The Oppidan PressEdition 12, 22 October 2015

The Decolonisation

edition

Read the full multim

edia

project online at

tinyurl.com/OppiDecol

Imagining the

ideal university5Meet South Africa’s new

student movements 4Paper and political sketches 7

PHOTO: SARAH ROSE DE VILLIERS

PHOTO: SITHASOLWAZI KENTANE

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University of the WitwatersrandAft er the controversial comments caused former SRC President Mcebo Dlamini to resign, the Council faced even more contro-versy as the Wits EFF Student Command Team caused a violent disruption during the 2016 election debates. Th e Wits EFF was calling for the total disbanding of the SRC as an offi cial university structure, which is not a sentiment carried by all students. Th e 2016 elections went underway with no signifi cant commentary arising from the results.

University of Cape TownStudents have expressed the need for transformation in the body, hoping for more Black and LGBTQI+ representatives in the future as well as advocating that the SRC be not used as platform for the personal gain of the elected candidates. Th e Student Parliament continues to raise concerns about the functioning of the SRC and its ability to cater for the true interests of the student body.

Rhodes UniversityTh e 2016 SRC election was the fi rst, since 2011, where candidates ran under the banners of political parties (namely the EFF and DASO). Th is was met with mixed feelings within the student body, with many being weary of the candidates looking to forward their political interests over those of the student body. No politi-cally affi liated candidates were elected into the executive branch. Many wait to see if this new body will continue to openly support the movements towards the University’s name change as the 2015 Council did.

Stellenbosch UniversityTh is year, the SRC readily supported the Open Stellenbosch move-ment, placing the transformation policy of the University at the institution. Th ey vehemently rejected the appointment of the in-stitutions new Dean of Students (Pieter Kloppers) as well as the management proposal to increase student fees, as neither process involved or considered the opinion and immediate needs of the student body.

University of PretoriaAft er much controversy surrounding the legitimacy of the 2016 SRC election, the 2015 body continues to remain in offi ce until fur-ther notice. As such, the council continued to support the move-ments rejecting the new student fees payment structure which required students to pay more fees upfront before they would be allowed to register. Multiple student meetings were held through-out September as well as a mass march (which took place on 30 September). Th e Council is currently in talks with the university management with hopes of settling the matter.

University of KwaZulu Natal Boasting one of the largest SRCs in the country (60 members), the 2015 SRC played a prominent role in the student protests against the increase of student fees in September. Th e Westville campus in particular was closed down due to the violent outbreak which resulted in the arrest of two SRC members who were charged with public violence. Political parties have always played a prominent role in the SRC elections, with SASCO continuing to have a ma-jority in the incoming 2016 body.

North West UniversityTh e 2016 SRC elections saw a victory for the EFF party at the University. Th e President as well as the Academic Councillor for the Mahikeng campus constituent ran under the EFF banner. Al-though the Universities SRC structure is very layered with a com-plex hierarchy, the party openly supported the win, much to the dismay of SASCO which had enjoyed a position in the executive as well as majority in the body for many years.

University of the Free StateIn 2015, the SRC openly supported movements geared towards the transformation of the curricular and language policies in the university, as well as arranging viable vacation accommodation alternatives for underprivileged students on campus. Th e newly elected 2016 Council plans to continue on the same path until permanent solutions are found to these issues.

Corinne Knowles

Over the last ten years, there have been a number of steps South Africa has taken, but

I would claim that these are mostly around inclusion and representa-tion. The composition of commit-tees, such as GENACT, has changed to include more women (for instance as GENACT reps) and in selection committees (for vacant posts), an effort is made to ensure that there is at least one black person. But unless the system of the university re-ima-gines, decolonises itself and works towards a more comprehensive shift for a more inclusive system: having women or black people on commit-tees without changing HOW things are done, will not bring about the change that we need in this society.

Over the years, student demograph-ics have changed too. In 2013, 62% of Rhodes students were black. However,

Transformation is more than trending at UJ

2 The Oppidan Press 22 October 2015

Lebogang Thulare

We, as the youth, have been labeled the “lost genera-tion”, having been born after a generation who fought valiantly for South Africa’s liberation. Bad timing, I

know. I only count us as a part of the “lost generation” because the youth in South Africa is classified from the ages of 14 to 35.

