CAPSI website, the winning applicant’s “strategy may be selected among two others to receive full funding for incubation, trial, assessment and implementation.”

WBS students who have applied for the competition have until May 31, 2020, to submit their innovative proposals.

Three applicants will be chosen to present their ideas to a panel of judges to determine the winners.

FEATURED IMAGE: Students of the Wits Business School have the opportunity to get an innovation social development project funded. The students were briefed about the competition at the Wits Business School in Parktown, Johannesburg on Wednesday, February 26. Photo: Emma O’Connor.

Formal support and awareness initiatives at Wits seek to improve the student experience for those with disabilities.

Accessibility for people living with disabilities is improving at Wits University thanks to channels such as the Disability Awareness Movement (DAM) and structural upgrades.

DAM, a student society started in 2018, encourages members of the Wits community to participate in discussions about mental illness, physical limitations and learning difficulties.  

Chairperson of DAM, Rafeea Asvat, said that the movement aims to grow its membership and to educate people about the challenges that students with disabilities face.

Asvat, 20, who suffers from a motor neuron disability called Charcot-Marie-Tooth, told Wits Vuvuzela that the workload at Wits can be overwhelming and that communication with lecturers for support is key to navigating challenges such as accessing learning materials in suitable formats.

The third-year BA student said that she hopes for more representation of disabled students, “seeing more of them taking up leadership roles” in the university for greater levels of engagement.

She appealed to able-bodied students to approach students with disabilities with respect and kindness to establish what assistance they are comfortable with.

Dr Anlia Pretorius, the head of the Disability Rights Unit (DRU) said that in order to assist new students with spatial navigation, mobility training is conducted with new students with disabilities so that they can access specific venues on campus. The unit is dedicated to ensuring that students with disabilities have equal access to educational opportunities.

DRU academic and facilities access coordinator Subhashini Ellan said that the unit is consulted by campus planning departments on structural improvements, such as the construction of a ramp and accessible bathrooms in the Wartenweiler Library.

Asvat said that she hopes that DAM can “change and break the stigmas regarding disabilities. We aim to influence and educate many generations to come”.

FEATURED IMAGE: An interactive artwork accessible to those with visual impairments is displayed in the Disability Rights Unit offices at Solomon Mahlangu House.
Photo: Leah Wilson 

Humanities students have complained about non-existent, late or incorrect letters of acceptance.

Wits University’s Faculty of Humanities has experienced a higher than usual number of walk-ins this year due to system errors which either rejected qualifying students or did not send out firm offer letters. A number of students Wits Vuvuzela spoke to said they had become concerned when their conditional offers were not confirmed by the start of the academic year on February 3 this year. 

“Only two out of the three application offers reflected on my self-service portal. The proof of registration details, also show the incorrect information on my self-service portal,” said Anastasia Nkhuna, a Film and Television honours student. 

Wits Journalism honours student, Zinhle Belle* said she had been “rejected from Psychology honours two days before the semester started. The portal said ‘unsuccessful’, but the school then reached out and said it was a fault on the system and I did get accepted”.

Genevieve Kamfer, the Humanities deputy Faculty Registrar said that the lack of communication could have been caused by “the faculty system failing to generate application codes,” which means that an automatic notification would not have been sent to the applicant.  Kamfer said students should go to the Humanities faculty if they experience any troubles with their self-service portals regarding acceptance offers.

Humanities Faculty Officer, Norman Mabunda told Wits Vuvuzela “it is important to note that many postgraduate students’ applications were incomplete.” Online applications which are incomplete is an indication that some aspect of the application such as a CV or academic transcript has not been uploaded by the applicant which delays the processing of the application.

Andrea Armstrong of the Student Enrolment Centre (SENC) said “The Student Enrolment Centre have acknowledged these issues and have future plans to change the functionality of the self-service portal.”

The SENC receives online applications or hard-copies which are then processed, including a letter of acknowledgment which are sent to the applicants. These applications are sent to the relevant schools who then review applications and make their final decisions. 

These decisions are communicated to the Humanities faculty who then ensure all selections comply with the university’s standards and requirements. 

The faculty then codes relevant acceptance and rejection letters which automatically get sent to the applicant. Applications for 2021 are expected to open on March 2, 2020. 

*Zinhle Belle is a student journalist at Wits Vuvuzela.

FEATURED IMAGE: Wits Humanities students are left in the dark regarding their acceptance at the University. Photo: Laura Hunter. 

Wits launches new support group on campus for LGBTQ+ community  to provide a support system to establish meaningful connections.

A non-profit organisation has launched a new support group at Wits University to assist the Wits LGBTQ+ community on Wednesday, February 12.  Known as Be True 2 Me, the support group aims to help LGBTQ+ community members in finding safe spaces on campus where they can interact with other members of the community, as well as establish meaningful connections and support systems.

