Edition 8, 3 September 2008

>> Digs Hunting booklet

Whether you are new to digs hunting, or looking to
move again, look inside for your free copy. 9 >> Africans must die

Distribution subsidised by the Oppidan Committee and the South African Post Office.
A cheeky Irishman argues that Africans should be denied
foreign aid in order to reduce our population.

The Kat that didn’t get the cream

Gugu Khumalo & Nicole Venegas
T
he run-up to the SRC
elections has been fraught
with controversy yet again this
year. The constitutional eligibility of
one of the presidential candidates,
Katherine Henry, has been particularly
acrimonious, drawing in her presidential
rivals, the Student Disciplinary Board
(SDB), a prominent local advocate and
the evergreen Paul Hjul.
When Henry discovered that, as a
registered first-year student, she was
constitutionally barred from running
for the presidency, she took the matter
up with the SDB. This is the statutory
body, comprising five final-year LLB
students, that is mandated to interpret
the Constitution of Student Governance
(CoSG) on behalf of the SRC and
students.
Section 9.1.3 of the Constitution
reads: “Notwithstanding the fact that the
SRC Chairperson shall have completed
successfully at least three semesters of
University study – the SRC Chairperson
[or President] shall be the student with
the highest number of votes from the
general election.”
The SDB returned a 4-1 majority
ruling to the effect that the “three
semesters of University study” provision
was discriminatory. It reasoned that its
decision would “allow postgraduate and
graduate students who have degrees
from other Universities, to apply for SRC
President”.
Katherine Henry is not a first-
year student as such, having studied
elsewhere before coming to Rhodes this
year. As she says in her manifesto, she is
in her “third year of full-time study, and
will be a penultimate [-year] law student
in 2009.”
Paul Hjul, a student unaffiliated with
the SRC or the SDB, appealed against
the ruling in the belief that the SDB “has
usurped [its] powers and grievously
misconducted [itself]” by effectively
amending the Constitution on its own.
He maintains that his complaint was not
a personal attack on Henry, but rather
an objection to the SDB’s exceeding
its constitutional mandate. “No one
can run for presidency if they have not
been at the University for more than
three semesters, and this should not be
changed whenever anybody feels like it,”
Hjul said.
Advocate Les Roberts, the Impartial
Official tasked with giving a final ruling,
found in favour of Hjul’s appeal. “The
Disciplinary Board has the power to
interpret the Constitution (see Article
6.2.1.1.3). There is no express power
given to it to amend the Constitution,”
Roberts ruled.
In an interview with The Oppidan
Press after Roberts’ ruling, Hjul said:
“Keith Kachambwa [chairperson of the
SDB] and his committee believed that
they could do anything they please, they
were too big for their boots and they
should be removed from their
positions.”
On the other hand, the SDB believes
that it was well within its rights to
interpret that section of the Constitution
and to make it work for the minority
of the students that it discriminates
against. According to Kachambwa, the
amendment of the Constitution has been
OPINION >>
Potential leaders get into a catfight...
As a shocked student who was present at the recent Student Body Meeting to get to
know the SRC candidates running for this year’s elections, I have only one question: what on earth are we
supposed to do if both Pumeza Mdangayi and Katherine Henry are elected into the executive? They clearly hate each other
and what’s more, they do not even try to hide it! How on earth are they going to get along to make vital university decisions
when they can’t even sit on opposite sides of Eden Grove Red in peace? It doesn’t look like either of them has even considered
the possibility that they may have to work together if they are both elected. The complete inadequacy of almost every other
candidate was worrying enough, as was the behaviour of the Sasco clique up at the back, but watching two of the leading
candidates come so close to blows was really just too much. Yes, Katherine asked a question designed to provoke, especially
when she implied that Pumeza was lying to her constituents, but surely our major presidential candidate should have been able
to control herself and not sink down to her opponent’s level? Instead, the spitting venom that emerged from her mouth was
enough to convince me that Pumeza’s dark side is not one we need on our SRC. And Katherine is far
from perfect – despite all her claims that age has brought her maturity and wisdom, she was way too Keep
u
defensive over even the smallest of issues, and seemed out of touch with quite a few concerns that SRC e p to date w
lectio ith th
we have as students at Rhodes. Besides, how many of us can really relate to a married woman watch n e
an in results and
who won’t stop talking about her husband (hi Gareth!) in campaign speeches? Would it be at all the n ter vie
possible for the SDB to make a ruling barring candidates who begin to resemble the crazy-eyed presid ewly-elect w with
en ed
Joker when faced with leadership questions? TheO t by visitin SRC
ppida g ww
electi n w
>> This student observer prefers to stay anonymous in order to keep her claws to herself ons20 Press.com .
08 du /
week ring the
.
an ongoing process since the beginning dining hall. I am in contact with a lot of
of last year: “There is no issue here. This people everyday,” said Henry.
is not about the SRC or the SDB, it is Pumeza Mdangayi, who had been one
about student governance. We never of Henry’s rivals for the presidency, said:
The joys of SRC election time
interfered with the process of elections “Thank you to Mr Hjul for complaining.
in any way and we did nothing If one of us [presidential candidates]
wrong.” had done it, it would have seemed like • New SRC website crashes a few days
Henry’s reaction to the ruling was we were trying to sabotage her. I respect   prior to electioneering.
one of resigned disappointment: “It Mrs Henry as an individual but rules, • Nominations extended, leading to
is tragic, and I have to obey the rules procedure and law are important to the delayed elections.
because I cannot organise a coup just governance of the student body.” • Some positions still do not have any
because I do not like the law.” She Nevertheless, Henry and Mdangayi nominees, while there are more
believes that Roberts took a very literal were engaged in a public war-of-words at presidential bids than you can shake
approach to the law because he did not the SRC General Student Body meeting a stick at (scholarship! scholarship!).
consider her unique circumstances. on Thursday evening last week. The • Fun, games and catfights at the
“I am not asking to be given special argument started when Henry accused General Student Body meeting.
treatment, but I was the best candidate the outgoing SRC – which includes • Electronic polling technology failure
for President. I do first, second and Mdangayi – of being out of touch with delays elections a second time.
third-year classes and I eat at the Oppi the student body.

Oppies get a real buzz

Anja Müller-Deibicht
Twitching hands hover over a small red
buzzer, and it was all down to who had
the fastest fingers at the Oppidan quiz
last Saturday night.
Over thirty teams took part in the
quiz, organised and hosted by the Op-
pidan Committee. Teams answered five
questions in each of the categories of
history, geography, literature, film, sport,
current affairs, local knowledge, art, ana-
I KNOW!
Pic: Sarah Schäfer
grams, and random questions involving
guessing heights, durations, and widths
of world records (did you know that the
largest cookie was 30 metres in diame-
ter?) and were informed of their progress
after each round. The electric buzzers on
each table were used excitedly (and often
unnecessarily) by teams to signal the
answer to spot prize questions.
The grand prize of a trolley filled with
groceries was won by ‘Team One’ made
up of Sarah Schäfer, Thomas Holder, Liza
van Soelen and Lesley de Vries. Schäfer
was excited at the thought of “not having
to buy groceries for quite a while”.
aptly named ‘The Zimmer Frames’, were
placed in seventh position by the end
of the evening, hot on the heels of team
‘Oppi Press’ who came sixth (whew!).
‘The Girls Next Door’ hogged a total
of six spot prizes that included chocolate,
milk, rusks and some egg cups. Team
member Emilie Gilbert attributed their
success to “speedy finger work and quick
thinking under pressure”.
“A quiz is able to include a lot of
people and hopefully appeal to a large
range of Oppidans,” explained Oppidan
Committee member Vicky Heideman.
The committee confirmed that an Op-

Close on the winning team’s heels in pidan foam party is on the cards for next
Members of the winning team, Lesley de Vries second and third position was ‘Three term.
and Thomas Holder, race for the buzzer to win Fruits and a Twig’ followed by ‘The For a complete list of team placements see
a spot prize. Bluth Company’. The all-staff team, our website, www.TheOppidanPress.com.

“Have a great September vac!”

