Editorial Team - University of Fort Hare

One of the reasons I love my job
is this
hile having one of those casual conversations,
though the interpretation of casual can never lean
too much of the side of peer familiarity, with one of the
senior members of the Department, I ask her what aspects of
her job she finds fulfilling. She replies (paraphrased); “It is
rather ridiculous that the Eastern Cape, in all the country’s
social, economic and development measures, is always at the
bottom of the pile when here we are. The human capital from
the Eastern Cape, in multitudes, dispersed all around the
country and very few flinch when reading the statistics…year
after year. So, here I am; using the resources that I have to
change what I don’t like.” This in short, quite literally stole my
heart.
One of the nagging reservations that I have though about the
idea of development (of the mind, the body and all the
elements that make up the human form) is: will it bring about
change that is meaningful? While it is financial remuneration
that compensates one for the effort of “making a living”
everyday, what is the purpose of ensuring that we live
everyday? Why is it that we must insist on making a living
everyday or ensuring that we will be adequately equipped to
live and survive in the world?
As the Mandela generation is absorbed into the system of
higher education, burdened with the most highest of
expectations – to manifest freedom in their being, these are
some of the questions that we have to confront in our long and
interesting journey of becoming more enlightened; through
education, our experiences and through those conversations.
We hope that the news reported on every month about the
university and the communities which surround it will inspire
some curiosity to find out about world and the people who
surround us; how they influence and impact our lives, and how
we are a part of our societies, can influence and impact them
and perhaps change them for the better.
Message from the Editor, Zokwanda Rasmeni
Page 1
Editorial Team
Editor in Chief
Zintle Filtane
Content Manager
Khotso Moabi
Editor
Zokwanda Rasmeni
Writers
Quinter Oyango
Anele Payi
Lutho Mabandla
Siphokazi Manzi
CONTENTS PAGE
Description
Page
_______________________________________________________
University closes because of strike........................................................3
Fake university uses UFH name to scam desperate students.............5
The deal with residence refurbishments................................................6
Orientation...............................................................................................7
Interim SRC receives mixed feelings from students...............................9
Entertainment
Movies
Books........................................................10
UFH Cricket star....................................................................................11
UFH Sport.............................................................................................12
On our website
Vice Chancellor on Conducive
institutional atmosphere
Daily Dispatch dialogues
Page 2
So what was the strike all about?
In what started off as a demonstration by students to
issue a memorandum of demands to the
management of the university turned into a violent
strike that permeated the Alice community and
resulted in the extensive damage of university
property, the arrest of students by local authorities
and the injury of students who had to be taken to
nearby hospitals.
On the 06th of February, some UFH students
peacefully convened in front of the Administration
building where Bulali Rawana, SRC President
issued a memorandum of demands to a
representative of the university management.
Management was requested to offer a response
addressing the tabulated demands of the
memorandum the following day. The demands were
as follows:
Reverse the Private Public Partnership with
Equicent Construction Company to manage
the refurbishing of residences.
The removal of the Biometric Security system,
a feature installed in residences to manage
access control and ensure the security of the
picture by Michael Pinyana
students;
A reduction in residence fees,
Changing the residence allocation system
adopted in 2013; the appointment of the secretary of the residence manager to act as the
residence coordinator of the university;
Rejection of the introduction of double bunk beds in residences;
Automatic supplementary examinations for students left with one module before
graduation;
Re-accept students who have been academically excluded by the university with only 3
modules left before graduation;
Allow to students to change from one degree programme to another;
Terminate the contracts of some staff members of the university.
The violence of the strike escalated on the 07th of February when a number of students
barricaded the university entrance by burning material on site, preventing staff members from
entering university premises. The most violent peak of the strike however occurred on the 11th of
February after the striking students had been issued with a court interdict by the Bhisho High
Court which declared the strike unlawful. This upsurge of violence prompted intervention by local
authorities, which resulted in a violent unfolding of events in the Alice campus throughout the day.