Be True 2 Me spokesperson, Siya Hlongwa, told the Wits Vuvuzela the organisation is preparing for an exciting year ahead, as they aim to create volunteer, job and bursary opportunities for members of the community.

A BA honours student, who wished to remain anonymous, told Wits Vuvuzela, he “believes that these support groups are useful and important for students who lack support at home.”

“As a homosexual male at Wits, my experience has been relatively ‘nice’ compared to what I’ve understood the LGBTQ+ student experience to be at other institutions,”  added the 22 year-old student who identifies as a gay and as a cisgender male. He added that due to his sexuality, he has “been denied work opportunities, been fired from tutoring students with homophobic parents, and feels as though he risks his life everyday by showing affection to same sex partners in public”.

Hlongwa said that students face a variety of challenges in a world of gender-based discrimination where they may “feel villainised in society”. This includes the lack of gender neutral toilets, gender markers and name changes, access to hormone replacements, struggles with family and friends, as well as various economic challenges.

Hlongwa says that the group aims to help students foster networks at Wits, provide safe zones and facilitation training, educate people on how to use appropriate and respectful terminology, as well as provide advice and act as a channel for students who want to voice their concerns. 

“It is really important for institutions to support groups like this so students are able to access opportunities”, said Hlongwa.

Tish Lumos, senior admin assistant at the Wits Transformation and Employment Equity Office, told Wits Vuvuzela that coming out can be very difficult. “Whether you’re still finding your feet, or if you’ve identified as a specific gender identity since you were a toddler, you are very much welcome in the group”, Lumos said.

Be True 2 Me is a unique support group that offers a safe space for transgender people. We offer access to informative materials, co-facilitators who are transgender themselves and social time for members to form friendships,” said Lumos. 

Hlongwa advises that students should, “Take their time and only come out when it is safe, comfortable and beneficial for them to do so… once they do come out, there is a really beautiful world awaiting them full of love and acceptance from a family that they get to create”.

Be True 2 Me meets every second Wednesday, from 3:30-15:00 at the Wits Disability Rights Unit Boardroom on the first floor of Solomon Mahlangu House.

FEATURED IMAGE: Be True 2 Me’s support group at Wits aims to help the LGBTQ+ community on campus. Photo: Niall Higgins. 

*The identity of the BA Honours student is known to Wits Vuvuzela.

South African musicians set to perform at Wits to raise funds for student accommodation. 

South African actress Natasha Thahane has partnered with the Wits SRC to raise funds for students in need of accommodation. The Radical Trailblazers event is set to take place on on Friday, March 6 at the Wits Great Hall. The music concert will include performances by Dr Tumi, Khaya Mthethwa, Sbu Noah, Radical for Christ and the Wits Choir.

Thahane announced the event on her Instagram profile and said that the “purpose of Radical Trailblazers is to share a dream of music ministry in universities and create an opportunity for students to praise and worship”.

The SRC fundraising and entrepreneurship officer, Samantha Mungwe, said the SRC were approached by Thahane to organise an event that will uplift the Wits community.

Mungwe said, “the event will be a sort of healing process for some students,” given the stresses and demands of a new academic year.

Mungwe told Wits Vuvuzela that Thahane would be covering all the costs for the event and all the proceeds will go towards the university’s Hardship fund.

Thenji Lamoni, a second-year BSc student is among those hoping to receive funding from the praise and worship concert.

Lamoni commutes from Diepsloot to Braamfontein every day to attend lectures and is unable to apply for a bursary as she is not a South African citizen.

Lamoni said that traveling back and forth makes it difficult for her to study, prepare for lectures and complete assignments and there are some days where she has missed classes because she has no money to pay for a taxi.

“Hearing that the SRC are working hard to make sure students have accommodation gives me so much hope,” she told the Wits Vuvuzela.

The Hardship fund was established to assist students who don’t have funding for tuition, accommodation or food and is managed by the university together with the SRC.

FEATURED IMAGE: The Radical Trailblazers fundraising event will be held at the Great Hall on Friday, March 6. Photo: Vetiwe Mamba 

Wits SRC took on the Gauteng Provincial Legislature and Wits management to deal with the ongoing accommodation crisis.

The Wits Student Representative Council (SRC) marched to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature in central Johannesburg during the State of the Provincial Address (SOPA) debate, to hand over a memorandum of demands to the provincial government on Thursday, February 27.

“If you are going to debate the state of the province then you cannot leave out the fact that there are still students that are sleeping out on the streets of Gauteng,” said Wits SRC president, Thuto Gabaphethe

The memorandum, which was read out by Gabaphethe, demanded that Witswaters, an unoccupied building in Parktown owned by the provincial Health Department be made available to students for accommodation.