2 The Oppidan Press 03.09.08
Brains, not brawn, the order of the day at Fort Hare
As a celebration of uTata Nelson
Mandela’s 90th birthday, the University
of Fort Hare had its first Curriculum
Jamboree last weekend, a festival
focused on bringing back the university’s
tradition of having incoko (public
debates) to bring about change on issues
that are of significance in South Africa
today.
A number of academics from Rhodes
and Fort Hare took part in these lively
discussions. Among them was Professor
Sizwe Mabizela, Head of Department
of Mathematics at Rhodes University,
Professor Rob Midgley, previous Dean
of Law at Rhodes, and Professor Patrick
Osode, Fort Hare’s Dean of Law. Politics,
democracy, communication and the
Amnesty pulls out all the stops with glamorous awards
Amnesty International hosted a glitzy
“Awards for Social Change” ceremony
two weeks ago to celebrate the role
played by staff, students and societies in
improving the quality of life for others at
Rhodes and in Grahamstown.
Amnesty chairperson, Alinka
Brutsch, said that the event was
one of firsts: men were eligible for
nomination for the first time, there
were more nominees (54) than ever
before, and the number of people who
attended the event (about 150) was also
unprecedented.
Amnesty made quite a party of it,
with tables groaning under the weight
of food and drinks, and a juicy line-up
of home-grown entertainment including
piano maestro Terry Marais, mime
artist Richard Antrobus, and the soulful
sounds of Voice Of Glory (VOG).
The guest speaker, Advocate
FLUFFY GIANT
Is that a bear? No, it’s Kimikai, the Chow Chow. We
here at Oppi Press are suckers for animals so this
picture had to come out tops!
>> Tarryn Liddell
nature of engagement were among the
topics discussed. A number of young
intelligencers from Rhodes also partook
in these debates, including Dipaphang
Mofokeng and Luzuko Buku from Sasco.
Politics was the first topic of
discussion, with the debate centred on
our current ruling party, the African
National Congress (ANC). Mabizela
believes that the ANC has always been
elitist, even during the fight against
apartheid when the party was comprised
of black liberal intellectuals. During
apartheid, however, the ANC was aimed
at benefiting and working for the people
of South Africa; it was a congress of the
people. “But has it become a congress
of its members?” Buku asked. Midgley
Nicola Turner, is South Africa’s top-
ranked prosecutor in the National
Prosecuting Authority (NPA), and works
predominantly with sex crimes. She paid
special tribute to the men she has met in
the course of her work who defy gender
stereotypes by their heroic actions in
rescuing survivors of sex crimes.
According to Brutsch: “We wanted to
recognise the work men at Rhodes have
been doing and the importance of men
and women working together to develop
and shape our society.”
The panel of judges included Brutsch,
Dr Vivian de Klerk, Prof Mqeke (Law),
Prof Jobson (Pharmacy), Dr Kirkaldy
(History) and Katherine Furman (a
winner from last year’s Women of the
Year Awards).
The winner in the prestigious student
leadership category was outgoing SRC
Activism and Transformation Councillor
>> You’re sho kyoot!
Send your creative masterpiece to us and
we will consider it for publication. photos@
The Great Debate. Send us your views on “The University Space
and African Liberation”. letters@theoppidanpress.com
added that the congress had run its
social course and “now it is about the
individuals with the power”.
Professor Osode also addressed
the importance of participation in a
democracy, questioning if South Africa
can really call itself one considering the
low levels of participation amongst both
intellectuals and the average citizen. This
dilemma was the focal point of many of
the discussions taking place at Fort Hare.
Mabizela argued that our transition
to democracy only took place recently,
and perhaps we are too critical when
it comes to where we see ourselves as a
democratic state. Buku disagreed, saying
that we must remove the mentality that
our democracy is too young, because
Kwezilomso Mbandazayo.
The Oppidan Press is honoured to
have come out top of a well-subscribed
student community engagement
category with our newspaper internship
programme for disadvantaged
Grahamstown school learners.
Brutsch said she was “really happy”
about how the event went: “I hope it
makes people more aware of what’s
happening on campus and what students
are capable of doing. So often students
complain about things and don’t actually
do anything about it. I hope these
awards, by recognising what others have
done, will motivate more students to get
involved.”
For the full list of nominees and winners,
visit www.TheOppidanPress.com.
>> Lionel Faull
theoppidanpress.com.
it is only a means of justifying the bad
governance that the country now faces.
The debate on the nature of
engagement focused on how we, as
young people, have completely ignored
the power of engagement or discussion.
Participants discussed how we forget
it was the processes of engagement in
informal curricula that took place in
the early 90s that put a stop to violence
in the country and led to the political
revolution we call democracy.
All considered, Fort Hare hosted a
vibrant event allowing for scholars of
both universities to stretch their minds
and participate in meaningful discussion
about South African democracy.
>> Nonceba Mhlauli
Student stabbed to death at UWC
Late in the evening of Saturday 23
August, a group of students from the
University of the Western Cape forced
their way into a Ruth First dorm room
to find one of their friends, Lithemba
Jama, stabbed to death. The murder
suspect is Jama’s boyfriend. A few hours
earlier, Jama, a third-year BCom student
from Port Elizabeth had reportedly
been socialising with her friends in the
dorm room when she and her boyfriend
started fighting.
At this point, UWC’s public affairs di-
rector Kay Jaffer reports, the friends left
the couple alone in the room but when
From the nation to get an education?
The first annual International Students
Forum held two weeks ago addressed
issues pertaining to foreign students,
who currently comprise 25 percent of
Rhodes’ student body. Twenty-four
foreign students participated in the
forum, which has been set up to support
international students in voicing their
concerns.
A main point of discussion at the
forum was the introduction and enforce-
ment of a new law in South Africa which
has caused considerable inconvenience
for foreigners. International students will
now have to give proof of registration
with a South African medical aid society
or a recognised external medical aid
society (currently none of which exist)
before receiving a study permit. This is
HIV/Aids prevalence tested on campus
One of the largest national HIV/Aids
prevalence studies in South Africa
conducted part of its survey at Rhodes
last week. Aiming to question a total of
25,000 participants across 23 institutions
of higher learning, the study tested a
random selection of staff and students.
A document commissioned by the
Higher Education HIV/Aids (HEAIDS)
Programme was released to relevant
tertiary institutions across the country
prior to the study. It was designed
to brief stakeholders about how the
programme aims to quantify national
levels of HIV sero-prevalence and HIV-
related knowledge, attitudes, perceptions
and behaviors in the higher education
sector. It also assesses the risk posed by
the epidemic on such institutions.
In a letter sent to Rhodes staff and
students earlier this month, Vice-
Chancellor Dr Saleem Badat stressed
the importance of the survey and urged
all to participate and cooperate if called
upon. He said it was important that we
work together to successfully establish
Apology:
The Oppidan Press would like to
apologise to a Rhodes student who
was negatively affected by the staged
front page photograph printed
alongside the article “Violent crimes
grip Oppies” (Edition 7, 20 August
2008). The student, who happens
to bear a striking resemblance to
the person in the photograph, was
mistakenly believed to be implicated
in the attempted rape reported in
the article. The Oppidan Press would
like to inform its readers that the
photograph was a supplied picture
taken from a stock pictures website.
It was not an authentic CCTV photo
and, as such, did not depict the true
assailants involved in the crime.
they later returned, no one would open
the door for them and they forced their
way in to find Jama dead. Subsequent
to the incident, the murder suspect, a
UWC law student, was alleged to be in a
complete state of shock and a friend of
the suspect said he had never known the
former to exhibit any violent forms of
behaviour.
Police spokesperson, Bernadine
Steyn, confirmed that the suspect had
handed himself in at the Belville police
station and he appeared at the Belville
magistrate’s court on 26 August.
>> Catherine Boulle
needed before registration with the Uni-
versity. However, the Dean of Research
says such documentation is standard in
other tertiary institutions. “Rhodes is
slow to start,” said Dr Fourie, “other uni-
versities have been doing this for years”.
This costs about R300 per month at the
recommended company of Protea.
On a happier note, next year’s Inter-
national Day has already been put on
the calendar. The function is set to be a
major bash with more preparation time
allowing planners to fetch items from
farther afield. The agenda is to encour-
age the different international societies
to intermingle as well as giving South
Africans a chance to experience other
cultures.
>> Rachel Voigts
whether the prevalence of HIV/Aids
at higher education institutions is
comparable to the national prevalence
rate.
SHARC president Beth Vale
explained that only a ten percent sample
group of students and staff members
from Rhodes were selected at random
and approached at departments and in
seminars. After a talk on how the study
works, participants were encouraged to
fill in a questionnaire and then take an
HIV/Aids test.
The information gathered will be
used by the HEAIDS Programme to
compile a report documenting the
prevalence of HIV/Aids on Rhodes
campus as well as at tertiary institutions
on a national level.
Voluntary testing and counselling
also took place throughout the week at
the SRC offices and Counselling Centre
for those interested in being tested and
receiving results immediately with pre-
and post-test counselling.
>> Ayushi Chhabra
 The Oppidan Press 03.09.08

The language of learning. Is it feasible to be a multilingual

university? letters@theoppidanpress.com.

Chin Chin, cheers to China Week

Nicola Saner
With the Beijing Olympics a recent
memory (that one silver medal…), it
seemed appropriate to take a closer look
at our relationship with China – one
of the world’s leading economic and
political powers. China Week provided
the perfect opportunity to do so.
China Week was organised by
the Rhodes International Office in
collaboration with the School of
Languages with the aim of stimulating
interest in China, the Chinese language
and the Confucius Institute. Rhodes
is planning to introduce Mandarin as
part of a language course next year
and hoped the week would inspire and
inform interested students.
The Confucius Institute is a non-
profit public institute which aims to
promote Chinese language and culture
and support local Chinese teaching
internationally. The organisation at
Rhodes will be the sixth to be set up
in Africa. Through the Confucius
Institute and a partnership with Jinan
University in Guangzhou located in the
International Office.
“The plan is to get student and staff
exchanges going. Jinan University has a
long history of teaching Mandarin as a
foreign language. We are also looking for
other opportunities in Beijing, Shanghai
and Hong Kong,” says Vermaak.
“We hope to develop a course
structure already developed at
Stellenbosch University that will teach
students basic Mandarin skills, language
and culture,” says Dr Russell Kaschula,
the head of the Rhodes School of
Languages. He adds: “Rhodes will be the
first university in the Eastern Cape to
offer Mandarin, but I am sure that many
others will follow.”
Commenting on Africa and China’s
increasingly significant relationship,
Vermaak says: “China and other
members of the Asian world are
becoming too important for Africans
to ignore, whether we like it or not.
Opening up the Chinese world to our
students is part of Rhodes’ project to
correct our Eurocentric view of the
world. Chinese as a language will also
become increasingly important for the
careers of our students.”
Industrial and Commercial Bank of
China, one of the largest and most
profitable banks in the world, of 20
percent of South African Standard
Bank is but one of many deals. Many
South African companies have huge
investments in China and, in return,
China relies heavily on Africa for the
raw materials necessary for their rapid
growth.
Vermaak hopes that the study of
Mandarin as a language will stimulate
the development of Chinese studies
at Rhodes. “I believe the very ancient
Chinese civilization is of intrinsic value
and of great interest to anybody who
wants to understand humans,” says
Vermaak.
Amongst a series of lectures
surrounding the Confucius Institute
and Chinese culture was Acty Tang’s
performance of Inscrutable, which
received high praise.
CHINESE, ANYONE?
Acty Tang performed in Inscrutable,

Pic: Michal Blaszczyk

south of China, funding from Beijing The economic clout of China is a a dance inspired by a personal
will be used to support the teaching serious one, with China set to overtake understanding of what Chinese culture
of Chinese and Chinese culture, says the United States as the world’s biggest means. The dance was created especially
Professor MariusVermaak, Dean of the economy. The recent purchase by the for China Week.

Mother tongue education is key

Harriet McLea
South African Minister of Education
Naledi Pandor visited Rhodes two
weeks ago to speak about the crucial
role of language in education. The visit
was also an opportunity for Pandor
to see for herself what the African
Language Studies section of the School
of Languages has been doing in terms of
pursuing multilingualism.
While she was here, Pandor sat in on
a Xhosa lecture for Pharmacy students
aimed at teaching them to communicate
effectively with Xhosa-speaking patients.
Pic: Supplied
particularly at the Junior School level.
A short video was screened before
Pandor spoke, highlighting the
discrepancies between English-speaking
learners who have the luxury of learning
in English at all levels of education,
and Xhosa-speaking learners who are
forced to study in English. She said
this hampers their early educational
development as they can’t understand
complex concepts explained in a
language that they are not proficient in.
She argued that as a society we have
become so fixed on the English language
that we have denied many children the
opportunity to learn effectively. She
While Pandor emphasised that there
has been “stiff ” resistance by tertiary
institutions to multilingualism, she
commended Rhodes for its efforts and
challenged the Vice-Chancellor to
ensure all lecturers learn to speak Xhosa.
“If we have African languages that are
visible and active in universities, we will
be affirming a part of society and culture
that has been marginalised for a long
time,” she said.
Pandor also explained how learning
in one’s mother tongue empowers people
and affirms their identity. One strong
message she conveyed was that we
must stop allowing people to lose their
Pandor referred to the 2004 Language
Policy for Higher Education which
states: “One of the tasks of Higher
Education institutions is to promote
communicative competence among
all students and staff in all the relevant
South African languages. Each Higher
Education institution should identify
and promote the learning of one
additional or supportive Language of
Tuition.”
Rhodes won a multilingualism award
earlier this year for the teaching of first
and second-language isiXhosa courses,
which are vocational in nature. Professor
Russell Kaschula, Head of the School

She spoke in both Xhosa and English to stressed the need for primary education identity by only teaching in English, of African Languages, said that Pandor
a packed crowd in Arts Major about the in one’s mother tongue with additive because language is critically linked to was “extremely on the pulse of language
importance of mother tongue education, bilingualism. identity. issues in the country”.
 The Oppidan Press 03.09.08

Mock-US elections poll. Who would you vote for in the US

elections? www.TheOppidanPress.com

Head to the hills if McCain You’ll find it in Timbuktu

becomes president
Last week I realised something about
John McCain that I want to share with
you: he is completely, irrevocably insane.
His policies are scary enough, based on
the promise of less social spending and
more tax breaks for the rich. And many
more wars. His political capital is based
on his reputation as a war hero.
I don’t see how getting shot down
while bombing the Vietnamese coun-
tryside and being a POW for three years
makes someone a war hero. If he busted
out using only his teeth, a bowl of rice
and good ol’ American Bruce Willis-
style know-how, then maybe I would
consider him a hero. But no, he just sat
there and took it. What a wimp.
Jokes aside, surely such an experience
would make a reasonable man hate war
and become dedicated to finding peace-
Anthony Michael Setlogelo
Manuscripts dating back over one
hundred years documenting Africa’s
intellectual history are being revealed in
the Timbuktu Script and Scholarship ex-
hibition, which is currently touring the
country. The documents, which will ap-
pear in Grahamstown’s Albany Museum
from 9 to 15 September, range from
religious writings to letters concerning
day-to-day life. They have been collected
in libraries which contain over 21,000
documents of African origin at Ahmed
Baba Institute since 1973.
Operation Timbuktu is the first offi-
cial cultural project of the New Partner-
ship for Africa’s Development (Nepad),
the socio-economic revival plan of the
African Union. President Thabo Mbeki,
along with the Malian government, initi-
ated a plan to conserve these documents
through the conception of the South
African-Mali Project that aims to make
scripts trust was founded by both the
South African and Malian governments
and supported by Standard Bank. The
South African Department of Arts and
Culture has subsequently trained Malian
conservators to ensure the documents
will not deteriorate further.
The exhibition began in Cape Town
at the Castle of Good Hope, where
Mbeki delivered a keynote address. He
explained the importance of exhibiting
the documents to expose South Africans
to the knowledge of the presence of
traditional African intellectual scholars
before the arrival of the colonial powers.
The documents are written mainly in
Arabic and display ancient calligraphic
techniques, combined with artistic use of
inks and colours.
The showcase of these documents
will move around South Africa
until 1 December. After a week in
Grahamstown, it will travel to Pretoria,
Durban, Bloemfontein and eventually to
Johannesburg, the final destination.
the South African public to stop viewing
our country as separate from the rest of
the African continent.
The manuscripts’ tour to smaller
cities like Grahamstown aims to make
them available to the average South
African. “Given South Africa’s years
of apartheid during which cultural
isolation was the norm, this exhibition
is important so that South Africans
become aware of a broader African
heritage and intellectual history that flies
in the face of colonial representations
of Africa,” says Riason Naidoo, Project
Coordinator of the South African-Mali
Project.
Naidoo said that the negative
connotations branded into the minds of
the world and South Africans must be
removed, the display of the truth about
Africa’s age-old scholarship is the first
step in the breaking of Africa’s bondage.
IT’S IN THE WORD
Recently revealed manuscripts have

ful solutions to the world’s problems?
McCain’s attitude to the rest of the world
is based upon his unshakeable belief
that the USA has a God-given right, nay,
duty, to kick as much ass as possible.
Pic: Supplied
good on an offer of help to the Malian The tour is aimed not only at
government made by Mbeki during a promoting ideas of African Renaissance disproved the notion that African
state visit in 2001. The Timbuktu Manu- and African unity, but also at influencing history is only documented in oral form.