A verbal response to the demands was issued on the 07th of February by Vice Chancellor, Dr
Mvuyo Tom, and further communication was sent through the UFH Internal e-mail services
elaborating on the VC’s responses to the memorandum. The Vice Chancellor addressed the
demands of the memorandum in 4 salient points:
Page 3
1.
Automatic supplementary examinations
The university has allowed for the automatic writing of supplementary examinations when
students have obtained a 45% - 49% mark in their examination for some years, as is
detailed in the Rules and Regulations of the university [Rule G.6.3.2].
2.
Academic Exclusion (the reacceptance of students who have been academically excluded)
The Faculties were still addressing appeals made by students, who would be informed of
the outcomes of their appeals according to the dates:
Science and Agriculture
Law
Management and Commerce
Social Science and Humanities
Education
:
:
:
:
:
Friday 08 February
Friday 08 February
Tuesday 12 February
Wednesday 13 February
Monday 11 February
3.
Degree Change
The university also makes provision for students to
changedegrees and/or Faculties on condition that
certain requirements are met. [Rule G.3.15.4]
4.
Student Accommodation
•
Costs
According to the VC, the students’ accommodation costs are not subsidised by government,
therefore all costs of operating residences are paid by the students living in the residences. The
renovated residences are having a fee-redetermination rather than a normal increase. The
standard fee for a double room will be R15854 per annum per student and the fee for a single
room will be R19156 per year, however there are not many of these on the Alice Campus. More
than 70% of UFH students are covered by one form or another of financial aid and in the case
where more students are placed in a double room for example the fee will be R10570 per student
for three sharing and R7927 per student for four sharing. This was a temporary measure that the
university wanted to introduce whilst awaiting the building of additional accommodation for
students. The students have however refused the offer and it shall not be pursued further.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Page 4
Is your university preparing you
for work
The class of 2012 at the university of Fort Hare is about to graduate in May and entering the
labour market at the worst time for many years; when unemployment is rising resulting in the
increase of competition for jobs.
Many people think of going to universities as a simply way to advance their education or to earn
a degree in order to make them more marketable to employers, but the real task begins after
graduating and being rendered jobless with a degree at hand. In addition to acquiring the
strong academic and technical knowledge required for many roles in the work place, graduates
and postgraduates also need the employability skills and positive attitude that employers value
in every new recruit.
University of Fort Hare amongst other Universities all over the world recognize that the key to
well-rounded academic experience is helping a student develop both hard skills that can be
directly applied to a job and a variety of soft skills and life experiences that would allow them to
adapt to a dramatically changing work place. Universities are also bolstering academic and
student support services, such as career centres and they continue to develop robust career
centres that place the importance of students and alumni’s future at the forefront of their
services. The question still begs however; is the university of Fort Hare doing enough to ensure
that its students acquire the competitive edge over other graduates; and are the students of the
university equipping themselves enough to be suitable job candidates in such a fierce
environment? [Quinter Oyango]
Fake college uses Fort Hare’
name to scam desperate students
A mock university, which had been illegally posing as Fort Hare College and accepting
applications from students under the guise of being affiliated with the university, was tracked
down by university management.
Failure to meet university entrance requirements, rejections by universities and the failure to
apply to a university until too late meant that a number of high school leaving students were
found wanting for a place to study further in 2013. The result of this desperation prompted the
burgeoning of scams that feed off the dire need of many students to acquire an education, like
the Fort Hare College which had been advertised as an institution that would afford students
the opportunity to receive this education.
Stakeholder Relations Manager, Mr Lizo Phiti, whose responsibility among many is to ensure
that the reputation of the university is amicably maintained trailed the scam to ensure that no
further people were victimised. Local authorities were informed, after which the College seized
to exist. Unfortunately, the university could not ascertain how many people were taken
advantage of by the scam, or how much money was generated from it. Phiti commented; “it is
unfortunate that scams of this nature target the most vulnerable in our society”.
