A Year of the Vuvuzela, Phillip & A Busy Political Zoo

Tshepo Tshabalala



The snnual university protest march at the beginning
of the year scared away a few first year students
 as it turned violent with police and extra security personnesl
being called to assist .



It was a year of great achievements, all sorts of animals prowling the political scene, attempts to muzzle the media, striking public servants and Phillip. Nobody has met Phillip but the word on the street says he is on his way to Brazil after his success in South Africa. Oh, and so came 2010 to end after the final whistle of the FIFA world cup saw Spain winning the tournament.



 At the Tshwane University of Technology it was an even more eventful year with an expected student strike right at the beginning of the year. Journalism students were not making it easy in the Soshanguve campus as many of them came with their Model C demands. It was clear that some were scared and fearful and the disruptions saw the journalism department lose at least two students but the rest of them eventually became accustomed to TUT’s ‘traditions’. Those who left were soon to find out that protest marches happen at almost all major universities in the country and the grass is not always greener on the other side.

A Forgettable World Cup Experience

Thabiso Sihlali

I knew that the world cup was coming to South Africa for six years. I was in primary school when it was announced but didn’t feel any hype around it at the time.

Time passed and so did the years and the six years building up to 2010 seemed very normal to me. It did not feel like South Africa was to host a significant event on international importance.

Tickets went on sale and I too received some, but I still didn’t think I was about to be part of an experience that would change some people’s lives.

All that led to the night of an all important game that I would remember for the rest of my life.

It was a cold night in the Loftus Versfeld stadium where temperatures dropped below freezing point. The stadium was packed and everyone was still high on Bafana’s draw against Mexico. Everyone thought this would be in the bag. But it wasn’t to be as the host nation lost three goals to nil to Uruguay.

An hour before kickoff vuvuzelas were blowing so hard you wouldn’t hear yourself sneeze in that cold. I had so much hope that the atmosphere would last. But as the whistle to start the game was blown the stadium went dead quiet.

Then Diego Forlan of Uruguay drew the first blood with a shot out of nowhere. It felt like I was watching a golf Tournament where the crowd waiting in anticipation for Tiger Wood to make his final shot to win the US Masters. Then I thought Bafana would score and the mood would change back to the vuvuzelas that we heard before kickoff.

This dull mood lasted unfortunately. It lasted the whole game until I stood up and left the stadium as I was cold and had realised that no miracle was going to happen here. The ‘Once In Lifetime’ or ‘Part Of History’ moment ended before it even started for me.

I can surely admit it was one night to forget in terms of historical moments in my life
Nothing excited me that much about the day. That sums up my world cup experience.

Bafana Needs New Strategy

Jane Ndlovu

Now that the cheers and laughter of people are over after a magnificent world cup tournament, what does the future hold for our national team?

All eyes were on them since the country was selected to host the tournament back in 2004. Some say Bafana Bafana played well, but I believe they ridiculed all South Africans by making history of being the first host team to be knocked out before reaching the second stage of the tournament.

I am bewildered by the incessant trend and manner in which our national football team plays the game. South African footballers lack experience and cannot stand the pressure of the world cup. There are always new players experiencing the world cup for the first time in each and every world cup tournament.

I profusely shift the blame to the South African Football Association (SAFA) and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) for the ordeal that this country is currently facing. It is beyond peculiar to me that the two football organisations are too laid-back about the matter. Their sluggishness is really is taking its toll on football as a career in this country. SAFA, in conjunction with PSL need to join forces and hunt for talented footballers.

There is also a lack of development in poor and rural communities are often ignored. This is because such areas are often far from major cities. Some good players might even be ignored as a result of a lack of contacts as nepotism is a major problem in South Africa.

Pitso Mosimane has been appointed national coach. I guess congratulations are in order.

Appointing a local coach might not be the answer though. Foreign coaches are not the only ones who ‘fail’ Bafana Bafana. Our national team needs to be moulded and sharpened to stand against any tempest. At least 60% of players who participated in the Fifa World Cup in the Bafana Bafana squad need to be accompanied by the other 40% of players who were ‘hunted’ for the next world cup.

This country will be void of complaints and grief if we have a lot of alternatives and strikers in the ‘storeroom’. Instead of sitting back and getting big fat cheques, SAFA and PSL members need to get out of their comfort zones and start working seriously. Unless something is done and new measures are implemented on Bafana Bafana we South Africans will forever be wailing. We have had enough of being let down and brokenhearted by the national soccer team. Ahg!

War of Words with Ndaedzo Nethonzhe

Tshepo Tshabalala

So came another exciting evening of debate organised by Cool Politics. The venue, the intimate Kaldi’s Coffee and this time around, the guest speaker was Kaya FM journalist and former TUT graduate, Ndaedzo Nethonzhe.