“We have identified that there are unoccupied buildings owned by government, when there are students languishing in Braamfontein,” said Gabaphethe outside of the Provincial Legislature to the group of about thirty students.

Gauteng Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi received the memorandum on behalf of the Premier of Gauteng, David Makhura. Lesufi reassured the Wits SRC that they would receive a response within 12 hours of receiving the memorandum.

Gabaphethe told Wits Vuvuzela that “the provincial legislature is the parliament of the province, we have chosen to go there because that is where policies and decisions about government are made, and that is where you’ll find all of the executive members who lead the province”.

Lesufi concluded by saying, “You’ve come to the right place and anytime you feel you need somebody to help you, don’t forget that we are on your side, we’ll take care of you, we’ll be your voice and we will raise issues with the relevant institutions.”

Gabaphethe said that “private accommodation service providers in Braamfontein must also be engaged in terms of dropping their exorbitant rates”

Lesufi sympathised with the struggle of students without accommodation. “I know the difficulties of being a student, not knowing where your meal will come from. I know the pain of not planning your future because of circumstances beyond your control,” he said.

According to the SRC, they have  assisted over 900 students in securing accommodation this year and are hoping to accommodate the remaining 200 student who are still  without accommodation.

Gabaphethe said “we are hopeful that they (Gauteng Legislature) will respond to our demands by tomorrow as they had promised.”

Wits Head of communications, Shirona Patel told Wits Vuvuzela that “we would like to clarify that there is sufficient supply of accommodation in the Braamfontein area, the real issue is that the cost of private accommodation is sometimes unaffordable to students. It is particularly out of reach for those students who have lost their bursaries and financial aid due to poor academic performance.”

FEATURED IMAGE:  Wits University says that there is ample accommodation available in close proximity to the university but some of it is unaffordable to students. Photo: File. 

Sexual health activist challenges stigmas surrounding menstruation through education.

“South Africans associate menstruation with shame.” This was the focus of the TEDx talk by Wits alumnus Candice Chirwa at the Waterfall Standing Nation event in Midrand on Thursday, February 27.

 “We socialise our girls to be ashamed of their periods before they even get them and this perpetuates a culture of silence. We need a culture that values health education”, said Chirwa.

Chirwa told Wits Vuvuzela that “Universities need to have programmes that go beyond ten minute orientations. Large organisations need to improve access to sanitary products and there should be an on-campus sex therapist”.

“We need to start by removing the shame about our bodies and if we want to be part of a period-positive world, we have to start talking about it”, added Chirwa, 24. 

“We educate young children by equipping them to make responsible decisions – not equipping them with fear. Education about sexual health needs to be in a safe space”, added Chirwa.

Chirwa graduated from Wits University in 2019 with a Masters in International Relations. She is the co-author of Perils of Patriarchy, a book series that aims to educate readers on oppressive patriarchal systems in our society, and the founder of Qrate, a non-profit focusing on encouraging critical thinking and engagement among youth in South Africa. Ted is an American non-profit that aims to spread ideas and information through talks hosted all over the world. Online, Ted talks are viewed at a daily rate of 1,5 million times. 

FEATURED IMAGE: Former Wits student Candice Chirwa spoke at a TEDx event in Midrand on Friday, February 28. Chirwa emphasised the need to normalise discussions about menstruation. Photo: File. 

Students at a Wits residence have spoken out about a rat problem.  

The House Committee of Barnato Hall have suggested that a portion of its annual budget be used to buy cats for their residence as a “controversial measure” to tackle the growing problem of rats. The proposal was made during a house committee meeting at the residence on Thursday, February 20.

Tatenda Jimu, the House Committee chairperson told Wits Vuvuzela that the rats at Barnato has “reached its highest population.” Jimu said that “I’ve had a situation where a student called me because there was a rat under their bed”. Jimu said that he has received “less than 10 complaints” from students about the rats.

The suggestion to buy cats though was rejected by the student residents and criticised for being insensitive to the individual feelings of the students. A number of students complained about how the measure will heighten their cat allergies.

Rat droppings in one of the first floor corridors at Wits residence Barnato Hall on west campus. Photo: Palesa Mofokeng.

“The cats won’t stay here forever, but we can’t bring them in because students say that they’re scared of them,” said Jimu.

Jimu said that students mostly complain about the rats being in the kitchens, when in the previous years they were mostly seen in the courtyard.

Zviki Chirozvi, BComm accounting, who has been living at the residence for two years said that “the rats are very big, and they eat anything they find, like electrical cables. They also pose danger to us because they can spread diseases”.

Palesa Mokgadi, maintenance officer at Barnato said that university delays in processing funds, has delayed the regular fumigation and pest-control processes from taking place.

