Vol. 2 No. 4 17 May 2012

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OPEN DAY 2012

NWU Vaal Student 24/7 www.nwu.ac.za studentenews@gmail.com

2 EDITOR’S LETTER 17 May 2012

Kinga Siejek

To study, or not to study...

What a busy month!

It began with Open Day. Months of planning, leading to one day of chaotic fun. All Faculty and staff welcomed future great minds in one location, our Campus, to show its beauty and all it has to offer. Student 24/7 was there to capture all the highlights, and join in on the fun as well. Dressed as Native American Indians, the journalists took photos of anyone and ev-eryone; students seemed interested and ex-cited to join our family.

The second major event for this month was the graduation ceremonies from 8 to 11 May. Our new Alumni were treated to a beautiful hall where they were treated like VIP’s. There were some tears; cheering and many glammed up ladies and gents. For more photos and infor-mation about the graduation, have a look at our Graduation Edition next week.

The third main event is that of the upcoming exams. Have a page through to find articles on how to study, and the best ways to cope with exam stress. Keep a lookout out for the June edition, which will be filled with information on anything you might want or need to know about the June exams. Have some questions now? Not a problem! Send any exam questions to studentnewshelp@gmail.com, and we will re-ply to you as soon as we can.

Now let me leave you, so you may enjoy the rest of the paper!

GOOD LUCK!

The world and exams...

Vuvu’s Soapbox...

3VUVU’S SOAPBOX17 May 2012

Quack!

The month of May has my head in a spin! Why? It seems as if there aren’t enough days on the calendar to fit all the events that are tak-ing place… Open Day; Graduation; residence fun and exam preparations! What is a goose to do? So many places to be, yet so little time…

The inner-philosopher in me (yes, even I some-times delve into the realm of academia) find myself contemplating the concept of time – I mean we spend it, think about it and dedicate it to important events. It belongs to everyone (apart from Grandpa Goose… when he starts talking about his days as a young gosling he seems to have the supernatural ability to make time stand still for all of us! I wonder how he always seems to know when I want to watch television at Verries hall, since he chooses that particular time to start reminiscing about days gone by…). Anyway, back to me pondering the concept of time. They say time flies when one is having fun and I agree… feathers and all. Take the recent Open Day as an example. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t had so much fun since… well, RAG. Apart from watch-ing the newbies tiptoeing around the campus; the student leaders dressed to the letter in their formal wear (o, how I whish I had a residence blazer) and the crazy antics of the Student 24/7 editiorial team (who went completely feathers and pitched up for the Open Day dressed as native American Indians) the day was a huge success. The fact that me and my feathered friends’ and cousins’ presence lead to many delightful tidbits to eat (I think we might have scared some of the young ones with our honk-ing and hissing) also contributed to a fun day. Surely, little old me, does not scare anyone (apart from the ducks at Building 4… but they had it coming).

During the graduation ceremonies – that took place during the second week of May, I found myself – once again, contemplating my life and the time I have spend on the Vaal Triangle Campus. You see, I am what academics of-ten refer to as being a ‘historic’ student. I just love this place so much that I can’t even think about the possibility of me leaving the nest. The mere thought of this makes my throat turn dry, my eyes go watery and my feathers fall out… in short: a sure recipe for a mental and physical goose meltdown! This is way I choose to spend my time NOT thinking about it and rather celebrate with those brave students who face the world of work head-on. Congratula-tions to everyone who shone during the gradu-ation ceremonies – you make us very proud (and insanely jealous… since yours truly has never donned a black Oxford graduation gown, even though I am told that black suits my com-plexion very well).

On the subject of fair complexions… Several residences have crowned their most beautiful members and boy, do we have some lookers on the campus! Pardon a goose for looking twice but the competition is going to be fierce at the end of the year for the Mr. and Miss. NWU Vaal. Whoever said that true beauty lies within definitely did not roam our campus! And, before you start hissing at me… I do agree that personality, flair and good heartedness are im-portant… Quack!... in fact, myself (being the handsome goose, I am) is well aware of the pressures placed on true beauty…

During April and May, I lost two tail feathers – one for each of our dear friends who passed away. The entire campus community – feath-ered, hoofed and scaled, will miss Sasha Westcott and Tsietsi Mokoena dearly.

17 May 2012FROM THE RECTOR’S OFFICE4

Dear Students

Time is a very precious commodity and as such should be treated with due respect.

The month of May, in many instances, is symbolic of the live cycle of a student. During the annual Open Day (which took place on the 5th of May) the Campus welcomed a new generation of potential students whilst the campus community bid farewell to graduates during the week long graduation celebrations held from the 8th to the 11th of May at the Quest Conference Estate. The sudden and un-timely deaths of two of our students – Sa-sha Westcott and Tsietsi Mokoena , also reminds us of the fleeting nature of time and the importance of making every sec-ond count.

A word of hearty congratulations to each graduate and newest members of the campus’s Alumni fraternity. It is my wish that you will forever cherish your associa-tion with the Vaal Triangle Campus and be architects of change and prosperity wherever you might find yourself in the world of work. Looking back on your stay at the campus you are left with so much more than academic knowledge – just

contemplate the experiences you encoun-tered, the lifelong friendships you have made and the culture of lifelong learning you now subscribe to.

During the month of May you will start preparing for the June examinations. Re-member if you apply patience the un-reachable will become reachable, the un-available will become available and the unattainable… well, attainable. Study hard and diligently and envision yourself walk-ing across the stage at your graduation ceremony for added motivation. Let the success of those who came before you serve as inspiration and stay true to the philosophy of Walt Disney, the founder of the Disney dynasty, who believed that if you can dream it, you can do it!

Good luck with your endeavours during the month of May and spend your time wisely and with intend.

Kind regardsProf. Thanyani Mariba

17 May 2012 CAMPUS NEWS 5

Mpho Nakana

Lerato Lempe

I’m sure we would all agree that tertiary studies are not easy; so it’s always good to have that support to help you cope with all the academics. That is why there are affiliated bodies on campus, to help make the experience a bit more bear-able and manageable. The BA Committee is there to as-sist and add academic value to students who are study-ing courses in the Humanities Faculty, thereby, making the varsity journey easier.

The B.A. Committee states that their aim and vision is to establish a working relation-

BA Committee helping studentsship with students in the Hu-manities Faculty, together with accomplishing good stan-dards, and rating it as the best on our Campus. “Our aim is to provide information about each BA field, which is acces-sible to every BA student, and assist first years in facing daily obstacles in their new environ-ments, making academics en-joyable”.During the year the BA Com-mittee will be hosting events such as debating and mentor-ship days where profession-als from different fields in the Social Sciences will share in-formation about what their jobs entail. The Committee is also planning field trips to various

The Student Christian Fellowship (SCF) hosted its first ever Gospel Music Festival on 28 April at building 6. The festival featured gospel art-ists such as Papane from Spirit of Praise, For-tune from the Vaal Community Choir, Shakes & Friends, Shano and many more great artists.

The theme for the event was the 60’s; and everyone came out looking stylish and vin-tage. The venue too was also decorated in the theme. The SCF treasurer, Fedile Rampaku said; “I had the best time since I’ve been part of SCF, the event was mind blowing!”

The whole purpose of the event was to raise funds for their upcoming annual conference which will take place from10 to 12 August 2012; and even though the turnout was not what that they had anticipated, they managed to meet their financial target.

SCF is a Christian fellowship “student church” which was founded more than a decade ago

by NWU alumni and is still going strong with students flocking in yearly wanting to be part of this phenomenal society. You can join them ev-ery Sunday from 09:30 – 12:30 or you can at-tend their day scholar services every Wednes-day from 11:00 –12:00.