No matter how you classify it, “lost generation” was a fair description. We didn’t have much to do but to take advantage of the opportunities available to us. While the leadership was busy ensuring the successful shift into a democratic nation, we just had

to do our part and be sure to fit into the social, political and eco-nomic system. As a result, we were not left with much to be angry about and that allowed us to interact with other cultures, pick up new habits and create a whole new identity for ourselves. We were the ones that were supposed to bring healing, foreign cultures and practices into our parent’s line of vision.

Twenty-one years after democracy was declared in South Africa, we’ve seen a far greater shift in the youth. Talks of transformation have been prominent throughout the world and university institu-tions, especially in South Africa - be it institutional, curricular transformation, or in the renaming of monuments. There has been

a great deal to talk about, but the most important issue has been the remnants of a formerly oppressive state that promoted white privilege and institutional racism.

After years of observation, we the “lost generation” finally have something to say. We are finally claiming our stake in the South African democracy. We are reclaiming our voice and have found our calling. The protests from us about transformation are our reports back to the system on your efforts for a fair, democratic and inclusive South Africa. Obviously, our observations won’t all have the same outcomes and we will not all take the same stance, but at least we’re telling you what is wrong. So listen.

We will no longer be the ‘Lost Generation’

SRCs across South Africa take steps towards transformation

From transformation talks to political protests, the youth of today have shown their desire to voice their opinions about fairness and democracy. PHOTO: BRONWYN PRETORIUS

WORDS: Kim Nyajeka DESIGN: Lauren Dixon-Paver

Corinne Knowles

Over the last ten years, there have been a number of steps South Africa has taken, but

I would claim that these are mostly around inclusion and representa-tion. The composition of commit-tees, such as GENACT, has changed to include more women (for instance as GENACT reps) and in selection committees (for vacant posts), an effort is made to ensure that there is at least one black person. But unless the system of the university re-ima-gines, decolonises itself and works towards a more comprehensive shift for a more inclusive system: having women or black people on commit-tees without changing HOW things are done, will not bring about the change that we need in this society.

Over the years, student demograph-ics have changed too. In 2013, 62% of Rhodes students were black. However,

pass rates were disproportionately skewed against black students. In the same year, over 1000 of the 1549 stu-dents who were excluded were black. This shows that inclusionary politics have failed to bring about the changes that are necessary.

In some departments, the same course outlines have been used since I started teaching in 2009 with little or no adjustment. The bulk of the authors and theorists that undergrad-uate students are exposed to in their readings are white, male, Western thinkers.

Even though the demographics of the student body might have changed over time, what is taught and how it is taught hasn’t. Few departments go out of their way to decolonise their curricula to include the vast canon of African thinkers.

Only a few lecturers, especially at more senior levels of Associate Profes-sor and Professor, are black, so black

students coming into the institution find that they need to adopt a white culture in order to succeed.  

Decolonisation is not merely about adding black bodies or adding a couple of black thinkers to the reading list. It means shifting how we think about ourselves as African subjects in relation to knowledge.

The shift to decolonise the in-stitution has begun, largely due to the #RhodesMustFall campaign and the efforts of the Black Student Movement. Their commitment to change has opened up a platform and language with which to consider more urgently the ways in which we are compelled to rethink how we do things.  

The journey to decolonisation is difficult, but necessary. We need to work together and separately to bring about the kinds of changes that ensure success for everyone, regardless of race and class.

Decolonisation is difficult, but it’s absolutely necessary

Thandi Bombi and Wandile Ngcaweni

In the midst of the struggle for transformation in South African universities, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) is enjoying the fruits of it due to their hasty renaming of buildings, updated curriculum, SRC micro-management and the revision of their exclusionary constitution.

Although many are happy with UJ’s progress, some of its students are dissatisfied at the pace of the transformation process. “This University is ten years late in the transformation race,” said member of the South African Student Congress (SASCO) Montseng Mothae. “Hypocrisy at this university has reached a pinnacle because if this insti-tution was really an African institution, it would have led this transformation race many years ago.”

Mothae argued that there cannot be transformation without decolonisation of the university. “There is a systematic brainwashing of students by lecturers,” said Mothae. “We need to decolonise before we transform in any practical sense, so that we can strip naked mis-education.”

Mothae added that “decolonisation also needs to happen in order for stu-dents and members of the community to gain confidence in black lecturers.” “Decolonising will make sure our lectur-ers, even the black ones, are on the right side of history and creating a healthy society filled with confidence in them-selves and the identity for the future.”

While the name change is a symbolic representation of transformation at many South African universities including Rhodes University, Democratic Alliance student representa-tives at UJ see the changing of names as less of a transforma-tive act than using the funds needed to do so elsewhere.

