Fundraising for

Union lift begins

Marriage
equality in SA

Freedom to marry
is not enough

The Oppidan Press

Edition 7, 4 August 2015

ESS

E HARK

Y-JAN
tion: AM
a
r
t
s
lu
Il

Rhodes
must fall
SRC
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The Oppidan Press 4 August 2015

News Features

SRC stands by the name change

Leila Stein

he Rhodes University Student Representative Council (SRC) began the

third term with an announcement that
they would staunchly support the decision to
change the name of the University. After much
deliberation and consideration of input from
students, the SRC released details about their
decision at a student meeting and in a 4000word accompanying report that was released
earlier that day.
[T]aking very seriously all of the views of our
students, the SRC have taken the position that
the name should be changed, the report stated.
This decision was not made lightly and came
about after the opinions of Rhodes students
were compared and considered for their merits
and pitfalls. In the report, the SRC outlined the
arguments both for and against the name change.
The report responded to each argument in turn,
pointing out their shortcomings.
The student body continued to bring up two
major issues both in the report and at the meeting held to discuss the SRCs decision.
The first issue centred around what the SRC
would do next. As they only have a few more
months as the representatives of the student
body, before the next elections some students
were concerned that there would not be enough
time to begin discussions with the University
before a new council is appointed.
The SRC will do what we need to do in the
context we find ourselves [with regards to fighting for the name change], said SRC President

The SRC has announced their support for the decision to change Rhodes name after careful
consideration of its pros and cons. Photo: NITA PALLETT
Zikisa Maqubela.
While it appears there is no precise roadmap
set out by the SRC, they insist that they will present their opinion to the University council who
are also deliberating on the name change issue.
Discussions [by the SRC] with the student
body are done, said SRC Liaison Officer Eric
Ofei. They [the SRC] are going to push for this
to happen now; the students of this University
say that this name must change.
While this was accepted by those at the meeting, the concern that a future SRC may not be

committed to this decision was raised. To combat

this, former SRC President Sakhe Bhadi put
forward the suggestion that the report could
be put through student parliament as a policy
document in order to ensure future SRCs uphold
the decision.
In addition, it was also suggested that rather
than waiting for their opportunity to have one
vote in the University council, the SRC could
send a recommendation for a name change
straight to the Arts and Culture Minister for
consideration and approval as it is within their

power to do so.
The second issue which was raised by students
was the logistical concern of finances. In response Maqubela stated: We cannot commodify
a moral issue. What has become of ourselves that
we are selling ourselves to balance sheets?
The SRC did note, however, that while they
have little knowledge of finance, they believe that
those who run the Universitys budget will be
able to rearrange the selection of funds accordingly to create space for the name change.
A plan must be put in place to make [sure]
the name change is financially possible within the
shortest amount of time so that building a new
brand can commence, stated the report. Furthermore, the SRC strongly denied that any money
would be taken from financial aid to support the
name change.
Overall, the announcement of this decision
garnered significantly less attention than did the
original discussion surrounding the name. Those
who attended the meeting were the committed
few who came with reasonable suggestions in
moving forward.
I think some of the input was very meaningful in terms of some of the contributions and the
thoughts about how we can take it beyond the
stats, said Maqubela. I hope that students will
continue giving us their ideas.

Havent read the full report yet?

Check out our 12 things you need
to know about the report on
our website oppidanpress.com.

Plan to raise money for lift set in motion

Leila Stein
Last term saw a number of
complaints against the move of
the Division of Student Affairs
(DSA) to the second floor of
the Steve Biko building as the
building has no elevator. To
ensure that all students are able
to access the DSA and other
second floor offices, the SRC
began its 2foralift campaign at
the beginning of this term. The
aim of the campaign is to raise
money through the student body
for an elevator to be installed in
the Steve Biko building.
According to a statement on the
projects Facebook page, [t]his
idea of 2 for a lift is that if each
student committed to giving R2
a week for the next six teaching
weeks in semester two we could
raise over R50 000.
The controversial decision by
the University to move the DSA
despite the problems it would
pose for disabled students was just
the latest issue raised, since other
vital student services (such as the
counselling centre, SRC offices
and career counselling centre)
currently reside on the top two
floors of the building.
In reaction to this, the SRC protested the move and demanded
that it be halted until a viable plan
and budget were set up.
As the SRC we decided we
need some form of activism as the
University said they do not have

enough funds, explained Lindokuhle Zungu, SRC SecretaryGeneral, who is also spearheading
this project.
The SRC plans to incorporate
this campaign into their usual
events, like Purple Thursday, and
bigger events such as Intervarsity.
Tri-varsity is also going to be
another platform [to raise the
money] as there will be more
people around, said Zungu.
This move is supported by the
University which will still have to
raise the majority of the funds.
I believe the current SRC can
leave a legacy by initiating fundraising in this regard, commented
Director of the Division of Student Affairs Dr Colleen Vassiliou.
The end goal for the DSA is the
same as the SRC to acquire a lift.
So we can only work together on
this campaign.
In addition to the money raised
from students, both the SRC and
the University are looking at outside sponsorship for the lift. My
main aim is not to end on campus,
and [to also] get big sponsors who
I have already been in contact
with, explained Zungu.
However, not all believe that
it should be up to the students
to pay. I applaud the SecretaryGenerals efforts, but he has no
idea what he has done, said
Thembilihle Ncgai, a fourth year
Journalism student who previously served on the disability
committee. He has shifted the

This idea of
2 for a lift
is that if
each student
committed
to giving R2
a week for
the next six
teaching weeks
in semester two
we could raise
over R50 000
2foralift campaign
Facebook page

responsibility into the hands of

the students.
Ncgai added that constitutionally the University has a responsibility to provide equal learning
for its students and is fully aware
that, while this money is being
raised, she and other students
with disabilities will be hindered
in accessing the DSA offices.
If the University wants to make
amenities inaccessible let the
University find the money on its
own, she said.
Ncgais comments make it
clear that student opinions on the
2foralift project differ radically.
However, the project will still go
ahead and the amount of money
raised will most likely reflect the
opinions of the student body.