Explosive Praise and Worship Music Festival

institutions so that students can have a look and experi-ence where they can work at the end of their studies.

Students can contact:Facebook page- BACommit-tee 2012 Brains@WorkVuyelwa Qobo: Deputy Chair-person - vuvuq@yahoo.comNokwazi Sibeko: PRO & Con-stitutional Officer - sibekonok-wazi@yahoo.com

EVENTS15 May – BA Communications Workshop16 May - Debate: B.A. vs BCom24 May - Collect-a-can Food Day

17 May 2012CAMPUS NEWS6

Mpho Nakana

It is said that you don’t know where you’re going unless you understand where you come from. This is why Queen Seitshiro, Leboha Manoto and a group of their friends saw the need to start a movement which would encourage the youth to start learning about their roots.

“We focus on African history and encourage informal learning such as reading African his-tory books. Basically we promote conscious-ness,” said Seitshiro, the chairperson of the movement. The RAS movement also supports artistry, in order to promote and embrace peo-ple’s creativity, because they feel that the abil-ity to create is a gift from God.

“The people who join the RAS Movement will gain spiritual consciousness, experience hu-manity, and character enlightenment so that

they can d i s c o v e r who they are from their roots up to their future. “The movement seeks to be a platform that helps us draw out

our divine purpose in this generation. They will also get an opportunity to develop as artists.”

Throughout the year the movement will be tak-ing trips to museums which encourage African history, and places of historical importance like the Credo Mutwa Village in Soweto. They as-pire to participate in local events and competi-tions such as the Macufe Arts Festival. Executive members:Chairperson- Queen SeitshiroVice Chairperson- Mandla dipanyekgaTreasurer- Sibusiso SekwatiTransformation and acting PRO- Leboha ManotoGeneral Secretary- Precious PalediDeputy Record Keeper- Dumisane Nkolonzi

The movement has meetings every Friday at the big Lapa, and can be contacted on Queen Seitshiro’s e-mail 20470185@nwu.ac.za

EVENTThe RAS Movement will be hosting a launch on 24 May. “This event will be featuring per-forming artists from the campus as well as out-side campus; and displaying unique collections such as jewellery, clothing and decorations from various artists. These will also be avail-able for sale.” Everyone is welcome to attend the launch, and those who want to display their work on the day are invited and should contact the chairperson, Queen Seitshiro: 20470185@nwu.ac.za

RAS making roots

They can easily be identified by their bright lemon T-shirts. These are the Ch@s members of the Vaal Campus. They are the campus nav-igators - if you need spiritual guidance, strug-gle financially or academically. These are the people you can connect with depending on the uniqueness of your situation and problem. The campus boasts all those wells of assistance and it is this group`s mandate and mission to Connect Helpers @nd Students (CH@S).

On Saturday, 21 April, Ch@s members un-

Kenneth Modise

Ch@s kicking off the year with a do-it-now spiritderwent training under the capable and warm hands of Reverend Telane and the Director of Student Development, Harm Stavast. The Saturday did not feel long enough for the in-teresting agenda; students in attendance had to rush off to write tests, while others had the pressure of assignments and preparing for Monday’s classes.

Why then would one go to such an extreme extent of sitting through a non-course related session amid such a hectic week and workload.

Turn to page 7

17 May 2012 CAMPUS NEWS 7

They said obviously for the similar reasons that some students spend their last money for groceries on partying or even better; compro-mising a whole twenty four hours of studying to party or for boyfriends or girlfriends.

Reverend Knox Telane outlined how important it is for students to major with the majors and minor with the minors, and to also subscribe to social life related sacrifices. He said that weekends in Varsity are no longer the same as weekends in high school. In Varsity, we work throughout the weekend, throughout the night. He also urged students to take care of them-selves and avoid ‘phuza’ faces; the first im-pression lasts so an alcohol written face would

Ch@s event continued from page 6 not impress a prospective employer, even if one possesses the required qualities and qual-ifications. The Reverend said students should work harder and get their priorities right.

The event proceeded through the day until the fun was spoiled by the buses leaving for the residences and taxis going to places as far as Mkhalele and Sebokeng. On his clos-ing note the Reverend expressed his concern that some students would leave Varsity without even having been students. He said students should be all rounded and take charge of their lives through the transitions they go through. Students in attendance left the event in high and satisfied spirits.

2011 was a promising year at the library talent show, where two university bands were pre-sented. Shades of Grey, a smooth sounding experience and Pyromantic, a rocking revela-tion to behold.

They also performed at the Student Centre in 2011, and were well received by the students with promises of future performances were made for 2012. But it seems the bands are now singing a different tune altogether.

Since the start of Varsity, nothing has been heard of them. The bands were planning to perform at the RAG but plans weren’t followed through and they missed a good opportunity to come back with a bang. The only sound we hear from our university bands are the sounds of silence; and with exams on the horizon, it seems like this year the students won’t hear from them this semester.

When asked why nothing is happening, Charl Wannenburg (lead singer of Pyromantic) re-plied: “Plans were made but the whole process fell flat and there seems to be no communica-tion between the band members and the or-ganizers of the events we were supposed to perform at. We were informed about the RAG’s date only a week before it was said to take

place, and that didn’t give us enough time to practice”. Shades of Grey was not available for comment.

It’s sad but true. The bands won’t be perform-ing this semester and we’ll just have to wait and see if there is any news of a comeback next semester. Hopefully we can look forward to listening to some local university music to help us get through the second stretch of the year. We at Student 24/7 hope to hear from the bands soon!

University bands playing sounds of silencePaul Kriel

17 May 20128 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Die ongelooflike avonture van KarolaniaWith all the International Students that grace our Campus every year; we thought it fitting to learn more about them and their thoughts of South Africa. Two International Students, Karolina and Ania (Karolania), started a blog of their adventures from leaving Poland, to rocking out at music festivals.Have a read to learn what they think about our home. *The text has been translated from Polish to English.

Welcome everybody, after a short absence!Our informants in Poland are telling us that the May weather is typical African weather and ev-eryone is happy.

We also have a long weekend, 27/04, for Free-dom Day, and on Saturday and Sunday, we went to the MK bydiedam Festival. We went with two Belgium friends, Yannick and Wouter, who are in South Africa working on their re-search for their Master degrees (at the same University where Jo studied).

Thanks to fantastic, awesome, amazing Had-dad, we got VIP tickets, which meant we would be able to meet all the stars at the festival, with food and drinks being free and a brilliant party.Because most of our bloggers are not interest-ed in South African music, we won’t get into too many details. In short – the biggest hits were Jack Parrow, Karen Zoid, Aking and Goodluck. On Sunday, Karolina was impressed with Die Heuwels Fantasties (the best concert ever; better than the KKNK. Moreover, they were impressed when I told them that during Afri-kaans classes in Poland, we listen to their mu-sic), Ashtray Electric and Zebra & Giraffe. The Scoundrels also gave a good show, and I had the pleasure of meeting them after the concert. The biggest flop was Ekhouvanjou, okay!

Of course the ‘Polish card’ always works – Francios van Coke was telling his friends that he knows two Polish girls and they came for the most important African festival. The drum-mer from The Scoundrel couldn’t believe that a Polish girl was explaining to him all the mira-cles and wonders of African culture. We man-aged to buy CD’s for a discounted price when the merchant found out that a Polish girl knew songs from Jack Parrow, and the list went on.There were lots of ‘ohhhs’ and ‘ahhhs’ when

30 April 2012we told them that people can study South Afri-can Philology in faraway Poland. We also met with Jacaranda presenter, Vicky Jankowiak, who is a Polish lady born in Vanderbijlpark.