As always the evening began with live music from up and coming artists. This time around we were dazzled by the sounds of Edd and Adam van Veen (from Our Heritage) and Bongiziwe and the Fridge, but this time Bongiziwe was without the fridge. Nevertheless he did not disappoint but instead he put on a performance that had most people chanting for more at the end of his set.

The topic for the evening was about the future of South Africa after the World Cup. We talked about the impact the World Cup has had on the country; negative and positive, our expectations from government now that it is all over and what the World Cup has meant for our country. Ndaedzo opened the floor by asking about our experiences during the world cup. For many in the room, we concurred that we as South Africans were great hosts and we put on a spectacular show. There were many positive reports about the country, both from international and local media. Bronwyn of Cool Politics commented by saying that the World Cup showed us that our government, that has been in power since 1994, has the capacity to deliver what they have promised. They showed this by putting together a great world cup, within the deadline that was given by FIFA. One needs to ask the question, if the government could render such world class service, from infrastructure, tourism, security etc because the whole world had their eyes on them… will they be able to maintain the excellence they have displayed without the pressure from Fifa and the rest of the world? Will they remain loyal to their own people who put them in power?

We surfed on the motto ‘Alive with possibility’ by hosting a World Cup set on tight deadlines, why can’t the same government that built great stadiums, build houses and schools of the same caliber as the stadiums, to the poor people of this country. It is believed that the country received an amount of R93 billion from Fifa, of which is not the profit but has to cover the debts from constructing stadiums, roadworks and other major developments that were made from the World Cup. Ndaedzo truly believes that whatever the profit South Africa makes from Fifa, 60% of that money should be spent on education. He believes that the ‘1 Goal’ initiative that was advertised throughout the soccer spectacle will not benefit anyone. “A great PR exercise” is what he called it.

“South Africa needs to reach a point where we move to a phase where we want to be”, said Ndaedzo. We need to think and act like a developed country. A war of words erupted when the debate touched on the recent Xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals in the country. The floor seemed to be split between those who believed that the government has handled these threats exceptionally well and those who argued that our government is far too reactive. They wait for problems to spiral out of control first before they take action.

The evening came to an end with many unhappy and unsatisfied debaters. This showed that there needs to be dialogue at the very bottom to work on the challenges we face as a nation and how we can move forward. There is a need to teach the nation on how to use the media to their advantage and to become a ‘no-nonsense’ type of a society.

Waving Flags With K’naan And The World Cup Trophy

Thabiso Sihlali & Neo Manganye

We often hear that the early bird catches the worm and that proved to be true on Wednesday when the world cup trophy arrived at the Tshwane University of Technology’s Soshanguve campus. We woke up early just so we could be there before eight in the morning. This was on a day when we didn’t have any classes. And thank goodness we did because we got to experience what those who came late didn’t and most never will.

Arriving early allowed us to get our passes to get to at least touch the glass that was protecting the trophy. It allowed us to take a photograph with the trophy. Yesterday was one piece of history we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

It’s a good thing that we didn’t leave early either. Most people who had seen the trophy complained about the chaos that started later in the day with the masses turning up. We decided to soak in the atmosphere though and stay to socialise with the crowds.

Then something totally unexpected happened. Somali musician, K’naan, arrived to perform his massive international hit Waving Flag, Coca Cola’s official world cup song for the 2010 football world cup.

Everything was great man and it was amazing seeing people of all ages from pre-school children to old people having a great time. Now let the games begin.

Check out K'naan's Wavin flag at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxmEd9lcn0k&feature=related

The World Cup Trophy In Sosh

Tshepo Tshabalala

The FIFA world cup trophy finally made it to Soshanguve on Wednesday. Tight and heavy security was the order of the day as soon as the 12-carat ornament landed on campus. The beautiful game's greatest prize made its 31st stop at the Tshwane University of Technology’s Soshanguve south campus as it continues its journey across South Africa before the world cup starts on Fiday, next week.

As part of the memorable and once in a lifetime trophy tour of the country, the university and surrounding community had the opportunity to enjoy a rare close up view of the World Cup Trophy.

What started as a seemingly slow, unsuccessful day became a scene taxi rank on a month end. By lunchtime it was estimated that 16 000 people had come to revel in the festivities and be part of history.

Only a few could get a chance of taking a photo with the trophy. Those are people with pashasha tickets. These tickets were given to the university and selected lucky community members by Coca Cola. They are often given out to enable some people to get up close and personal with the strictly guarded piece.

Members of the community also had a chance to watch a 3D movie and they also received free coca cola drinks.

The organisers made sure that there was also an abundance of entertainment.

The trophy has travelled across 91 cities in 84 countries. It will now go to Vanderbijlpark, Krugersdorp and finally complete its long tour in Soweto at the Dlamini Centre.

World Cup Trophy coming to Sosh

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP HERE WE COME

With less than 75 days left to the First ever World Cup on home soil, we can only get more excited.  This song by Akon featuring Keri Hilson epitomizes how we feel about our country and continent...OH AFRICA