The 2foralift campaign aims to raise funds for an elevator after the Division of Student
Affairs moves to the second level of the Steve Biko building. Photo: SIMONE FERREIRA

4 August 2015 The Oppidan Press

Features

Analysing same sex marriage in South Africa

Tswelopele Maputla
Politics

he legislation of the Civil Union Act of 2006 made South

Africa the first country in
Africa, and the fourth country in the
world, to legalise same sex marriages.
It symbolised the realisation of the
equal and non-discriminatory state
that is described in the Constitution.
However, legal practitioners and
gender justice groups have highlighted
discrepancies between the legislation
of the Marriages Act of 1961, which
applies to heterosexual couples, and
the Civil Union Act.
There are differences in the Marriages Act and Civil Union Act
that implicitly discriminate against
homosexual couples. For example,
the Marriage Act permits children
under the age of 18 to marry with the
approval of their parents, or in certain
cases with special consent from the
Minister of Home Affairs. The Civil
Union Act, on the other hand, places

Despite South Africa being one of the first countries to legalise same-sex
marriage, inconsistencies still exist in our legislation. Photo: THAPELO
MOREKWENA
an absolute restriction of 18 years on
same sex couples wishing to marry
under the Act.
Helen Kruuse, lecturer in the Law
Faculty at Rhodes described the
Civil Union Act as a compromise,

saying that the legislation aimed to

appease and recognise the cultural
and religious beliefs of people who
believe marriage is for heterosexuals,
while trying not to violate the rights to
equality and dignity of homosexuals

on

based on their sexual orientation.

Homosexual couples have been
subject to intangible harm because of
the manner in which the law tends to
favour the rights of others. For example, marriage officials have the right to
object to officiating homosexual marriages, but do not have the same rights
regarding heterosexual marriages.
This has created the idea that the
rights of marriage officials, who are in
positions of power, are more important than those of vulnerable homosexual couples. Kruuse added that the
implementation of legislation alone
is not enough to advocate equal rights
for homosexual citizens given the intangible harm that results in othering
same sex couples.
Goreta Chengeta, chairperson of the
Gender Action Project said that,
[t]he legalisation of same sex marriage in South Africa is a positive
thing, in that it provides queer people
the right to marry whomever they
choose. However, she acknowledged
that the legislation has its limitations.

The legalisation
of same sex
marriage in
South Africa
is a positive
thing
Gorata Chengeta,
chairperson of the
Gender Action Project
For instance, it is unlawful for same
sex partners to legally terminate civil
unions. They may only conclude
civil unions whereas heterosexual
couples are given a choice between
the two. Although legalising same sex
marriages was an attempt at ensuring
equality for queer people, Chengeta
noted that forms of violence against
homosexuals is still prevalent in
society and that legislation is limited
in the extent to which it can protect
queer people.

With a steady decline in the number of tourists visiting South Africa, the
consequences of the newly-implemented immigration laws have become
apparent. Photo: TEBATSO MOLAPO

Unhappy visitors turn away

Nathi Mzileni
Business

Tension between Grahamstown businessmen has finally subsided after years of disagreements surrounding the
building of a SuperSpar on African Street. Photo: VICTORIA PATRICK

Mayborn and Beer reach settlement

Nathi Mzileni
Business
The owners of Mayborn Investments 101, Jon Campbell and Mark Shelton, have reached a settlement with
Grahamstown property mogul Rob Beer regarding their
decade long dispute surrounding the construction of a
SuperSpar on African Street.
Attempts to find the full details of the settlement proved
unfruitful as Beer was reported to be out of the country, but
Campbell said they were pleased with the agreement.
All the disputes reported upon in the recent article
appearing in The Oppidan Press have been resolved to the
mutual satisfaction of the parties, added Campbell.
What was not part of the agreement, however, was a permanent discontinuation of the ongoing construction of the
SuperSpar.
Campbell said Beer will continue building the SuperSpar.
The construction of the supermarket was suspended when
Mayborn filed court papers last month and the High Court
ordered Beer to stop construction of the supermarket pending the outcome of Mayborns appeal to the Municipality.
Shelton and Campbell, owners of Pick n Pay Grahamstown, had contested the construction of the SuperSpar on
grounds that it was against sound town planning principles. The duo said one of their main concern was traffic

congestion as delivery trucks would be forced to park either

on African Street or Miller Street.
In a document that was submitted to the Municipality,
Mayborn said Beer had not presented a plan demonstrating
how supply trucks would be prevented from interrupting
traffic flow on these roads. Instead, Beers counter-argument
was based on outdated information.
The current application of Beer Properties for the appropriate rezoning relies on a traffic report dating back to
2010, the statement read. The report does not take into
account current traffic volumes which have increased considerably since then.
Moreover Shelton and Campbell, who own a residential
property (worth R15 million) adjacent to the planned construction site for the SuperSpar, were concerned that a new
supermarket on their doorstep would devalue it.
The pair stated that they would see to it that the interests
of their company were unharmed and would use legal tools
where necessary. Mayborn is entitled to exercise its rights
to protect its own commercial interests, they said.
The latest agreement comes just weeks after the feud
between the three businessmen was reignited by Mayborns
court action and Beers accusations. After Beer accused the
duo of sabotaging his plans and Mayborn lambasted Beer
for his accusations, many were expecting anything but a
peaceful settlement.