PS Wow... I just found out that we have almost 6,000 views on our blog... you people rock!

17 May 2012 9HEALTH

Roche Artz

Doing it for healthOn Wednesday, 18 April, our campus health centre hosted the “Go Green Student Well-ness 2012” health event which took place from 09:00, at the parking lot near the student cen-tre. Students had the opportunity to enquire on various health and wellbeing matters from the service providers who attended the event.

Of the service providers who attended the event, the HEAID programme provided incen-tives for students who participated. HEAID sponsored the HIV/AIDS programme where students could do their HIV testing as part of the “First Things First” campaign. The aim of this campaign was particularly for first year students to know their HIV status. Campus Health nurse, Sr Mapeete Mulumba said that her expectations were to see students know-ing their current health status and doing some-thing about it. She said, “Students should be-come responsible about their health and apply what they’ve learnt here today”.

One of our campus affiliated societies, CH@S, who participated at the event, said that there aim for the day was to educate students on the use of contraceptives and also to remove the myths people have regarding contraceptives. Chairperson of CH@S, Thabo Lebakeng, said “We’re mainly targeting female students who are pregnant.” He also asserted, “You can’t be pregnant alone. The guy also gets pregnant”.

The Organ Donors Foundation, “Gift of Life”, were there to educate students of the possibil-ity of organ and tissue donation, and answer queries students had regarding organ dona-tion. Elize Scheepers, co-ordinator of the or-ganisation said that people don’t understand the whole concept of organ donation. She said, “There’s a lot of misconception as to what organ and tissue donation is, and why people should consider donating”. Scheepers said that it’s important to donate one’s organs. She said “it’s to help save a life and to give the gift of life”.

Campus Student Representative Council

Health and Safety Officer, Sylise de Silva, said that students showed a lot of interest and want-ed to know their wellbeing. She said “Students should make wise choices regarding their well-being. They should look after themselves and maintain a healthy lifestyle”.

Marelize de Klerk, first year, BE.d student said “I think it was very interesting. It was my first time and I will come again”. Dahné Brown, first year, BE.d student said “The event was good and I liked it”. Gugulethu Nkonde, 1st year, BA (Law) student said that she wanted to know more on cancer as for her, it is heredi-tary. Nkonde said “I wanted to know if I am at risk and am pleased I got the info I wanted”.

Lesang Moholobela, Community Mobiliser for CANSA (Cancer Association of South Africa) said that the event was very good and the re-sponse was great. She said “The students showed interest and that’s why I’ll come again”.In a final interview with Sr Mulumba, towards the end of the event, she said that the event was a success and has been well attended. She said “The highlight on HIV testing is what the event was targeting and most students were to do HIV, glucose, and epilepsy tests”. Sr Mulumba indicated that the primary setback of the event was that it took place during the week and students had to attend class. She said “During the week it is a constraint and the challenge was with the queuing”.

Nonetheless, Sr Mulumba said that the service providers were excellent. She said “They re-ally did their best and did it for free. They were patient, and will certainly come again”.

17 May 2012HEALTH10

Roche Artz

Kelebogile MopeloaBirth control is a method used to prevent preg-nancy. Another word that is commonly used is ‘contraceptive’. The only way to prevent un-planned pregnancy is to abstain. Otherwise, finding a good method of birth control you can help you avoid an unplanned pregnancy.

During the Wellness Event that took place on campus on 18 April, birth control was one of the main topics of the day.

Kelebogile Serobane, together with Purity Ngwenya, members of the Ch@s Society on Campus, were the ladies heading up the birth control campaign on that day.

“The purpose of this specific campaign is that we, together with the health services on Cam-pus, are raising the awareness of birth control for both men and women, since this topic af-fects both. We want to extend their knowledge on the usage of various contraceptive meth-ods,” says Serobane.

According to Ngwenya, students should be open to the idea of birth control in order to help reduce the rate of unplanned pregnancies on Campus. “It is important that students learn more about this social issue since it affects their studies, and it is unfortunate that most of them shy away from the topic,” explains Ngwe-nya.

Serobane and Ngwenya illustrated three of the various contraceptive methods namely Peta-gon Fresenius - a shot that can be taken every three months but only recommended for wom-en who already have children; Nur-lsterate- can be taken every two months recommended for women with no children; and contraceptive pills which are much safer because they don’t have any side effects, however they have to be taken within the same time everyday until one decides have children.

For more information, students are advised to visit the clinic and speak to Sister Mapeete Mulumba, who will assist with information re-garding this topic.

Until you’re ready: be smart

On Wednesday, 25 April, out-side Verries Hall, the Vice-Prim Health and Safety Officer for Jasmyn, Ntswaki Tlokotsi, and Karabelo Ntsie, from the Stu-dent Christian Fellowship, held a Soberness Campaign, which took place from 11:00.

Those who were involved in helping with the campaign were the Jasmyn and Verries HK’s, the Chairperson of Health & Safety Committee, Sylise da Silva and Karabelo Ntsie from Student Christian Fellowship, who staged a drama act por-traying how substance abuse

affects students.

Guest included SANCA (South African National Council on Alcoholism) who were the main speakers of the event, while motivational speakers included Student Recruiter at our Marketing Department, Mr Knox Telane, and students who gave testimony.

In an interview with da Silva and Tlokotsi, the reason for the event, was “to inform students about the damages of drugs and alcohol and how it affects one’s academics, health and spiritual life. da Silva said that the campaign helped those who wanted to know of the dangers and consequences of

Sober up drugs and alcohol. “Personal-ly, it evoked me and motivated me to actually stay away from substances”, she said. Tlokot-si said, “There were students who were amazed especially from the effects of smoking hubbly”.

Students received information by listening to the speeches, with students also having the opportunity to ask their own questions. Pamphlets detail-ing where one could go for help were also made available.Da Silva said that the cam-paign was effective and served its purpose. “We hope that students will implement what they’ve learnt at the event”, she said.

17 May 2012 11CSRC

As from Monday 14.05.2012, NWU Vaal Triangle Campus students who are on NSFAS and who qualify for books and meals (according to the means test) will receive books and meals, R 5,000.00 per student (i.e. R3,000.00 for meals and R2,000.00 for books).

It must be noted that the chal-lenges that are facing us as a campus are issues that face and affect most institutions of higher learning in South Africa. With the high influx of students from historically disadvan-taged communities, we face a challenge whereby there are not sufficient/adequate resources to provide NFSAS financial packages. With that being said, it does not mean that we as student leadership must just accept that students must suffer because of lack of funding.

That is why we are in constant engagements with manage-ment in trying to find solutions for these obstacles and thorny issues. The institution went to an extent of requesting more packages from the Depart-ment of Higher Education to ensure that more students are assisted.

*On residences, the SRC has a long term plan for accom-modation which its fruits will be witnessed as of the 2013 aca-demic year; funds have been

applied for by the institution for accommodation.

The SRC would also like to remind students that the sole purpose of us being at Univer-sity is to study, and pass with good marks, all students who obtain goods marks receive a merit bursary and the institu-tion does assist students who perform well.

It must be noted that the gov-ernment of SA is failing stu-dents not the SRC of NWU Vaal, it is the role of the gov-ernment particularly the De-partment of Higher Education and Training to make resourc-es available to students i.e. Bursaries (NSFAS and etc).

With the above being said, stu-dents must be careful not to be misled and be used by dis-gruntled fellows who want to advance their selfish interests and gain popularity on the ac-count of fellow students. The role of Student Political Struc-tures in Institutions of Higher Learning is to help the Institu-tion and SRC to pressurize the government to provide more resources to their institutions.

