Witswaters residence will house Wits students that have been squatting in libraries and labs until the end of June. Photo: Vetiwe Mamba.

The Wits SRC scores temporary accommodation for homeless students. 

As many as 36 homeless students were expected to have been granted temporary accommodation at Witswaters residence in Parktown by the end of Friday, March 13.

SRC president Thuto Gabaphethe said, “Yesterday (Thursday) there was a group that was moved in and today we shall be finalising that process… It is confirmed that by the end of today (Friday) all students will have moved in.”

Although, according to deputy SRC president Rebecca Mahaule, the SRC had requested that the building be made available for the entire year, the rooms will only be available until June 30. That is because the rooms are for the use of medical students who are out on rotation, who will be returning to work at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital from July 1.

“Upon the request of the SRC, the [Gauteng] department of health made the building available to house Wits students needing accommodation assistance on a temporary basis until the end of June 2020,” the dean of students, Jerome September, told Wits Vuvuzela. “However, this is not a Wits residence, it will not be set up as such, as it is a temporary relief for students currently in need,” he added.

The deputy director of the academic hospital, Tiny Kubheka, said Witwaters, which is in Block D of the Charlotte Maxeke Residence Complex, currently houses 280 students. These include South African medical students who had studied in Cuba, postgraduate nursing students from Wits, fourth-year medical students, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University students and medical technologist interns.

Sizakele Davani, a 25-year-old master’s student in politics who has been without accommodation since she arrived from Cape Town on January 22, is hopeful that the SRC will help her.

“This psychologically affects me because it’s difficult to focus in lectures and I’m still sleeping in labs. I am on the [Hardship Fund] list but this isn’t helping at all,” she told Wits Vuvuzela. She said she had applied for National Research Foundation funding last year, but her application was “still pending”.

Mahaule said rooms at the residence would be allocated to students who had applied for the Hardship Fund and “squatters who have been identified by the Wits Protection Services in libraries and computer labs”.

FEATURED IMAGE: The Gauteng department of health has made the Witswaters building available to homeless Witsies. Photo: Vetiwe Mamba. 

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 Female students interrupted a mass meeting called to support the former #FeesMustFall leader.

A group of female students disrupted a Wits Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) meeting on Tuesday, March 11, accusing Mcebo Dlamini of being a rapist.

Dlamini is a former Wits SRC president and #FeesMustFall leader. The day before, he had pleaded guilty to a charge of public violence related to the 2016 student protests, and of unlawfully and intentionally staying in SA.

TimesLive reported that, “The Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court sentenced Dlamini to two years, wholly suspended for five years, for public violence. He was also given six months’ imprisonment, again wholly suspended for five years, for unlawfully staying in the country.”

Dlamini’s sentencing was the main item on the agenda of the PYA mass meeting at Solomon Mahlangu House.

Mpendulo Mfeka, a final-year LLB student told the meeting that, “The system is lynching Dlamini and others as an example, to say that tomorrow, if we should have protests, they are criminalised protests. If we allow this, we will be setting a bad example.”

However, as soon as the meeting started, a group of female students stood and held up placards accusing Dlamini of being a rapist. Two of the placards read, “Covid-19 has less victims in SA than Mcebo” and “We will not mourn a rapist”.

Nontsikelelo Nkosi, one of the female students, told Wits Vuvuzela afterwards that, “[This] is something that we are not going to keep quiet about and pretend that he is still that FeesMustFall activist who is not tainted, and especially because there have been so many before him, and there has never been this sort of outcry for them.”

According to Nkosi, the students who accused Dlamini of rape tried to speak out about this at a Junction Residence house meeting in 2016. “Most girls came out in this meeting and spoke about him being a rapist and that they had personally experienced being violated by him.”

Nkosi also said the university had moved him out of the residence into a postgraduate residence. This according to her was proof that there had been ongoing conversation about Dlamini being an alleged rapist.

The meeting, however, proceeded as planned once the group of women left with Dlamini’s supporters cheering. Mfeka said if anyone stood up to speak, “please give us a solution and not a problem”.

Back on the subject of Dlamini’s sentencing, Mfeka said, “Anyone who protested in a genuine cause must be allowed and pardoned by the end of this week.”

After the meeting, he told Wits Vuvuzela that, “We cannot turn a blind eye to one of our own students being arrested and we are not turning a blind eye to the issues that were raised here.”

Mcebo Dlamini speaking at an Israeli Apartheid Week rally at Wits. 

He went on to say as the PYA they were still unclear about the group of women’s allegations about Dlamini.

“We must take these accusations with the seriousness in which they were made. Which is why we made sure they (the group) were given a platform to speak [today]. We have a responsibility to believe the victim with cases like this. Let’s hear what the victim is saying. Once we hear the victim, we move forward,” Mfeka said, even though he could not say what ‘moving forward’ would entail.

FEATURED IMAGE: Female students accusing Mcebo Dlamini of rape. Photo: Niall Higgins.

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No food, water or a way to use the bathroom for over 10 hours as a student gets stuck in a South Point residence lift.

A first-year Wits University student spent over 10 hours stuck by himself in a lift in a residence building in Braamfontein on Wednesday, March 4. 

Cebolenkosi Nhlabathi, a computer science student, found himself stuck in the lift in South Point Clifton Heights after making his way to his 8^th floor room at 9:20pm.  “I left school hoping that I’m going to get to my building [room], eat and sleep.”

“As soon as it got to my floor, the door literally just jammed as it was about to open. It was kind of scary,” said Nhlabathi. 

Nhlabathi says he tried to physically open the door himself and pressed the emergency bell multiple times but received no response. “When it was close to midnight, I started pressing the bell button more often because I was getting frustrated. I was angry at that point.” Nhlabathi said he, “had a little bit of water which I drank and then used the bottle [for the bathroom].”

Nhlabathi used his cellphone to message his roommate who only saw the message in the morning. “The roommate then alerted our front desk officers, who sought assistance for the student,” said South Point.  

South Point, told Wits Vuvuzela that the lift’s button-activated alarms were tested after the incident and all alarms were functioning and clearly audible. “It would be near-impossible for someone not to hear the alarm if an emergency button was pressed,” said South Point.

According to South Point, the standard procedure for lift malfunctions is that, “if someone is stuck in a lift, our contracts dictate that we must have on-site support within 45 to 60 minutes – that is, a technician from the lift company must [be] on site to assist, once requested.”

South Point explains that they might have not been aware that a student was stuck in the lift because Clifton Heights has two lifts and given that the incident took place at night, there is a lower late-night traffic volume. Therefore according to them, “If a passenger pressed a lift button for the first lift, the second lift would have arrived relatively quickly; there would be no basis for anyone to perceive that the first lift was malfunctioning.”