The South African government

implemented new immigration
regulations in June, and since then
there has been a significant drop in
the number of tourists visiting the
country according to a recent report
by the Tourism Business Council of
South Africa (TBCSA).
The tourism business index, which
measures the performance of the
tourism sector, reported the index
score to have declined from an average
of 99.9 in the first quarter of 2015 to
83.6 in the second quarter. Generally
an index score of 100 is considered
normal performance for the tourism
business. An index above 100 reflects
above normal performance while an
index below 100 is worse than normal.
A separate report by Grant
Thornton (GT) called the new tourism
regulations an unfriendly approach.
The report estimated that South Africa
had lost about 150 000 tourists during
the first quarter of this year, marking
a 6% decline in tourist arrivals and
a 16.3 point drop on the tourism
business index.
GT reported that most of the
tourists that turned away came from
China, India, Nigeria, Taiwan, Ghana,
South Korea and Russia. In the TBCSA
report, 23.5% of companies in the
tourism industry said the significant

drop in their business was caused by

the new immigration regulations.
Under these stricter regulations,
anyone travelling either to or from
South Africa with a minor under
the age of 18 has to produce an
unabridged birth certificate for the
minor. Single parents, meanwhile,
have to provide proof of consent from
the absent parent when travelling with
a child.
Additionally, in cases where an
unabridged certificate is issued in a
language other than English, it must
be accompanied by a sworn translation
given by a competent authority in
the country of issue. Former Rhodes
University student and current Group
CEO of Travel With Flair Johanna
Mukoki said this is impractical. Do
you expect the Chinese to tell their
government to start issuing birth
certificates in English? No, they will
simply not come and this will hurt the
[tourism] sector, she explained.
The TBCSA, which has
contested the new regulations, has
communicated its concerns regarding
the effects of these tighter regulations
to the Tourism Minister. The minister
said he also would discuss the
concerns raised by tourism bodies
with the Home Affairs Minister.
For the 1.5 million people dependent on tourism and feeling the pinch
first hand, any change in the new
regulations cannot come sooner.

The Oppidan Press 4 August 2015

Opinion

The Oppidan Press

After months of deliberation and consultation, our SRC has finally taken
a stance on the Rhodes Universitys name: it needs to change. For the
members of the Black Students Movement, this is a massive win while
their opposition, the Rhodes University Protection Movement, have
vowed to keep opposing the name change.
The SRCs decision came in the form of a 19-page, 4000-word report,
which was released online prior to a very poorly attended student body
meeting to discuss its contents. If you havent yet had a chance to read the
report or just simply dont have the time to, you can check out our summary
of 12 things you need to know from the report on our website.
Its commendable that the SRC has taken a stance and they did a very thorough job of laying out their methodology and the reasons for the delay. If
you dont remember, the Emergency Student Body Meeting was four months
ago in March. Since then, they have been canvassing students across the
University on the issue through a variety of forums.
But does their decision to support the renaming of Rhodes actually carry
any weight? Well, at this point its hard to say. Our SRC is perpetually hamstrung by its dependence on the University Council and Senate to ratify any
changes it makes to its own Constitution, and so can often be effectively told
to go for a hike by Rhodes.
As it stands, the name change is being handled by a sub-committee of the
Institutional Forum, on which the SRC only has a single seat. They will draw
up terms of reference around the name change which the University Council
will use to guide a Task Team that will canvass the views of not only current
students, but staff, alumni and other stakeholders as well.
At the end of all that, the decision to change or keep the name must still be
approved by the Minister of Higher Education. Our SRC, then, is but a single
voice on a number of committees through which this decision has to pass.
So while their report is eloquent and clear in its decision, it may have little
to no effect in the long run. We can hope, however, that the voice of the students through the SRC and unaffiliated bodies like the BSM and RUPM will
have the most weight in influencing the Universitys final decision.
Whether the name should change is still up for debate, but one thing is
very clear: this institution needs to transform and the anger - on both sides over the name is helping to drive that fight forward.
We have plenty of content in this edition that deals with issues of transformation: the name change itself and the continued battle for a lift in the
Union building (page 2), queer rights and gay marriage (page 3 and 4) and
the long overdue recognition of womens sports teams (page 8). We hope you
find them useful and informative.
Finally, it gives us great pleasure to welcome aboard our new Deputy
Editor, Leila Stein. Leila used to be our News Features Editor and has been
working for The Oppidan Press for the last three years. She will be taking over
as Editor-in-Chief at the end of the year.

The Oppidan Press staff and contact details

Editor-in-Chief: Stuart Lewis. Deputy Editor: Lelia Stein. Executive
Consultant: Amanda Xulu. Financial Manager: Likho Sithole. Advertising
Manager: Smangaliso Simelane. Marketing Manager: Leila Kidson.
Online Editor: Liam Stout. Acting News Features Editor: Phelokazi
Mbude. Politics Editor: Kim Nyajeka. Assistant Politics Editor: Kathryn
Cleary. Opinion Editor: Deane Lindhorst. Assistant Opinion Editor:
Jordan Stier. Arts & Entertainment Editor: Nkosazana Hlalethwa.
Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor: Ellen Heydenrych. Scitech
Editor: Bracken Lee-Rudolph. Environment Editor: Lili Barras-Hargan.
Business Editor: Nathi Mzileni. Sports Editor: Gabriella Bellairs-Lombard.
Assistant Sports Editor: Leonard Solms. Chief Photo Editor: Kellan
Botha. Assistant Chief Photo Editor: Bronwyn Pretorius. Chief Online
Photo Editor: Jamie Tucker. Chief Sub-Editor: Kate Jennings. Senior
Sub-Editor: Danica Kreusch. Sub-Editors: Emily Stander, Tiffany Mac
Sherry, Nokwanda Dlamini. Chief Designer: Hannah McDonald. Assistant
Chief Designer: Amy-Jane Harkess. Junior Designers: Tiffany Mac Sherry,
Lauren Dixon-Paver, Tevin Tobias. External Content Advisors: Carissa
Govender, Tope Adebola, Mishka Hoosen. OppiTV Chief Editor: Welcome
Lishivha. OppiTV Managing Editor: Sarah Middleton. OppiTV Content
Editor: Carey Moraladi. OppiTV Deputy Content Editor: Khanyi Mlaba.
Ombudsperson: Professor Anthea Garman.
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The Oppidan Press publishes letters which are bona fide expressions of opinion provided that they are not clearly libellous,
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reserve the right to shorten letters due to space constraints and to
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into our print edition will be published on our website.