Meal-a-day

The meal a day project will be running before exams. Quali-fying students will receive their wizzit cards worth R600 per

month for meal a day.

Criteria to qualify:-Needy students-Both parents not working or deceased-No bursaryNB. Background check will be done to all applicants.

From NWU Vaal Triangle CampusStudent Representative Coun-cil.

TJE SABALELECAMPUS STUDENT REP-RESENTATIVE COUNCIL: PRESIDENT

From the CSRC desk:NSFAS and Meal-a-day

For more information, contact:

Zakhele GamedeStudent AffairsTel: 016 910 3198

Or visit Builing 5The SCRC complex

17 May 201212 ADVERTISEMENT

17 May 2012 STUDENT 911 13

Mpho Nakana

Student Corner: Study advice from those who know

Exams can get quite stressful at times, espe-cially if it’s your first year in Varsity and you’re still trying to adjust to the new format of doing things. I asked a few senior students and some of the affiliated societies to share some tips on how one can cope with one’s first year, since they’ve been down that road before.

“Prepare at the begin-ning (of the year) and do your homework, so that the mind can en-gage with the work. That way, when it’s exam time, you’ve al-ready done the work before. Don’t study just before exams and remember that the

work you do now continues through the years,” explained Bontle Dithebe, third year BCom Ac-counting student.

“I think first year is fun, but not so fun when you get your results at the end of the year and realise that you have to repeat some modules in the next year. So they should focus on their school work and study hard because it is worth it at the end.” Musa

Maduna, third year BCom Sport and Recre-ation Management.

“Don’t stress too much. Prepare...take enough time to study but don’t overwork. And do not study the day before the test because that will only confuse you.”- Pero Joubert, second year in Politics.

“Procrastination is the thief of time. There is a lot of work so it’s always wise to make notes. Do not focus on the ‘half past one’, and give your best so that you do not have to carry over any modules unnecessarily. Keep your eye on the ball and do what works for you.” BA Com-mittee.

“Exams are an opportu-nity to pave a way into the future that you want, be-cause if you fail then you have no degree. Do not sacrifice time, it is never regained.” RAS Society.

17 May 2012INSPIRATION14

Mpho Nakana

Look to the Future By Leah Harlow

Look to the futureDetach from the past

Let the people goStart anew this time

Look to the futureLove like it’ll last

Dream like it’s foreverNo more envy

Look to the futureHave the star lifeLearn from others

Take it in

Look to the futureBe proud with yourself

No more liesNo more disguises

Look to the future Solve the unresolvedBe someone’s firefly

Stop living for yourself

Look to the futureBe the person

You dream to beStop fantasizing

Look to the futureIt’s only gets brighter

From here on outDetach from the past

Look to the future

My Future By Lekadabra Fadimu

I want to have a future as Bright as the morning glory.

That does not need too much struggle, A future I’ll be proud to call mine,

a future that will bring me a glorious honour.

I want to have a future, A future that is above me,

as my yesterday sorry full of sorrow, and my today full of struggle,

so will my future and tomorrow stories will be full of happiness and joy.

I want to have a future as sweet as honey,

A future which I’ve been working for, even if it takes part of my body

I don't care but determination with time will surely take me there.

MY FUTURE WILL BE BRIGHT, I AM SURE

17 May 2012 EVENTS 15

A Dam(n) good show with MKThe weekend of 27 April was not a quiet one. Sounds of music and partying were echoing from the Vaal Dam as people joined MK for a rock-filled weekend with lots of South African talent kicking up a storm and creating a rock-ing atmosphere. Student 24/7 was there to see what happened on this festive weekend.

The MK bydiedam festival was held from 27 to 29 April with up to 36 bands playing through the weekend. Some famous names that were there included: Moses Metro Man, Van Coke Kartel, Klopjag, Aking, Jack Parow, Flash Re-public, Winterstasie, Karen Zoid, Die Heuwels Fantasties and Fokofpolisiekar.

But it wasn’t all about bands. There were stalls and other activities to enjoy as well. Jet skiing, boat rides, amusement rides, camping and even a hookah (hubbly bubbly) lounge was present on the grounds!

The Sunday show was the best, according to some, because that was when Die Heuwels Fantasties and Fokofpolisiekar performed; and it was evident by the way the enthusiastic crowd cheered for the two bands to come up on stage. Die Heuwels Fantasties gave an epic

show, playing such classics as Pille vir Kers-fees, Leja, Nare Kaskenades, Oorlewing 101 and Francois Van Coke(lead singer of Fokof-polisiekar) made a cameo appearance on the song Sonrotse, which made people scream for more.

After a long, the band everyone was waiting for the whole day has finally come up on stage. Fokofpolisiekar. People went crazy as they be-gan with some classic old tunes like Tevrede, Illusie van Veiligheid, Tiny Town, Tienereinde, Antibiotika and their anthem song Fokof-polisiekar.

It was like the biggest karaoke ever witnessed as every single person in the crowd sang along to the lyrics as Polisiekar rocked the stage for a solid hour and a half. They ended their per-formance with a new song they recorded this year called Dagdronk.

And so the MK bydiedam ended with a bang to remember the next day with hung-over heads and all. This is but the first of many festivals to come as MK has planned to make this festival an annual event at the Vaal dam, so in case you missed it this year, you can count on the next one!

Paul Kriel

16 EVENTS 17 May 2012

Roche Artz

On Saturday, 14 April, our cam-pus hosted the much anticipat-ed event of the year, the RAG (Reach-out And Give). The event took place at the RAG farm from 14H00 to 02H00, and R70-00 granted you en-trance. This year’s theme was the masquerade, with the mentality of Y.O.L.O (You Only Live Once).

The event started out with live band performances by Bruno, Changing Face, and Wake to Wonder DJs who played in-cluded the likes of international DJ, Harrison Crump, DJ Kent, DJ Warrace, and DJ Speed-

The RAG took placesta along with many other lo-cal djs. Toya Delazy featured at the event too. Among sing-ing her other songs, she per-formed her song “Pump it On”. Before singing this song, she described it as “a song that’s for someone who goes through tough and rough times, and when life crushes you down”.

An RnB /Hip Hop group, King Hood, from Alberton (Johan-nesburg), performed too. It was their first performance in the Vaal. Ground Zero, a dance crew, entertained the crowd with their crumping. For most part of the event, Psyfs was the MC. Khanyi Mbau MC’d much later. At Mbau’s

entrance on stage, the crowd was excited to see her, and broke the tape which was used to barricade the standard pay-ing audience from those who purchased VIP tickets.

Special features at the event included the Castle Lite Mobile Ice Bar, where one could expe-rience the extra cold refresh-ment of Castle Lite and win a prize. The party bus which was reserved for the VIP’s, had its own music playing and its own bar. In the VIP lounge, one could play games on the Xboxes and PS3s

There were some artists like Liquid Deep, Lulo Café, who were advertised as artists who will be performing at the RAG, but did not pitch.

Mr and Miss Thuthuka Pageant a winnerRoche Artz

On Thursday, 3 May, the Thuthuka residence hosted their Mr and Miss Thuthuka pageant in the Verries Hall. An amount of R5-00 gave you en-trance to be a spectator of the event. Though the event was scheduled to take place from 18H00, from approximately 19H00, the show was well on its way.