Nhlabathi was eventually released from the lift close to 8am the next morning when a front desk officer knocked on the lift door. “I heard a voice shouting ‘is someone in there’ and I was like ‘yes, someone is in here’, and the person said they were going to call central and they’re going to get me out”, said Nhlabathi.

Nhlabathi is set to meet with South Point on April 7, to discuss the possibility of moving out of the building as he now finds it difficult to use the lifts. 

“I don’t use the lifts at Clifton anymore and on campus I’m also a bit scared to get into the lifts,” he said. 

FEATURED IMAGE: The South Point Central offices in Braamfontein. Photo: Zainab Patel

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The Wits Health Innovation has open discussions about mental health and other health challenges

The Wits Health Innovation student society has launched a series of monthly meetups to address the role of technology in mental illness and the public health sector on Thursday, March 12.

The Health Innovation Meetup is a collaboration between the society and JoziHub, a local technology and innovation space based in Milpark, Johannesburg.

Keynote speaker, Zanele Hlatshwayo, the founder of Rise18, a project dedicated to suicide prevention and depression awarenews, said that there is a need for local mental health apps. “We need to install apps that are localised, relevant and people can relate to,” Hlatshwayo said.

Hlatshwayo explained that most South African companies do not want to invest in developing mental digital apps because of “the social stigma around mental health in the country.”

Professor Vered Aharonson of the school of electrical and information engineering at Wits, said the aims of digital mental health apps are designed to deliver affordable mental care.  She said the apps can be associated with and conducted by experts in the field. “The doctors, psychologists and even social workers will ensure quality care,” Aharonson said.

Aharonson said the main focus of digital mental apps is to collect data information that can easily identify people who have mental illness. “The apps can be completely confidentialised between the patient and the hospital to try and engage and personalise health,” she said.

Stephan Abrosie, a third year student in civil engineering, said that technology is complicated and it will not be easy to engage with people directly. “If people will be monitored through technology on mental health that would mean there is no confidentiality,” she said.

Abrosie told Wits Vuvuzela that mental health is subjective. That is why people struggle to implement technologies. “There will be no better accuracy, but because the world is evolving, maybe it might be a platform to decrease suicide.”

Dr Gabriella Banade, one of the organisers of the event, said the purpose of the meetups are to inspire creativity and innovation thinking. “We aim to encourage interactive sessions that include problem solving around mental topics.”

The Wits Health Innovation is the division of Wits Health Consortium that is aimed to experience different models of interdisciplinary innovation in healthcare.

FEATURED PHOTO: The Health Innovation team at Parktown Photo: Courtesy of WHI

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A female Wits student was mugged and stabbed in Braamfontein. 

A Wits University student was mugged and stabbed while on her way to Bridgeview residence in Braamfontein on Tuesday, March 10.

The student, who has not been identified, was taken to hospital where she received medical attention and was subsequently released into the care of her parents. This is according to a Wits campus protection services officer who declined to be named.

A manager with a local security company that works in the Braamfontein area said his officers were made aware of the incident by Wits protection services around 9pm on Tuesday night. Goodworks security contracted by Wits to conduct perimeter patrols on all the university’s campuses.

Phasha Mothemane said, “We received an alert from CB1 (Wits campus protection services control room) saying a student was robbed along Eendracht Street in Braamfontein while she was walking to Bridgeview Residence around 9pm.

“The alert said the student told Wits protection services that she was robbed by knife by two black males and was stabbed on her hand during the incident,” said Mothemane.

Mothemane said, “The student reported her cell phone and book bag stolen.”

The incident happened outside College House, another student residence approximately five minutes away from the Wits main campus. College House’s building manager, Chris de Beer, told Wits Vuvuzela that he was aware of the incident saying, “As far as I know about this incident, it happened close to the building and it was not a tenant that is living at College House.”

Dean Govender, the day-shift manager at Bad Boys security, which also patrols the Braamfontein area, told Wits Vuvuzela that his company also received alerts about the incident. Govender said, “We responded to reports of a female screaming and asking for help”. Govender said, “there was a lot of commotion around the incident and by the time we arrived on the scene, the matter was already dealt with.”

The incident was reported to Wits campus protection services. Director Gary Kruser declined to comment as the matter is still under investigation. Hillbrow Police Station could not comment on the case as the identity of the victim is unknown.

FEATURED IMAGE: A Wits University student was stabbed outside College House on Eendracht Street in Braamfontein on March 10. Photo: File.

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A Wits student is currently in voluntary self-isolation after being exposed to a friend who had tested positive for the coronavirus.

A Wits University student will remain in precautionary self-quarantine for 14 days after exposure to a friend who was confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus.

The student,  who is on the graduate entry medical programme (GEMP) 1, and is a resident of Wits Junction in Parktown, alerted the Health Science Faculty on Thursday, March 12 about her exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19).

“We can confirm that the student is a resident of Wits Junction, but the student is currently not self-isolating at Junction,” said Kanaka Mudzanani, chairman of the House Committee at Wits Junction.

The head of the school of clinical medicine, Professor Daynia Ballot, said the student alerted the department of her exposure to coronavirus the same day she found out that a friend she had been in contact with tested positive for the virus.

Romy Satire, a third-year medicine student, who is in the same GEMP 1 class with the female student in self-isolation, said that news of the student’s exposure has put some students on edge. “I think there is some level of anxiety amongst medical students, but I would say in general, there is not an overriding sense of panic,” she said.

Tanushri Pillay, who is also a third-year medicine student, said that she is also concerned by the possibility that the academic programme will be delayed. “I definitely feel that med-students are stressed and anxious about the possibility of needing to repeat a year in an already long degree.”

Ballot emphasised the importance of people acting sensibly and responsibly during this time. “This isn’t just about an individual student, it’s about a whole community. So, we need to be sensible and try to be responsible to one another.” Ballot told Wits Vuvuzela that, “final year students are anxious about losing a significant amount of academic time.”

Ballot told Wits Vuvuzela that clinical engagements class scheduled for Friday, March 13, had been cancelled.  “We don’t want to put people at risk in the clinical environment from patients, we also don’t want the other [putting patients at risk of exposure] to apply.”

GEMP 1 classes are set to resume on Monday, March 16.

FEATURED IMAGE: A Wits University student has been in self-quarantine after contact with a person who had been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus. Photo: File.

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350 Wits students are affected. 

Three hundred and fifty Wits University medical students will go into self-quarantine after it was announced on Sunday, March 15, that a  student who had come into contact with a Covid-19 patient, had tested positive for the disease.

The affected student from the school of clinical medicine had  been in self-isolation since Wednesday, March 4, but according to Wits, had attended classes two days before that, potentially exposing all of her classmates to the virus.