Cold War II? Ban the Bomb

For example, when he was asked how
he will teach those wily Iranians a lesson
last year, he cheerfully sang a delightful
rendition called “Bomb, Bomb, Bomb
Iran”. And this is a man who, come next
year, will have access to the world’s larg-
est nuclear stockpile.
The saddest thing about this is that
until a few years ago he was one of the
few Republican politicians who was on
speaking terms with dignity. He tried to
reform corrupt campaign finance and
took a principled stand against the Bush
junta’s barbaric use of torture. All that
has gone out the window now, replaced
by expediency and cheap jingoism.
In order to get those votes he has
embodied all the most perverse ele-
ments of the American psyche. Oh, and
did I mention that he’s 72, a push away
from senility? He’ll probably attack
China if he misplaces his dentures. On
the other hand, he does have a lovely
speaking force: rich
and baritone. It’s
just too bad that
he’s the missing
link between
Ghengis Khan
and Dubya.
Nicole Venegas
An ancient Greek historian, Thucydide,
once said that we go to war out of
“honour, fear and interest”. What then
would Russia’s motive be to invade
Georgia?
On 7 August 2008, Georgia attacked
their own region of South Ossetia, where
separatist groups are fighting for their
independence. Russia, supporter of these
separatist movements, immediately
responded by invading Georgia.
Some say that Russia was waiting
for this opportunity to show the world
(especially the USA) ‘who is boss’ in
the region and the dangers of allying
oneself against them. The humiliation of
Georgia wanting to join Nato, a relic of
the Cold War, was too much for the great
Russians to handle so they seized the
first chance they got to retaliate against
their southern neighbours. Just weeks
before the war, the Russian Air Force
was circling the skies above Georgia,
hoping the latter would respond to this
provocation. Another blow for Russia
was the independence of Kosovo in Feb-
ruary from Russian ally Serbia, which
was supported by the United States and
most European countries.
Russia seems to be moving towards
the former Soviet Republic, exerting its
rule over the fledgling countries around
it. By controlling the resource distribu-
tion that goes to these countries, Russia
is trying to gain power over the whole
region. Georgia is just another example
of this; Russia is attempting to control
the oil pipeline that runs through that
country, threatening to cut off the supply
to the region and the rest of the world.
The invasion of Georgia has also
ruffled feathers in the US, as the
Americans realise that if Russians get
control over this pipeline, they will
lose access to a vital source of oil. They
are criticising Russia’s ‘rescue mission’,
pointing it out for what it really is:
an invasion; although the irony of
an American criticism is palpable.
Furthermore, Russia’s overhaul of its
space programme, and plan to plant
a flag under the Artic, all show this
‘humiliated’ nation’s need to prove and
restore its honour.
With rumours of a new Cold War and
tensions at an all time high, all that’s left
to wonder is what will happen next?
Claire Waterhouse
You would be hard pressed to come by
people more dedicated to a cause than
Kennedy Mabasa and the other mem-
bers of The Ceasefire Campaign. With a
small support team, Mabasa is running
from the Union Buildings in Pretoria all
the way to Parliament in Cape Town to
raise awareness for the movement to ban
cluster munitions. The Ceasefire team
recently ran through Grahamstown.
The world is building up to signing
an official treaty in December aiming to
officially ban cluster bombs. The treaty
needs at least 30 countries to sign and
ratify in order for its bid to be successful.
In a 180 degree turnaround on its posi-
tion, South Africa is now fully behind
the cause, despite being the only African
country to refuse to sign a similar decla-
ration in Zambia earlier this year. Pres-
sure from groups like the Ceasefire Cam-
paign, as well as the worldwide Cluster
Munitions Campaign, has no doubt
played a role in the decision to sign.
But the campaign’s worry is not
whether South Africa will sign the treaty
or not, but whether it will take the time
to ratify it by integrating it into national
law, particularly because South Africa
still maintains a stockpile of the weapons
and has the capabilities to produce them.
The proposed treaty would be legally
binding and would prohibit all inac-
curate and unreliable cluster muni-
tions. A recap: cluster bombs can carry
anything from ten to 650 munitions,
and anywhere up to 40 percent of these
often do not explode on impact, leav-
ing live explosives lying in wait for the
innocent footstep of a child or the hoe
of a civilian farmer trying to earn a liv-
ing. Currently, 21 states worldwide are
contaminated by these brutal weapons
and at this moment, they are being used
by Russian forces in Georgia. Despite
prominent members of the international
community such as the US, Russia,
India and China showing no interest in
signing the treaty, Ceasefire is confident
that their cause will eventually win. And
with people like Kennedy running up to
70kms a day to get the message through,
who can doubt it?
If you would like to learn more about the
Ceasefire Cluster Munition campaign, please
contact f.williamson@ru.ac.za for a DVD on
the subject or visit www.ceasefire.org.za.

Dress-up? Come and see our vintage

range – 60’s, 70’s and 80’s! Our wide
variety of clothes also includes school,
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clothes.
All red-dot marked items on sale.
We will be grateful for any donations.

Missed the Legal Activism march? Watch a video of those who gathered in
support of an independent judiciary. www.TheOppidanPress.com.
The aftermath of a forgotten war
Gwynne Mlhanga
Seven years after the American-led
invasion, Afghanistan is still reeling
and unable to deal with the many
problems the war caused. It probably
is a misnomer to refer to the invasion
as a war, given that it was a very one
sided affair with American soldiers
massacring Afghani nationals in search
of the alleged terrorist Osama Bin Laden
and his associates. The civilian death toll
is currently estimated at around 8,000
people. While Americans mourned
the loss of approximately 500 people,
the Afghan people clearly had more to
worry about.
However, the invasion of Afghanistan
did bring about the end of the Taliban
rule in the country. The end of this
rule has resulted in women being
granted many more rights and more
Presidential pardons
Harriet McLea
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf
announced his resignation two weeks
ago. His declaration to step down
came at a significant time as he was
about to be charged with misconduct
and violation of the Constitution. In
his speech he said: “No charge can
be proved against me because I never
did anything for myself, it was all for
Pakistan.”
His innocence is doubtful
considering numerous reports from last
year stating that Musharraf had declared
a state of emergency and suspended the
Constitution. He also fired almost 60
judges, including the Chief Justice, in a
desperate bid to maintain his position as
President. And that’s after he took over
in a coup almost nine years ago.
Musharraf ’s major support has
The forever lightbulb
Wouldn’t the concept of a light bulb that never ever blew its fuse, exploded
or overheated be ideal? Well, apparently, they’ve existed for years! Our
governments just don’t want us to have them because, believe it or not, bulb
manufacturers have a lot of sway out there and they don’t want to lose their
profits. Light bulb makers running the world? What ever next?!
>> Claire Waterhouse
than four million students going to
school; more learners than the country
has ever had. Other improvements
include the increase in the availability
of health care, as there are now projects
in place to enable every province to
have medical facilities available to each
person. Equally uplifting is the fact that
approximately 2,000 child soldiers have
been demobilised.
Despite this, it will take time to heal
all the wounds of the war. There is still
significant infrastructural damage to the
areas that came under heavy attack from
the USA. The question that remains is
who is to pay for undoing the damage
in the country – namely the cost of
reconstructing.
Currently the United Nations,
through many of its organs, in particular
UNICEF, has stepped in to provide aid
to the people. But many argue that the
cost of the damage should be borne
waned, and even his allies in the
army have faded away. His chance of
continuing to hold onto his illegitimate
power became less and less likely and so
his resignation has been seen as his way
of saving face – perhaps the result of a
compromise made with those who were
about to charge him?
Compare Musharraf with the ANC’s
President and South African President-
in-waiting, Jacob Zuma. Zuma was in
court in 2006 on charges of rape but
was acquitted by Judge Willem van
der Merwe. The judge rebuked Zuma
saying, “if you can control your body
and your sexual urges then you are a
man, my son.” And now Zuma is facing
charges of corruption. While insisting
that his critics are out to destroy him
and ardently maintaining his innocence,
Zuma’s next court appearance on 8
December will be to formally object to
the trial date set for next year.
The Oppidan Press 03.09.08
by America and its allies, since they
were the original cause of much of the
destruction.
There are those who would argue that
UN is heavily funded by the USA and
that the UN presence is via American
support. However, the long term damage
done to the country cannot be undone
by the food parcels delivered during the
war. In particular, the rehabilitation of
child soldiers will take many years before
the mental and emotional scars of the
war have been erased.
No matter who is responsible, the
fact remains that Afganistan is largely off
the radar these days, unless, of course,
a new Taliban attack is being reported.
Pic: Supplied
As these attacks become more frequent,
and the strength of the Taliban increases
under the neglect of the West, one can
only wonder how long it will be before A COUNTRY ABANDONED
another despotic regime is in place Although the invasion of Afghanistan has long
without the world even noticing. since ended, the devastation is far from over.
Legal Activism marches
for indepedence of
Both presidents faced charges. While
Musharraf decided to quit while he was
winning (in a manner of speaking), courts
Zuma has fought back, asking for his
day in court. Zuma’s support team has Gugu Khumalo
spurred him on with valuable financial
support through the Friends of Jacob
The Legal Activism Society held a march
Zuma Trust and large crowds have
on Monday to show their support for the
always attended his court appearances,
recent allegations against the Cape High
including a number of Members of
Court Judge Hlophe that suggest he may
Parliament.
have influenced a Constitutional Court
Taking a step back, is it right for
decision to rule in favour of the ANC
this country’s potential president to
president Jacob Zuma.
be in court on charges of corruption,
The group marched towards the
whilst simultaneously campaigning for
High Court, armed with signatures, and
the national elections? If Zuma is as
handed a petition to the court to protest
innocent as he claims he is, then why
the idea that the separation of the courts
is he contesting the date of the trial?
in South Africa might be in jeopardy.
Imagine what Americans would say if
Robert Young, chairperson of Legal
Barack Obama or John McCain were in
Activism, expressed how dangerous
Pic: Supplied
court! Maybe Zuma should take a page
it could be for our legal system if the
from Musharraf ’s neglected rule book
courts could not be independent:
and get out while he’s on top.
“What kind of message does this send
to South Africa if the Constitutional
Court, the highest court in the land,
Can’t read? Work for the can be influenced by outsiders?” Young
government!
said that the society organised the
march because it is something that
should be important to every citizen in
Shocking stats revealed last week that one in three municipal councillors in the Grahamstown. “The independence of
Cape Town district cannot read! Some are even unable to speak enough English the judiciary concerns democracy and
to fully understand proceedings in meetings, while still others (more than two that concerns everyone and this march
thirds, in fact) have said that they do not understand “their roles, responsibilities makes it clear that the validity of our
or local government legislation”. A blunder on no small scale that affects all of us, judiciary is a threat to our democracy
that’s for sure. >> Claire Waterhouse across the board and not just towards
law students,” he said.
 6 The Oppidan Press 03.09.08

Budding with creative inspiration? Send us your recommendations for

what to do and see on the art scene. arts@theoppidanpress.com.