Mokgadi told Wits Vuvuzela that students are to be blamed too for not cleaning up after themselves, “people just cook and leave their pots unattended. Sometimes kitchens are not cleaned and this attracts the rats.”

According to Jimu and Mokgadi fumigation at the residence hasn’t taken place this year and the last time, Barnato was fumigated was in November 2019.

The Wits Director of Services, Israel Mogomotsi, could not be reached for comment.

FEATURED IMAGE: Students at Barnato Hall say they have concerns about the prevalence of rats in and around the university residence. Photo: File.

Wits Internal Football League held their first ever PVM Cup.

The Wits Internal Premier Football League kicked-off with the PVM Cup tournament on Saturday, February 29, at the Wits Digs Fields.

In the men’s division, the first round saw Knockando FC face Ernest Oppenheimer Hall (EOH) FC while Yale Village went head-to-head with Men’s Res FC.

EOH F.C. and Men’s Res F.C. both won their matches, which each teams making it to the final. EOH FC drew 2-2 with Men’s Res at full-time, which led to a penalty shoot-out.

EOH emerged victorious after the penalty shoot-out 2-3.

In the women’s division, Sunnyside Residence took on Reith Hall in the cup final with Reith winning 3-1.

The Wits Internal Football Premier League is an exclusively male league but the women’s teams were allowed to participate in the Cup tournament.

Sanele Mkhize, captain of the Reith Hall team said, “Women, like men, stand a great chance of participating in a league of their own. We are just as strong and talented and if we’re given more opportunities and exposure we will most certainly perform.

The Wits Internal Premier League consists of 8 teams based at Wits University.

FEATURED IMAGE: PVM Cup women’s division winners, Reith Hall residence, pictured at the PVM Cup tournament. Photo: Provided

RELATED ARTICLES: 

• Wits Vuvuzela, SOCCER: Wits in Nedbank Cup quarter finals, February 26, 2020.
• Wits Vuvuzela, Wits fencers go for gold in Ghana, February 26, 2020.

Wits students shut down FASO in NSFAS delay protest.

By Zainab Patel and Zinhle Belle

A number of student organisations joined the Wits SASCO branch in protesting at the FASO (Financial Aid and Scholarships Office) at Wits University on Monday, March 2, 2020.

The protest, organised by SASCO together with Wits EFFSC and the Wits SRC,  demanded that the first payment of NSFAS allowances be processed. The 100 students who were part of the protest managed to shut down FASO for around four hours and eventually had their applications processed once the office reopened at 3:30pm.  

The NSFAS allowances were expected to have been paid by Friday, February 28, but by Monday this week the allowances of approximately R8 000 had still not been paid. A number of students were not able to purchase their required textbooks and groceries to feed themselves as a result of the delay. 

Itumeleng Delete, a second-year speech and language pathology student said, “I use my NSFAS money to take care of my siblings and without it, we’re basically starving.”

Washington Mbulelo, a first-year education student told Wits Vuvuzela, “It’s difficult to buy groceries, my mother had to transfer me money, which put additional pressure on her because she is a domestic worker.” 

SRC president Thuto Gabaphethe told the protesting students that, “Management has told us that with the list (of about 500 students who had not received their allowances) we have given them, they are going to process those allowances by the end of today.”

A first year BEd student, who did not want to be named, and who was assisted at the FASO protest said, “They processed us into the system and we’re said to wait for the reflections today (Monday, March 2) but the money will be sent into our accounts tomorrow (Tuesday, March 3).”

FEATURED IMAGE: Wits Protection Services form a barricade at the entrance to FASO on Monday, March 3.  Photo: Zainab Patel

University officials encourage the student to make a formal complaint

The Wits psychology department says it is not aware of racism allegations being made against it.

Professor Sumaya Laher and Associate Professor Carol Long told Wits Vuvuzela that the department has an open-door policy that encourages any student or staff member that experiences such discrimination to make these claims heard.

The professors were responding to allegations made by a master’s student on Twitter that, “The racism at the Wits Psychology department is clear-cut when you get to post-grad. You’re lucky to leave bangakak’ sukeli (without them picking on you).”

Even though the student made these allegations in a widely accessible tweet, and her page has photographs where she is easily identifiable, she insisted that Wits Vuvuzela not use her real name.

In a statement she subsequently sent to the newspaper, she alleged that, “We have plenty lecturers in the master’s degree programme who have knowingly done or said racist things. Students being [grouped] according to race on the grounds that ‘certain groups work better together’.

“Lecturers who are cruel supervisors and make and endorse racist statements not only towards black students but non-black students. I’ve had friends not get their honour’s degrees due to unfair treatment compared to our white counterparts. Weird things happening like lecturers losing our exam scripts, or being denied a remark. I’m also a victim, but my case is far worse. Lol. It’s the worst department ever. What’s ironic is that it’s a psychology department but they don’t give a shit about the mental health of students,” the statement read.