“The student was asymptomatic (showing no symptoms) and attended classes last Monday [March 2] and Tuesday [March 3], without knowledge that [she] had contracted the virus,” read a statement issued by the university.

Wits Vuvuzela spoke to two of the student’s classmates who are currently in quarantine.

Tanushri Pillay, a third-year GEMP 1 student and a classmate of the affected student, said, “To be honest, as an individual in the medical profession, we are prepared for the outbreak mentally, emotionally and physically and it’s important to not panic and to deal with the matter as we receive information.”

During the 14-day period, Romy Satire, another third-year GEMP 1 student, said she will be self-quarantined at home. Satire said she is concerned about her family’s exposure to the virus. “I am feeling a little worried, but for now I’ll just monitor myself and take it from there,” she said.

According to Satire, the infected student has not been identified but she told Wits Vuvuzela, “The people who were in close contact with the confirmed case have been contacted separately by that person.”

Both Pillay and Satire confirmed they received an email from the school confirming the positive case around 2pm on Sunday, March 15. Satire says, “My class got an email before everyone else and separate to the email we got an attachment with a protocol on how to self-quarantine.”

The Wits Medical School Council (MSC) released a statement on Sunday, March 15, saying, “The MSC firmly believes that the Faculty has made an irresponsible decision by not suspending all activities in the Faculty of Health Sciences.”

The MSC told Wits Vuvuzela, “we find fault in faculty not cancelling clinical activities for [the] entire campus because it is common knowledge GEMP 1s continued to attend mass events early in the week before the Wits COVID-19 management committee informed the university community on the GEMP 1 case.”

The MSC says they plan to, “bring to the attention of the School of Clinical Medicine and the Faculty of Health Sciences all issues affecting students, including the inability to self-quarantine at residence on and off campus.”

The contact classes for the GEMP 1 students have been cancelled and moved online. In addition, the Wits Senior executive team announced on Sunday, March 15, that all face to face teaching would be suspended on Monday, March 16, pending further details.

FEATURED IMAGE: The Wits Great Hall. Photo:File

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Major universities take precautionary measures by closing down while others choose to remain open.

By Lwazi Maseko and Gemma Gatticchi

A number of universities across the country have chosen to cancel classes after President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster in light of the coronavirus. Ramaphosa, speaking at the Union Buildings on Sunday, March 15, said that measures will be put into place that are proportionate, “to the severity of the threat to our people, to our society and to our economy”. By the time of going to print, South Africa has registered 61 confirmed cases of coronavirus.

While the President did not declare the closure of institutions of higher learning, both Wits University and the University of Cape Town (UCT) cancelled classes for Monday, March 16, as both had confirmed cases of coronavirus among their communities. At Wits a medical student was confirmed to be positive for coronavirus on Sunday, March 15, and may have inadvertently exposed close to 350 students in her class to the virus while a member of staff at UCT was also found to be positive this weekend. Both individuals are currently in isolation.

UCT says it will remain closed indefinitely while Wits is expected to make an announcement of its plans for the rest of the term later today.

@WitsUniversity cancels all contact classes, tests, and face to face interactions for Monday, 16 March 2020. Students in res to remain in rooms. Employees required to report to work but to take precautions. All travel suspended. Grads postponed. More info to follow tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/94FPMXYeyc

— Wits University (@WitsUniversity) March 15, 2020

In the meantime, Wits has postponed upcoming graduations whilst UCT has suspended graduations until further notice.

UCT has taken further measures by instructing students living in residences to vacate in 72 hours, in light of “the declaration of a national disaster”. The UCT SRC rejected the decision by the university in a statement released on Sunday, March 15 on its Twitter profile. The SRC said that the expectation of students to book busses and flights home was an “elitist, anti-black move that affects more than it assists”. Adding that “many students have limited access to healthcare services at home, therefore are better-off remaining at the university”. The SRC appealed to the university to allow students to remain in residences and self-isolate.

We REJECT the eviction of students from residences, most especially the 72-hour notice period on the closure of residences. Therefore, we say without fear or a shadow of a doubt : DO NOT VACATE RESIDENCES. OCCUPY. pic.twitter.com/2inV17pj8x

— UCT SRC (@UCT_SRC) March 15, 2020

Other universities which will close with immediate effect include the University of Johannesburg, University of KwaZulu-Natal and Rhodes University. The University of Pretoria has postponed all tests and assessments for the day whilst Nelson Mandela University has chosen to remain open.The university of the Western Cape has confirmed that its academic programme will continue as planned.

Wits has instructed students living in residences to self-isolate, wash their hands regularly and keep a safe social distance but students ignored the call. Students took to the streets of Braamfontein late on Sunday, March 15, to celebrate the cancellation of classes and to party with each other.

By Monday though, the celebratory atmosphere had died down with many students choosing to remain inside their residence rooms and apartments leaving the campus largely deserted.

The Minister of Higher Education, Blade Nzimande, is expected to meet representatives of tertiary institutions on March 17 to chart a way forward.

FEATURED IMAGE: Wits students stay away from campus after the university cancelled classes on Monday, March 16. Photo: Thobekile Moyo. 

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Wits hosts information session for students wanting to pursue their studies in Europe.

An information session aimed at students wanting to study in Europe drew a large crowd despite concerns that the continent is now considered to be one of the hotspots for the coronavirus pandemic worldwide. The Wits International Student’s Office hosted the session at the John Moffat building on Wits main campus on Thursday, March 12.

French government scholarship holder Gail Vermaak, one of the speakers at the event, told Wits Vuvuzela that risk of contracting the virus depends on the destination. “Tuberculosis is more contagious [than COVID-19] and students should just avoid areas where the virus is commonly found.” Vermaak said.

Wits student Dikgang Morele, who is currently on lockdown in Medina, Italy, spoke to Wits Vuvuzela via telephone. Morele is currently studying towards her master of arts in demography and population studies at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. “You get to learn so much from their [Italian] teaching style and their student culture.” However, Morele said she hasn’t attended many classes due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in Italy earlier this year. “Many countries are scared and they are not allowing people into their countries. I suggest students wait until the situation has subsided before travelling,” she said.

Alison Simons,the co-ordinator of the Wits Collaborations Projects at Wits which hosted the information session, encouraged students to broaden their horizons.

“Students who go on exchange tend to have greater employability… this opportunity allows you to learn best practice from other universities and to use those skills to make a difference in South Africa,” Simons said.

Simons told students that to be eligible to study abroad, students need to submit an application to the International Student’s Office, must be registered at Wits, must have completed their first year of studies and should have an average of 60% or higher.

Vermaak told Wits Vuvuzela that, “students grow so much in a different culture. You may be out of your comfort zone, but you will grow academically and become so independent. And the best part is, the whole of Europe is open to you.”