Marriage will never set us free

Sian Ferguson

he Supreme Court of the

United States recently ruled
that all states must allow
marriage between people of the same
gender. The occasion has been met
with a great deal of festivity from
people all over the world, and has
been considered a major victory for
the queer community.
The ruling has also been met with a
great deal of criticism, and not just by
the far right. Queer critics of marriage
equality argue that the gay rights
movement has prioritised marriage
equality over more pressing issues,
such as safety, healthcare and housing.
These issues disproportionately affect
poor, transgender, black and mentallyill people.
Its commonly argued that, in the
fight for equality, we have to start
somewhere. But why are we starting
with an issue like marriage equality?
What about starting with transgender
visibility? What about providing
adequate housing to homeless youth,
a disproportionate number of whom
are queer and transgender? What
about working against legislation that
prevents transgender people from
getting state documents that reflect
their true gender and name?
We need to ask ourselves why the
right to marry has been prioritised to
this extent. The reason, many queer
activists argue, is because marriage is
ingrained into heteronormative culture.
Queerness seems a lot more acceptable

After the recent ruling in America making same-gender marriage legal across
the country, some queer activists have questioned how large a victory this is.
Image: TIFFANY MAC SHERRY
to heterosexual people if it looks like
heterosexuality. Queer love seems a lot
less deviant, a lot less abnormal, when
its sanctified by marriage.
Were socialised to believe that
marriage is the most important
relationship that can be had
between two people. This belief
is institutionalised by the benefits
afforded to married couples. The
problem is that overemphasising the
importance of marriage excludes
polyamorous, aromantic and asexual
people while imposing normative ideas
on relationships.
Its relatively easy to say that
everyone should be able to marry who
they love. Its harder to get people to
unlearn the idea that your genitals
determine your gender. Its even harder
to get people to understand that more

than two genders exist.

Weve chopped and changed our
activism so that we can be more
appealing to straight, cisgender people,
instead of appealing to the other
marginalised people within the queer
community. How is our activism
radical if it prioritises the support
of the privileged over the safety of
oppressed people?
In this sense, prioritising marriage
is not very radical at all in fact, it can
be pretty oppressive towards certain
groups of people. And while everyone
should have the right to choose to get
married if they so wish, that right to
choose shouldnt come at the expense
of marginalising others.
The freedom to marry is something
worth celebrating, but marriage will
never set us free.

Second semester, second chance

Lara Unsworth
At first I was a little offended when approached to write
this article. The need to turn things around in second
semester? Why would I know anything about that?
Then I remembered that, okay, maybe Ive had my fair
share of disappointments in the past. Lets just say I know
what its like to not get the mark you were hoping for.
Okay, lets just say I know what its like to fail an exam.
Okay, you know what? Fine! Lets just say I know what its
like to fail my majors exam every single June for three years
running. Now you know. The F1s out of the bag. Are you
happy?! Do you think I wanted this?!
But look around Im still here. Slaying life. And that,
my friends, is why upon a few moments of introspection I
have come to the conclusion that I am the perfect person to
write this article. Were all on our own paths of transformation.
Youve all seen Transformers, right? That movie Shia
LaBeouf was in before he decided he was way too deep for
us all? Well, youre about to go from a 1986 Citi Golf to a
full-blown DPR-fighting robot badass.
This is your Bumblebee moment.
And this is my message to you.
Work hard. Work the hardest you can. Know what you
want and do what you need to do to get it.
But switch up your whole mental game. Academics, while
being important and undoubtedly the main reason for being
here, are not the be all and end all. Change your focus, if
need be. Rather than trading your soul for a first, how about
aiming for a second, or even just a pass if it means being
able to end the year with a little emotional stability.
You are more than readings and tutorials. You are a
complex and wonderful person surrounded by complex and
wonderful people, and you are here to discover yourself and
them. Maybe your Bumblebee moment will come when you
close the textbook and you message that friend youve been
meaning to and you have that drink youve been passing up.
Maybe you should watch one less episode of Orange is the
New Black every night, and get in one extra hour of work.
Maybe you should apply for that job.

Since the first semester of 2015 is behind us, a fresh and

renewed approach to academics may commence.
Photo: ROBYN BARNES
Maybe you should tell that person how you feel.
Maybe you should stand up and that is okay. Taking steps
to move forward in any direction will always be better
than standing still, and every direction is just as valid as the
next one. The point is to keep moving.
As the great aforementioned Shia LaBeouf once
screamed: Just do it.

4 August 2015

Short Story

ree

fresh and
nce.

The Oppidan Press

Last term The Oppidan Press partnered with the Ink Society to bring you a short story each edition. This term, we begin where we left off with the final installment of the Haunted series.
This one is titled A Colourless World and ties together the previous two sections (which are available on our website if you need a reminder of whats happened so far).