“Changing the names does not change fact of financial challenges and access of needy black students to enter the

university,” said Branch Chair of the Democratic Alliance Student Organisa-tion (DASO), Mlungisi Ncube. “DASO doesn’t see significance in rushing to changing the names, rather than build-ing new residences for more students and giving them African names.”

Ncube went on to explain that there were a lot of students that were unhappy with the unveiling of the new names by the Vice Chancellor. “I remember white students in particular were unhappy with the new names,” added Ncube. “Kanniedood residents, in a dominantly white Afrikaans student day-house, were upset that this name had changed into an African name. Jabavu apparently doesn’t represent them.”

Former chairperson of DASO, Mat-satsi Msiza, mentioned the aspects that are still problematic within UJ even in the midst of transformation. “There is no illusion about the system of domination and white misogyny still protected by the university,” she said. “I am glad I was not part of the group that was requesting

renaming of anything in the university, because the neutral-ity of the new names has tarnished the confidence of this transformation”.

Transformation is more than trending at UJ

This university is ten years late in

the transformation race…

We need to de-colonise before we

transform in any practical sense, so that we can strip

naked mis-education.

- Montseng Mothae

22 October 2015 The Oppidan Press 3

The Oppidan Press staff and contact details

The Oppidan Press

Editor-in-Chief: Stuart Lewis. Deputy Editor: Lelia Stein. Executive Consultant: Amanda Xulu. Managing Editor: Bracken Lee-Rudolph. Advertising Manager: Bianca Matthis. Marketing Manager: Mncedi Magade. Community Engagement Officer: Kyran Blaauw. Print Editor: Lili Barras-Hargan. News Features Editor: Muthoni Mundia. Assistant News Features Editor: Minnie Hlela. Politics Editor: Kathryn Cleary. Opinion Editor: Lebogang Thulare. Arts & Entertainment Editor: Ayanda Gigaba. Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor: Emma Campbell. Scitech Editor: Jason Leonard. Environment Editor: Joshua Stein. Sports Editor: Samantha Johnson. Chief Photo Editor: Bronwyn Pretorius. Assistant Chief Photo Editors: Kyle Prinsloo, Vicky Patrick. Sub-Editors: Emily Stander, Nokwanda Dlamini, Lebogang Mashego, Andrea Le Goabe, Janet Clift, Bracken Lee-Rudolph, Leonard Solms, Kim Nyajeka, Esihle Matshaya. Chief Designer: Lauren Dixon-Paver. Assistant Chief Designer: Tiffany Mac Sherry. Junior Designers: Izelle Taljaard, Sarah-Jane Davies. Online Editor: Liam Stout. Assistant Online Editors: Pierre Durandt, Leila Kidson. OppiTV Chief Editor: Phiwo Dhlamini. OppiTV Managing Editor: Mayo Twala. OppiTV Content Editor: Pumla Kalipa. OppiTV Deputy Content Editor: Zama Luthuli. OppiTV Webcast Producer: Lungelo Masinga. OppiFM Chief Editor: Julia Fish. OppiFM Deputy Chief Editor: Thingo Mthombeni. OppiFM Managing Editor: Collette Prince. OppiFM Content Editor: Refilwe Mofokeng. OppiFM Assistant Content Editor: Paige Muller. Ombudsperson: Professor Anthea Garman.

Letters to the Editor: editor@oppidanpress.comAdvertising details: advertising@oppidanpress.comwww.oppidanpress.comwww.facebook.com/theoppidanpresswww.twitter.com/oppidanpress @oppidanpress

The Oppidan Press publishes letters which are bona fide expres-sions of opinion provided that they are not clearly libellous, defamatory, racist or sexist. We publish anonymous letters, but as an act of good faith on your part, we require your full name. We reserve the right to shorten letters due to space constraints and to edit them for grammatical inaccuracies. Letters that do not make it into our print edition will be published on our website.

This tumultuous academic year is coming to an end and so we as The Op-pidan Press wanted to take stock of what has been an incredibly interesting year on university campuses across the country. From the fall of the Cecil John Rhodes statue at UCT to the release of the Luister documentary, students have been making their voices heard in protest.

Inherent to the overwhelming call for change, there is a vision for the future of what the ultimate goal that needs to be reached is. At each university different groups have come together to present what they consider to be the necessary steps forward to their differing versions of the future.