Masters student in nephrology at Wits, Samuel Lesemola, who attended the information session, admits that he is slightly concerned about the coronavirus, but doesn’t lose any sleep over it. “If I take precautions and educate myself about the virus and where it is most commonly found, then I’ll be just fine when I travel.”

Simons encouraged students to return to Wits once they have earned credits in their respective courses overseas.

“Wits is the leading university on this continent, we would love to retain all its top students. Your brain matters; don’t underestimate the value of South Africa and a Wits education,” she said.

FEATURED IMAGE: Despite COVID-19 panic worldwide, Wits students fill the John Moffat A1 lecture hall to attend the “Study in Europe” information session at Wits University. Photo: Niall Higgins

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Wits Lady Bucks are on a winning streak in ICSL

The Wits Lady Bucks suffered a 59-34 defeat at  the hands of the Phoenix Flames in their second meet for the Inner City Super League (ICSL) on Saturday, March 14 at the UJ Soweto Sports Hall.

The winning shot of two points was taken by Phoenix Flames shooting guard Regina Shumbayawonda.

The Wits Lady Bucks won against the Flames earlier this week and according to ICSL standings, the Bucks are in second position in the league.

The silence in the UJ Soweto Sports Hall was broken by the screeching of sneakers on the floor as both teams approached with intense guarding from their post-players with nine of the twelve rotating Phoenix players incurring 19 fouls for the match resulting in 12 penalty shots.

Wits hooped nine points with the penalty shots.

Lady Bucks captain Nametso Malatsi said to Wits Vuvuzela that this was a learning curve for the team as they lost numbers at the end of 2019. “We’re technically the only seniors left and we are also still trying to learn,” Malatsi said.

The teams tied the second quarter with the score at 12 points, however the Flames made a 22-point comeback in the third quarter with shooting guard, Fortunate Bosega, scoring seven of the total.

Point-guard, Ipeleng Ragele, was a standout player for the Lady Bucks as she made the highest number of hoops for Wits which totaled 13 points.

Ragele played resiliently to the end in spite of the probable outcome, hooping six of the eight points scored for Wits, in the last quarter of gameplay.

The Phoenix Flames scored 16 points in the final quarter, which gave them the victory over the Lady Bucks.

Phoenix Flames manager, Charmaine Amoda, said to Wits Vuvuzela, “It would be our three-peat if we win the league so it’s important for us just to come and participate and just make sure that we make an effort to try and get it for the third time”.

Wits Lady Bucks plays Wits Sport in an evening match on March 25 at Wits in Hall 29. It would be a great win for the Lady Bucks as Wits Basketball representative Tshiamo Ngakane said to Wits Vuvuzela, “Doing well in ICSL means you’re one of the best teams in the province period and not just in the university space with both clubs and university teams taking part.”

FEATURED IMAGE: Wits Lady Bucks Ipeleng Ragele dribbling the ball to  defend against Fortunate Bosega of the Phoenix Flames. Photo: Leah Wilson. 

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The Dean of health sciences faculty urges students to “remain calm” amid the spread of COVID-19.

Wits University has announced its first confirmed case of Covid-19 on Sunday, March 15. The student had been in quarantine since Tuesday, March 10 after she had come into contact with an individual who was confirmed to have had the virus.

The announcement, made by the university’s Senior Executive Team (SET), also came with the news that the affected person, a medical student, had attended classes before the diagnosis, potentially exposing 350 of her classmates to the virus.

The faculty of health sciences has reacted to the possible exposure of these students by cancelling a number of classes and imposing a self-quarantine on the students who were traced to the affected student. All contact classes for Wits have been indefinitely cancelled as of Monday, March 16. This cancellation includes clinical teaching within the healthcare sector.

Wits Vuvuzela spoke to members of the faculty to find out what specific measures have been put in place for the safety of medical students.

On Friday, March 6, as the virus was starting to become more widespread in South Africa, the dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Prof Martin Veller, released a statement urging students operating within the health care sector to “remain calm and continue to exercise [their] responsibilities as per normal and without prejudice”.

After confirming the quarantine of the affected student, all clinical engagements were cancelled on Friday, March 13. Professor Daynia Ballot, HOD for clinical medicine, said the engagements were cancelled as the faculty did not want to “put potentially infected students within that environment”.

Ballot added that, in line with National Institute for Communicable Disease (NICD) guidelines, patients suspected to have COVID-19 “are not seen within the normal clinical settings that the students are working in”, but in specific isolated areas. “The risk of a student contracting the virus within the hospital setting shouldn’t be too high,” Ballot said.

Wits regards to the safety of students in these hospitals, Ballot said that “it is much the responsibility of the clinical environment to treat students as they would health care practitioners”.

Fifth year GEMP 3 (Graduate Entry Medical Programme) student, Taskeen Mather, tells Wits Vuvuzela that the cancellation of clinical teaching did not come easily. “It took the SRC and the MSC (Medical Students Council), to convince the university that the clinical years and allied medical clinical years could be carriers [of the virus] too,” Mather said.

Mather says it was more of a concern to be a vessel of the virus and carry it to the vulnerable. “It’s a shame because we all do interact, be it on campus or at res or recreationally and we’re essentially vessels to the severely immune-compromised in the hospitals,” she said.

Jeremy Croock, another fifth year GEMP 3 student, says that he supports Prof Veller’s statement urging those within the health care sector to remain calm. “In my opinion it is the responsibility of all people in the health care sector to remain calm and continue treating their patients without prejudice,” Croock said.

Croock says that a major concern within hospitals are the “sub optimal working conditions”, and points specifically to the lack of equipment, “particularly personal protective equipment and most notably N95 respirator masks.”

“We have a lot of students  with a belief that ‘we’ve signed up for this life’ and I think it’s a very detrimental mindset that could do more harm than good when we’re really not essential personnel in the hospitals yet, Maher said.

Wits’ clinical teaching sites and the centres of isolation and treatment of COVID-19 in South Africa. Graphic: Emma O’Connor

Out of the 41 healthcare institutions that Wits medical students could possibly do their practical work at, only two are considered centres of isolation and treatment for people infected with the virus.

These hospitals are the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital situated next to Wits Medical Campus in Gauteng, and the Klerksdorp Hospital in the North West.

Gauteng Health MEC, Bandile Masuku, speaking to eNCA said that these centres of isolation were chosen is due to the “ventilation system they have at the hospital, which is not combined with the ventilation of the whole hospital.”

Wits senior communications officer, Buhle Zuma, said “the SET has established a management committee to consistently [daily] monitor the COVID-19 outbreak and to make recommendations to the SET around prevention, mitigation and the management of any COVID-19 incidents.”