A Colourless World
Darcie Hugo

Content warning: explicit language, domestic abuse, suicide, homophobia, misogyny, graphic violence

hat bitch.
It was all her fault. First she ruins my life and then she
ruins my death. It was bad enough to know that she was
putting her dirty lesbian fingers all over my love. Now she has
killed her.
Siziwe was my soul-mate, we were meant to be together. I knew it
from the moment I saw that tiny crack in her delicate mask. In that
moment I knew her. I understood her. She was mine.
I was perfect for her.
The star pupil, I could have played the lead role in any Broadway
production without even going to an audition. I was the type of
good that left people hollow with the disappointment of their own
lives. Normally I wouldnt even waste my time in that institution
of mediocrity, but I was drawn to it. I was drawn to her. Every
day I acted on a stage larger than Broadway and no one ever even
thought to question my performance, except her.
It wasnt like she was the first woman to ever pay attention to me.
Women loved me. Stupid bitches. I could do whatever I wanted
with them and they couldnt do a thing about it. One word or a
suggestive smile and they were mine; they melted in my hands like
warm putty. And it was so easy to break them.
The first time I hit one it was a mistake. She wouldnt stop talking
about her rugby-player boyfriend who had been on the first team
for like two years or whatever. I mean for fucks sake, there I was
trying to be a nice guy and she just throws it in my face as if I dont
even matter. So I punched her.

One minute my hand was tightening and the next my knuckles

were covered in her blood.
It felt so good. Fuck, it felt good. Someone needed to teach that
whore a lesson and I was just doing society a favour. I beat about
three others after that. I craved the sound of their pathetic pleading
and the feeling of their hair between my fingers while I dragged
them across the room. I could make them do anything.
But Siziwe was different. She was strong. I could see it in the way
she carried her mask. Just like my mom. But my mom was a whore
too. She ran away with some other dumb bitch and started another
fucking family in the suburbs.
I dont care about that though. People only like you if they think
youre the same. So I put on a mask. I did what I had to do. But
Siziwe knew better. I know she did. I could tell from the way she
looked at me from behind the painted face. We were connected.
But then I found out about Charlie, the slut who infected my
love with her disgusting, unnatural sexuality. Thats why I jumped
off that bridge. It was all for Siziwe; she was meant to follow me. I
know that she wanted to, I knew everything about her. But what I
didnt know was how tight Charlies grip wound around her throat.
I have been watching her, this Charlie bitch. I wanted nothing
more than to collapse her face and feel her velvet red blood drip
over my fingers. But this translucent world of the dead is not so
kind; I can only do so much. I watched as she drove inside. She
was meant to go through the side gate, that was where I left her
broken garden fork, but she didnt even see it.

It was all Charlies fault. She was meant to trip, not Siziwe. But
my little bird could not flap her wings fast enough; they were still
too broken to escape. So she fell. But she wasnt meant to fall, she
was meant to jump. She was supposed to choose death. She was
supposed to choose me. Charlie robbed her of the chance to do
what I know she truly wanted. Siziwe was going to kill herself for
me; I knew that it was only a matter of time before she came running into my arms. I was her soul mate. I was her escape.
Her body was so still, her picturesque form melting into a mixture of wet soil and blood. I couldnt bear to see her that way, her
mask shattered beside her while her strength washed away with the
rain.
Charlie was still in the kitchen cooking dinner as though nothing
had even happened. Try cooking in the dark, bitch. When I saw
the ring box I knew exactly what she was going to do. How could
she try something like this just a week after Siziwe lost me? The
whore was trying to pull Siziwe away from me. Well it was too late.
I shoved her stupid wine onto the floor but she still didnt get it.
Thats when I lost it. I dont even know how I did it but everything
just flew out of the cupboards onto the floor. Burn, bitch, burn.

Want to read the end?

Go to oppidanpress.com.

The Oppidan Press 4 August 2015

Scitech
Internet security: Who malwore it better?
Bracken Lee-Rudolph

n 2013, Symantec, the company behind Norton Antivirus,

released a report that ranked
South Africa as the third most active
country in the world for cyber-crime.
A report released in the same year by
the United States FBI placed us a little lower down the list at sixth but
still high enough for users to be worried about the security of their data.
More recently, in May 2015, the
South African Press Associations
(Sapa) archive was hacked by an unknown hacker group, who stated that
the archive of the now defunct press
association (Sapa shut down in March
this year) should be accessible to the
public as it holds much of our countrys history. The archive was made
available via the deep web, accessible
via the Tor Browser (more on this in
the blue box to the right).
But how can we avoid contributing
to the R5.7 billion lost to cyber-crime
every year? And what are we currently
doing wrong?
Computer Science lecturer at
Rhodes University, Yusuf Motara,
explained that some of the most common mistakes we make are to do with
our most prevalent forms of protection
passwords.

Motara said that simple passwords,

such as names and birthdates, are just
not good enough and reusing passwords means that if one account is ever
compromised, the effect multiplies.
Use a password manager such as
LastPass, said Motara. This generates strong, randomly-generated 30+
character passwords for different sites
and remembers them for you.
Motara added, Use a strong 6-word
Diceware password for your password
manager. Use actual dice. Yes, really.
Diceware is a method of password
creation in which you roll a dice five
times for each word in your password,
then assemble a string of words from
the result of your rolls. So if you roll
a 5, 4, 3, 5 and 2, your string will be
54352. The word that matches this
number in a list (the list I used had
slice at number 54352) will then be
used in your password.
The idea of the Diceware method
is that you form a completely randomised, difficult to crack, easy to
remember password from this, keeping
the account in question secure.
Aside from that, Motara recommended keeping your personal computer which will store much of your
information and your private details
just that: personal and private. If you
are not comfortable with another

Deep Web:
The deep web refers to a portion
of the internet not indexed by
standard search engines such as
Google and Bing as it has not been
registered with them. The most
common occurrence of this is in
the Tor Browser.
The Tor Browser directs users
traffic through community-run
relays around the world, obscuring
a users location and purpose of
usage from network surveillance
and thus giving them thorough
privacy and anonymity.

person seeing everything stored on

your computing device or their security is lax, your sensitive information is
at risk of being compromised.
Lastly, its important not to forget
the basics and take security advice
when its given to you: dont ignore the
2-factor authentication prompts given
to you by Gmail, dont log into your
accounts from computers you are not
sure about, and dont store valuable
information on your phone if it is not
secured by a passcode of some sort.
Keeping this in mind may seem arbitrary, but it will ensure that your data
remains safe and that you do not have
to bear the brunt of an unscrupulous
hackers wrath.