After an opening of a prayer, Thuthuka’s Prim, Sandra Radebe, made an apology for the delay, and welcomed the crowd. The MCs for the show included Duke, from Eldo’s FM, in Johannesburg, and Nthabiseng Semudi, 3rd year, BA (Psychology) student. The panel of judges consist-

ed of Lethiwe Kubheka, from Student Affairs, Lungile Ma-sango, PRIM of the Santrust Residence, and Tshegofatso Thlaoele, former PRIM of Longfellow.

The evening was filled with singing and poetry. Contes-tants had a run of casual wear, inspirational wear, and eve-ning wear.

In the ladies category, Lawren-cia Thokoa, 2nd year, BA (Lan-guage Practice & Communi-cation) student was crowned Miss Thuthuka, while Bernice du Preez, 1st year, BCom (Risk Management) student was crowned as first princess, and Paballo Moorosi, 1st year, BA (Communication) student

was crowned as 2nd princess.

In the men’s category, Xan-der Hibbert, 1st year BA Sci-ences student, was crowned as Mr Thuthuka, while Bembe Mpumelelo, 1st year, Eco-nomics Management student, was crowned as first prince, and Herman Steyn, 1st year, BCom (Sports) was crowned as second prince.

17EVENTS17 May 2012

The Faranani residence held their 2nd annual Mr & Miss Faranani at the Faranani hall on 28 April, with the event sponsored by Red Square Re-loaded. The guest judges were Nthabiseng Semudi (Arts & Culture Santrust HK),Palesa Mokoena (Arts & Culture Thuthuka HK), Reabacoe Tha-bane (a professional model). The event’s presenters were Amo and Rene.

The overall purpose of such events is to improve student life and to build self-esteem among students. Confidence, beauty, brains, the ability to an-swer questions well, the walk and of course the smiles were characteristics that the contes-tants were judged upon.

A judging criteria was followed but these elements were the ones that stood out the most. “The event was better than we expected , the contestants were committed and dedicat-ed until the end and people showed up more than we an-ticipated since it was the long weekend said Deliwe Msibi, the event organiser and 2nd princess from last year.

The winners are:Portia Phele (Queen), Thato Mokoena (1nd princess), Hlapile Ma-dini (2nd princess). Nkosi Hlatshwayo(King,) Jonathan Sikhosana (1st Prince) Ntan-do Hendrick Sikhosana (2nd prince). Nkosi said, ‘The whole experience was exciting, more especially after I heard my

Meet the new Mr and Miss FarananiLerato Lempe name being announced and

the crowd cheering. So yeah it really feels good having the title,” with Queen Portia say-ing, ‘’I am just grateful that I was chosen to be the Queen of Faranani, to think it was my first pageant and I happened to win it. I’m just honestly and truthfully grateful”.

One of the contestants, Cassie Billa said, “Well, entering Mr & Miss Faranani was a fun and learning experience, I was doubtful that I was going to win. Even though I didn’t win, I learnt a lot about myself; I’m a model and I won’t stop model-ling”.

17 May 2012EVENTS18

Roche Artz

Mr and Miss Santrust

On Thursday, 26 April, the Santrust residence held their Mr and Miss Santrust pageant, in the Santrust Hall. The MC for the event was Thabang, a.k.a “Moferefere”.

In an interview with the Prim of Santrust, Lungile Masango, he said “The event was what we anticipated and for me it was a success”. With more than a hundred and fifty attendees, the event comprised of poets, people who sang, hip-hoppers, and dancers who entertained the crowd.

According to Masango, the

objectives of the event were “To host the event itself, to let people know about Santrust and who we are, to promote culture and interaction of our residence, and to show that Santrust has talent”.

Some of the challenges they experienced were that of the sound equipment and contes-tants arriving late. Masango said, “Such events can’t start without proper sound, and there were contestants who had to write tests”.

In the ladies category, Refiloe Kadi, 2nd year, B.Ed student was crowned Miss Santrust,

On Thursday, 12 April, from 18:00, Jasmyn along with Vergelegen (Verries) residence, held the Miss Jasmyn and Mr Vergelegen pageant.

The two MCs for the evening included Botle Mo-koena, 2nd year, BA (Public Governance & Poli-tics) student, from Jasmyn residence, and James Ncedani, BCom (Entrepreneurship & Marketing) (Hons), from Verries residence. Student Affairs Di-rector, Mr Jacob Simango, who also attended the event said, “It’s the first time we are having a beau-ty pageant. It lets us see our campus on the map, in terms of producing beautiful men and ladies, and be ambassadors of the North West University Vaal Triangle Campus.”

In the ladies category, the winner who was crowned as Miss Jasmyn 2012 is Mathapelo Montshioa, 1st year, BA (Social Works). The 1st princess is Lin-ray Plaaitjies, 1st year, BEd (Intermediary & Senior Phase) student, while the 2nd princess is Mathope Gugushe, 1st year, BA (Psychology & Sociology)

student.

In the gent’s category, the winner who was crowned as Mr Verries, was Brian Kheswa, 1st year, BCom (Sports Management) student. The 1st prince was Sechaba Montshitsi, 3rd year, BCom (Economics & International Trade) student, and Micheal Tladi, 3rd year, BA (Public Management/Human Rela-tions/Labour Relations) student, was crowned as second prince.

while Lebogang Phala, 1st year, BCom (Economics & Risk Management) student was crowned first princess, and Portia Kulashe, 1st year, BCom (CA) student was crowned as 2nd princess.

In the men’s category, How-ard Mababala, 1st year, B.Ed student was crowned as Mr Santrust, while Maxwell Pe-ter, 1st year, B.Ed student was crowned as first prince, and Kabelo Skhejane, 3rd year, BCom (Economics & Risk Management) student was crowned as second prince.

In a final word with Masango, he said, “Be scared, Santrust is coming for the number one spot”.

Miss Jasmyn and Mr Verries PageantRoche Artz

17 May 2012 PONDERING PEARL 19

Pondering Pearl...

Flying to the RAG Farm!!!

RAG 2012

Practisin

g

poses

Check up on wings...

A-OK!!

Stock up on Redbull!

It DOES give you wings!

Having some fun in the VIP bus!

Making new friends!!

Meeting Celebs!Me & Toya Delazy!!! Masquerade Gang

17 May 2012SA NEWS20

Dear mom…

Every home needs a mother, even a campus as big as our own. The female staff at our campus are there to guide and protect us; and now it is time to show our appreciation.

This month our country cel-ebrated Mother’s Day, and as students of the Vaal Campus, we have been blessed with car-ing, loving and patient women to mother us. From the female lecturers, the librarians, admin staff, security guards, cleaning staff to house mothers, the stu-

Winnie Theletsane dents are forever under protec-tive care and guidance.

Although they may not be our biological mothers, they still make sure that our education-al experience is not hindered by anything. These mothers are forever ready to help us, whether it is just by making us food, or standing at the gates to make sure we are safe - they never give up on us.

They go beyond their job de-scriptions, they take us under their wings and give us advice when our world is trembling; and their doors are always

open for us. Whether these women have kids of their own or not; to us, they are mothers.

To show appreciation to our lov-ing second mothers, give them a hug, leave them a little note at their doors saying “thank you for everything”, send them an e-mail to express your grati-tude, and if you can get them a present for that one good deed they did for you that you will never forget – then do it. Not forgetting every woman who has become a mother to us during different circumstances, to each and everyone one of you we say “thank you Mom”.

17 May 2012 VOX POP 21

Open DayVox Pop:

Themba Senyama - I love the campus already. I think it’s really cool. I will love to come and study here, I mean the campus is of course one of the kind. I saw a few animals when I was outside the campus. Wow this is too incredible. Its honestly beautiful. I see a lot of peace and quiet here as compared to VUT.