The vac is almost upon us (hurrah!) and

for those of you heading home, there is
a wealth of cultural things to do beyond
the Grahamstown bubble.
Johannesburg l Waste Art Expo
From 4 September to 7 September,
shoppers can be awed by some of the
most extraordinary works of art made
from recycled waste materials at Cresta
Shopping Centre. Displays placed in
various courts of the centre will exhibit
items ranging from home décor to high
fashion. The highlight of this year’s expo
will be a fashion show of “trashy trends”
– tops, skirts, jackets and jewellery
created for the catwalk and that takes
place in the Banking Court of the centre
on Saturday 6 September.
Exposing your ‘wobbly bits’
Michal Blaszczyk & Lauren Minnie
Each year, first year fine art students
are faced with the daunting task of
producing a nude portrait. But each year,
someone is faced with the even more
daunting task of getting nekkid for the
students.
The media bombards us with
sexual images, and the human body
is becoming less private and more
commercial as the years go by. Instead
of helping us feel more comfortable with
our bodies, it seems to make us feel more
and more self-conscious.
How do you volunteer yourself for
posing nude? “A friend of mine was
supposed to be the model for the first
when there are people looking at your
‘bits’ and then scrutinising them. I
concentrated hard on standing straight,
pulling my stomach in, etcetera, to
ensure that all the wobbly bits were well
under control,” the model said.
Despite all that nekkidness the media
exposes us to, how exactly do people
respond in a situation where nudity is
personified? The brave lady chuckles
as she remembers: “One poor guy in
the class dropped his easel when I took
off my robe the first time! The general
concern in the whole class was not to
offend me by making me look distorted,
too fat, too thin, and so on. One never
knows how to deal with nudity when
one has to be very attentive and polite at
the same time.”

Illustration: Leigh Stadler

Cape Town l Zimfest ’08
South Africa’s first fundraising
festival devoted to raising awareness
for Zimbabwe is taking place on 6
September at the Tafelberg Tavern. There
will be an indoor and outdoor stage,
various tents, and four bars. Potential
acts include Freshlyground, Cassette,
The Dirty Skirts, Gonzo, Gareth Taylor,
and many more. You can get your ticket
at www.zimfest.co.za.
years, but she chickened out at the last
minute and asked me to take her place. I
thought it would be an easy way to make
a little bit of cash on the side by doing as
little as possible,” said one of the models.
Hmmm, while you don’t have to do
much, I think it’s the not-wearing-much
aspect that makes it a hard job! “The
first time I modelled it was quite nerve-
wracking. It’s always a bit disconcerting
So then how does scrutinising a
person’s ‘bits’ - wobbly or not - improve
the skills of an artist? For first year
Jessica Bosworth-Smith, it is, “looking
at the body, drawing with sympathy and
understanding”. For Rebecca Tooley,
a second year fine arts student, nude whole human form”. Although awkward to be in front of the easel rather than
sketching “helps with proportions, at first, it seems that sketching a nude behind it, and have the confidence to
shading, and to learn how to draw in can provide some valuable skills for bare all, maybe you should consider
movement. It gives you a feel of the budding artists. But for those who prefer posing for next years’ class!

Durban l The Wizard of Oz The dark dance of Butoh enlightens Grahamstown

This all-time classic about the
courageous Dorothy overcoming
many obstacles in the magical land
of the Tinman, the Cowardly Lion
and Scarecrow will be showing at The
Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on Saturday
6 September at 14:30. The performance
stars Carol Trench, Darren King, Peter
Court, Bryan Hiles, Clare Mortimer and
Belinda Henwood, and tickets are R90,
available through Computicket.
Michal Blaszczyk
On the night of 15 August 2008 there
was more happening than just the
infamous TriVarsity party: it was
the international premiere of Void,
an Ankoku Butoh performance by
Frauke, a Swedish Butoh performer
and choreographer. The show was
produced by former Rhodes Drama
student Vincent Truter, who completed
his Masters with a distinction earlier
this year. The honour was all Rhodes’ as
this was the first stop on Frauke’s tour of
South Africa.
Ankoku Butoh is a Japanese
movement form that originated in
Japan after World War II by dance
legend Tatsumi Hijikata who drew his
inspiration from the country’s traumatic
state of affairs. When translated, Ankoku
Butoh means “dance of darkness” and
involves experimenting with the energy
of the body while exploring a grotesque
state of being.
The movement features intense,
energy-fuelled movements and stark
make-up, with performers often
having their faces painted white. Like
Void, performances often make use of
contrasts and deal with dark subject
matter, creating an awe-filled intensity
between audience and performer.
Void deals with a typical Ankoku
Butoh quality – emptiness – through
the depiction of an ostrich, which is
considered a bird of contrasts. The
performance was a success to all who
attended, with one spectator saying she
was “taken in by the intensity of such a
fragile woman [Frauke]”.
Next, Frauke will be taking her show
to Wits in Johannesburg.

werecommend
LISTENING TO…
...Zebra and Giraffe’s Collected
Memories. Greg Carlin, the
sole member of the band,
put together this album with
his multi-talented abilities of
playing everything from bass, to
keyboard, to guitar and more.
The album was produced by
Darryl Torr of Harris Tweed
fame. With easy listening tracks
such as “Fight, Fight, Fight” and,
Pics: Supplied
WAITING FOR... REVEALING…
...the movie version of ...the true identity of the infamous, yet
Shantaram. After the success anonymous, anti-establishment graffiti
of the novel by David Gregory artist Banksy, which is thought to have
Roberts, loosely based on his been finally discovered. Extensive research
life as a bank robber and heroin by the The Daily Mail in the UK indicates
addict who escapes prison that Banksy is from Bristol which is where
and flees to India to become he attended public school. His real name
a doctor, this movie looks is believed to be Robin Gunningham, but
promising. The screenplay is neither his friends nor his parents will
written by Roberts and will confirm or deny whether this person is
star Johnny Depp as the lead the true Banksy. Given Banksy’s successful

(our favourite), “A Long Way character. Shantaram is going to track record of giving the public the slipw,
Down”, this will likely be playing be something to look forward to this whole story might be an attempt to
in your car for while. in 2009. further isolate himself from society.

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 The Oppidan Press 03.09.08 7

Know a celebrity? Send us their favourite recipe or contact details.

entertainment@theoppidanpress.com. Entertainment
Reeling in the international attention HITTING THE G-SPOT >>

Boitumelo Msiza
Unknown to most, the television
industry in South Africa is growing
at a rapid rate, with the production of
television programmes such as 24-hour
news broadcasts, soap operas and mini
series at its peak. South African films
have also made an impact on both a
local and international level.
Films such as Sarafina, a political
movie about black students who
opposed the apartheid government put
the country on the global film map. The
movie reached a variety of audiences
all around the world and is still being
played on our televisions today. Over
the years local films, such as Tsotsi and
Yesterday, have not only been nominated
for awards, but have also won a few.
However, “South Africans do not
have a culture of going to cinemas to
moving and powerful stories about our
country,” says Alette Schoon, a television
lecturer at school of Journalism and
Media Studies at Rhodes University.
On the other hand, Nigerian film
industry Nollywood releases hundreds
of movies each year, contributing greatly
to their economy. “They make films
and distribute them on DVD, unlike in
South Africa where our films take longer
to create as we want quality films, with
quality sound and this costs a lot of
money,” said Schoon.
But South Africa has become one of
the leading destinations for filmmakers
to record their films, also contributing
to our country’s economy. International
films that have been shot in the country
include Blood Diamond starring
Leonardo DiCaprio, and Lord of War,
which stars Nicholas Cage.
Although many opportunities are
coming our way in the film industry,
The G-spot sex cycle
Sayinile Gregory
There is a cycle at Rhodes University
that begins each year with O-week
hookups. Rhodents either go on to pur-
sue their conquests that become serious
first term romance and later second
term couplehood, or it just remains that
O-week come-right. This cycle seems to
reach its peak during third term, hence
the infamous breakup season when the
cycle is nearly complete, escalating to
include meaningless flings until the end
of term when you find someone to share
fourth term with who will hopefully still
be around to cuddle with during exams.
The cycle of sex in the G-spot is then
complete.
NATIONAL PRIDE The July holidays trickled to an
Many of the scences from Blood Diamond were end, and anticipation built up for the

watch home-brewed films and this
is because the country does not have
enough writers who will write beautiful,
only once South Africans begin to
support local films will international
audiences begin to do the same.
Pics: Supplied
filmed in South Africa, and South Africa’s Tsotsi, supposed O-term. I arrived in Graham-
starring Presley Chwenyagae, won the country stown and joined the masses of freshly
an Oscar and several other nominations. waxed, tweezed, pedicured, manicured,
self-tanned, hair cut/streaked, and just

Motara wins the battle

plain fresh looking students. Surpris-
CELEBRITY RECIPE>> ingly, Rhodes students can (after a long
holiday of a little less boozing) look
Sade Giliberti’s Pink London Concoction Amy Green & Ettione Ferreira
rrreally attractive. As a recent victim of
the third term breakup circuit, I found
Sade Giliberti, former presenter of SABC 1’s youth programme, myself nervously surrounded in a sea of
Yo.Tv, first started presenting at the tender age of nine. She has sexually charged students.
On Thursday 23 August the Live Music Society, in
worked on shows such as Genius, Disney’s Cartoon Café and the ever- This madness is all around campus
collaboration with SHARC, hosted the annual and much
popular Wildroom. The crazy Shady, as her fans know her, has been and it seems a reenactment of Locke’s
anticipated Battle of the Bands at the Union. Timmy Likes
presenting for 13 years, and has appeared on series such as Hardcopy State of Nature where all men need
Milk, Nights of Templar, Armchair Antics, Motara and 10
and Thetha Msawawa 2. is their beer, meat and their boys,
Points for the Dismount battled it out for a three-track demo
These days, you can catch Sade presenting the local So You Think although the same can also be said of
recording at BotB 2008.
You Can Dance? aired on SABC 1 every Saturday at 19:30. wine-slogging, chocolate-scoffing girls.
Last year’s winners, 10 Points for the Dismount, announced
At peak times, the Kaif resembles this
Pic: Supplied

Sade’s favourite cocktail is her own ‘invention’ made whilst – to a highly disappointed crowd – that they had decided a
living in London last year. She says it is “plain and simple and tastes environment, with students honing
week before the competition to split up. Their prominence
amazing”. >> Andiswa Leve their primal instincts: the males attempt
in the Grahamstown live music scene will be, if not only
to blend into the roughage, scoping out
sorely missed, vividly remembered. As this was their final
Ingredients: the terrain of willowy, stumpy, swaying
performance, fans did not expect anything less than to be
Vodka limbs and figures in attempt to get their
impressed. The band did not let them down as their distinctive
Amaretto next prey to stalk, which will then be at-
sound filled the Union.
Cointreu tacked in the greater jungle also known
Motara, no newcomers to the gig environment, ended the
Pineapple and Cranberry juice as New Street; and the women put their
night off with their energetic heavy metal set, instigating a
best foot forward to promote this.
Method: successful mosh pit. After their performance, the crowd and
There have been many breakups
l   Fill a shaker half-way with ice. bands waited for the names to be announced. Finally, the
recently and each individual has their
l Add a tot of Vodka, a tot of Amaretto and half a tot of Cointreu. silence was broken by an unnecessarily loud announcer who
own reasons for this, although the main
l Add in pineapple and cranberry juice and shake till the contents are mixed with the ice. was no doubt excited about the evening’s events.
O-term excuse is that the relationship
l Pour out the now mixed vodka, amaretto, pineapple and cranberry juice and ice into shot glasses. The crowd (while blocking their ears to protect their
was fizzling out and third term was the
l  There should be foam on the brim of the shaker, leave this aside as you will add this to the shot at already desensitised ear drums) were informed: in third place,
perfect opportunity to end things with
the end of pouring. Armchair Antics; in second place, last year’s winners, 10 Points
the carefree spirit and general excitable
l Pour the mixture into a shot glass and cover with the remaining foam. for the Dismount; and finally, Motara was announced the
nature of the students at this time.
winners of Live Music Society Battle of the Bands 2008.
However, breakups at Rhodes Uni-
versity are never that easy with the small
community, the lack of going out places,
and because, in many cases, the friend
groups are incestuously interlinked so
avoiding the opposite party is virtually
impossible.