Laher and Long refused to comment on these specific allegations, telling Wits Vuvuzela that they wanted to protect the student, that they believed the newspaper didn’t have the student’s permission to share the allegations with them.

They said the student has clear and communicated routes she can take if she has a grievance. This includes class reps, dean of students, and more formally, the police, if she doesn’t want to speak to the department’s staff. All this was addressed during postgraduate Orientation Week, and students were made aware of policies in this regard, they said.

The student, however, told Wits Vuvuzela that she had not reported this alleged racism to anyone, saying, “I just wanna get my degree and leave that place in peace.” She would not say what she hoped to achieve with the tweet.

A psychology honour’s student who also didn’t want to be identified, said that “as an individual of colour” she has not experienced the racism the master’s student referred to, nor has she witnessed such racism in the department.

“Regarding group work allocation, those in my experience have been done on a random selection basis. There was no relation between the group members and their race. It was all purely random,” she said.

Incoming Chair of the Transformation Office, Busisiwe Nkala-Dlamani said she has not been made aware of these claims. Whether the claims are true or false, the necessary steps should be followed, such as making formal complaints for disciplinary action to be taken.

“The issue of racism is a serious matter whereby appropriate action should be taken to protect both students and staff from unfair discrimination on campus.

“The university specifies in the policy document ‘Unfair racial and sexual discrimination’ that the management has a responsibility to take action when instances of discrimination are brought to their attention,” Nkala-Dlamini said.

The master’s student who tweeted the racism allegations would not respond to Wits Vuvuzela’s queries about her reaction in light of what the psychology department and the transformation office said.

FEATURED IMAGE: :file

The tweet alleging racism in the psychology department is widely accessible, even though the student who tweeted it says she wants to remain anonymous.

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Wits Vuvuzela, Racism allegations plague netball player selections, August 2019

New outdoor fitness gyms have been implemented to help Witsies stay active.

Two interactive gyms became active at the beginning of the year for staff and students to enjoy for free.

Kabungo Mubanga, senior manager of operations at the Wits sports department, said the gyms, located on East Campus Matrix courts and West Campus Gavin Raily lawns, were set up to help staff and students get active as part of the Wits Wellness Plan.

“It needed to be easily accessible for the Wits community in both areas,” Mubanga said.

Mechanical engineering student Conrad Mashiloam said, “I am planning to exercise but I need to first settle into a place to stay and get control on this work load.”

Emmanual Omisakin, a second-year civil engineering student, and Che Carpede, a first-year electrical engineering student, regularly use the equipment. They said they enjoyed the facility because they could gym together.

The outdoor facility is comprised of 11 pieces of equipment involving mostly body weight exercises.

“The equipment is built from powerful, heavy gauge steel and it is designed to last in outdoor environments,” says the World Outdoor Fitness website. “It is easily installed and requires minimal maintenance.

“Combining outdoor exercise, natural light and sense stimulation has a ‘salutogenic’ effect: reducing stress and encouraging healthy and coping behaviours,” it says. Salutogenesis is an approach to health that focuses on individuals’ coping mechanisms.

Mubanga said the equipment is aimed at working the upper and lower body, with users utilising their own body weight “in a more functional way”.

Phillip Kwinda, a member of Wits’s garden maintenance staff, said he uses the equipment early in the day, between 6:15am and 6:45am. He interacts with other staff members while using the equipment at the same

The Wits Wellness Plan is in the process of finalising an outdoor gym location at the Wits Parktown Education Campus, said Mubanga

FEATURED IMAGE: The Wits outdoor fitness facility on East Campus. Photo: Anna Moross.

Males are taught from a very early age to not be in touch with their emotions.

From a very young age, boys are told that crying and being sensitive are not okay. When they do show such emotions they are labelled as “gay”, “unmanly” and other labels meant to discourage them from being in touch with their inner selves.

This breeds men who feel insecure about showing their emotions out of fear they will be judged by not just men, but women too.

A World Health Organisation report published by Business Live in September 2019 said South African men are four times more likely to die by suicide than their female counterparts. The report, Preventing Suicide: A Resource For Pesticide Registrars and Regulators, said of the 6 476 suicides recorded in 2016, men accounted for 5 138, or 79.34% of the total.

Speaking to Business Live, South African Anxiety and Depression Group operations director Cassey Chambers said, “The majority of our [calls] are from females; however, some of our more acute or emergency cases are from male callers, especially since men use more aggressive methods of suicide.”

She said more aggressive methods included hanging or the use of a firearm, whereas women were more likely to use pills or poison.

According to Chambers, South African men are brought up with a “cowboys don’t cry” culture, which often means men do not seek help for depression before it is too late.