In this edition we have outlined the timeline of events that have taken place so far on campuses as well as the manifestos of the organisations involved. Considering the number and diversity of student movements that are cur-rently involved in this battle at their own institutions, it is clear that change is needed across the country.

These movements - including established student activism societies, trade unions and staff organisations - have attempted to outline what the ideal South African university would look like in this edition. This ideal university would be a more inclusive and safer space for all people, especially those who are currently marginalised and whose voices are not heard. By outlining this vision, The Oppidan Press stands by those who are working to make this kind of university a reality.

This edition comes out following the #WitsFeesMustFall protests and the Emergency Student Body meeting held last weekend by our SRC regarding the rise in fees for next year. This necessary and timely discussion around the affordability of tertiary education is a fitting point to conclude this year of debate around the accessibility of the modern South African university.

For more in-depth coverage, the full multimedia project of this edition can be found online at tinyurl.com/OppiDecol.

Finally, we would also like to wish all the students good luck in the final exams, may your studying be effective and your procrastination enjoyable but short.

4 The Oppidan Press 22 October 2015

9 March - Chumani Maxwele throws human faeces onto the statue of Cecil John Rhodes at UCT and toyi-toyi’s with approximately a dozen protesters at the statue. Protest movement Rhodes Must Fall begins.17 March - BSM holds first public meeting on Drostdy Lawns at Rhodes and is physically locked out of the University administration building after attempting to peacefully march through it.19 March - Following racist backlash on social media towards the BSM’s demand that the University transform and is renaming, the Student Representative Council call an Emergency Student Body Meeting to address the issue. So many students show up to the meeting, presided over by the SRC and Vice-Chancellor Dr Sizwe Mabizela, that the meeting has to be moved to the Great Hall.20 March - Rhodes Must Fall occupies Bremner Building, renaming it Azania House. #RMF Intersectionality Audit Committee is started.24 March - BSM attempts to hand over a memorandum of grievances including a demand for Rhodes to accommodate students who could not afford to travel home or afford to stay in residence over the short vac to University management but is once again barred from the administration building.27 March - UCT’s senate votes in favour of the removal of the statue and, following the vote, the statue was boarded up pending the final decision from the university’s council. 27 March - After compiling a list of students who need accommodation during the short vacation, the BSM manages to get Rhodes to pay for bus tickets for those students or to accommodate them in residences.9 April - Statue of Cecil John Rhodes removed from UCT.+- 16 April - Open Stellenbosch founded.May - The Trans* collective is launched at UCT.June/July - Zizipho Pae controversy. Thato Pule resigns from position as UCT SRC Chair of Transformation and social responsiveness in response #BigotryMustFall - Trans* Collective and Queer Revolution team up to advocate against Zizipho Pae continuing to occupy office on SRC.20 August - Open Stellenbosch releases the Luister documentary about the lived experiences of black students on the Stellenbosch campus. The video quickly goes viral and generates both massive waves of support as well as racist backlash.26 August - Upon receiving an unsatisfactory response to their memorandum about vac accommodation, the BSM disrupts a meeting in the Council Chambers at Rhodes and occupies the space, renaming it the BSM Commons.28 August - A University Senate meeting scheduled to take place in the BSM Commons is moved off campus to the Gavin Reilly Postgraduate Village (GRPGV), allegedly “out of respect” for the occupation. BSM members march to the GRPGV and attempt to gain access to the site. They are actively prevented from doing so by Rhodes staff. Rhodes places a call to the police who divert several units, including a canine unit, from a roadblock on the nearby N2 highway. Once the BSM eventually gain entry, the Senate meeting is suspended but some staff members stay behind to engage with the BSM. Peter Wentworth, a Computer Science lecturer, is caught on film throwing water in the face of a BSM photographer as she enters the meeting.2 September - In response to Luister, several white Stellenbosch students create an event on Facebook titled #whereisthelove asking for students to come and share positive stories about studying at Stellenbosch. The event is quickly hijacked with scathing criticism of its organisers, particularly by students at Rhodes University who mock them for their campaign to ‘spread the love’ instead of dealing with issues of racism on campus. Despite the criticism and strong online backlash, the event is still held.14 October - Following the announcement of a 10.5% student fee increase at Wits, students shut down campus under the slogan #WitsFeesMustFall and prevented entry and exit to and from campus16 October- Rhodes SRC calls an Emergency Student Body meeting to discuss student fee hikes Wits senate holds meeting in the middle of continued student occupation and agree to suspend fee increase pending further discussion.