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8 The Oppidan Press 03.09.08

Let it out. Share all your rants and raves with us.
letters@theoppidanpress.com.

EDITORIAL CARTOON >>

Irish ignoramus
Cast your eyes to the opposite page and
the opinion entitled “An entire continent
of sexually hyperactive, illiterate indi-
gents”. Read it. And scream in outrage.
That’s certainly my reaction. That
guy has got some nerve to sit in his Irish
Ivory Tower and come to the conclusion
that food aid to African countries should
be discontinued. After all, he argues,
where’s the morality in helping a child
survive infancy if he faces a tough life?
But let’s cast aside our obvious dis-
dain and look at the facts.
As one of my colleagues commented:
for every dysfunctional African country,
there is an efficient one. But it’s the bad
news that makes headlines.
As much as we sometimes sneer at
Jacob Zuma, we have to come to his
defence now. His stupidity concerning
the infamous shower cannot possibly be
compared to bigger issues such as child
soldiers and female genital mutilation.
And just a small note to the writer:
“brutal [male] circumcision” is, in fact,
a tradition which confers a socially-
recognised dignity upon young men in

Illustration: Leigh Stadler

African culture. Oh, tradition, what’s
that, he asks? Ireland doesn’t seem to
have much of it. Except maybe kissing a
manky stone every now and then.
You know, we shouldn’t be too out-
raged by this opinion. After all, it comes
from Ireland. They haven’t exactly been >> Commentary on the current library expansion
the picture of goodwill – for the past 500
years religious conflict between Catho-

Letter to the editor >> What happened to deadlines?

lics and Protestants has wracked the
country. And despite the peace agree-
ment there, it’s far from over.
Wait, wasn’t this conflict caused by
Ireland’s colonisation? Both Africa and Dear Editor, four class have yet to receive their June complications when applying for further The Journalism and Media Studies
Ireland are still suffering the after-effects examination results and media studies studies, jobs and bursaries. Department is a part of the university
of colonisation. People living in glass The Rhodes Journalism Department year mark. As if this was not enough (in a just as much as any other department
houses really shouldn’t throw stones! prides itself as a centre for excellence, According to the information relayed situation that is a hard pill to swallow at and should be regulated by university
This opinion showcases the ignorance punctuality and, above all, to the class, the lecturer concerned this level of one’s education), the lecturer policy accordingly.
of Europe and the rest of the world professionalism. overcommitted herself and was unable to at fault has yet to personally apologise to At the very least, the class would
towards Africa. They’re only hearing the The way in which the department complete the marking of essay and exam the class, a gesture that would make the like a personal apology from the
bad news (The Soccer World Cup will be has treated the Journalism and Media scripts by mid-July. situation seem a little better handled by lecturer concerned. That would be the
a disaster! Africa is a breeding ground Studies students in their fourth year As one can imagine, it is an awful the department. professional way to handle a messy
for Aids!) and not the good news (Ke- over the past six months has proved this feeling going into a final term of Our predicament has not been taken situation.
nya’s victories in the Olympics unites the reputation to be otherwise. university not knowing 20 percent of seriously, causing the entire class great
nation! Sudan president is held account- As of Friday 29 August 2008, the JMS your final year marks. It also causes distress. A Journalism Honours student
able for war crimes!).
At the same time, Africans should
take responsibility for bringing the good
news to the world. Recently, a Kenyan
named Salim Amin launched A24, a
news portal which assembles reports by
African journalists (broadcast and on-
line) to sell them to other news agencies.
This is refreshing, since googling “posi-
tive news africa” brings in just under
500,000 hits and googling “negative news
africa” just over three million.
Despair will get us nowhere. Let’s
keep believing there is a pot of gold at
the other end of the rainbow for us.

Ines Schumacher
072 461 3174
editor@theoppidanpress.com

Editor: Ines Schumacher
Deputy Editor: Catherine Boulle
Managing Editor: Lionel Faull
Advertising Manager: Masixole Mdingane
Advertising Manager: Meike Mann
Marketing Manager: Andrew Lynch
Financial Manager: Solomon Moyo
Distribution Manager: Douglas Mbululu
Assistant Distribution Manager: Phillip Furusa
Community Engagement: Barry Sierra
Arts Editor: Amanda Strydom
Assistant Chief Designer: Ashleigh Swaile
Business Editor: Mbali Sikakana
Chief Designer: Stefania Origgi
Chief Sub-Editor: Emilie Gilbert
Chief Sub-Editor: Shea Karssing
Entertainment Editor: Takondwa Nyasulu
Features Editor: Cara-Ann Carstens
Multimedia Editor: Daniel Calderwood
News Editor: Anja Müller-Deibicht
News Editor: Kelly Adami
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Pictures Editor: Sarah Schäfer
Politics Editor: Claire Waterhouse
Sports Editor: Siphosethu Stuurman
Ombudsman: Robert Brand
Printers: Grocott’s Publishers and Printers
Letters to the Editor:
letters@theoppidanpress.com
Editorial complaints: r.brand@ru.ac.za
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 The Oppidan Press 03.09.08 9

Take our poll. Do you think that African countries should

receive foreign aid? www.TheOppidanPress.com.

Now that your hangover has cleared...

Roger Adams, Rhodes Head of Sport
Considering that the majority of our stu-
dents (who trekked to NMMU in their
thousands last year) opted to stay away
from Fort Hare in favour of a local party
over the TriVarsity weekend, it would be
worthwhile to consider the impact of the
event in developmental terms.
Despite some significant achieve-
ments, underscored both by the social
and political significance of Fort Hare
hosting TriVaristy, many students’
observations of the event reflected the
logistical shortcomings which prevailed.
Notable exceptions were Lionel Faull’s
and Saint-Francis Tohlang’s reports in
the last edition of The Oppidan Press,
which took a critical view on the stay-
away by Rhodes students. Such scrutiny
is indispensable, more so in light of
the developmental needs which prevail
within and around us.
Leave aside for a moment the pure
Pic: Lionel Faull
insult of the Fort Hare stay-away, as
well as the let-down of our own students
who went to compete, and consider our
failure in terms of the bigger picture
which relates to building something
which signifies cooperation and trans-
formation. Then let us consider whether
our common concept of efficiency is
constructive enough.
A fundamental concept of our growth
and development relates to whether we
assume an approach of joint respon-
sibility in endeavours or whether we
afford others the “liberty” of complete
responsibility for their own advance-
ment (which could allow us to stand
back safely and criticise).
Our development is not unrelated to
the advancement of those communities
and events outside our immediate frame
of reference. How others progress and
excel will impact on our own develop-
ment whether it is through overall
economic dynamics or through the
collateral effects of underdevelopment
such as crime or tax burdens from poor
health and educational conditions. We
are inextricably connected.
development, as it is commonly accepted
that charting unfamiliar territory is
crucial in the development of the stu-
dent. As student development theorist
Carney Strange puts it: “A steady diet
of the familiar, although satisfying and
comforting, is rarely growth-producing.”
Fort Hare would certainly have taken
our students off the beaten track and
who knows what it would have done for
perceptions and stereotypes.
Still, if we are to pursue understand-
ing of the technical achievements and
failings of the event there are telling fac-
tors in this year’s TriVarsity which need
to be considered, not least of which is
the fact that our own Sports Administra-
tion to some degree took joint respon-
sibility with Fort Hare for the staging of
the event. Despite making a significant
contribution in this regard, as acknowl-
edged by Fort Hare themselves, we have
some of our own failings to own up to.
Perhaps we could have done more.
As we reflect on our own achieve-
ments and failings regarding this year’s
TriVarsity, I suggest that we stay mindful
that beyond the purism of doing things

A SMATTERING OF STUDENTSThe lack of Rhodes Taken purely at the psycho-social right, we also need to do the right things.
students attending the real TriVarsity (you level, the TriVarsity matter also has a I would urge students, particularly those
know, the sporting part) was disappointing. meaningful bearing in terms of student in leadership, to ponder the distinction.

An entire continent of sexually hyperactive, illiterate indigents

Kevin Myers, Irish columnist
No, it will not do. Even as we see African
states refusing to take action to restore
something resembling civilisation
in Zimbabwe, the begging bowl for
Ethiopia is being passed around to us,
yet again. It is nearly 25 years since
Ethiopia’s (and Bob Geldof ’s) famous
Feed The World campaign, and in that
time Ethiopia’s population has grown
from 33.5 million to 78 million. So
why on earth should I do anything
to encourage further catastrophic
demographic growth in that country?
Where is the logic? There is none. Except
in my conscience, and in the picture, yet
again, of another wide-eyed child, yet
again, gazing, yet again, at the camera,
which yet again, captures the tragedy
of . . .
Sorry. My conscience has toured this
territory financially and on foot. Unlike
most of you, I have been to Ethiopia; like
most of you, I have stumped up the loot
to charities to stop starvation there. The
wide-eyed boy-child we saved, 20 years
or so ago, is now a sexual predator, siring
children whenever the whim takes him.
There is, no doubt, a good argument
why we should prolong this predatory
and dysfunctional economic, social and
sexual system; but I do not know what
it is.
There is, on the other hand, every
reason not to write a column like this.
It will win no friends, and will provoke
the self-righteous wrath of, well, the
self-righteous. So be it. But, please,
please, you self-righteously wrathful,
spare me mention of our own Famine,
with this or that lazy analogy. There
is no comparison. Within 20 years
of the Famine, the Irish population
was down by 30 percent. Over the
equivalent period, thanks to western
food, the Mercedes ten-wheel truck and
the Lockheed Hercules, Ethiopia’s has
more than doubled. Alas, that wretched
country is not alone in its madness.
Somewhere, over the rainbow, lies
Somalia, another fine land of violent,
Kalashnikov-toting, khat-chewing, girl-
circumcising, permanently tumescent
layabouts. Indeed, we now have
almost an entire continent of sexually
hyperactive, illiterate indigents, with tens
of millions of people who only survive
because of help from the outside world.
This dependency has not stimulated
political prudence or commonsense.
Indeed, voodoo idiocy seems to be in
the ascendant, with the next president of
South Africa being a firm believer in the
efficacy of a little tap water on the post-
coital penis as a sure preventative against
Aids infection. Needless to say, poverty,
hunger and societal meltdown have not
prevented idiotic wars involving Tigre,
Uganda, Congo, Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea
etcetera.
However, Japan, China, Russia,
Korea, Poland, Germany, Vietnam, Laos
and Cambodia in the 20th century have
endured worse devastations than almost
any part of Africa. These countires are
now, one way or another, virtually all
giving aid to or investing in Africa;
whereas Africa, with its vast savannahs
and its lush pastures, is giving almost
nothing to anyone, apart from Aids.
Africa’s peoples are outstripping their
resources, and causing catastrophic
ecological degradation. By 2050, the
population of Ethiopia will be 177
million: the equivalent of France,
Germany and Benelux today, but located
on the parched and increasingly protein-
free wastelands of the Great Rift Valley.
So, how much sense does it make for us
actively to increase the adult population
of what is already a vastly over-
populated, environmentally devastated
and economically dependent country?
How much morality is there in saving
an Ethiopian child from starvation
today, for it to survive to a life of brutal
circumcision, poverty, hunger, violence
and sexual abuse, resulting in another
half-dozen such wide-eyed children,
with comparably jolly little lives ahead
of them?
Of course, it might make you feel
better, which is a prime reason for so
much of charity work. But that is not
good enough. Self-serving generosity
has been one of the curses of Africa. It
has sustained political systems which
would otherwise have collapsed. It
prolonged the Eritrean-Ethiopian war
by nearly a decade. It is inspiring Bill
Gates’ programme to rid the continent
of malaria, when, in the almost
complete absence of personal self-
discipline, that disease is one of the most
efficacious forms of population-control
now operating. If his programme is
successful, tens of millions of children
who would otherwise have died in
infancy will survive to adulthood, he
boasts. Oh good: then what? I know. Let
them all come to Ireland or to America.
Yes, that’s an idea.
This report was first published in an Irish
newspaper The Irish Independent.