Since Last Edition:

A holidays worth
Bracken Lee-Rudolph
Every edition, we tell you about something that
has been invented or discovered since the last
time we published. The long vacation means
that this Since Last Edition will feature some
of the highlights that have occurred since May.
Pluto
It was big news when the New Horizons
interplanetary probe passed Pluto, as it gave us
the first images of the far side of the planet. The
photos have revealed two ranges of mountains
frozen peaks weighing in at between 1.1 and
1.5 kilometres high, and what is now known as
Norgay Montes, around 110 kilometres away,
which weighs in at around 3.3 kilometres which is
about the size of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
New Horizons Geology, Geophysics and
Imaging Team leader Jeff Moore discussed how
NASA is still trying to figure out how these sets of
mountains relate to one another.
There is a pronounced difference in texture
between the younger, frozen plains to the east
and the dark, heavily cratered terrain to the west,
he said. Theres a complex interaction going on
between the bright and the dark materials that
were still trying to understand.
Underwater volcanoes
While NASA gathered photos of the surface
of Pluto, the Commonwealth Scientific and
Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO),
Australias national science agency, discovered
four extinct underwater volcanoes.
The cluster was discovered 250 kilometers off
the coast of Sydney while CSIRO was searching
for larval lobster breeding grounds.
They tell us part of the story of how New
Zealand and Australia separated around 40 to

It makes us
less helpless
Dr Eric Karran,
director of research at
Alzheimers Research UK
80 million years ago, said Professor Richard
Arculus, a geology researcher at the Australian
National University. The volcano cluster is
believed to be around 50 million years old.
Alzheimers disease
Scientists have found a drug that slows the
pace of the neurodegeneration in sufferers of
Alzheimers disease, which affects an estimated 21
to 35 million people worldwide and accounts for
60-70% of cases of dementia.
The drug, Solanezumab, was shown to slow the
loss of memory in dementia sufferers on which
it was tested by up to 30% compared to another
group who were placed on a placebo during an
18-month trial.
This is the first evidence of something
genuinely modifying the disease process, said Dr
Eric Karran, director of research at Alzheimers
Research UK.
Its a breakthrough in my mind. The history
of medicine suggests that once you get through
that door you can explore further therapeutic
opportunities much more aggressively, explained
Karran. It makes us less helpless.
This is a positive result, given that 99.6% of
drug tests aimed at affecting Alzheimers between
2002 and 2012 have been shut down due to failed
clinical research, and could mark an upturn in the
lives of Alzheimers patients soon.

With South Africas digital security in question, Internet users are urged to take
precautions when working online. Photo: CAMERON SEEGERS

How much do Rhodes

students actually pirate?
Bracken Lee-Rudolph
Earlier this year, we discussed
how Rhodes University had
re-evaluated how piracy was
treated as an offence at the
University, specifically with
how offenders are punished
for their transgressions. But
have these changes had an
effect on how much students
illegally download?
Rhodes University records
the number of takedown
requests that are received from
copyright holders with regards
to students sharing TV series
and movies on the internet.
The two main senders of these
requests are the Paramount
Pictures Corporation
whose intellectual properties
include Oscar-nominated
film Interstellar and the
Transformers series and
Starz Entertainment LLC who
distribute programming for
AMC, including The Walking
Dead. These two copyright
holders represent over 90%
of the takedown requests the
university receives.
Since the beginning of 2015,
143 takedown requests have
been logged*. This is down
from 150 takedown requests
by 22 July 2014, although the
frequency of this years takedown requests has increased as

the year has progressed, with

exceptions where holidays are
present. Last years requests,
meanwhile, fluctuated more.
However, both 2014 and 2015
have respectively registered
a total of 278 and (so far)
143 takedown requests. This
eclipsed 2010-2013, which
collectively only registered 108
takedown requests.
In terms of repeat offenders,
2015 has not yet eclipsed 2014,
but is alarmingly close. In 2014,
23 of the offences recorded
were repeat offences, while 20
have already been recorded
in 2015.
Since the new regulations
came into effect, repeat
offenders are subject to
disciplinary processes even
if the first offence happened
during a different academic
year. Second-time offenders
who accept an admission-ofguilt sanction receive 40 hours
compulsory service instead
of attending a disciplinary
hearing, and third-time
offenders receive a sanction of
75 hours and are suspended
from the university network for
a month. Sentencing guidelines
go up to the fifth offence,
the punishment for which is
exclusion from Rhodes.
An increasing number of students have been claiming that

other students have been using

their account when the offence
took place, said Rhodes Universitys IT Operations Manager
Guy Halse. However,
this means
that they
contravene
section
3.1c of the
Universitys Acceptable Use Policy
in which there is no
admission-of-guilt sanction form. This means
they must attend a
disciplinary hearing.
So while
piracy has
decreased
minorly
in the
past few
months,
repeat
offences
are on
the rise
and the
numbers
are still well above those of
2013 and earlier. Whether these
numbers will eclipse 2014s
remains to be seen, but the new
guidelines have had an effect, if
a minor one.
*Statistics accurate to 22/07/2015

4 August 2015

Thrillers and
historical reads

Nkosazana Hlalethwa
Arts & Entertainment

ontinuing our Reading

series from last term,
The Oppidan Press
spoke to Professor Gavin Keeton of the Economics Faculty
about his favourite books.
Keeton worked as a Business
Economist in Johannesburg
for 25 years after majoring
in History and Economics at
Rhodes University. Then in
2008 he began lecturing at
Rhodes. In his line of work,
Keeton is compelled to spend
a large part of his day reading
about current economics, so
when it comes to reading for
pleasure he strays from the
field of commerce.
Thirteen Hours (Deon Meyer):
Deon Meyers got a whole
series of books and I found
those really fantastic. The best
one is Thirteen Hours. In the
book a detective follows and
solves a case for over 13 hours.
The case is about an American
girl being chased by gangsters

Professor Gavin Keeton.