2015 Activism TimelineStudent movements at a glanceBlack Student Movement, Rhodes University:

“The Black Student Movement is a group of students concerned about the institutional culture of Rhodes University. This institution is exclusionary to the disadvantaged and marginalised students, who do not receive any support. This movement came out of conversations about our personal experiences as margin-alised students who are not able to cope because of the structural, class-based, and intellectual oppression of the Rhodes environment. There are students suf-fering due to the inequalities and injustices they face daily. We formed the Black Student Movement to take the responsibility of eradicating this structural, class-based, and intellectual oppression.”

Open Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch University:Open Stellenbosch describes itself as: “A collective of students and staff working to purge the oppressive remnants of apartheid in pursuit of a truly African university.” The collective has primarily been in the media for its work in dismantling the uni-versity’s language policy, which disenfranchises many black students from tertiary education at the institution.

Rhodes Must Fall, University of Cape Town:

“A collective movement of students and staff members mobilising for direct action against the reality of institu-tional racism at the University of Cape Town, formed as a direct result of the Open Air dialogue that took place on Thursday 12 March at the UCT.

The chief focus of this movement is to create avenues for real transformation that students and staff alike have been calling for; calls that the institution have thus far ignored or silenced.

While this movement may have been sparked by the issue of the Rhodes statue, this is only one aspect of the social injustice of UCT. The fall of ‘Rhodes’ is symbolic for the inevitable fall of white supremacy and privilege at our campus.

UCT students, workers, academics and interested staff members refuse to be alienated in their own university. If the institution will not bring true transformation to us, we will bring it to them.”

Transform Wits, University of the Witwaterstrand:“We take strength from the brave movements initiated and catalysed by our brothers and sisters at the University of Cape Town and the university currently known as Rhodes. The time for meaningful transformation at the currently institutionally racist university, University of the Witwa-tersrand has come.

Our first point of departure is that we a desire to contrib-ute to meaningfully developing and shaping the continent’s future.

This desire is impeded by the fact that we know so little about ourselves. Our project is about finally looking within and locating ourselves within the continent.

A fundamental part of our project is the rejection of the vision for the university set forth by management - namely that of ‘cosmopolitanism’. We want a university that speaks to and embraces us in all of our various identities as Afri-cans. We want a university that is unequivocally Afrocentric when articulating a vision for itself.”

Trans* Collective, University of Cape Town:

“The Trans* Collective UCT is a collective of transgender and gender non-conforming students and their allies at UCT. We are a transfeminist movement which positions confront-ing toxic gender constructs as indispensable to the decolo-nisation project within and beyond UCT. Politically, we are grounded in critical race theory, black consciousness and radical intersectionality.

Although we are based at UCT, we position ourselves within the broader discussion of issues implicating our understanding of gender within our immediate space, higher education, South Africa and across the continent.”

#PatriarchyMustFall, University of Cape Town:“Our politics are centred in black intersectional feminism, a safe house for women (in the inclusive sense: i.e. cis women, trans* people, gender non-conforming people and intersex people) who bare the brunt and are survivors of the various patriarchal misogynistic structures and culture, particularly those who have experienced sexual violence.”

ReformPUK, North West University:“We believe the university should engage seriously with the demands of the constitution to promote equality for all its students and the community at large and not just a privileged few. We also believe that transformation and inclusivity should become the most important issues for management of this university to resolve.

We maintain that the current administration of the Potchefstroom Campus is deliberately failing to implement proper transformation and inclusivity by their blatant support for a university culture which not only accommo-dates but actively promotes white privilege and patriarchal values interpreted through and maintained by the vestiges of Afrikaner Nationalism.

Read the full manifestos at tinyurl.com/OppiDecol.

22 October 2015 The Oppidan Press 5

What does the ideal South African University look like?Since Chumani Maxwele kicked off the Rhodes Must Fall movement in March this year, student protests about decolonisation

have spread to almost every campus in South Africa. We spoke to these movements, from Cape Town to Potchefstroom, as well as existing student activism societies and asked them what the ideal South African university would look like.

Gender Action Project (GAP)An ideal university would be one which has progressive values

and is proactive in creating a safe space for learning. The ideal South African university is one which would have a student body representative of the nation’s demographics, as well as being an in-clusive space for students from other countries. It would also have teaching staff representative of the nation’s demographic.

The ideal South African university would be a safe space for all students, where the university management is intolerant of students who perpetrate violence and where management actively takes a stance against gender-based violence (including sexual violence), hate speech and other forms of harassment.