[Zokwanda Rasmeni]
Page 5
Residence refurbishments process
The infrastructural challenges facing the Alice
residences has been a topical issue for a long time in
the university. The consequence of this dissatisfaction by
students was the appointment a steering committee comprising
students, Student Affairs, the Properties and Services centre and
Equiscent Construction Co. to manage the development and
refurbishment of the residences, which, according to
refurbishment plan devised by Equicent, will be carried out in 4
Phases.
The first phase of the development process, which included the
construction of two new residence blocks accommodating 160
students each commenced with the construction one of the new
residences, which is scheduled for completion at the end of April.
Phase 2 of the developments comprised the refurbishment of 7
student blocks: ZK Matthews, ZK Matthews 2 Jabavu, Jolobe 1,
Jolobe 2, Tiyo Soga and Molefe, which began in February. The
third phase of the process will comprise the refurbishment of
priority student blocks: Ezola 1, Ezola 2 and Ezola 3. And the
fourth and final phase will conclude by refurbishing the remaining
residences as prioritised by the university. [Zokwanda Rasmeni]
STRIKE CONTINUED
•
Private Public Partnership
Consultations occurred between management, university Council and the SRC through
quarterly meetings held in which the students concerns on ideological disagreements
were taken into considerations.
Management clarified further that the buildings will not be owned by the private
company but till remain assets of the university.
•
Residence security
The Biometric Systems were implemented to ensure the safety of students, an ongoing
concern in the university. This security system has been tested elsewhere as has
proven safe; and does not encouraged congestion.
•
-
Double Bunk Bed Systems
The students have opposed this system and it will not be introduced.
•
Residence allocation
The system was introduced to ensure accountability in the process of residence
allocation
The Vice Chancellor has since requested the closure of the university following the violence of the strike.
[Zokwanda Rasmeni]
Page 6
Orientation
Lutho Mabandla
Page 7
Xenophobia, the stumbling block to peace
It may be shocking to some people in this country to realize that, without meaning to do so, they
hold views in common with Hitler when they preach discrimination against other religious, racial
or economic groups. ~~Henry A. Wallace
"When are you Zim going back to your country?" that was the statement that jolted me back to
the harsh reality when I first came to South Africa. This Finnish woman working as an officer at
the airport had chosen to ignore my passport which clearly stated I wasn’t from the Southern
part of Africa. Foreigners in the Diaspora can bear witness to the fact that xenophobia is alive
and breathing and has an annoying habit of rearing its ugly head more often than not; nagging
that feeling of wondering why in the world people were stereotyping us, assuming that we all
came from poor backgrounds, were thieves and rapists, that we were out to abuse their system
or were just lazing around consuming the country’s resources.
During the 2008 xenophobia attracts several lives were lost and many more were injured. The
devastated community retaliated by rioting and looting the nearby Somali businesses, an
unreasonable and saddening reaction. But could we peg that only on momentary anger and
sadness? It was the uproar on social media that left me aghast! Well educated, level headed
people were up in arms damning foreign nationals back to their home countries. The insults and
expletives that reigned the social sphere were totally shocking. Those who tried to speak for the
foreigners were quickly shut down by others who would not hear of anything else.
I have yet to see this much xenophobia in all other countries I have travelled. We need to be
vigilant and careful of this blatant ignorance. It is the reason that most the African countries
continue going backward instead of progressing. We needed to have embraced the Somali
community (and other communities represented by their plight) in the fight against terror....not
condemned them. This kind of xenophobia is not to be expected from a learned and exposed
citizen. [Student Piece]
To f e a t u r e y o u r s t o r y o n t h e n e w s l e t t e r, e - m a i l u s o n : z r a s m e n i @ u f h . a c . z a
Page 8
Interim SRC receives mixed
feelings from students
The Head Convener of the interim Students Representative Council, Bulali
Rawana believes there should be no leadership vacuum following the decision
by all Fort Hare stakeholders not have SRC elections owing to the material
conditions that existed when the elections were expected take place in October
last year. Hence he believes that the formation of the interim structure, which is
“I have heard about the interim SRC. In the absence
of the actual SRC, I think they have done a good job.”
made up of two representatives from six different students’ political structures,
was a necessary resolution. The interim SRC was given the clear mandate of
facilitating the SRC elections early next year, and more significantly, to be the
voice of students during the registration period for the 2013 academic year.