Zuma said that the university is currently in “phase one of a detailed, phased, emergency response plan”. She also notes the responsibility that each member of the Wits community holds with regards to COVID-19:

“The combined proficiency and committed efforts of all members of the Wits community will be required to prevent, contain, prepare for, respond to, and, recover from the potential effects of this emerging infectious pandemic.”

Similarly, Ballot says that this is not just a disease affecting an individual but rather one that impacts the whole community:

“If you present the symptoms there is no need to be afraid of stigmatisation; you get tested and you’re either found to be positive or negative of the virus and can move forward either way.” She added that “trying to hide the disease will only spread the virus further.”

Should the COVID-19 situation in South Africa escalate, Zuma told Wits Vuvuzela that there is “an academic continuity programme” that has been developed and that “the university can switch to remote/online learning if required, although with adaptation of the academic programme.”

No communication has currently been received by the medical students who fall outside of the GEMP 1 category on what the plan for the upcoming week is. Mather told Wits Vuvuzela of the uncertainty surrounding this ordeal, “We’ve been asking for directive on where and how or if we should be getting ourselves tested.”

FEATURED IMAGE: The Wits Faculty of Health Sciences says that the risk of exposure to coronavirus for their students doing practicals at hospitals is low. Photo: Emma O’Connor

RELATED ARTICLES: 

• eNCA, LIST: South African hospitals to deal with coronavirus patients, March 6, 2020. 
• eNCA, Gauteng hospitals ready for coronavirus cases, March 11, 2020. 
• Wits Vuvuzela, Coronavirus: Wits students quarantined as a precaution, March 12, 2020. 

After three years at Wits, it has slowly dawned on me that I am bothered by the small number of coloured students.

On any given day, I have seen just one or two during my time on campus. So it has always been clear that we are demographically underrepresented on Wits campuses. In an institution with thousands of students, we are a drop in the ocean.

According to the 2018 Wits Annual Report, of the 39 953 Wits students, coloureds were just 1 659 (4,15%). The comparable figures for the rest of the student population were: African – 26 452; white – 6 392; Indian – 4 814; and Chinese – 211.

The low numbers are especially stark when one considers that in the 2019 population estimate by Statistics South Africa, the coloured and white populations make up 8,8% and 7,9% respectively.

These figures are not restricted to Wits. The percentage of coloured students is similar even in a distance learning institution such as Unisa where they make up 5,6% of the 400 000-strong student body.

Reflecting on the low numbers of coloured students in these institutions is disheartening for me as I consider the possible work opportunities and positive impact that learning in the university environment has meant for my future earning capacity.

When one considers that students could come from Johannesburg’s coloured residential areas such as Eldorado Park, Westbury, Riverlea and Ennerdale, one cannot disregard the socio-economic factors prevailing in these areas.

Visiting family in these areas is always a reminder that there are many communities that still face high levels of poverty, gang violence and proximity to substance abuse in friends or family members.

Being well aware of the privilege of being able to study at university, I feel sanitised from the experiences of many coloured people my age. There is hardly a correlation between the theory-filled bubble of university life and the issues that young coloureds face.

University of Johannesburg master’s candidate in industrial relations and political science, Robyn Williams, echoes the observation that coloureds are under-presented in university spaces.

“As the first individual of colour in my family to attend university, I can safely say that tertiary education has not been the first priority for school leavers. [Instead, it has been to] finish matric, go work and help your family. I can never take my privilege lightly,” she says.

I am grateful that my parents always spurred me to set my sights on a higher education and that I was confident enough to do so. However, I am aware that I am not the first in my family, and my family had the financial means.

Seeing more coloured students on campus would allow me to hope that they would be able to break the cycle of poverty in areas such as Riverlea, Westbury or Eldorado Park, that a university education would create opportunities to good jobs.

It is important for coloured youth to be encouraged to study. I believe that their resilience due to the tough community circumstances surrounding them could be just the weapon to help them to do well in the pressurised university spaces.

FEAUTURED IMAGE: Leah Wilson, a student journalist at Wits Vuvuzela. 

Action comes after plea for the university to extend the 72-hour deadline to vacate residences is denied.

Two Wits University students have gone to court to stop the institution from enforcing a 72-hour deadline on residence students to vacate their rooms.

Law students Lerato Moela and Matsobane Shaun Matlhwana launched an urgent application in the Johannesburg High Court on Tuesday, March 17, to interdict the university from proceeding with the evacuation until students have been tested for, and cleared, of the coronavirus.

As part of its decision to go into early recess from today, March 17, the Wits Senior Executive Team announced last night that residence students would be given 72 hours to vacate all university residences.

In a letter circulated among students via Whatsapp, which Wits Vuvuzela has verified to have come from Moela and Mathlwana, they said that it is common knowledge that Wits has had a positive case of Covid-19 and, “this (72 hour evacuation period) appears as if the university is letting loose the potentially infected students to the society”. The court application asks for more time to assess the potential number of affected students within the residence community.

In the letter, the students said, “[The two of them] wish to humbly ask the university to extend the evacuation period to allow the process that would assure the communities that they are not being compromised”.

Themba Mabena, a postgraduate law student who lives in res said, “I don’t think that the 72 hours we are given to vacate our residences is fair, especially seeing that it’s a short notice. Some are living very far and since we are in the middle of the month some students may not afford to go home due to being broke.”

Another student, Siyasanga Kwinana, in third-year BA law, said she was concerned about students being exposed to Covid-19.

“Students with the means to go home, if they are not going to be flying will probably be using another form of public transport, which will expose the [students] to people who may or may not have contracted the disease,” she said.

Wits Vuvuzela had not been able to reach the university’s management at the time of publishing. However, via its Twitter account, the university said: “Wits University will oppose the application by two students to interdict the evacuation of students from residences. They initiated this action without knowing the detail and their case is based on false information. They must also carry the costs of this frivolous action.

“This is an irresponsible, reckless act which obstructs the fight against Covid-19 and is in contravention of the state’s strategy and protocol to address the pandemic. Cyril Ramaphosa has said that we need to look beyond this kind of selfishness and political attention-seeking,” said one of the tweets.

Wits Vuvuzela asked Moela whether he was positive about their chances. “Chances in a legal dispute can go either way. The reason we took the legal route is to hold the University accountable,” he said.

Moela also said that this was in no way a reckless act against the university. “This is not malicious. If the university wins, I have to pay the legal costs.”

FEATURED IMAGE: Notice of motion: in the matter between two Wits law students and Wits University in request for 72 hour vacate period to be extended. Photo: source

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Wits Vuvuzela, Coronavirus: Mixed responses to virus concerns at SA campuses, March 2020.
• Wits Vuvuzela, Coronavirus: Wits urged not to panic as med student remains in quarantine, March 2020.
• Wits Vuvuzela, Coronavirus: Wits students quarantined as a precaution, March 2020.