ReformPUKIt would be a space where diverse intellectual opinions are not

only encouraged but celebrated. This utopian place would encour-age robust debate and not silence the voices of any student. It would

be accessible to all. There would be no exclusion on race, gender, class, language, religion or sexuality. It would reject any form of discrimination and work to eradicate any of its remnants whether in its residences, cultures or even academic spaces.

OUTRhodesThe ideal university would be one where patriarchy takes a seat.

Where females have a say at the table, a space where people of all sexual orientations can be seated among one another; a space where an inability to speak a language properly does not banish you to the kiddies’ table, a place where rich and poor, black, white and everyone in between can eat off the same plate. Most importantly it is an environment where a label will never precede the actual human being. Heteronormative systems would have to not only be acknowledged but interrogated as well. It is only once the systems of heteronormativity are challenged that universities can become spaces of inclusivity and equality.

#UCTPatriarchyMustFallThis university is as inclusive as possible. All students and staff

undergo sensitisation training and there is an effective system in place to address exclusionary language, actions and spaces. As an institution, the university shuns cisnormativity. Thus, applica-tion forms and other paperwork allow students to self-identify their gender and indicate their pronouns. Student cards and other forms of identification are title free. This mindset also extends to the university culture where people introduce themselves by their name and their pronouns, for example: “Hi, I’m <name> and I use <pronoun> pronouns.” In a decolonised South African university, outsourcing and the exploitation of black labour is completely abol-ished. In addition, the safety and financial stability of all university workers is ensured.

Ultimately, the ideal South African university would provide a safe, inclusive and accessible space for every single student and staff member.

Gender Action Project (GAP)It is important for the ideal South African university to have a

curriculum that is inclusive of African intellectual thought.

#UCTPatriarchyMustFallThe ideal African university revolves around Africa. Thus it

offers a variety of Afrocentric courses and incorporates African content in all courses. LGBTQIA+ and black intersectional feminist content is also incorporated in coursework. Furthermore, all students take at least one introductory course towards learning an African language.

UCT Next Generation Professoriate The initiative is about ensuring we have role models that will

inspire aspiration in students as well as creating a more inclusive environment for all academic staff.’ This pilot project will advance the development of mid-career academics, particularly black and female staff. It will ensure that the pipeline to transform the profes-soriate is expanded and accelerated.

OUTRhodesIf the systematic marginalisation of “others” continues, the

same old norms are only perpetuated. However, if these spaces of

education and learning were to change in order to be more inclu-sive and less binary, students learn about their humanity and not just about books. As much as students are willing to learn, there must be those willing to teach. Those who are willing to teach must also, in turn, be willing to learn.

ReformPUKThe curriculum of the South African university would not be

Eurocentric in its teachings and the scholars it celebrated. It would move towards equipping its students to find African solutions to African problems

#UCTPatriarchyMustFallThe ideal university is accessible for everyone. It houses many

gender neutral (not unisex) bathrooms across its campus and has accessible and efficient disability services. It also provides easy ac-cess to free sanitary products and sexual health products. The ideal South African university’s student and staff demographics reflect the demographics of the country.

Student safety is at the forefront of the ideal South African uni-versity. It has an effective and accessible discrimination and harass-ment unit, trustworthy and competent campus protection services, and has strong policies in place to address racism, homophobia, sexism, ableism, transphobia, etc. University residences take great strides in providing a safe and open space to all students at the university. All residences have the same rules and these rules are reinforced consistently.

ReformPUKThe ideal South Africa University would look, sound and think

like South Africa. It would be a socially conscious and responsive space welcoming to all.

THE UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT

UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM

STUDENT SUPPORTGender Action Project (GAP)

The ideal university would have tuition fees that are affordable and ensure that students from working-class families are not hin-dered from accessing any part of the university experience.

ReformPUKThe ideal South African University would be free. No one would

be barred from receiving education because they are unable to afford it.

FEES

?

Gender Action Project (GAP)An ideal university would be a space where students with mental

or physical disabilities have full access to adequate healthcare services and also, where such students are not discriminated against or excluded by lecturers or university policies. In addition, the ideal university would support students who are marginalised, such as students of colour, gender non-conforming students, queer students, disabled students and others, in their academic pursuits and create opportunities to produce knowledge and fill research gaps.