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 The Oppidan Press 03.09.08

Clean the stream. Volunteer to help Grass out with their litter
removal project. grass.info@gmail.com.

Yes hello, who’s calling?

Gabi Falanga
You have been suffering from headaches
for weeks and your nights are plagued
with bad dreams. Nothing your doctor
does will make them go away. As a last
resort, you decide to visit a spiritual
healer. Imagine your surprise when you
hear that you have received the calling,
the honoured call from your ancestors to
become a healer for your community.
Penny Bernard from Rhodes
University is receiving her training to
become an igqirha while writing her
thesis on them. She explains how in
Xhosa tradition, these spiritual healers
or diviners are known as amagqirha
(plural) but are more commonly known
to many of us as witch doctors or
isangomas, the Zulu word for diviners.
Bernard says, “being an igqirha means
having an honoured relationship with
the ancestors”.
To become one of these spiritual
diviners one has to receive the calling,
which usually takes the form of dreams
or physical or psychological illnesses
which cannot be cured by Western
medicine. For students receiving the
calling, this can be a difficult time.
Students are torn between what is often a
What many do not realise is that one
need not give up one’s education in order
to obey the calling.
By accepting the calling and
participating in the appropriate rituals
the symptoms will be relieved, you will
be a lot happier and be able to start your
training as a thwasa (novice diviner)
when the time is right.
In the past, training to be an igqirha
meant living with another diviner who
would train you. These days, a thwasa
will go to their trainer for short periods
at a time and the whole process, which
is dictated by your dreams, takes a few
years.
Igqirha do their work by
communicating with the ancestors
and they use this power to serve their
communities. “They believe that physical
ailments are caused by social or spiritual
disharmony,” says Bernard.
The diviners get messages from the
ancestors in the form of dreams, voices,
visions, spirit possession or throwing
of the bones. They are then able to
prescribe the appropriate rituals, ritual
therapy or will refer you to an ixwhele
(herbalist) for medicinal plant-based
treatment.
Bernard says, “sometimes no
physical therapy is needed beyond the
The igqirha have a strict code of
correct moral behaviour and their
powers will be removed by the ancestors
if they abuse them.
Unfortunately, people tend to
associate diviners and herbalists with
bad medicine, namely muti-murders
and practises which increase their own
wealth and are harmful to others. There
are a few diviners who have fallen prey
to greed and have become open to bad
spirits to assist them in their quest for
wealth and they should be avoided at all
costs.
When looking for a diviner, one is
urged to be careful and not go to anyone
advertising to help you acquire wealth
or luck, as they are using bad medicine.
This can be very dangerous and could
put you at risk. The best way to find a
good igqirha is by asking around and
looking for who the local people trust.
This is a fascinating, multi-faceted
and very in-depth field of healing, which
most of us struggle to understand.
Receiving the calling is an honour
and those who complete their training
become revered and a corner stone for
the people around them.
HONOURED SERVANT
Igqira are revered members of their

Pic: Supplied
forgotten or neglected traditional culture performing of certain family rituals
and their current education, which they and the diviners are able to bring about community and are punished by the
see as progress and their way forward. harmony in people’s lives”. ancestors if they misuse their gift.

Weeding out the rubbish

Laura Durham
The stream flows quietly along Market
Street, sloshing over the road into a
sedentary pool where a dark green algae
blanket threatens to cover it completely.
Plastic packets act as the spectators and
squashed bottles and chocolate wrappers
perform a slow synchronised dance of
waste. A trickle of water escapes the
pool and flows around rocks and plastic
boulders to eventually reach the Cowie
Catchment. This forms part of the
drinking water of Port Alfred.
But don’t dispair, Project Mayhem is
cleaning it up. Gumboot-clad volunteers
don yellow gloves every week as they
stand knee deep in algae and rubbish
to try and clear it away, only to have
Pic: Laura Durham
by in waste management and caring for
their environment.
“The point of the project is to try
and clean up an area with the hopes that
the Grahamstown community can have
a ‘green’ space to enjoy one day,” says
Grass co-founder Jen Campbell.
Project Mayhem began in second
term with the idea to go to the
adopted stream on alternative days to
accommodate more volunteers. Mike
Deall, a psychology honours student has
been part of Grass since its inception
and says the society’s projects have been
fairly well supported. “I believe we
need to look after the planet,” Deal says,
“and a lot of people just don’t think
about it”.
Grass is also involved in a project
to remove alien invasive plants and
to grow effective and sustainable food
gardens.
Grass volunteers busy themselves
with clearing the area. Someone thought
of the idea to put up mesh across one
side of the road to catch the rubbish
as it flows down. Passers-by stop in
amazement as they watch the volunteers
clearing the stream. A Joza resident
asks for the project to move to the
township because the municipality only
concentrates on “so-called white areas”.
Just one hour later the stream and
surrounding bush has been stripped of
its artificial coat and the volunteers have
moved heavy rocks to make a path for
the stream to flow more freely out of the
pool. Fifteen black bags full of litter are
added to the pile of bags still waiting
to be picked up by the municipal waste

it reappear the next week. Project is currently doing workshops in removal. Two days later there is already
Mayhem is organised by Rhodes’ Green association with Umthathi Training a Clover milk bottle performing a solo
Revolution and Social Solutions (Grass) Project outside Grahamstown, teaching dance in the pool. But there are no
society in an attempt to educate passers- members of the local community how plastic spectators – yet.

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 The Oppidan Press 03.09.08

Enjoy creative writing? Join the Features team.

Just drop us a line. features@theoppidanpress.com.

The luxury of making a statement

Freeganism: a new
movement to take green
to the extreme.
Lauren Minnie
It’s close to the end of term, which
means most of us are left with lighter-
than-we’d-like wallets until we return
home. But there is a quick fix solution:
freeganism. Maybe you’ve heard about
it on Oprah, in magazines, or on the
Internet. Perhaps you haven’t heard
of it at all, but it has definitely got me
thinking.
Freegans choose to live an anti-
consumerist lifestyle to make a
statement about the over-consumption
of modern society. Freegan.info
describes freeganism as the “total
boycott of an economic system, where
the profit motive has eclipsed ethical
considerations”. The negligence of ethical
considerations refers to things such as
sweatshop labour, rainforest destruction,
air and water pollution, global warming,
and child slavery.
The reason this movement is getting
so much attention from the media can
be attributed to freeganists’ daily practice
of foraging, which means obtaining free
and highlights the ‘throwaway culture’
we have become accustomed to. When
discovering this aspect of the freegan
lifestyle, most people are shocked that a
movement would go to such extremes to
make a statement.
As individuals we need
to consider not the
insanity of choosing to
eat from other peoples’
garbage, but the
desperation of having
to.
Digging in the trash for food? “Never!”
you think? Go for a walk around town in
the early hours of the morning and you
will find hundreds of people searching
through the garbage for a morsel to eat,
for something to take home to their
families.
The question is: why has the idea of
people eating food found in the trash
to make a statement suddenly become
breaking news? It’s shocking that people
react with such horror to the act of
foraging when it takes place on a daily
when the middle class begins to do it?
As individuals we need to consider
not the insanity of choosing to eat
from other people’s garbage, but the
desperation of having to. While the
attention freeganism has received might
be unnecessary, the philosophy of the
movement has a lot to offer society.
Think about how much food your
digs throws away each week or how
much food is left over on trays in your
dining hall. How much of that food
could have fed someone else?
While it can’t be expected that
everyone should start diving into their
neighbours’ rubbish in search of left-
over Nesquik, it might be necessary to
start taking responsibility for the amount
of rubbish we turn out.
Making a difference is as simple as
setting aside a box for the fruits, veggies,
canned goods, anything you haven’t
used, and giving it to someone on the
streets. If that’s even too much effort, just
pop the box outside when you take your
rubbish out; it can be guaranteed that
someone will be very thankful to have
some food to take home without having
had to search for it between your dirty
tissues and banana peels.
FREE-FOR-ALL

Pic: Michal Blaszczyk

food by going through the garbage of basis right in front us. Have we removed For some, freeganism is just
restaurants, grocery stores, houses, and ourselves so far from the reality of another hippie fad. For others,
anywhere else. Most of the food found poverty that we only stop to think about it’s the only way to survive on a
and used is in near-perfect condition, things like eating from the garbage, daily basis.

It’s all in the mind

Jade Smith though they are in pain now, they realise that it
will change and is not the sum total of what they
are experiencing. Self-empowerment does boost
If you’re scared of catching the ’flu that has been the immune system.”
going around, Psychology Masters student Tarryn PNI works similarly with HIV/Aids sufferers.
Gillit suggests an alternative way to stay healthy: Alongside antiretrovirals (ARVs), PNI teaches
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI). them psychologically-empowering techniques
More than just a complicated name, PNI is which improve their health. There are cases
a relatively new field of scientific research that reported where people with Aids have used PNI
looks at a person’s response to stress and its effect to improve their health.
on the body. The chemicals released in the brain “It’s vital to use PNI in places in Africa where
AVAILABLE RENTALS during stress have been shown to suppress the resources like ARVs are not available,” says Gillit.
immune system, which negatively influences a “In traditional African healing it is the mind and
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 The Oppidan Press 03.09.08

WTF? Seen anything unbelievable online?

Send us the link! letters@theoppidanpress.com.

When food turns rude

Laura Richter
Why does bread go stale?
Bread starts going stale the minute
it leaves the oven. As soon as the
bread has been baked, the starch
molecules in it begin to crystallise, a
process called retrogradation. As these
molecules crystallise, the bread becomes
increasingly hard and stale.
We all know you can pop your stale
bread in the toaster to revive it a bit,
crystallisation. The ideal place to keep
your bread is the freezer, because at
temperatures below zero the water
molecules in the bread freeze and keep
a hold on the starch, preventing it from
crystallising.
Why does fruit get ripe quicker if I put
it in a brown bag?
Fruit starts to ripen when the weather
is right, or when they are picked. When
this happens they produce a gas called
ethylene. Ethylene is the chemical
is trapped around the fruit it is an
invitation for mould to grow and for
your deliciously ripening banana to
become a flacid, green mess.
Why is beef red and chicken white?
Meat is just animal muscle, so the colour
of the meat we eat depends on the colour
of that muscle. The colour of muscle
depends on the amount of myoglobin,
the protein which holds on to the oxygen
that blood brings into the muscles, it
contains. So muscles that need more