Photo: NITA PALLETT
in Cape Town. His stuff makes
you never want to go to Cape
Town again.
Shades (Marguerite Poland):
A local person who writes
absolutely well is Marguerite
Poland whom I know
personally. I am from
Grahamstown and I think
her book Shades is beautifully
written on the Eastern Cape.
It is about a parish priest and
missionaries in the late 1800s.
What makes it interesting is
the priests relations with the
black students during a time of
heightened racism. I think it is
done very sensitively.

The Siege (Helen Dunmore):

A book that I have read fairly
recently is called The Siege and
its sequel The Betrayal by Helen
Dunmore. The [first] book is
about the siege of a city called
Leningrad during the Second
World War. It highlights the
ruthlessness of the Germans, the
communist government and the
danger of having power in too
few peoples hands. I found those
themes extraordinarily powerful.
Lamentation (C.J. Sansom):
A rather unusual read of mine
is a series by C.J. Sansom.
Sansom writes a series about
a hunchback lawyer in the
time of Henry XIII. The one I
read most recently was called
Lamentation. The read is
interesting for its political and
religious themes. It is set during
the time Britain was leaving the
Catholic Church. So its about
religion swinging back and
forth depending on what Henry
believed in at the time. One
minute, it was good to read the
Bible the next you would be
sent to jail for reading [it].

The Oppidan Press

Features

The
humane
approach
to beauty
products
Lili Barras-Hargan & Andrea Nevay
Environment
This year, Beauty Without Cruelty (BWC)
celebrates 40 years of fighting animal testing.
Since its establishment in 1975, it has acted as
a regulator of vegan cosmetic goods ranging
from dental care to sun protection products.
However, BWC recently became aware of
South African businesses falsely claiming to be
against animal cruelty and using their logo on
non-vegan products. With this in mind, The
Oppidan Press has identified some of the vegan
products and product lines on the BWC humane
guide available from shops in Grahamstown.
Bio-Oil Clicks, Pick n Pay, Dischem,
Shoprite, Checkers
Bio-Oil is an award-winning vegan skin-care
product that is used to reduce the appearance
of scars, stretch marks and an uneven skin tone,
as well as rehydrate ageing skin. It contains
naturally-derived plant extracts and vitamins
such as Calendula Oil and Vitamin E.

Photo: ASHLIEGH MEY

Oh So Heavenly Clicks
This extensive line of bath and body products
ranges from rich body butters to scented pillow
mists. However, not all of the products in the Oh
So Heavenly line are vegan and approved by the
BWC as some products contain lanolin and hydrolysed keratin. They advise customers to read
the ingredients list carefully before purchasing.
Animal products to look out for include lanolin,
keratin, milk, honey and silk.
Woolworths Bath & Body Products
Woolworths
Among its anti-animal cruelty clothing and food
options, Woolworths also produces vegan cosmetics
and beauty products. Earth-Friendly is an in-house
brand that has been endorsed by BWC and features
goods such as hand cream, facial wash and even
baby bath for sensitive skin.
In order for a product to feature on the BWC humane guide, it must not have been tested on animals
within the last five years and must not contain any
animal products. Parent companies, and their subsidiaries too, must also comply with these criteria.

Haunted:
Part 3 of 3

SA a haven
for cybercrime

Sports

Guide to greenfriendly makeup

Could the media help

save womens sports?
Sandisiwe Magadla

f the numerous sporting channels available on both local

and satellite television, none in
South Africa broadcast the 2015 FIFA
Womens World Cup.
This highlights the issue of mainstream media not awarding female sports
the same coverage as male sports. It also
raises the question of whether sports
media is gender-biased or if there are just
different levels of interest and popularity
for female sports in South Africa.
The Womens Soccer World Cup began
on 6 June and ended on 6 July, with the
United States being crowned the champions. However, the event was not without
its controversies. These included the
introduction of artificial turf as a playing
surface which exposed participants to a
greater risk of injury.
Further controversy was caused by
FIFA awarding the winners $15 million
compared to the $576 million received
by the victorious German mens team in
2014. Controversy also surrounded the
fact that Super Sport and the SABC did
not broadcast the event in South Africa.
When called out by the public on
Twitter about this lack of broadcasting,
Super Sport stated that it had made an
offer for rights to the Womens World
Cup, but could not reach an agreement

on terms with FIFA.

Speaking to the perceived lack of
interest in female sports, Associate Professor of Womens, Gender, and Sexuality
Studies at Purdue University Cheryl
Cooky said that perceptions of how
interesting womens sports [are] come
from the media [which] often portray
mens sports as more interesting.
Cooky further added that this is due to
the higher production values, higherquality coverage and higher-quality
commentary found in mens sport. The
comparative lack of these elements
makes the womens game slower and less
exciting, she said.
However, gender inequality in sports
is clearly also an issue. An example of
gender inequality is seen in the fact that
Banyana Banyana often performs better
than Bafana Bafana, but receives less
media coverage and salaries too low to
sustain a professional career.
According to an article by Solly
Malatsi: Banyana Banyana players earn
between R2 000 and R5 000 per game,
while Bafana Bafana players earn R60
000 for a win and R30 000 for a draw.
Even in Grahamstown, this discrepancy between the genders is evident. For
example, African Connections is the only
non-Rhodes soccer team for women.
Coach Mcebisi Totobela said that finding
a sponsor for the team is difficult even

perceptions
of how
interesting
womens
sports [are]
come from
the media
Cheryl Cooky,
Associate Professor of
Womens, Gender, and
Sexuality Studies at
Purdue University
though the teams record gives them an
edge over their male counterparts.
Soso Makile, a player on the team, did
note, however, that the Grahamstown
community is supportive of the team,
especially in matches against teams from
the Cacadu district.
Clearly, then, while there is some interest and investment in womens sports,
it is often not equal to the interest and
investment in mens sports.
In order to create a more equal playing
field for mens and womens sports, there
needs to be an increase in media coverage of womens sports as this will assist
in promoting the popularity of these
sports teams.