Trans* Collective UCTAn ideal university would be an institution where trans* and

gender non-conforming bodies and psyches are recognised. As the Trans* Collective UCT, we position the confrontation of toxic gender constructs as indispensable to the decolonisation project within the University of Cape Town. Decolonisation requires a process of de-gendering that seeks to eradicate cisgendered power at an institutional level. It would consider the political thoughts of critical race theory, black consciousness and radical intersectional-ity. By undergoing this process, language is ascribed to the process of rethinking and reimagining the understandings of gender dur-ing the decolonisation process. The university would create a safe space for trans*, intersex and genderqueer students, as well as staff and workers to build community.

GENDER AND SEXUALITY

PHOTO: Bronwyn Pretorius

Read the full responses at tinyurl.com/OppiDecol

Arts & Entertainment6 The Oppidan Press 23 September 2015

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Tshepiso Moliwe

Transformation starts with just one step. In some cases, this step is simply the beginning of a discussion. However, in other cases, this step requires a complete deconstruction of societal norms. Changing Jan Smuts residence’s name is one such step. If the name stays the same, we won’t really see the evidence for a tangible change and we will always feel as if we’re stuck in the same place.

In order to determine how many students were in favour of the Jan Smuts name change, a poll was conducted. Dr Gustav Muller was the official voting officer from an independent, external committee and tallied the results. Of the 135 Jan Smuts students, 44 of them voted for the name to stay the same. A further 46 were in favour of the new name Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe. Only 14 students opted for Albie Sachs. A second round of voting will take place between the names Sobukwe and Smuts, as a decision cannot be made without at least a 50 percent plus one majority.

I recently read an interesting online comment regarding racism and transformation stating: “We cannot give tribute to people whose ideals were to oppress black people or to promote white superiority”. I fully agree with that view. By naming things after these people, we are essentially giving them and their immoral and unethical ideals a shot at immortality. We’re saying, “No, I don’t agree with what you did. No, I won’t perpetuate your legacy. But we will let your name exist forever as part of

everyday life.” I stand to be corrected, but surely, the point of naming something after someone is so that it stands to commemorate them and their lifetime achievements. We have a chance now to correct this and award that honour to a more

deserving name. That being said, the

way to move forward does not necessarily involve eliminating them from history and forgetting about them, because that would defeat the purpose of having the name changed. It is to act as a symbol of healing and a necessary process of fixing what is wrong. In order to repair something properly, you have to keep in mind what the problem was in the first place. The name change would be consolidation that there is hope for progress. We cannot eliminate history. However, we can learn from the mistakes of the past by not celebrating people who

stood against transformation. This does not mean that we can forget where we come from and where we are going.

Nonetheless, many student still feel that Jan Smuts’ name encompasses a time of oppression during the apartheid era. The most important thing is that the names of figures such as Smuts should be remembered, because they are deeply embedded in our history. After all, it is their legacy of colonisation we’re fighting against. Nonetheless, that does not mean they deserve the glory of having buildings named after them or statues being erected in their honour because that reflects badly on what we stand for as an institution.

22 October 2015 The Oppidan Press 7

In order to determine how many students were in favour of the Jan Smuts name change, a poll was conducted. Dr Gustav Muller was the official voting officer from an independ-ent, external committee and tallied the results. Of the 135 Jan Smuts students, 44 of them voted for the name to stay the same. A further 46 were in favour of the new name Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe. Only 14 students opted for Albie Sachs. A second round of voting will take place between the names Sobukwe and Smuts, as a decision cannot be made without at least a 50 percent plus one majority.

The case for changing a name: Jan Smuts House

Student’s artwork speaks loudly to transformation

ILLUSTRATION: SARAH ROSE DE VILLIERS

but surely, the point of naming something after

someone is so that it stands to

commemorate them and

their lifetime achievements

- Tshepiso Moliwe

Tshepiso Moliwe expresses why he feels that institutions like Jan Smuts residence should change their name, without erasing the history behind it. PHOTO: YOLANDA MDSEKE

Sarah Rose de Villiers

Sarah Rose de Villiers is a stu-dent who uses art as a form of expression — both personally

and politically.Her artwork speaks for itself, as does

she. “I’m a third year Journalism, English

and Philosophy student at Rhodes

University, but I live for art. I’m ad-dicted to doodling and drowning in thoughts, so I try to translate ideas into images and stories into comics.

I draw portraits, scenes and cartoons for my articles, my family and friends. [I do it] for fun and to chronicle my world.