or put your rolls in the microwave
for a couple of seconds to make them
edible again. How does this work? At
a temperature of about 140oC or above
the retrogradation is reversed, the
starch crystals become a gel again and
the bread softens. When you take the
bread out of the oven the retrogradation
process quickly starts again, though, so
you have to heat your bread and eat it
quickly before it becomes cement.
Ironically, the crystallisation process
takes place about six times faster at
fridge temperatures than at room
temperatures. So if you have been
keeping your bread in the fridge to
keep it fresh, that's not the best idea.
However, keeping it in the fridge will
keep the mould at bay. And with all
of the preservatives in modern bread,
which slow staling, mould is sometimes
more of a concern than possible
controlling the ripening process, in
which starches are turned into sugars,
and other chemicals in the fruit are
broken down.
For this reason ethylene is used
to ripen transported fruit. Bananas,
for example, can be shipped to their
destination completely unripe. They are
then gassed with ethylene to quickly
ripen them before they are sold.
The action performed by ethylene
also explains the trick of putting a
piece of unripe fruit into a paper bag or
covering it in newspaper to ripen it. The
ethylene gas produced by the ripening
fruit is trapped, and the fruit is engulfed
in ethylene so it ripens faster. Putting an
apple into the bag with the other unripe
fruit will make the process go even faster
because apples release a lot of ethylene.
Be careful not to seal in the fruit
entirely, however. If too much moisture
oxygen have more myoglobin, and they
are redder.
There are two kinds of muscle tissue:
fast-twitch muscle and slow-twitch
muscle. The chains of amino acids that
make up these two classes of muscles
are different. The slow-twitch muscles
are for constant, sustained use in every
day activities like walking or standing or
swimming. Fast-twitch muscles, on the
other hand, are used for sporadic bursts
of movement, like jumping into the air
or away from something. Most animals
have a predominance of slow-twitch
muscle, for regular extended
movement.
The amount of oxygen needed by
the muscle is linked to how active the
muscle is: the more active the muscle is,
the more oxygen it needs so they have
more myoglobin and are redder. Slow-
twitch muscles need more oxygen for
extended use, so they have much more
myoglobin than fast-twitch muscles.
Which makes the slow-twitch muscle
red meat, and the fast-twitch white.
Chicken, turkey and fish are largely
white meat, while most other animals
give us red meat.
Because fish spend most of their
time gliding along in water, they are
not continuously fighting gravity the
way we do when we walk or stand. They
don't need the long-term strength of
slow-twitch muscles. Instead, what they
do need is the ability to make sudden
quick movements, when they are fleeing
a predator, the ability provided by fast-
twitch muscle.
Chickens and turkeys don't walk or
Pic: Supplied
run very much, so most of their muscles
are fast-twitch for quick movements
like the half-flying launches they do
into the air. But the colour of their
muscles can change depending on how
active they are. Chickens don't do much
proper flying, so their breast muscles
are white. But drum sticks can be darker
meat because they get used more as the
chicken runs around. This explains why
free-range chickens have browner and
tastier meat.
At the other extreme we have whales.
They are almost always moving and need
the capacity to store a lot of oxygen for
deep diving. Whales' muscles hold so
much myoglobin that they are nearly
black.

Scitech news >> Monkey generosity explains

Medieval nanotech found in churches
Seranne Howis
Churches with stained glass windows are
common tourist attractions across Europe and
have long been considered beautiful pieces of
architecture. Another surprising function has
been found in these works of art: scientists in
New Zealand have discovered that, if covered
with gold paint, the windows can purify the air
around them when they are heated by sunlight.
The gold nanoparticles in the gold paint work
to destroy volatile organic chemicals in the
air when energised by sunlight, functioning
as a photocatalytic air purifier. These volatile
organic chemicals are most easily recognised
as the ‘new’ smell that furniture and cars often
have, and can be dangerous to your health.
The only by-products of the process are trace
amounts of carbon dioxide. This process of
solar-powered purification has also been found
to be very energy efficient.
charity They kill crocodiles, are prolific breeders, have voracious appetites, and are colonising Australia. This is
the mighty cane toad. They were introduced to Australia from Hawaii in 1935 to kill cane beetles, pests
Seranne Howis
that eat sugar cane. Ironically, it turned out that the cane toads could not jump high enough to reach the
cane beetles, so they got off lightly and the one hundred and two cane toads initially imported to the Aus-
Studies in humans have found that reward
tralian east coast now have about 200 million offspring. Cane toads are about nine to 15cm in length and
centres in the brain are activated when people
are poisonous. Because their toxins kill most of the Australian animals that usually eat toads, cane toads
give to charity. Studies observing capuchin
have no natural enemies and they breed without limit, expanding their territory by up to 50 kilometres
monkey's behaviour have found that the
in a year. The arrival of cane toads has taken a toll on the native Australian animals. Populations of quoll
monkeys – like humans – find satisfaction in
(a small Australian marsupial), as well as goannas (monitor lizards), and birds have dropped. Cane toads
giving to others, but only to those closely related.
thrive in cities too, and are even a menace to cats and dogs. The most recent step in their journey of de-
Two monkeys were placed in a cage together and
struction has been their decimation of the Australian population of fresh water crocodiles. As cane toads
given the choice between receiving either one or
have migrated into the crocodiles’ territories the crocodiles have taken to eating them, and are then killed
two pieces of food (which would mean that their
by the toxicity of their prey.
cage mate would not receive any). The choice
The problem is so bad that the Australian Northern Territory province is planning “National Toad
of selfishly receiving both pieces of food was
Day Out” for April Fool’s next year, a national day to kill cane toads.
chosen by the monkeys when the cage mate was
Australian communities even run “Toadbusts”, where community
a stranger. The more generous option of receiving
groups and schools grab plastic bags and hit the neighbourhood,
food for themselves and a fellow cage mate was
rounding up toads and sending them off to Toad Detention Centres to
chosen when the cage mate was a close relative
make liquid fertilizers of them. At the University of Sydney researchers are
or familiar individual. Researchers hypothesised
trying to coax cane toads into eating their own young. Another remarkable
that the monkeys’ empathy at seeing another's
project running at the University of Queensland is genetically modifying
pleasure was what drove the decision to receive
cane toads to produce only male offspring. These “daughterless” toads will be
food for both, and that they seemed to care for
released into the wild to breed with normal cane toads.
the welfare of those whom they know.

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 The Oppidan Press 03.09.08 13

At the top of their game. View a list of South Africa’s top

ten-performing brands. www.TheOppidanPress.com.
People before profit
Mbali Sikakana
Social entrepreneurship is a growing
phenomenon in the business sector.
This might conjure up images of a poor,
selfless, misguided simpleton slaving
away for no return, especially among
hardened capitalists, but the term ‘social
entrepreneur’ deviates only slightly
from the traditional definition of an
entrepreneur.
A social entrepreneur is someone
who recognises a social problem and
uses entrepreneurial principles to
organise, create, and manage a venture
that will induce social change. This
definition is debatable: some say social
entrepreneurs should rely primarily
on earned income, others contend that
contracted work from public authorities
should be included, and another group
argue that grants and donations should
Business
in Bangladesh that makes small loans
to the impoverished without requiring
collateral.
South Africa’s Dr Garth Japhet is a
social entrepreneur whose venture Soul
City has become a well-known part of
South African life. This is a national,
multimedia ‘edutainment’ initiative that
seeks to positively impact people’s lives
by integrating health and development
issues such as HIV/Aids into primetime
television programmes, radio dramas
and easy-to-read booklets.
Soul City is active in eight other
African countries as well as in Surinam
and Colombia. Soul Buddyz is a similar
multimedia enterprise for children
aged eight to 12 years. Japhet also
initiated Heartlines in 2001, a separate
organisation aimed at reinforcing
common social values and inspiring
positive actions as a result.
Switzerland’s Robert Roth created

be included as well.
The difference between a business
entrepreneur and a social entrepreneur
can sometimes be minimal as social
entrepreneurs can be equally successful
in financial terms; however, a social
entrepreneur measures performance
according to their impact on society
first, and then according to profit and
return (if at all). The ‘Steve Jobs’ of social
entrepreneurship is Muhammad Yunus,
founder and manager of Grameen
Bank, who was awarded a Nobel Peace
Prize in 2006. The Grameen Bank
is a microfinance organisation and
community development bank started
the Job Factory, a non-for-profit social
enterprise that aims to provide a wide
range of internship opportunities for
unemployed youth.
As a private stock company with 15
different business divisions, Job Factory
offers a market-driven entry into the
professional world while providing
intensive coaching and counselling
through the Job Training Foundation.
Eighty percent of their interns find a job
or apprenticeship position by the end of
their training.
There are many women who have
become formidable social entrepreneurs
in their own right as well, such as Dr
Bilha Piameta of Israel who created
an organisation called Kav-Or which
provides distance learning for children
and youth in hospital aged three to
21. This system of education includes
distance learning software and services, a
virtual playground and online computer
connections between sick children and
their teachers.
The numbers of social entrepreneurs
are growing worldwide and attention is
being drawn to them by organisations
Pics: Supplied
such as Ashoka, Innovators for the DR DO-LITTLE HAS LEFT THE BUILDING
Public, the Skoll Foundation, the Social entrepreneurs like Garth Japhet (left)
Omidyar Network, the Schwab adn Muhammad Yunus (right) have torn up the
Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship
business rule-book that puts profit first and
and Echoing Green. Studies surrounding
people last.
social entrepreneurship are also gaining
momentum in light of the global shift
towards a more sustainable and socially-
driven way of thinking, with business
being no exception. This bodes well for a
social conscience that compels one to ‘do
good’ in order to ‘do well’.

Stress stalks the SA workplace

Motshidisi Mokoena
It seems that Information Systems (IS) students
may find it hardest to adjust to the big bad world
after university. A new survey in the UK ranks the
Information Technology (IT) industry top of the
most-stressful-workplace list. Workplace stress
levels are on the rise in South Africa generally, with
growing absenteeism mainly attributable to the
increasingly challenging economic times.
According to Cams, a company specialising
in the investigation of corporate absenteeism,
approximately 3.4 percent of all sick leave taken up
to June this year was as a result of stress, anxiety
and depression.
What then does this mean for us eager, soon-
to-be members of the ambition-driven, money-
centered and stressful world of 9 to 5 jobs? The
admin of the occasional legal theory test and
anthropology essay seems somewhat insignificant
compared to the stresses of the work-a-day world.
How do we prepare ourselves for a workplace that
will be so unaccommodating of the LOA scapegoat
to which we have become accustomed to?
Absenteeism, diminished performance,
negative attitudes and a decline in commitment
and creativity are just a few of the consequences of
work stress. The academic demands of an average
student probably only expose them to a snippet of
the levels experienced in professional positions. It
is no wonder that legislature has set guidelines on
managing the protection of employee health and
safety in its Occupational Health and Safety Act,
which includes stress and mental illness sick leave
provisions.
The admin of the occasional legal theory
test and anthropology essay seems
somewhat insignificant compared to the
stresses of the work-a-day world.
You might take pleasure in the adrenalin rush of
meeting deadlines at the last minute. But in your
first job after graduation, and with no means of
getting an extension or taking time out from day
that bunking lectures so conveniently provides,
you are going to be facing tremendous amounts of
stress. So, develop some time management skills at
university before it’s too late.

Invest young, die happy

Marcelino Nkuna
When is the right time to start thinking about
investments and creating an investment portfolio?
Well, there is no time like the present.
The main issue to consider is what exactly to
invest, as well as the amount of risk associated with
such an investment. The first thing to look for is an
investment that will beat inflation, especially since
there has been a surge in shares issued by major
companies such as Sasol and Vodacom, with each
offering discounted shares in the past two months.
The trick with investing is to look for an
opportunity with minimal risk and the highest
possible returns, but the stock market is not the
place to make a quick buck. You need to adopt a
disciplined approach to investing, have reasonable
expectations from your investments, and
understand the risks you are taking. As a rule, any
money that you may need in the next one to two
years should not be invested in equity. Money that
you do not need for the next 15–20 years however,
should be invested only in equity, such as shares.
An important guideline is not allowing your
emotions to override your economic interests. The
best way to manage your investments is to invest
regularly, in a systematic manner and in a variety
of companies so that you can buy quickly when the
market dips.
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29 August - 3 September
SRC elections
SRC ELECTIONS: Friday 29 August 00:00 - Wednesday 3rd September 17:00

VOTING 101: How to make your vote

1. Go onto STUDENTZONE.
2. Click on the icon in the TOP RIGHT-HAND CORNER that says SRC
ELECTIONS 2009.
3. Vote for three Presidential candidates and one candidate for all other
portfolios.You do not have to use all your votes.
4. When you are finished, click SUBMIT.

CONGRATULATIONS! You have successfully passed Voting 101!

Weekly slot on RMR: Tune in on Friday mornings, 8.30ish and get the lowdown
on what’s happening with the SRC and on your campus.