The Presidency has released a statement following a meeting of President Cyril Ramaphosa with the leaders of all political parties represented in Parliament. The statement is reproduced in full below. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa and Deputy President David Mabuza met this morning with the leaders of all parties represented in Parliament on the global coronavirus pandemic.

All leaders agree that the COVID-19 outbreak poses a grave and real threat to the lives, livelihoods and prosperity of our people.

Our country finds itself in an extreme situation that requires extraordinary measures.

It requires that all South Africans work together in unity and solidarity, in partnership and cooperation.

It is therefore both appropriate and significant that the 14 political parties in our Parliament are standing together, across party political divides, to fight this disease together.

We hereby demonstrate practically that we are united as the leaders of our nation to overcome this global crisis facing our country and our people.

Regardless of our political differences, all leaders share a common desire to keep our people safe, to mitigate the impact on our economy, and ensure that the inevitable disruption to lives and livelihoods is reduced.

We accept our collective and individual duty as leaders to provide guidance and direction to our people, to demonstrate the greatest of care and responsibility in our pronouncements and actions, and to mobilise all South Africans behind this effort.

During the course of our discussions, we agreed on the following principal issues:

– The severity of the COVID-19 threat requires an exceptional response that draws on all the resources and capabilities of our nation; that this response needs to be immediate and that it needs to be sustained. We therefore support the measures that government has announced.

– Our overwhelming concern must be for the health and the well-being of all South Africans, particularly the poor, the elderly and the vulnerable. The actions we take and the decisions that we make must be informed by this imperative.

– While COVID-19 poses a great threat to our nation, we are not helpless. There is much we can do, as a country and as individual citizens, to slow the spread of the disease, to save lives and improve health outcomes, and to bring the epidemic to an end. Every person, institution and grouping has a role to play in combating this disease.

– An effective popular campaign against this disease depends on the provision of regular and accurate information to the public; and access for all to screening, testing and treatment. It demands transparency and accountability from the responsible authorities.

– An effective response also requires heightened levels of personal responsibility on the part of citizens. This includes personal infection control measures such as regular hand washing, avoiding public gatherings and maintaining a distance from other people.

– Personal responsibility also means that we should avoid behaviour – such as unnecessary physical contact or excessive alcohol use – that increases the chances of infection. We should be alert to disinformation, rumour and fake news and ensure that we do not disseminate it.

– We call on all citizens to refrain from making excessive purchases. It is important to understand that the supply of goods remains continuous, supply chains remain intact, and there is no need for stockpiling of any items.

– All social partners – specifically government, business and labour – need to jointly develop and implement measures to mitigate the economic effects of COVID-19. Companies in distress need to be assisted and jobs and livelihoods need to be preserved.

We appreciate the understanding and cooperation of all South Africans in the face of extremely disruptive measures. We commend the actions taken by a broad range of institutions, associations, businesses and religious groupings to reduce the exposure of their members, supporters and employees to infection.

We congratulate the entire team responsible for repatriating South Africans from Wuhan and for caring for them during their quarantine, and welcome the news that they have all tested negative for the virus.

This is an opportunity to give practical effect to nation building by assisting the poor and vulnerable in our society.

Other issues raised by party leaders in the meeting include:

– The need to provide water to destitute communities;

– a greater focus on prevention in the public transport system;

– consideration of various measures to support businesses, such as a UIF contribution holiday and accelerated processing of VAT refunds;

– a particular focus on food security, particularly for the poor;

– a proposal for the departments of Health and Defence to establish centres for testing, water distribution and services, especially in rural areas.

These and several other proposals from political parties will be considered by the National Command Council and the relevant state institutions.

As the collective political leadership of this country we are at one on the extent of the challenge our nation faces, and on the measures that we must now all take to confront and overcome that challenge.

If we act now, and if we act together, we can change the course of this epidemic, and ensure that our country emerges from this ordeal more united, more determined and more able to build the South Africa we want.

FEATURED IMAGE: South African president Cyril Ramaphosa pictured at Wits University in 1994. Photo: File.

There is no indication when the games will resume. 

All Varsity Cup matches have been suspended with immediate effect following the declaration of a state of disaster in South Africa on Sunday, March 15.

“All FNB Varsity Cup matches, including FNB Varsity Young Guns and FNB Varsity Shield are suspended with immediate effect”, read a statement on the Varsity Cup website and their social media pages on Tuesday, March 17. According to the statement, the suspension of the competition is in line with the changes in the academic programme, which has largely been suspended around the country. Varsity Cup is a rugby league involving teams from South African universities.

Mervyn Taylor, head of rugby for North-West University, said “we as rugby [are] bound by the decision of the NWU, Varsity Cup and SA rugby, we will be in contact with our players to keep them updated, at this stage there [are] no rugby activities.”

Wits rugby player, Daniel Kasende, expressed his disappointment about the suspension of games but feels that it is the best decision in light of the global pandemic.

“I think the team agrees [with the suspension] and have the same views. Yes we are in a good space and we are doing really well but that has had to take second place to the safety of our lives and well-being,” Kasende said.

Similarly, Maties (Stellenbosch University), rugby player, Nevaldo Fleurs, told Wits Vuvuzela, “I’m deeply troubled since so much work and sacrifices have been made to get to where we were.”

Maties have won the FNB Varsity Cup consecutively for the past two years and were first on the 2020 scoreboard at the time of the suspension.

Fleurs said, “With USSA [University Sports South Africa] and Club league still to come, selflessness, which is one of our values, is going to play a big role. I have the trust in my brothers that they shall follow the programme to come back stronger and faster.”

The Varsity Cup statement clarifies that the suspension of rugby does not entail the cancellation of the games but rather a postponement to a later date which has not been confirmed.

“SA Rugby is in ongoing deliberations on the reworked domestic rugby calendar and as a result, the Varsity Cup Board will reconvene towards the end April 2020 to reassess the situation and take a final decision on the 2020 competition,” read the statement.

FEATURED IMAGE: FNB Wits players Emmanuel Tshituka and Lindokuhle Ncusane at Varsity Cup match on March 9, 2020, at the Wits Rugby Stadium. Photo: Tshepo Thaela

RELATED ARTICLES: 

• Wits Vuvuzela, Coronavirus: Statement by the president after meeting with political leaders, 18 March 2020.
• Wits Vuvuzela, Coronavirus: Mixed responses to virus concerns at SA campuses, 16 March 2020.

Technically sound, a captivating storyline, homegrown quality. This Netflix series should be the next show on your quarantine binge-watch list.