But I don’t want to just draw dreams and pretty pictures – I want to draw

the line on what is wrong and what is right; what is black, what is white and what needs to be read. In this way, I hope to find the words that will heal the world and learn to draw the sound of silence.

Maybe then I will create something worthy of a world where there was peace before there were pieces. Per-haps then we can be peaceful again.”

ILLUSTRATION: SARAH ROSE DE VILLIERS

SportsSouth Africa’s

changing SRCsSA student

activism timelineUJ: a university

in transition2 43Sports timeline: 2015

26 March - South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) threaten legal action against Cricket South Africa (CSA) after CSA allegedly increases quotas without consultation with SACA.

10 August - Five black Spring-bok players allegedly complain to COSATU about being excluded from matches.

12 August - Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer claims that sev-eral players had approached him to deny negative media reports. He insists he has the players’ backing and that he is committed to transformation.

28 August - Springboks announce World Cup squad featuring nine players of colour out of 31, thus meeting South African Rugby Union (SARU)’s 30% quota.

2 September - The Agency for New Agenda (ANA) political party fail in High Court bid to prevent Springboks from travel-ling to Rugby World Cup over lack of transformation.

9 September - SARU President Oregan Hoskins writes an open letter defending the racial dynam-ics of the Springboks’ World Cup squad following criticism. He insists that they are “massively transformed”.

23 September - Thomas Lungu is appointed as the first black men’s team captain of the RURC.

Sports timeline for SA:

1975 - The first official multi-racial South African team beat a foreign national side (France) in Rugby.

1981 - Errol Tobias becomes the first black player in the Springboks.

1985 - South African runner Zola Budd beats 500m record.

1996 - Josiah Thugwane becomes the first black South African athlete to win an Olympic gold medal.

2002 - Natalie Du Toit sets world record for the multi-disabil-ity 100m freestyle.

2010 - South Africa first African country to hold a Soccer World Cup.

Leonard Solms

Since the demise of apartheid, sport has been used as a vehicle for transformation in South

Africa. However, formerly white-dominated sports have at times struggled to transform. The Rhodes University Rowing Club (RURC) took a notable step towards change, appointing Thomas Lungu as their first ever black Captain.

The 2nd year student, who was initially motivated to study at Rhodes because of his desire to take up rowing, wasted no time in getting to work. The day after his appointment, Lungu explained his plans to The Oppidan Press.

“[The focus will be on] targeting novices next year and just making

sure that they’re fully involved at the club and fully developed,” said Lungu, who also plans to help long-standing members of the B-crew make the jump to the club’s top team and has since stated his desire to increase the club’s participation in indoor rowing.

Apart from his plans to improve rowers, Lungu also expressed a desire to work more closely with the women’s team, stating: “To train even more as a club would be fantastic. It’s not separated, but from time to time, the men’s and women’s teams tend to do different things. I’d really like to just do everything together.”

Lungu’s fellow RURC leadership committee consists of men’s Vice-Captain Andrew Meiklejohn, Women’s Captain Ashton Lucey, Women’s Vice-Captain Maike Diekmann, Boatman Bradley Betts, Vice-President

Murray Roodt, Projects Manager Sarah Roodt and Club President Charlie O’Donoghue.

O’Donoghue gave his backing to Lungu after his appointment, claiming that he was certain his Men’s Captain would “rise to the challenge” of his new job. Lungu has another admirer in Scott Walraven, the B-crew coach who presided over him this year. Walraven claimed that Lungu “deserves every accolade he gets” and expressed his astonishment at the new captain’s progress over the last two years.

Lungu faces the challenge of following in the footsteps of 2015 men’s Captain Nick Greeff, who represented South Africa at the Guangzhou Universiade along with Roodt, Betts and Tristan Wentworth. During Greeff ’s time in charge, Wentworth was included on the list of

finalists for World Rowing’s Parmigiani Spirit Award. However, Lungu is confident that he is the right man for the job.

“Rhodes chose a new captain based on competency and character and not race. It’s a good thing for the club to base selection criteria on other characteristics, such as relations with other club members and commitment, and not race,” stated Lungu.

If testimonies are enough to go by, then the RURC can expect Lungu to implement his plans and continue the work that has seen them showcase their strength on a global stage in 2015. Furthermore, they will be hoping that Lungu’s appointment will increase the number of black rowers in the club and that their leadership committees in years to come will only grow in diversity.

First black captain a significant step forward for RURCThomas Lungu (right) with Sean Knight (left) at recent Buffalo Sprints Regatta 2015. IMAGE: SOURCED