Winning streak. Send us your tips on how Oppi teams could secure even
more success in the years to come. sports@theoppidanpress.com.
What a Sascoc-up!
Taona Karidza
South Africa’s lone silver medal at
the 2008 Beijing Olympics placed the
Rainbow Nation below such sporting
‘powerhouses’ as Azerbaijan, Belarus and
Mongolia on the final standings.
Team South Africa were also outdone
by their neighbour Zimbabwe, whose
‘golden girl’ swimmer Kirsty Coventry
snagged one gold and three silvers, plus
a US$100,000 golden handshake and
a pat on her silky parting from Robert
Mugabe.
Since South Africa was first readmit-
ted to the Olympics in Barcelona back in
1992, this year’s performance has been
the worst by far. The reason for such
a dismal showcase is not yet clear, but
more and more fingers are being pointed
at the South African Sports Confedera-
tion and Olympic Committee (Sascoc).
Team South Africa was the laughing
stock in Beijing with a sub-standard kit
that had no sponsors. In such a situation,
one has to question Sascoc’s ability to
run sport in South Africa.
The South African swimmers – who
bore the burden of public expectations
SA Olympic medal tallies since readmission
Barcelona 1992
0 Gold, 2 Silver, 0 Bronze: 41st overall
Atlanta 1996
3 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze: 27th overall
Sydney 2000
0 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze: 55th overall
Athens 2004
1 Gold, 3 Silver, 2 Bronze: 43rd overall
Founders Challenge flounders
Litha Mpondwana
The annual third term Founders
Challenge has been called off due to low
water levels at Jameson Dam. The event
– one of the most anticipated on the
Rhodes calendar – will now take place
SUMMER STOCK ARRIVING
prior to the Games – claim that their
failure in the pool was also due to a
lack of funding. Sascoc president Moss
Mashishi reluctantly agreed that the
country’s poor performance is proof that
there was a need for more funding for
the athletes.
However, the SA media has lashed
out at the swimmers, claiming that
they had been consumed by the fame
and glory they earned after thrilling
performances in Athens four years ago,
instead of training hard and improving
their skills.
The search for solutions now lies
at the doors of Sascoc and the South
African government. But the latter have
more damning issues to worry about
than financially struggling athletes.
So we can only hope that by 2012
Sascoc would have at least secured one
sponsor for the kits.
SPORTING SUC(K)CESS
Zim swimmer Kirsty Coventry (top)
singlehandedly won more medals for her nation
than the whole South African team. Only Khotso
Mokoena (bottom) did the job for SA.
Beijing 2008
0 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze: 71st overall
Khotso Mokoena’s loooong jump
performance won South Africa it’s
only medal at this year’s Olympic
Games. Increased funding would up
our performance.
on Sunday 28 September.
The Founders Challenge is
an individual and team event of
orienteering, cycling, canoeing,
swimming and running. It is open
to both Rhodents and the wider
Grahamstown community.
The Rhodes Canoe Club warned the
The Oppidan Press 03.09.08
Sport
Sport kings dethroned in a web
of humiliation
Sport kings are men that achieve
legendary feats, become the epitome of
their division, and bask in the limelight
of sporting royalty. A sport king’s reign
may seem to be invisible, flawless,
exceptional and certainly forceful, as
he dominates the world’s stage with his
talent. But the world of sport is ruthless.
Once your finesse weakens and your
domination is challenged, spectators and
fans quickly lose focus, adjusting their
lenses to the next best thing.
The Olympics provided a spectacle
of sporting brilliance and moments in
which new kings claimed their goals and
olive branch crowns. Michael Phelps,
once in the shadow of Thorpedo (Ian
Thorpe), has claimed outright ownership
of the pool by grabbing eight gold
medals – a new Olympic record. Usain
Bolt out-sprinted his fellow compatriots,
Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay, becoming
the fastest man in history. The young
athlete broke both the 200m and 100m
sprints records and Powell could only
bow to the majesty of this new talent,
even though it was only a couple of
months ago when he was the fastest man
in history. Both Bolt and Phelps have
been inducted into sporting royalty.
Possibly the saddest example of a
sport king dethroned is England’s former
cricket captain, Michael Vaughan.
During the beginning of his captaincy,
Vaughan was ranked the number one
test batsman, but after a humiliating
ten-wicket defeat to South Africa, he
gave up his crown. Not only did he lose
the power that made him a dominating
Pics: Supplied
batsman, but he lost the respect of his
English subjects. With measly scores, and
a serious defeat to South Africa, Vaughan
handed over to Kevin Pietersen. Surely
one of the most prized possessions in
world cricket at the moment, Pietersen
is definitely England’s new cricket king.
His bat does most of the talking, and so
Founders Challenge Committee that detrimental effects on sponsorships far, he has four consecutive wins against
the low dam levels were unfit for canoe for the race. “All our sponsors, South Africa under his helmet. During
racing, but committee member Ricardo administration contacts, and volunteers this recent series, it also emerged that
Pillay is hopeful that the expected are aware of the date changes,” another cricket king is on the verge of
spring rain would raise the dam levels he said. being dethroned. Jacques Kallis has had
sufficiently by late September. There will be a “massive” after-party the worst series of his career, averaging
Pillay also stated that the at the Rhodes swimming pool once the just 14 in eight test innings. Could the
postponement will not have any race is over. Kallis era truly be over?
The world of soccer has also seen
some significant crown-dwindling. Not
too long ago, the world was singing
PHYSIOTHERAPIST praises to Ronaldinho and his vision.
Now the tune has altered slightly to
R-O-N-A-L-D-O. Ronaldinho has been
SPORTS • SPINAL • GENERAL PRACTICE disposed by his beloved Barcelona to
Inter Milan, simply because he was not
doing what got him there in the first
Mark Anderson
place.
In Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton is the
next best thing, relegating Fernando
BSc. (Hons) Wits Alonso, former world champion, to
spectator as he dominated the track.
Watching the dynamics play themselves
out is truly exciting.
The great danger in being a sport
10% student discount on presentation of student card. king is that once your reign is brought
Terms and conditions apply to an abrupt halt, the media disposes
of you, relegating you to a B-grade
sport personality. Your pay-cheque
St Andrews College Sanatorium is downsized and the
Bedford St, Grahamstown time reveling in the
spotlight should
6139
come to end. As the
lights slowly fade
Tel: 046 648 2875 on their shows, it
Cell: 079 381 4466 suddenly hits the
‘news of yesterdays’
Fax: 046 648 2875 that they
markanderson@telkomsa.net are mere
mortals
after all.
 The complete Olympic Rhodes Head Of Sport
run-down. sums up TriVar: an insult!
Page 15 Page 9

Oppidans kick res ass!

Fundile Paqa and Lionel Faull
Oppidan sports teams continue to give
the residence teams a spankin’ in the
Rhodes inter-res sports competition.
The men’s team are top of their league
by more than ten points, most recently
canoeing their way to yet another
victory. The women’s team are also
representing, with victories in netball
and touch rugby putting them top with
a decent amount of daylight between
them and their nearest rivals on the
log.
Malcolm Freeman, the Oppidan
sports representative, has been widely
credited with masterminding Team
Oppi’s remarkably sustained assault on
the inter-res title. In previous years, the
Oppidan hall has been a sleeping giant,
Pic: Caroline East
which more-often-than-not ended in
embarrassment.
The beauty of the inter-res
competition is that teams get points
simply for pitching up, so mobilising
Oppies en masse has been a central pillar
of Freeman’s success.
“We have tried to create a sense of
pride for Oppidans, so that they want to
participate in sports as opposed to being
forced,” Freeman said.
Of course this has not come without
challenges. Freeman pointed that out of
approximately 3,000 Oppidan students,
only 100 or so have participated in inter-
res sport. But Freeman is positive that
this number will increase in the years to
come, thanks to some cunning strategies
he and his committee have devised.
Incentives are key to ensure
participation. At the moment, they offer
intend to provide transport to and from
the games.
Improved communications are
another important plank in Freeman’s
scheme. Oppi first-years were all asked
to fill out forms at the beginning of
the year, indicating the sporting codes
of their choice. The Oppidan sports
administration also publishes a weekly
newsletter sent to Oppidans via email.
Finally, there is the recently-created
Facebook group, Rhodes University
Oppidans 2008.
Freeman says that the growth of Oppi
sports has created opportunities for
people who have never played certain
sports to try them out in a friendly and
all-inclusive environment.
With just the soccer competition to
go, Freeman is quietly confident that the
Oppi men’s and women’s teams can see

making only a few rather feeble and refreshments and T-shirts to Oppidans themselves through to a historic double
uncoordinated sporting appearances braving the sports fields. Next year, they inter-res league victory. Go Team Oppi!

Soccer knockout begins A night of champions

year’s competition, and the new teams Siphosethu Stuurman receiving certificates of recognition for was pleased with his prize: “I’m just
Litha Mpondwana their contributions to their relevant happy to finally win this, I’ve been
such as Raw Materials and Panush FC
have given some of the more experi- sports. around for some time [six years] and I
The search for the new kings of the Rho- enced teams a run for their money.” Last Friday night, top Rhodes athletes “I feel so honoured, it’s such a great know what an honour it is to be chosen
des football pitch continues this week Adding two new teams to the roster replaced their purple and white sports feeling, I’m really happy to have won this as sports personality.”
as the Rhodes Internal Soccer League has not caused any problems to schedul- kits for something a little more glamor- trophy,” said a delighted Govender. The finalists were nominated by their
reaches its knockout phase. With just 16 ing matches. “The original concern was ous as they attended the annual Sports respective clubs and the two winners
sides left in the competition, teams will the balance of the new teams, but as the Personality Gala held in the OMP were chosen by a panel of seven judges.
Lounge of the Sports Admin Building. “The judges looked for someone who
attempt to maintain the flood of goals season progressed, both the new and
old teams had a lot to fight for,” said The evening was hosted by athletes “Tonight we celebrate can speak and represent Rhodes sport
and enterprising play to which spectators
became accustomed. Mhlungu. The addition of two teams has Lisa Brown and Luthanda Ngcobo,
who began the ceremony by giving
the bringing together in a positive manner,” said Heather
Surridge, the secretary of Sports Admin
Last year’s winners, Black Gold, as well given more students the chance to play.
as new teams Raw Materials and Panush RMR and the Rhodes Sports Ad- recognition to the finalists for the Sports of optimism on the and organiser of the event.
Personality of the Year trophy. It was “Tonight we celebrate the bringing
FC will battle it out in Group A of the ministration remain collaborators in
marketing the league, and performing the runner-ups’ turn next, before the field and participation together of optimism on the field and
cup competition, with Team Oppi in
Group B of the plate competition. its administrative duties. Currently, both overall female and male winners were
announced. “This event is about the
in sports. I’m humbled participation in sports. I’m humbled by
what the finalists achieved,” said Janet
This year’s Internal League has seen bodies are in talk with two South African
new teams spiritedly competing against banks in an attempt to get financial as- people who bring positive energy on and by what the finalists Kelly, manager of the Health Suite, who
off the fields, people that we all [sports spoke on behalf of Sports Admin.
the more established teams, resulting in sistance for the league.
The Rhodes Internal League has athletes] can relate to,” said Brown, a achieved.” When all the formalities were over,
an intensified standard of play. Rhodes
Music Radio (RMR) Station Manager reached its pinnacle, and with the excite- member of the ladies’ touch rugby and the party got started as everyone headed
Gugu Mhlungu expressed her excite- ment it has generated on the field this hockey teams. to the Sports Bar to replenish their
ment at the success of the league thus far: year, the knockout stage promises to kick The sought-after trophy in the It was Grant Martin (squash), a Zoology drinks and then to the dance floor to
“It’s been a good league, bigger than last ass…and balls. women’s division went to Sinal Masters student, who claimed the trophy celebrate the night’s achievements.
Govender, a first team hockey player. for the men. The runners up for the Overall, the event was well-organised
Athletes Kim O’Hanlon (aquatics), and male athletes were Poelano Khutsoane and a suitable recognition for Rhodes’
Do you feel your sport is being underrepresented in Oppi Press? Send us details of your sports Leigh-Ann Brown (touch rugby), were (hockey) in second place and David sports stars. Congratulations to the
events to sports@theoppidanpress.com. placed second and third respectively, Cloran (athletics) in third place. Cloran winners of the awards!

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