Jerry Masenamela- I heard about the campus from a friend. I was not planning to attend this open day today but I am glad that I did. Everything about it is re-ally awesome. I wanted to attend VUT but after today I think I am heavily encouraged to attend here next year. I am having a good time today.

Lerato Rose- 2nd year in Sociology and Psychol-ogy- I brought my cousin here today which I have now lost. I am just here to show her our lovely cam-pus as she is not sure where she wants to continue with her studies in 2013.I love the vibe through and through. Who would not want to study at our beauti-ful campus?

Lebo and Nthabiseng 2nd year students both in communication studies- Today we are here just to see these matriculants who want to come study here. Yes we will encourage them at our stalls. We also were having fun. NWU VAAL ROCKS!!!

How To:

The Open Day at our campus took place on 5 May, where many hopeful matric students visited our beautiful campus. I caught up with a few people that had attended the event to find out what they thought of our campus and the vibe that was created.

Have a stress-less study sessionShaen Tseladimitloa

It is that time of year again when students pre-pare for exams, and first year students might be excited about this, as this will be their first examination at university level. Some of them might be very nervous as they do not know how they will cope with the pressure. As we all know, exams are very important which is why we need to exercise the habit of studying.

1. Firstly your study breaks should NOT be longer than your actual study session.

2. When you are on a break, DO NOT READ ANYTHING. This is the time where you relax your mind.

3. During your breaks, listen to your favourite music, your kind of music. This is to relax your mind.

4. During your breaks, while listening to music, have an apple or any kind of fruit.

5. During your breaks, take a walk in the gar-

den and have a lovely conversation with your dog or pet.

6. Ask whoever will be home at that time to give you a lovely back massage.

7. Ask some to test you on each unit you have studied and if you pass, then reward yourself by adding 5 minutes to your break time. If you do not pass the test then you must add 10 min-utes to your study time.

8. During your breaks you can also do the fol-lowing:Call a friend and check up on themGo on twitter and see what is happening in the tweet worldCheck out your friend’s statuses on Facebook and have a good laughGo outside for some fresh air.

The ladies may have this, Talk to your posters in your room as if they were real. It could be fun if you have your favourite celeb on your walls

17 May 2012REVIEWS22

Winnie Theletsane

The South African box office saw a new re-cord being set when “The Avengers” hit the big screens.

The movie, based on the comic book first published in 1963, made history by becoming the largest debut of all time in more than 39 countries, including Brazil, New Zealand and Hong Kong. The International Peacekeeping Agency, S.H.I.E.L.D initiates a daring globe-spanning recruitment effort to assemble the Avengers team to defeat an unexpected en-emy threatening global safety and security.

Directed by Joss Whedon, The Avengers brings together a team of superheroes includ-ing “The Hulk”, “Thor”, “Iron man” and “Captain America”. The four superheroes set out to face the worst foe they have ever faced. Starring the likes of Samuel L Jackson, Robert Downey Jnr. and Scarlett Johansson, this blockbuster is guaranteed to keep you at the edge of your seat.

The movie made history by crashing the former

Worlds #1 hit champion on the box office “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” by making a mas-sive $200,3 million within its opening weekend in the United States, and also made a whip-ping record of R15.2 million in South Africa. The movie is expected to make over $1 billion in its running.

It has received an A+ according to the Poll-sters Cinemascore, and has been branded as a “superhero combo platter” by movie experts. Stan Lee, the executive producer, said that they had been building this for years. So if you need time out from studying and need to be part of history “The Avengers” is the movie to see. It’s a blockbuster!

Coming soon:

17 May 2012 REVIEWS 23

Roche Artz

Mind your behaviourHaving attended the Miss Jasmyn and Mr Vergelegen (Verries) pageant which was held on Thursday, 12 April, it became a matter of importance to write a review as to how the event actually unfolded.

It is expected of us all to understand the value and importance of time. Benjamin Franklin even coined the term, ‘Time is money’. If such a great emphasis is placed on time, why do some of us still gather the urge, and the im-pulse to blatantly take it for granted?

An event which was supposedly scheduled to take place from 16:00, took place from 18:00. Two hours were wasted. The excuses for the delay ranged from arranging the sounds; there were few contestants; some contestants were getting cold feet to participate; and some stu-dents still had class.

Eventually, the show was about to start. First, an opening of a prayer was made. No problem with this. Only thing is, at the end of the prayer, some members of the audience felt the need to laugh. Why? Only they will really know.

First round of the show was casual wear. As the contestants came out to walk down the ramp, some members of the audience screamed so loud, it left you wondering why. Many of the audience members gave out the wolf whistle, when they saw the ladies walk down the ramp. When it came to the sports-wear section, there were female audience members who felt it was their given right to get physical, by jumping out

of the audience seated section, and get up and close with the male contestants. Though they were called to order countless of times, they chose to dismiss the order, and continue mis-behaving.

Sadly, even the MC’s decided to present sar-casm at their audience. When one of them said that the scheduled dance act had to be cancelled due to the dancers having “Chicken Pox”, was this supposed to have been a joke? What’s so funny of having Chicken Pox? Later, it was cleared that the ‘Chicken Pox’ was used figuratively, to portray the image of the danc-ers, as being scared and nervous to perform. Not much in words, but the body language por-trayed by the MCs was negative as well. Ac-tion speaks even louder than words.

From this entire event, an important issue comes to the fore: Respect. We should know how to respect each other. Should you not know how, learn it. Perhaps time may not be important to you, but it may be to another per-son. Respect that. Running two hours late is completely unacceptable.

Getting physical with the contestants, and whistling at them, is known as harassment. Learn to respect others. Being unruly and misbehaving as an audience member is unac-ceptable. Respect the event, even though you may not have paid for it. Then, as for sarcasm, keep it to yourself, or within your own private platform. Respect your audience.

If one is unable to respect another, clearly, it shows one is unable to respect oneself.

Behind the scenes of a beauty pageant

17 May 2012REMEMBERANCE24

26 April will henceforth be known as ‘Sasha Day’ on the annual calendar of the Vaal Triangle Campus. This an-nouncement was made by the Director of Student Affairs, Mr. Jacob Simango, during a very emotional remembrance ser-vice that was recently held for the late Me. Sasha Westcott – a student leader who passed away after a long illness.

The remembrance service, which was attended by both staff and students, was an ini-tiative by the House Committee of the Acacia Day Residence for Ladies of which Sasha was a member. During the service, various members of the cam-pus community paid homage to Sasha and her gusto for life. Suffering from severe rheu-matoid arthritis, Sasha and her electric wheelchair were a well-known sight on the cam-pus.

She joined the campus in 2011 as a student in the Faculty of Humanities and wholehearted-ly took part in the first year ori-entation programme – to such an extend; that she was elect-ed, uncontested, as a house committee member in 2012. In her address the House Par-ent of the Acacia Residence, Mrs. Karin Venter, described Sasha as a “ray of sunshine” who served as an example for all able bodied students. The President of the Student Rep-resentative Council (SRC), Mr. Tadashi Sabalele also praised

We will never forget you...Annette Willemse Sasha for her willingness to

serve as a student ambassa-dor and by doing so contribut-ing “immensely” towards the vesting of a dynamic student culture. He concluded his ad-dress by challenging students to follow in her footsteps and to rise above their circumstances – irrespective of what it may be, and to live life to the fullest.

The ceremony was concluded by the releasing of hundreds of red balloons.

17 May 2012 FREAKY FACTS 25

Bonjour my fellow students! I have some faits de bizarre (freaky facts) for you this month and a few special and freaky facts about animals, juste parce que (just because).