This resonates with me, because showing any sign of weakness is something I have struggled with. Growing up participating in sports meant I was always in situations where levels of testosterone were quite high. One bad performance would be amplified in my head, but there would be no room for feeling bad, because the coach or teammates would be spitting out things such as “Grow up!”, “Be a man!” and “Do you want to play for the girls’ team?”

There is a lot of pressure on men to act according to a standard considered masculine and strong. For example, men have to pretend they are not affected by an injury or a death, even when they feel like crying. This is supposed to make men believe they are in charge of their emotions and are the dominant figures in society.

“Because of the perceived mantle of leadership that men have been socialised into believing should be theirs alone, women are often seen as too empowered and not to be trusted,” according to an article published in saferspaces.org.za and titled Toxic Masculinity and Violence in South Africa.

The article links issues such as domestic violence and rape to men who feel they have to get their way all of the time. This attitude is rooted in how they have been taught that they should be in charge of every situation they find themselves in.

I believe that we, men and women, need to consciously stop judging men who express their feelings, whether it be by crying after failing a test or due to grief over the loss of a loved one. We should create a space where men can feel safe and comfortable showing their emotions.

Perhaps in that way men will feel free to talk about their anxieties and depression without the fear that there is no solution other than suicide.

FEATURED IMAGE: Dylan Bettencourt, Student Journalist at Wits Vuvuzela

The Counselling and Careers Development Unit (CCDU) has opened up discussions around gender-based violence in an attempt to create a safe space for victims.

THE CCDU has partnered with the iThemba Rape and Trauma Support Centre to host a series of talks addressing the issue of gender-based violence on campus.

The first session, out of six, was held on Wednesday, March 4. Sessions will be held every second week at the CCDU on West Campus.

Nombuso Masinga, a social worker at the iThemba Rape and Trauma Support Centre, explained how violence can be embedded in our culture. “We produce it, we teach it and we validate it,” she said. “It can happen at any time; everybody is at risk.”

Masinga said students “don’t feel safe on campus and are scared to stay late when alone. Students need to create awareness in order to report cases of violence.

“Campus is meant to be a free space, not a place to feel as if you’ll be victimised. It is important that students always practise safety principles and should not keep quiet. Always report any form of violence you see.”

Ntsakisi Muhlange, a psychologist at the CCDU who organised the sessions to address gender-based violence on campus, said we need to “create a space that normalises an individual’s feelings when in a group”.

Muhlange said talks such as this are critical because gender-based violence is an issue we deal with every day.

“We cannot deny the violence in our country, she said. “Students need to take a stance towards being kinder.”

There will be two types of group sessions. The first adopts a psycho-educational setting – the method of providing information and education to an individual seeking help – and is open to any person. The second is a closed support group – as some gender-based violence issues are sensitive – and aims to create a space of safety and trust between participants. The first closed support session begins on April 3.

Heemal Ryan, a fourth-year electrical engineering student, said he wanted “more information about how gender-based violence affects the individual in society”.

Ryan told Wits Vuvuzela he would recommend the CCDU to other students, as the “closed sessions would be more helpful for people who have been through it [incidents of gender-based violence]”.

The iThemba Rape and Trauma Support Centre was established in 2005 and provides counselling and treatment to survivors of gender-based violence.

FEATURED IMAGE: Nombuso Masinga aims to spread awareness on gender-based violence in our society. Photo: Laura Hunter. 

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Wits Vuvuzela, Gender-based harm takes centre stage at first year talk, January 2020
• Wits Vuvuzela, INFOGRAPHIC: Wits campus safety tips, January 2020
• Wits Vuvuzela, Depressed or suicidal: Help is on hands at Wits, February 2020

My experience with stress and how I am overcoming it.

I must admit that when I made the decision to pursue an honour’s degree in journalism at Wits in 2020, I never fully understood just how challenging and demanding the course would be.

Long days spent on campus constantly searching for story ideas, as well as never-ending pressure to meet deadlines – a rewarding task but definitely difficult, to say the least.

Truthfully, I have never been one who stresses much, since my life has been relatively peaceful so far. The world has been good to me – and I am truly grateful. After spending just six short weeks in the Wits Vuvuzela newsroom, however, I have come to realise that stress is a very real thing and can have a major effect on everything one does.

Lately I have been finding myself wide awake at 4am, worrying about whether or not I will be able to manage the course I dedicated myself to. What is more, my appetite has dwindled significantly: as a huge “foodie” this is highly unlike me. I have also become less social and more reserved in public. All the things I used to enjoy doing, such as writing songs and singing, no longer seem to excite me all that much.

This got me thinking… Surely I cannot be the only Witsie out there living with these thoughts and feelings? And so, while trying to discuss my own experiences with stress, I would like to share a few practices I have implemented to rise above life’s challenges. Hopefully people reading this may realise they are not alone and there is hope for a happier, peaceful future.