Steep learning curve for Rhodes

rowers at World Student Games
Leonard Solms and Dillon Lutchman
Murray Roodt, Tristan Wentworth, Bradley Betts and mens
Club Captain, Nicholas Greeff the Rhodes mens coxless A
four held their own against some of the worlds best rowers at Julys World Student Games in South Korea, despite
finishing ninth out of nine boats overall in Chungju.
The top two boats from both heats automatically qualified
for the A-division final, while the best of the remaining crews
raced again for the last two places.
South Africa was allocated to the B-division final after substandard performances in the opening races, which Roodt and
Wentworth attributed to nerves. However, the team redeemed
themselves with a third place finish in a time of 6m 19.27s.
This would have been fast enough to qualify them for the A
final in the heats.
South Africa isnt great at varsity rowing in relation to the
rest of the world and at the World Student Games we learned
how to race, said Roodt. He added that rowing facilities in
South Africa were nowhere near the level of those available in
South Korea.
Betts agreed that the crew was still well behind the worlds
elite, saying that they still have a lot of hard training ahead if
they are to become fully competitive international rowers.
The South African team struggled for funding from

University Sports South Africa, with Rhodes University contributing R120 000 to cover costs for their rowers.
According to Roodt, the coxless four were also at a disadvantage in terms of size. For example, Betts was asked if he was
a lightweight, despite all of Rhodess rowers being categorised
as heavyweights.
Despite the challenges they faced, Rhodes Rowing Club
Chairperson Jedrick Theron expressed his pride at the rowers
having competed at such a prestigious event.
Not only do [representatives competing internationally]
give the athletes experience of racing against the worlds best,
it also changes the mindset within the club. It can be hugely
uplifting for fellow rowers to know that the programme that
they are working on is capable of sending them to the top of
South African rowing, Theron said.
Roodt stated that he believed that Betts and Greeff could
go even further with prospects of the 2020 Olympics in sight.
Betts also agreed that this was a realistic goal, but that he is
currently focused on improving his training times and qualifying for next years U23 World Championships taking place in
the Netherlands.
What is certain is that the Rhodes coxless four gained valuable experience in South Korea. According to Wentworth,
students at the university will definitely hear of more Rhodes
crews representing South Africa next year and beyond.

ERRATA: In the last edition, we erroneously reported that the mens A coxless four was training five times per day, when in fact five training
sessions were being spread out over two days. We also misspelled Bradley Betts surname as Bett. We apologise for the errors.

12 teams represented Rhodes across South Africa during USSA, in

sports such as hockey, rugby and netball. Photo: JOSHUA OATES

Rhodes turns heads

at USSA tournaments
Nthutuko Mlondo and Gabi
Bellairs-Lombard
The annual University Sports
South Africa (USSA) started
in June this year with Rhodes
entering 12 teams to compete
across the various disciplines.
Contests were hosted by campuses across the country and results
signified an improvement in the
standard of sport displayed by
the Rhodes teams.
The Rhodes mens and womens
hockey teams kicked off the
tournament on 28 June at the
University of KwaZulu-Natal in
Pietermaritzburg, competing in
the B-division. After a week of
strong competition, both hockey
teams finished in third place.
The Rhodes Dancesport team
also proved themselves at the
Vanderbijlpark campus of the Vaal
University of Technology, coming
in at third place in the overall
competition and walking away
with 11 bronze medals.
Starting a day later on 29 June,
the Rhodes Golf teams were
commendable in Port Shepstone,
earning spots in the top 10 teams
of the B-division in the overall
competition. Also notable is the
Stroke Play Award won by the B
team, while the A team ended the
competition in eighth place.
The Rhodes Rugby team put
on an excellent display at the
University of Johannesburg (UJ),
finishing sixth out of a total of 32
teams. Captain Matthew Kingers commented on the teams
participation in the B-division,

despite being classified as a Cdivision team, saying that the

odds were stacked against us from
the outset.
The Rhodes Rugby side played
against Varsity Cup side Nelson
Mandela Metropolitan University
and lost 61-5. However, they did
not let this knock them down as
they bounced back to beat Fort
Hare 10-5.
UJ also saw the Rhodes Netball
team perform extremely well,
finishing in fourth place overall.
Also in Johannesburg, at Wits
University, the mens Squash team
completed the competition in
fourth place.
A further notable performance
was by the Rhodes Pool club.
Womens team captain Reitumetse
Nkhahle lauded her double teams
efforts after coming second out
of seven. Vuyokwazi Twani and
I came second in the doubles
category and I was number six
overall, she said. This allowed
Nkhahle to travel to Cape Town as
part of the USSA All Star Team.
Unfortunately, the Rhodes
Basketball team was not able
to take part in the tournament.
Mens captain, Dumisani Lepule,
explained that the team decided
to pull out due to injuries affecting certain players and because of
other unforeseen circumstances.
Spokespeople from the remaining teams were not available for
comment, but it is evident from
the results alone that teams representing Rhodes at their respective
tournaments can be proud of their
performances.