From 4 to 14 March, UP societies took to the piazza as part of the Societies Marketing Week. The week was an opportunity for the diverse societies to put themselves on display for the wider student body. This provided a window into the lifestyle and community of UP societies and created a platform for the societies to grow and improve their membership numbers.
The piazza was adorned with societies from several backgrounds – political, sporting, social, religious, academic, and cultural – displaying the diverse student interests within the university. The SRC societies officer, Sicelo Ngwenya, explained that the aim of the event was to help “students to find a society that speaks to them”, as “a society is a special interest group”. “As an individual, you are not just here to work and study, you need a social outlet.” This is a sentiment that many students agree with: 12 954 students took the opportunity to join at least one of the 134 registered student societies available at Tuks during Society Marketing Week alone.
The social element of a society is undeniable, for each society drew curious onlookers into its stalls. Among others, Ahitivaneni Vatsonga vaTuks was pumping vibrant music, the Tuks Gaming Society was rolling the dice with Catan or Dungeons & Dragons, and the Culture Shifting Society gave budding students a chance to dunk on the basketball court. This created an environment that showed students the active community present in societies, making it difficult for the casual student observer to simply wander by.
Zanele Ndlala of the Culture Shifting Society encourages students to join a society, “UP has a lot of societies; your niche is there.” Societies are a place to meet like-minded individuals, grow your network and destress from the rigours of university life. What is there not to love? Many of UP societies are active on social media and can be found participating in on-campus activities throughout the year.