Let’s first get back to basics. Sleep is very important. I have found that waking and going to bed at the same time every night has greatly improved my mood and energy levels, while adding structure to my life. An app called SleepyTime calculates the ideal time when one should hit the sheets.

When I wake up, I run through a few practices in mindfulness. I like to call this my “HeartWork” – ways of thinking that feed my heart and soul for the day. These practices were inspired by Rhonda Byrne in her book, The Secret, and they include counting my blessings, reading an inspirational daily quote and reminding myself of my strengths and values.

Once I am up, and if I find the willpower to do so, I hit the gym for an hour and always end up thanking myself for doing so. A good sweat puts me in a productive mood for the rest of the day – but if fitness is not your cup of tea, start small and go for a jog or try some lighter exercise. It all counts!

Speaking of light exercise, going for walks around the neighbourhood is one of my favourite ways to de-stress and gain mental clarity. It allows me to be fully present in the moment and to realise just how beautiful the world really is, even when things feel grey.

I am no monk or spiritual teacher, but I find that meditation is a simple, incredible way to help me clear my mind and find inner peace. I would highly recommend trying out apps such as Headspace or Calm, which provide audio files of voices that speak to you throughout the meditation. This helps you keep focus instead of possibly drifting off to sleep.

If I have tried all the above but my day still feels like a hot mess, I find happiness and comfort spending time with the people I love most: my family. I may be 24 years old, but still nothing beats a hug from my mom. If you are going through a tough time, I would seriously encourage you to seek support from the people who matter most to you.

If all else fails, remember the words of Roman emperor and pioneer of stoic philosophy, Marcus Aurelius: “Memento Mori – Remember that someday you will die.” As gloomy as this might sound, it always reminds me that life is too short to be wasted on worrying about things that do not matter, or are beyond my control.

For me, the secret to happiness, as spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle would say, is to “realise deeply that the present moment is all you ever have”. So do the best you can, live every day as though it could be your last and take every opportunity to have a good laugh; you deserve it.

Above all else, do not worry – you’ve got this.

FEATURED IMAGE: “Reading self-help books gave me invaluable insight on how to stress less, be happier and live a more peaceful life”
Photo: Niall Higgins 

RELATED ARTICLES: 

• Wits Vuvuzela, Depressed or suicidal: Help is on hand at Wits, February 2020
• Wits Vuvuzela, Men have feelings too, March 2020
• Wits Vuvuzela, Pharmacy student takes her own life, August 2019

Sports clubs considered to be high-performance appear to be given preference over smaller clubs at Wits.

SMALL clubs at Wits such as those for Frisbee and fencing have spoken out against high-performance clubs taking preference over them in 2020.

Charmain Jackson, chairperson of the Wits Frisbee Club, said “priority sports get the fields at good times, like around 5pm, whereas our practices are quite late, which probably doesn’t encourage new members much”.

In 2015 Wits Vuvuzela published an article headlined, “No more funding for recreational clubs.” It discussed the initial reason for small clubs not being funded by Wits anymore. Wits Vice-Chancellor Professor Adam Habib had told Wits Sport at the time to choose the sports it wanted “to be known for”.

The 2015 decision to stop funding small clubs has had an impact on small clubs in 2020. John Fourie* a former rugby player, said when it came to clubs such as fencing, “they need to raise funds for their trips and competitions on their own, due to not having funds”. An article by Wits Vuvuzela online says, “Ayanda Tuku, a fencer from the Wits Fencing Club, has been selected six times to represent the country in international competitions, but he has been unable to go due to lack of funds.”

In August 2019 Wits University published on its website the ‘Strategy for Selection of Competitive Clubs’ which classified rugby, hockey, cricket, basketball and football as high-performance clubs.

According to the strategy, “University of the Witwatersrand sports clubs are categorised (as social/recreational, competitive or high-performance clubs) based on their compliance with certain criteria”, which are explained on the Wits Sport website.

The Frisbee Club’s Jackson said, “I am not sure if we aren’t considered a high-performance sport. We could be, because we play in national tournaments and we have had SA representatives. We might also not be, because {we are not under] USSA (University Sports South Africa).”

Fourie* said, “The popularity of the sport helps out when it comes to getting external sponsorship.” He said from his perspective it is “not just a university thing; it is something that happens even at the highest level of sport”.

There is a matching system that assists small clubs with funding their tournaments. When head of sports at Wits Michael Dick was asked about the matching system, he said, “The purpose of the matching policy is simply to assist smaller clubs with their fundraising for their USSA event: in principle it is Wits Sports matching the money small clubs have raised for their USSA events. There are some terms and conditions that speak to operational issues.”

