The outgoing EC of the Natural and Agricultural Sciences House (NATHouse) hosted an award ceremony on 13
September. This award ceremony was dedicated to honouring the outstanding students within the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. The NATHouse guardians, Dr Carel Oosthuizen and Zeenat Patel, were present at the ceremony, among other notable dignitaries.
On 9 September, the University of Pretoria hosted #ChooseUp Day. The event saw hundreds of prospective
students and parents flocking to the university with the hope of experiencing the UP way. PDBY spoke to various prospective students and gathered their thoughts on the day.
On 10 September 2022, 23-year-old UP student Thapelo Menwe was fatally shot and killed outside TuksDorp residency after refusing to hand over his valuables to a street robber who held him at gunpoint. Following this incident, many students at the university were angry and horrified that a robbery and murder could happen a few metres away from a student residence, and they questioned what the Department of Security Services was doing to secure the area. At a student vigil honoring the life of Menwe, the department committed to reviewing policing in the area. A year after this tragedy, PDBY sat down with Johan Boonzaaier, the director of UP’s Security Services, to find out what the department has done since to strengthen security on and around all UP campuses and residences.
With election season almost over, students are gearing up in anticipation to see how the tables shake in light of the recent turn of events following the elections. However, it seems that the low voter turnout is not only due to a lack of persuasion but also a lack of knowledge about the Student Representative Council, its functions, and how to contact representatives. Thus, the following will break down what the SRC is and how it functions, as well as review some of its notable works within the university.
On 26 September, the Department of Education Innovations sent an email stating that the Independent Monitoring Body (IMB) attended to all complaints and objections related to the 2023 SRC elections and that the elections were “free and fair”. Less than 24 hours later, another email followed, announcing the suspension of these results pending the outcome of disciplinary hearings.
On 6 to 8 October, some of the finest orchestral musicians from the UP School of Arts convened to play the symphonies of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the king of classical music. The Mozart Festival featured a violin and a pianist concerto, and each performance celebrated the beauty of classical music, with its captivating showcase of Mozart’s lesser-known but more dramatic and romantic pieces.
On 7 September, Elevate Africa UP held the finals for its public speaking event. This was an event that transcended the boundaries of competition, serving as a platform to nurture young voices and inspire change.
At the start of 2023, students were greeted with a wonderful surprise, the return of Coffee Buzz after two years of the
doors to the student café experience remained shut since the days of the covid-19 pandemic. Returning with new management and more to offer, PDBY interviewed the manager of Coffee Buzz Niel Sirmon to get a feel of the comeback the University of Pretoria desperately needed.