Rawana said; “we want to bring new creativity, restore dignity to all the
processes and redefine the role of SRC and set pace for proper service delivery
not only during registration but for the future of the SRC; which will require
cooperation from students, transparency and accountability from our collective”
The formation of the interim SRC was met with mixed feelings from the student
“I have no idea who the Interim SRC is.”
body. Some students commended the formation of the interim SRC. COPE
representative, Mayihlome had this to say; “we want results and we wish the
SRC the best”; Zuzake Noganta who is the former SRC member said, “I think its
high time that we support and respect our leaders, all they need is support from
us not critics, let's offer advice where we see a need for it let's give information
where it is needed.” Other students believe that the interim SRC “were just a
stop-gap measure since UFH did not have SRC elections”; this is according to
Junior Tshefu. Tshefu was extremely disappointed by the SRC’s inaction during
the registration and administration of new students. He believes however that;
“the SRC should work as a team not as individuals as the students are expecting
the whole team to be victorious, not individual organisations.” [Siphokazi Manzi]
“I don’t know them.”
Department News
The University of Fort Hare is offering a 1 year full time program namely, “Advanced Diploma in Accounting”, to enable students to
advance to the Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting. This program is designed for students with a Bachelor’s Degree of
Commerce in Accounting from non-accredited universities or students who did not meet the entry requirements for the PG Dip Acc.
Admission to the program is at the discretion of the Head of Department and will be based mainly on prior academic performance.
If successful at the end of this program students will receive a Diploma in recognition of their efforts. In addition to the academic part
of the year the students will be invited to take part in team building events as well as formal introductory functions to provide them
with the building blocks for the PG Dip Acc program.
This is an exciting programme that offers students another means of entry into PG Dip Acc and to ultimately fulfilling their dreams
of qualifying as Chartered Accountants.
Department of Accounting
Where Everyone Counts
Page 9
Next event: 22 February; 19h30 @ The Steve Biko Centre Amphitheatre. Dom Coyote, London
based musician and storyteller; the Steve Biko Centre's Abelusi; Elethu (UFH Music student)
will be performing an evocative image, astonishing sounds and magical journey of stories
through live songs and music.
The Steve Biko Centre
S IS FOR SAMORA
Sarah LeFanu’s S is for
Samora is a Lexical Biography
of Samora Machel and the
Mozambican Dream. A highly
readable, informative and
entertaining guide of the life
and times of Mozambique’s
revolutionary leader and first
President Samora Moises
Machel. A must read for those
interested in the revolutionary
history of Southern Africa.
[Thomas Blaser]
The Steve Biko Centre was officially open on the 12th of
October 2012. The centre, which is dedicated to the
pioneer of the Black Consciousness movement, was built to
commemorate the historic and unfolding culture of
liberation among African people universally. The Centre
comprises a museum, an archive and library resource
centre, a commemorative garden honouring human rights
activists, training facilities, cultural performance and
production spaces, a community media centre and retail
spaces.
Django Unchained is a long, powerful film, with psychological
points made with considerable subtlety and wit. Django, a slave
freed in the deep south two years before the civil war who forms a
curious alliance with an itinerant German, Dr King Schultz and
shoots his way across pre-civil war America to rescue his wife,
Broomhilda, from a plantation deep in the American South.
Tarantino takes Schultz and Django on a physical, moral and
psychological journey over a variety of evocative terrains, during
which the bond between them is forged and the violence proceeds
exponentially. Because of this flick, Quinton Terantino
been described as the most impressive
film-makers at work today.
[Phillip French]
Page
Page 10
8
UFH Cricket star
Jerry Maphelo began his studies at University in 2010 and is currently in his 3rd year of
Bachelor of Human Movement Science studies. Maphelo has left an indelible mark in the
university’s sports fields; his achievements spanning both region and national cricket fields.