Wits high-performance clubs that have external sponsors such as Steers and FNB, for instance rugby, “Do not have the opportunity for matching of fundraisers,” said Dick.

Names have been changed*

FEATURED IMAGE:  Frisbee members during one of their practice sessions. Photo: Provided

RELATED ARTICLES: 

• Wits Vuvuzela, Wits fencers go for gold in Ghana, February 26, 2020.
• Wits Vuvuzela, No more funding for recreational clubs, March 6, 2015.

The accommodation crisis has forced students to use the university’s study services area as a place to sleep.

It is 11pm and the FNB Computer Laboratory on West Campus is full, with about 30 students working on the terminals.

As the minutes tick towards midnight, students trickle out of the Lab until there are about 15 spread over the two levels. Most have heads resting on the desks, seemingly taking a nap, even though they have books open.

A closer look identifies mini blankets on laps, and plastic bags with groceries under the desks. Music from earphones goes silent, to be replaced by coughing, sniffling and snoring.

One student who is on the phone, pauses to respond to Wits Vuvuzela’s query whether he is one of the students who sleep at the Lab. “Yeah, sure, I am one of them,” he says. “But you came at a wrong time,” adds the one next to him. “It’s easy to identify a lot of us earlier in the morning,” the student says.

Wits Vuvuzela approaches a cleaner who is vacuuming the floors at the Lab. Patricia* says that the squatting at the labs is putting her work in jeopardy because if the inspectors find the place dirty in the morning, she may be fired.

“We cannot remove [the students] because we are parents and we understand poverty. We just shift their duvets and clean underneath at night,” she says.

Over at the Commerce, Law and Management (CLM) Computer Lab, on the upper level, there are two students who seem to be studying, while four are sleeping, two on the floor, and the other two on chairs that have been pulled together. None of them is covered with a blanket even though the air conditioning is lowering the 1.30am temperature even further.

Two students are laughing, playing cards. When Wits Vuvuzela approaches them, it turns out there is a third under the table, who says he is hiding from our camera.

There is a bad odour that lingers around them, which confirms what they tell Wits Vuvuzela that they have not washed properly for a month.

“We are even afraid to come closer to people because we think they can see our sorrows,” says Phumo*, looking a bit teary. “Don’t show my face,” he adds.

The second-year BSc student tells Wits Vuvuzela that he was excluded from res because he failed last year. He says it has been difficult to secure funding after he lost NSFAS funding due to his academic performance. He has been squatting at the CLM labs since February 3.

“This works as a domino effect. It affects you from the beginning of the year, and you don’t find a rhythm as a student,” he says. “We are exhausted, we sleep very late and we wake very early so that students who come to study in the morning cannot see us.”

Reymon Nguni, a first-year BA law student says he has been sleeping at the CLM library for two weeks. He says he applied for accommodation last year but did not receive any response. However, after multiple visits to the central accommodation office, his application was unsuccessful.

“This affects me academically because I cannot be effective at school. We are exhausted and the mind is exhausted,” the 30-year-old says. 

SRC president Thuto Gabaphete told Wits Vuvuzela that about 200 students continue to sleep in computer laboratories and in libraries without assistance from the university’s management. “We directed students to management, but Wits said that the university has nothing to say about the 200 students sleeping in computer labs.”

The dean of students, Jerome September, told Wits Vuvuzela that it’s a complicated issue and priorities for getting accommodation are based on academic performance and how far the students’ homes are from Wits.

He said that over 800 students have been assisted in 2020 with an additional amount of R7-million as a contribution towards accommodation and those that were not allocated accommodation did not meet the requirements.

“We are trying the best of our ability to try to help as many people as possible. We are stretching our resources and appealing for other parties to come and help us,” September said.

He said his office was aware of the squatting in the libraries and labs, and this is against university policy.

“Formally, students are to sleep at student accommodation that is provided and not in other spaces, but up to date we have understood the situation and our job is to hopefully work with students and to try to get assistance as soon as we can.”

The director of Campus Housing and Residence Life at Wits, Basil Mugwena, told Wits Vuvuzela that the recently converted Campus Lodge student accommodation provided only 95 beds and is over 70% full.

“In order to qualify to be [accommodated in res], a student must have passed the previous academic year and must be able to pay for the accommodation,” he said.

Back at the CLM Lab, it is after 2am and the temperature is a chilly 10°C. This Wits Vuvuzela reporter takes out her dressing gown from her bag and puts it on, pulls three chairs together and lies down, using her rolled-up jacket as a pillow.

FEATURED IMAGE : Students sleep at the CLM Library at West Campus. Photo: Zikhona Klaas

RELATED : Wits Vuvuzela , Up to 450 homeless Wits students squatting in libraries, laboratories and residences. March 1, 2018