Morphine was used as a main ingredient in children’s medicine in the late 1800’s till 1930!

Emil Krebs, a German man has mastered 68 languages and studied 120 more!

Crying women are scientifically unsexy!

Lesch-Nyhan syndrome or LNS causes a per-son to eat their own hands!

A decapitated head stays conscious/alive for up to 30 seconds!

A British soldier fought in WW II with a long-bow, bagpipes and a broadsword!

‘Barbarian’ was originally a term for someone who didn't speak Greek!

The word 'Okay/OK' has about 35 possible ori-gins!

Mullets and ponytails are banned in Iran!

Ernest Vincent Wright once wrote a 50,000 word novel, "Gadsby", which did not contain the letter E at all.

Peanuts are one of the ingredients in dynamite.

The word Spain means "the land of rabbits."

Pinball was illegal once in America because it was considered as gambling!

The fear of being without a cell phone or with-out phone service is Nomophobia!

Body Integrity Identity Disorder, or BIID is a disorder that makes you want to cut off your own limbs!

Scientists have recorded a song on bacteria!Here are some freaky facts you may have not known about animals:

A hippo’s milk is pink!

A snail can sleep up to 3 years!

All porcupines float.

All polar bears are left handed.

A giraffe can last longer without water than a camel.

A crocodile has so much acid in its stomach that it can digest steel.

The house fly hums in the middle octave key of F.

When feeling nervous, some octopuses will eat their own tentacles which then grow back later.

17 May 2012FASHION26

Pearl Mavunda

Top stylist reporters picked out the coolest ‘forever new winter’ on campus; and what bet-ter time to show it off than at RAG. Students seemed to know how to mix and match colour trends that materialized, in a way to stay warm and stylish. Now they can be your new ward-robe additions; courtesy of the RAG and Stu-dent 24/7.

Fashion winter trends are eclectic this year, and campus students have proven it. A great way to start off is with super stylish leather jackets to fight the cold weather. In a wide unisex range; leather jackets have yet again proven to make a great impression with its designs, such as biker jackets, bumper jackets, catwalk leather blazer and funky zipper jackets. In different co-lours and sophisticated shapes, trench coats have been, and still are, the most flattering yet simple outfit on campus. Riding in line with street fashion and casual trends, men’s velvet is a new trend; it has been a fabric of choice for most fashion forward gentlemen for some time now.

Animal prints never faded away in the fashion industry. These prints are usually worn during winter and the autumn season. Maxi-dress happens to be a fashion trend all year through; pair it up with woollen cardi, flat boots and skin-ny belts on the hip or wear it with buckle boots, scarf and of course a fitted boyfriend blazer. Soft fleece scarves made of silk, cashmere and pashimina, are recommended for the Vaal winter breeze. They are mostly worn with black floral dresses, longer colour vests and serious neck candy. Not forgetting the turtle dress, yes they have been out of fashion for quite some time now, but it’s a loved by students item for keeping warm and easy slip on in the morn-ings!

It’s the best time of the year to show off those beaten up boots; with buckle and exposed de-tail are a perfect number. Yet again the sea-son is not complete without fur chunky boots, or ankle boots; (which are a must have girls);

Top events trends around Campusevery left and opposite of left are mostly these two sorts of boots. And notice the unpredict-able, not only gals wear boots this season. Anything cool is all what guys prefer wearing this winter season. From boxy denim boots, corduroy boots, aviated boots to military boots are back again inspired from the 40s-50s!

Pearl Mavunda A million miles away from normal

17 May 2012 SPORT 27

Wouter Pienaar and Kgomotso Makgamatha

Sport is a powerful tool to create unity among our Campus’ diversity. This statement was il-lustrated perfectly at the Vaal Campus’s Open Day on 5 May, as a multitude of different sport-ing codes were on display, including ‘mental sport’ at the old Oewerspens Cafeteria, Build-ing 23.

Each sporting code had their own table or stand where they displayed their achievements in previous seasons. By the sheer amount of trophies on display, it is easy to see why our Campus is regarded as one of the best places to practice sport. The Vaal Campus offers stu-dents the opportunity to practice a variety of sports such as Rugby, Cricket, Netball, Hock-ey, Soccer, Chess, Body Building and even Rowing.

Student 24/7 spoke to under 21 rugby coach Walvis Swanepoel, who told us that the unique-ness of the campus, is instilled in the way their rugby is played, “We play fair and clean and we try to represent the campus’ diversity in our rugby club. We encourage people to play rug-by no matter their backgrounds”.

The ladies cricket is another team to boast about since they are representing NWU Vaal at the Gauteng League. More significantly though, are the achievements that they’ve managed to realise thus far; including being the team to emerge victoriously at the Gauteng League for two consecutive years. As if that isn’t proof enough of the ladies’ evident deter-mination, they are also the defending champi-ons for the same competition.

This is a major strength since the team was only established in 2010. With the new league

Sport shines under Open Day spotlightcommencing from September, Leandri van Rensburg, also known as “Flooi”, encourag-es any females who are interested in joining, to feel free to attend their practice sessions. When asked what the most enjoyable aspect of participating in cricket is, most of the ladies converged in collectively saying that it is their practice sessions. “They’re not only fun but they’re also hands on and informally interac-tive” said Ané Nieuwoudt.

The netball team also had a vast visual impact on the array of prospective students for 2013, as they had everything on display, from their match day attire to their practice gear, with a rather large display of medals and trophies, some of which were gold. Engaging in conver-sation with these vibrant students was even more intriguing as they described why they ab-solutely love to represent us as a campus. Due to the Campus being rather small, the players alluded to the aspect of it being easier to have synergy and work as an interdependent team. Bianca Van Der Stein, who plays in the Goal Attack position, enthusiastically said their most unique attribute is their practice sessions held during the early hours of the morning. “It al-lows us to get to class fresh, full of energy and ready to participate, so I really enjoy it”.

The men’s hockey team was also on exhibition and had a lot to say about hockey as a “sport-ing faculty”; as described by Assistant Coach Kundusiye Chabangu who is also a centre link (player). “Due to this sporting code being more personal, we are able to relate and interact with each other more effectively,” the well-spo-ken young lad said. The ambitious student pur-suing his third year in BCom Sports Sciences also added that he is able to apply what he is studying to his favourite pass time, so it’s fun.

17 May 2012SPORT28

Wouter Pienaar

The NWU Vaal Rugby under 21’s are off to a great start in the 2012 Predator League, after racking up their second consecutive win by beating Roodepoort 48-12. The match took place on the NWU Vaal’s rugby ground on 5 May, which was also the NWU Vaal’s Open Day. With our Campus under the spotlight of prospective students and their parents, it was time for our boys to strut their stuff on the sport-ing field, where it matters most.

The under 21’s played their first match of the current season on 21 April against Springs, deservedly walking away with a 20-5 victory. The second match of the season was played in front of an enthusiastic home crowd in burning hot conditions.

Roodepoort kicked off first with NWU Vaal playing from right to left gaining first posses-sion of the ball as the forwards laid the foun-dation for the backs to run with the ball early on. NWU Vaal had most of the possession in the first 20 minutes of the match, as Roode-poort lost their share of attacking opportunities by knocking the ball on when holding on to it would be the easier option. Ruan Steenberg had the first real chance to cross the tryline for NWU Vaal, but was tackled into touch only a few meters short.

Sustained attacking pressure from NWU Vaal eventually paid off as scrumhalf Llwellyn

NWU Vaal Rugby under 21’s shine on Open DayMorkel crossed the tryline to open the scoring. That try opened the floodgates for NWU Vaal as they ran in a further two tries - one from JP du Plessis and Wiehan de Beer respectively, to leave the score at 22-0.