In 2010, he formed part of the SA U/19 Squad that played in the U/19 Cricket world cup and in
the same year received a Warriors Contract for two years; played for the Border Amateur
Senior team, the Border Cricket Academy team and the UFH/CSA cricket academy. He was
subsequently recognised as the 2010 sportsman of the year in the UFH greatest achievers
awards, which he received again in 2011 and 2012. He continued to represent the warriors, the
Border Amateur Senior team, the Border Cricket Academy team as well as the UFH/CSA
cricket academy in 2011 and 2012. Maphelo captained the UFH cricket team that won the 2012
USSA Cricket A (B section week) and was in awarded for provincial colours and selected to the
2012 USSA Cricket Squad in the same year.
Jerry Maphelo began his studies at University in 2010 and is currently in his 3rd year of
Bachelor of Human Movement Science studies. Maphelo has left an indelible mark in the
university’s sports fields; his achievements spanning both regional and national cricket fields.
[Siphokazi Manzi]
Blues committed to having a sterling season
The FNB Fort Hare Blues kicked off the much anticipated Varsity Shield cup with crucial
changes to the team. Coach Elliot Fana has had to contend with the loss of Thando Ndondo,
who captained the team in 2012, lock Itumeleng Mokae and hooker Dalton Mavuso, who he
says will not be easy to replace as they held critical positions whose boots will not be
immediately filled by youngsters at that level of competition. Despite these changes, he still
remains determined to see the team challenging some of the top sides of the Varsity Shield this
year. "I don't want us to have a negative attitude and start thinking that Fort Hare is just there to
add numbers, we are definitely there to compete," said Fana.
The Blues kicked off the season to a rough start when they took on last year's Wooden
Spoonists, the FNB UKZN Impi at Peter Booysen Sports Park in Pietermaritzburg, losing 19-7
to the home team. The second match of the season however allowed the boys to redeem
themselves when they plummeted former Varsity Cup side FNB TUT to secure a 32 – 6 victory
when they played in Alice on the Monday 04th February. The next match, on the 11th will see
the Blues take on the FNB CUT in Bloemfontein in a very important clash in the tournament.
Fana maintains the positive attitude ensconced at the beginning of the tournament confirming
his confidence in the boys’ performance. "We need to be able to front up when we play an away
game and manage the collision as we did against TUT then I think we should be able to
compete," he said.
Page 11
FNB Fort Hare Team
15 Khanyiso Komani
14 Garth Van Rayner
13 Lundi Ralarala
12 Saneliso Ngoma
10 Oliver Zono
9 Anele Tsiko
8 Nkosikhona Nofuma 7 Billy Dutton (captain),
5 Masixole David
4 Mzwandile Yalezo
3 Xola Mapapo
2 Luzuko Nyabaza
16 Zuko Lerula
17 Siyabulela Sijula
18 Sibabalwe Tshoni
19 Andile Makinana
21 Lutho Zatu
22 Lwando Makhongolo 23 Douglas Manyame
Replacements
Upcoming Fixtures
Monday, February 11:
FNB CUT v FNB UFH,
CUT Rugby Stadium - 7pm
FNB UWC v FNB UKZN,
UWC Sport Stadium - 7pm
Bye: FNB TUT
Monday, 18 February :
FNB TUT v FNB CUT, TUT
Stadium - 7pm
FNB UFH v FNB UWC,
Davidson Rugby Stadium - 7pm
Bye: FNB UKZN
Monday, February 25:
FNB UFH v FNB UKZN,
Davidson Rugby Stadium - 7pm
FNB TUT v FNB UWC, TUT Stadium - 7pm
Bye: FNB CUT
11Lithabile
Mgwadleka
6Onke
Dubase
1Lwando
Mabenge
20 Khaya
Siqoko
INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
ALICE
Phone(Alice)
Phone(East London)
Fax
E-mail
: 040 602 2002
: 043 704 7578
: 086 626 2026
: zrasmeni@ufh.ac.za
lmabandla@ufh.ac.za
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