Netflix’s first South African commissioned series, Queen Sono, is a six-episode, espionage crime drama that showcases the quality story writing, production and acting that our country has to offer.

Viewers are thrown straight into the action in the first scene, as we see Queen Sono (Pearl Thusi), a field agent for the Special Operations Group (SOG), while she is on an intel collection mission.

Queen’s mission hits a speed bump and she has to resort to “manual labour”, stealing a laptop from her target and being chased by thugs. She deals with the bad guys with kicks and punches, quintessential of a classic eTV Friday-Action-Night film, setting the tone of action that will tickle the fancy of any action enthusiast. 

Sono is not just your typical loose-cannon, femme-fatale who gets a thrill from knocking around her enemies. She also has to deal with calls from her paternal grandmother, Mazet (Abigail Kubeka), in the middle of a mission, reminding Queen that they were supposed to be going to church together.

We later learn that Sono is also the daughter of the late anti-apartheid revolutionary, Safiya Sono, and is not afraid to crack some skulls to find her mother’s killer. 

In this way, show creator and stand-up comedian, Kagiso Lediga, cleverly creates tension between Sono’s professional and private life. 

Upon first glance, the first half of the series does seem messy, with technical aspects of the show coming across as novice. The lighting in most of the one-on-one scenes leaves characters’ faces underexposed and difficult to see. Initially, some characters don’t seem significant enough for the amount of screen time they receive.

By the time you get halfway through the season, the lighting and the gaps in the storyline are drastically improved. It seems that these were technical decisions made to mirror the viewer’s uncertainty rather than actual technical errors.

The storyline is reminiscent of Sam Raimi’s iconic Spiderman 2. An urban hero, balancing the fine line between their private and professional lives, doing their best to keep them separate. 

Lediga captures the essence of this in Queen Sono, with Mazet’s call to Queen reminding her to come to church. Mazet is one of the many characters of the show that give it that South African flavour. As a South African, you cannot be unfamiliar with the “gogo” archetype. 

The characters, the predominant setting of the Johannesburg CBD, and the political subject matter of corrupt politicians, create a very familiar picture for South Africans, in the world of Netflix that often feels far from home. 

Without a doubt, Queen Sono, is a must-have on your self-quarantine binge-list, with the full season now available to watch on Netflix. The cliffhangers will leave you itching for season 2. 

Review Score: 7.5/10

FEATURED IMAGE: Pearl Thusi is the main character in Queen Sono, the South African Netflix series. Can she balance her professional and personal lives? PHOTO: Provided

LINKS:
Click here to watch the Official Trailer
Click here to watchSeason 1 on Netflix

Being called a ‘coconut’ creates insecurities in my identity as an African person.

In my 20 years, I’ve been numerously referred to as a ‘coconut’, a term used to question my blackness due to aspects of me that people perceived as ‘white’.

The majority of this took place during high school, which I passively understood as an implication of being one of the few African students at a private school.

Being called a ‘coconut’ by my African peers because I had a twang when I spoke my mother tongue, placed me into an isolated bubble where I was “not black enough for the black kids” – a phrase used by Ariel Brown, in an article on BBC online.

It was important for me to feel reassured in my ‘blackness’ as my parents are African. Therefore, my race is the root of what connects me to my family’s history and values, which I have inherited.

I grew up having a complicated relationship with race, as I knew I was visually black because of my skin tone. However, I questioned myself internally, as I didn’t have the same cultural background as my cousins and African students. I had no recollection of playing in the street outside my grandmother’s house or being sent to the local spaza shop, as I spent most of my childhood in a different country.

The common characteristics of a ‘coconut’ seem to be speaking good English, getting a good education and living in the suburbs. As a result, ‘coconuts’ supposedly ‘neglect’ their African traits such as collectivism to fit in and rather gravitate towards ‘white culture’.

The association of these characteristics with whiteness does not shock me, as during apartheid these were the privileges that were afforded to white people and denied to people of colour.

However, in a progressive society, it is concerning that the characteristics of a ‘coconut’ cannot exist to strengthen the connotations of people of colour.

The negative stigma of African people as inferior still persists and is reproduced by people who use coconut in a derogatory manner.

Race exists on a spectrum due to the variations of cultures, ethnicities and upbringings in South Africa.

The mindset of trying to box racial characteristics was used by the apartheid government to justify oppressive treatment. So why do people of colour use the same logic to create prejudicial terms within their own race?

On a poll I did on my twitter account, which over 1 000 people participated in, 79% of them voted ‘yes’ to being referred to as a ‘coconut’.

PEOPLE OF COLOUR: Have you ever been referred to as a coconut ?
(Please retweet if you can)

— Zinhle Belle (@zeddoesthemost) March 18, 2020

Although the results from the poll aren’t representative of the whole society, the comments gave me insight into how this word commonly affects my peers.

Many people shared stories under my poll about how being called a ‘coconut’ made them feel alienated.

Enhakkore Bope said “It made me feel like my blackness was invalidated. Like I did not belong.”

The association with this term may be due to my generation’s access to spaces such as Model C schools, previously denied to our elders. ‘Coconuts’ are thought to “think they’re better than others”, a comment made by Ruvane Andreas under my poll, as he explained how growing up financially secure made him an outcast among his cousins.

I still feel insecure about my ‘blackness’ when I get called a ‘coconut’ by family members and peers because of the way I act and talk. I’ve accepted it – with much defiance, as a term that will continue to follow me. I may be a ‘coconut’, but I am still black.

FEATURED IMAGE: Zinhle Belle, a student journalist at Wits Vuvuzela. Photo: File.  

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Wits Vuvuzela, Coloured students underrepresented in the Wits rainbow, March 2020
• Wits Vuvuzela, Rethinking black tax as more than a burden or Ubuntu, September 2019
• Wits Vuvuzela, We are ‘coconuts’, but there’s levels ‘bru’, September 2015

Student is being urged to return to her room to clear in, to come back from home and pack up items in her fridge as South Point plans to power down its buildings.

Private Braamfontein student accommodation provider, South Point, is asking its student residents to go home after Wits University went into early recess on March 16, 2020.

“As your home would probably offer a less densely populated environment than a student residence, South Point strongly recommends that those students who are able to go home start making travel arrangements” said a statement released by the accommodation company on Tuesday, March 17.

The statement said, “Only key critical staff remain at our offices, with most employees working from home or on special leave. Accordingly, and with limited resources, we will need to power down our residences next week (which, in turn, will impact on the lifts, hot-water supply and WiFi)”.

In a second statement issued on Saturday, March 21, students were again urged to vacate their rooms.

“To avoid further infections, and to support Government efforts, it’s imperative that students to vacate their South Point rooms and return home, following guidelines from their respective institutions, as communicated earlier this week”, said South Point, adding that it was not terminating any of the leases.