The second half started with NWU Vaal scor-ing their 4th try after a beautiful solo run from inside centre, Bennie Kok. Kok was having an excellent game in both attack and defence, as his performance was only topped by full-back Stefan Jordaan who scored two tries and kicked a penalty and 5 conversions in a man of the match performance. The only downside for NWU Vaal was their first time tackling, as they took their foot off the accelerator at times. In the end NWU Vaal walked away comfort-able victors. The key to the team’s success lies in their teamwork and the chemistry they have in the team according to manager Walvis Swanepoel. “We play as a community and we are supported by the (Vanderbijlpark) commu-nity. That makes it nice”. The under 21’s next home game is against Benoni on 19 May. Let’s support our rugby teams!

17 May 2012 SPORT 29

Kgomotso Makgamatha

On meritorious display during the Open Day was the Vaal Campus’ provision for mental sport in the Chess Club and the Serious Games Institute. Although not all of us may know much about the importance thereof; Ntokozo “Knowl-edge” Tyapile, who is both the founder and chairperson of the chess club, could easily beg to differ as our very own connoisseur of the chess board.

The Student 24/7 sports team was warmly welcomed by the ambitious Ntokozo, who was happy to share his intellectual sentiments re-lating to his favourite sport. Ntokozo, who is currently in his final year of studies in BCom Management Accounting, described being af-filiated with USSA as a colossal achievement. USSA is an umbrella sport structure called University Sport South Africa. They are re-sponsible for the regulation, organization and coordination of tertiary students’ sporting activ-ities at regional, provincial and national levels in South Africa.

The power of knowledge is a mental sportNtokozo and his team of vibrant campus pa-triots hope to reflect on the winner’s podium when they partake in the USSA championship which has various sporting codes. In their first tournament the chess club achieved an over-all ranking of 13 out of 21 teams, which was “a huge success,” said Ntokozo. When asked what he thought made our campus unique, he confidently said: “We are a well-established Varsity when it comes to academia in light of new degrees being introduced, and our sports and social life are aligned with a conducive learning environment”.

The chess club was established in 2009 and has since upheld the favourable image of NWU to date. He also added that “chess teaches one how to be innovative in effectively strategising, and helps develop the ability to view phenome-na in totality”. In addition “Knowledge” empha-sised that chess is also applicable to real life since it requires a certain degree of patience.He concluded by stating that any student who is interested in joining the revolution (mental sport) can freely do so by attending the prac-tice sessions which take place on Fridays from 14:00 to17:00 at Vergelegen Hall. “After joining you will soon develop the passion,” the inspira-tional senior said. He left the sports journo with his own useful quote: “Every person in life is significant and lives like a pawn on the check-ered chess board”.

17 May 2012SPORT30

Wouter Pienaar

The NWU Vaal women’s first hockey team re-corded their second victory of the season after cruising to a 5-2 win over University of Johan-nesburg (UJ) at the Vaal University of Technol-ogy (VUT) Astroturf on Sunday, 21 April. Their first victory came a week earlier after they beat Kempton Park 2 goals to 1.

NWU Vaal didn’t have it all their way as the score line suggested, as they went a goal down in the first five minutes of the match. Luckily they managed to pick themselves up and re-sponded immediately; much to the delight of the players and crowd in attendance. Their first goal was scored by Janine Hundermark after a powerful shot easily beat the UJ goal-keeper. Shortly thereafter, NWU Vaal doubled their tally with Mita Mokoena caressing the ball into the net from close range. Amazingly, three goals were scored in the first 15 minutes of the match, which laid the foundation for more ex-citing action and goals for the remainder of the match.

The competitive nature of the match was dis-played by Chantal “Pukkie” Muller as she won the vast majority of balls with her airtight de-fence and stick skills. Cheryl Hundermark con-tinued this trend as she won the NWU Vaal their first penalty corner. Unfortunately, they couldn’t profit from this and NWU Vaal went into the half time break with a one goal lead.

Both teams were refreshed and ready to go as the second half started with the coaches’ motivational speeches still stuck in their minds. NWU Vaal took the early initiative in the sec-ond half as a clever intercept from Cheryl Hun-

dermark led to her scoring the third goal for NWU Vaal. Her twin sister, Janine upped the ante by giving NWU Vaal a three goal lead by scoring from the acutest of angles. Talk about threading the needle!

NWU Vaal could have scored at least another four goals if it had not been for the post or UJ goalkeeper keeping them at bay. In one par-ticular instance the UJ goalie made a great double save to deny NWU Vaal their fifth goal. The NWU Vaal’s goalie, Stacey Maritz also made a great save with 5 minutes to go. Liana Kotze put the cherry on the cake with a goal from a penalty corner to put the game beyond doubt at 5-1. UJ had the last say in the match as they managed to scramble the ball into the net with the last play of the game. The NWU Vaal women’s A team can be proud of their efforts as they displayed de-termination, team-work and intent in their victory.

NWU Vaal girls run the turf

Wouter Pienaar

The 2012 Cape Argus Pick ’n Pay Cycle Tour celebrated its 35th edition on 11 March. The Cape Argus has through its ex-istence proven to be the great-est road cycle race in South Africa, because of its beautiful surroundings, unpredictable weather conditions and fun at-mosphere.

The Cape Argus started in 1978, conceived by Bill Mylrea and John Stegmann to high-light the need for dedicated cy-cle routes and increased bike safety in and around the Penin-sula. Lawrence Whittaker won the first event, and still cycles regularly to this day. The event has also grown immensely since its inception, from 525 entrants in 1978 to an amazing 36 848 entrants in 2012. The 2012 edition was won by Re-inhardt Janse van Rensburg. The popularity of the Argus even stretches to our Campus! Student 24/7 recently took the time to speak with Dr. Roelien Goede, who is currently a se-nior lecturer in the Faculty of Economic Sciences and IT.

She completed her first Cape Argus, when doing her Ph.D. , and has since competed in 4 Cape Argus events’, only fail-ing to complete this year’s Ar-gus, because of mechanical failure. According to Dr. Go-ede, she prefers road cycling to mountain biking (gravel stuff) as she hates to fall off bikes or risk getting injured.

“Mountain biking has too many bumps and it increases the risk of falling” she says. The main pulling power of the Argus lies in its “gees” according to Dr. Goede.

The best part of the course for Dr. Goede is Misty Cliffs in Scarborough, where the cool breeze and fog, creates a mini shower, which cools you down in the extreme heat. The ex-treme heat experienced dur-ing the 2012 event is some-thing which caught out many a rider, including herself as the temperatures soared to 41 de-grees at Smitswinkelbay. The main goal for Dr. Goede is to complete the Argus without having to be pushed. “In my mind I have won, when I cross the finish line in one piece”. The most important advice that she gives for any aspiring Argus rider is that “one should listen to one’s body, and stop when your body has had enough”.

One of the great experiences at the 2012 Cape Argus for Dr. Goede, actually happened

The joys of Argus - a lecturer’s view

when she was out of the race. “When my husband’s chain broke on the 75km mark, we knew that we were out of the race, so on our way back we saw all the riders who were worn out and tired returning by a shuttle bus. As a bonus, the water point manager gave all of us free cokes, and we had a really great time chatting with our fellow riders”.

Life’s not all downhill! Life has its up and downhill moments, much like a cycle race. Some-times you have to keep pedal-ing through the pain, heat and exhaustion to triumphantly cross the finish line.

17 May 2012 SPORT 31

CALENDAR32 17 May 2012