The accommodation company said it would provide a scaled down service to students who were not able to go home.

“For those who are unable to go home for whatever reasons, please note we have put the following measures in place across our residential portfolio: … 1. Hand sanitiser dispensers (ordered last week) will be installed through all buildings nationally by Friday, 20 March 2020.”

Lindani Ngcamphalala*, a tenant of South Point Relyant said “they’re [South Point] saving costs and maximizing profit, they don’t want to lose, while they have students who have paid for the whole year”.

Wits Vuvuzela spoke to some South Point tenants who were particularly concerned about the loss of food they had bought in large quantities after the university shut down the dining halls.

“We won’t have money to replace the cold meat [meat in students fridges left when students went home] hence we bought in bulk to make sure it lasts us quite some time, so if they cut electricity what will be of our food. Also they won’t do anything when we suffer from the rotten smell of our food forgetting it’s their fault,” said Maya Jones*.

Another tenant, Vincent Tshepiya* said “On the issue of power outing the buildings it is stupid. … Students are charged on a monthly basis and with the forced evacuation nothing has been mentioned [by South Point] for days … This decision goes against the core values they claim they display which are care, reliability …”.

A tenant of South Point residence Blackburn who refused to be named raised concerns about not having a place to go to.

“I don’t tell people this but I have nowhere to go. I now need to find a room to rent eKasi [township] and by everything a room needs such as a bed, pots etc. Only for me to use them for like only a month,” said the tenant speaking for himself and his brother.

“International students who can’t make it home should urgently contact 060 018 9901 during office hours”, South Point in their last statement.

The Wits Student Representative council using their twitter account did not have a response to queries raised by Wits Vuvuzela but say,  “Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We are looking into it [this matter] and will revert shortly.

Attempts to reach South Point for comment proved unsuccessful by the time of publishing.

Names have been changed*

FEATURED IMAGE: South Point student accommodation head office in Braamfontein. Photo: File.

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Wits Vuvuzela, Coronavirus: Wits students turn to courts over order to vacate residences, March 2020.
• Wits Vuvuzela, Coronavirus: Measures in place for health sciences students, March 2020.
• Wits Vuvuzela, Coronavirus: Mixed responses to virus concerns at SA campuses, March 2020.

To fight against Covid-19, a volunteer organisation has sanitised the homes of some of the elderly in Kagiso.

Thirty houses belonging to elderly residents were sanitised by a local NGO in Kagiso, Krugersdorp on Monday, April 6. Volunteers from the Church of Scientology also sanitised shelters and other public spaces as part of their efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19 among the community. 

The project, launched on Saturday, March 14, in collaboration with the Mogale City municipality but was only able to reach a few homes due to limited resources . Kagiso ward councillor, Velile Khumalo, said the selection of the houses was solely based on the ages of the people who lived in them and their vulnerability to Covid-19. 

“We have picked up a few elderly people because we felt that Coronavirus is something that attacks them mostly, so it’s important we identify those who can be easily exposed to it,” said Khumalo. 

Gogo Jennifer Khalishwayo, 61, whose house was one of those sanitised, told Wits Vuvuzela that she was surprised to find people coming into her home without her consent.  “I understand the need to curb the spread of the virus, but there are many stories going around and I would have appreciated it if I was informed,”  Khalishwayo said. The retiree said she was wary of the sanitising team after receiving messages warning of ‘fake’ doctors who go door to door testing, screening and sanitizing people’s

The fogging machine used to sanitize the houses. Photo: Zikhona Klaas

houses in the local ward Whatsapp group. 

Thembi Ndlovu, 46, an unemployed mother of five children said, “I thought the program was going to accommodate all of us [community members] because I can’t afford a large sanitiser for my house, I only use the recommended soap for my hands to stay clean.” 

Ndlovu said she would have appreciated if the project was supported by big companies so that all people can be accommodated despite their age bracket. 

Egor Borisiuk, the team leader, said that the project had been approved by the department of social development to work with local municipalities. He explained that the sanitising team does not screen nor test people for Covid-19 but sanitises spaces with environmentally friendly chemicals.

“We use a contamination fogging system that contains a natural cleaning sanitizer,” Borisiuk said. He explained that after the chemical was applied, people are asked to wait at least fifteen minutes before going back inside their houses. 

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers is a disaster response organisation based in Midrand, that has launched the Viral Disaster Response program to address the spread of Coronavirus. 

FEATURED IMAGE: Scientology volunteers with local community members in Kagiso. Photo: Zikhona Klaas. 

RELATED ARTICLES

• Wits Vuvuzela, Coronavirus: Measures in place for health science students. March 16, 2020.
• Krugersdorp News, Mogale Response Services sanitizing the city one building at a time, 6 April 2020.

A team of engineers from Wits university have come together to produce personal protective equipment and medical supplies to help fight the Coronavirus pandemic.

A team of engineers from Wits University have developed and produced faces shields which they have donated to essential service workers during South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown. Close to 500 shields, 20 to Wits Protection Services, 120 to the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre, 200 to Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital and 200 to the Rahima Moosa Hospital have been donated by the engineers. The project started in response to a call for assistance with the shortage of protective gear for healthcare workers by a local emergency services group, Netcare911.  

Volunteers washing the shield components after cutting to clean off the corrosive residue formed. Photo: Provided.

Randall Paton, senior lecturer at the school of mechanical, industrial & aeronautical engineering (MIA), told Wits Vuvuzela, “We are hoping to deliver 200 [face shields] each to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital and Helen Joseph Hospital,” on Wednesday, April 8. 

Paton adds, “We are also planning to provide [face shields] to the custodial staff that are cleaning around Wits’ spaces, especially those where our medical students are working.”

Tshwarela Kolokoto, a doctoral student at the school of chemistry and a project volunteer, said, “I chose to be part of this initiative to give back and do some community service. To help fight against Covid-19, and most importantly protect our healthcare workers who are risking their lives on a daily basis for the people of South Africa.”

Khanani Machumele, a second-year doctoral student in medicinal chemistry, volunteers her time to the project by washing off the residue caused by laser cutting from the face shields. “Hundreds of thousands of people have died from this virus and my hope is that my small contribution may help in the overall fight against coronavirus. I may not [have] millions of rands to donate but I can donate my time,” Machumele said. 

The engineers are also looking at producing masks that prevent the inhalation of infected spray and ventilator equipment. According to Professor Robert Reid, head of the school of MIA, “These pieces of healthcare equipment are still under development and no ‘production items’ have been manufactured yet.”

Reid says that the face shields project is a result of a concerted effort from volunteers across various academic disciplines at Wits.  The materials used for the face shields came from leftover material from a project the school ran a few years ago.