uct rands & sense 2013

RANDSandSENSE

STUDENTINVESTORinvesting is easy

AWETHU PROJECT

social entreprenuership

IT’S NOT JUST TWITTER

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05 Editor’s address06 Dean’s Address

TEAm REpoRT

07 Chairperson’s Address08 Dean’s open Forum09 Suit up day11 Shavathon

CAREERS

13 Entrepreneurship 14 Awethu project16 Ludwick marishane

, cover story

18 Simon Blampied20 Investing is easy

STuDEnT LIFE

22 SRC president address 23 Interning with SAWIp24 It’s not just twitter25 International Youth

Leadership Conference26 Global Citizenship27 Educational Development unit28 pernod Ricard’s International

Business Game29 CImA Global Business Challemge 30 Advice from Alumnus

SoCIETIES

31 uCTmA 32 Inkanyezi33 Investsoc

EDIToR In CHIEF

SInoVuYo RoDoLoASSITAnT EDIToR

mZWA mBEDuDESIGnER

QonDILE DLAmInI

ADVERTISInG

GCInIWE KHumALoTIm CARRConTRIBuToRS

KGomoTS0 mALELE, SHARon oGWAnG, mATTHEW pIpERDALE SEpTEmBER, jACK nEWBY, LoRnE HALLEnDoRFF, SIYABonGA nYEZI, nKoSI

mAmBA, SuE GREDLEY, nomBuLELo mAYABA , KIm CHRISTIAn, AnDREW monTAnDon ,ConSTAnDIno VICHoS THATo mABuDuSHA, jEFFY GEoRGE pALAmATTAm

contents

28

09

29

55 rands & sense

EDIToR’S LETTERI remember the first meeting we ever had as a council. Everyone was so excited and motivated, especially after we were allocated our portfolios. I don’t what I expected coming into the council. I think we all had such big dreams and ideas that it seems as if we haven’t done enough even though we tried our best.

Compiling Rands & Sense has been the biggest challenge for me this year. I swear I had nights where I thought I wouldn’t be able to sleep because of all the anxiety that comes with publishing the magazine. But, as you can see, things worked out. I have had such an amazing journey working with my team trying to get this project to be a success.

I think in any challenging situation, you get to learn about yourself and grow as a person and a leader. We sometimes doubt ourselves, thinking we are not good enough or something is just too hard for you to accomplish. As one of the Weasley twins said, ‘nothing is impossible if you’ve got the nerve’.

Opportunities are there. It is all up to you to do what you can with them.University is such a great place to learn and to build connections that it seems a pity to be just stuck in your books with nothing else that will develop you as a person. Try something new. Join the Wine Society or Investsoc.

I joined ballroom in my first year of university and I’ve been hooked ever since. I’ve met so many different people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise.

Do the same with whatever that interests you.This is where publications like Rands and Sense comes in. This magazine tries to show the different aspects of university. It covers student life, societies and careers that students might be interested in. There are so many opportunities that pass us by just because we don’t know about them. Take the CIMA business case or the youth conference that Nkosi went to for example. I am sure there are many students who would love to participate but they don’t because they lack

information. Rands and Sense shares the experience of some individuals as well as some opportunities available to the student body. It also serves to inspire students

to develop themselves as leaders and individuals.

I would like to thank everyone who was involved in this project. I would especially like to thank our Dean, Prof Don Ross, our designer Qondile Dlamini, Mzwa Mbedu for bring an amazing asssitant editor and the rest of the Council. Everyone played an amazing role in making sure that the publication was a success.

Sinovuyo RodoloEDIToR

6 7rands & sense 7

DEAn’S ADDRESS BY pRoF. Don RoSS

I’m pleased to introduce this year’s edition of Rands & Sense, the annual publication of SA’s next generation of corporate and economic policy leaders.

Our current students won’t enter the business world with the idea that a few basic principles and rules of thumb are all one needs. We aren’t teaching them that, and in any case they can tell when they look around them that it isn’t so. Can anyone be confident this year that they know where the best opportunities for SA’s businesses will be found 5 years from now? It is currently fashionable to say “Africa”. But African growth is now slowing due to reduced rates of increase in Chinese demand for raw materials. As for China itself, its spectacular expansion has been fueled by world-beating savings rates. But now it is approaching a demographic turning point, with its population about to start aging, and so its savings must inevitably be drawn down. Early in 2013 I would have said that the USA looked poised to reassume its traditional role as the engine of global growth. But political gridlock is making it impossible for the US to implement consistent policies with respect to

its human capital stock, unable to issue enough visas to bring in skilled foreign workers and unable to fix its ailing public education system.

Surrounded as we thus are by profound uncertainty, the kind of outlook we’re going to need from future business leadership will be one that is maximally flexible and able to cope swiftly and confidently with surprises. Is that the outlook we see crystalizing in our current UCT Commerce students? Readers of Rands & Sense can start answering that question for themselves by perusing these pages. But this should be merely an appetizer. South African business watchers and forecasters can now keep a regular eye on thinking and learning in the UCT Commerce Faculty with minimal fuss and bother, thanks to our new social media channels. 2013 has seen the

launch of our “Commerce Families” identity on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. Its name reflects our ambition for it, which is draw into conversation everyone who has a stake in expanding the scope of learning and the r&d buzz of the Faculty. In the first place that means students, alumni and their literal families. But the Commerce ‘family’ in the wider sense is the whole business leadership and innovation network of at least the Western Cape, and key activity sectors nationally.

Once you’re a follower of Commerce Families, please don’t just be a consumer, but also a producer: post and tweet your ideas. How can the rising young stars of our Faculty you see in Rands & Sense and on Commerce Families best get connected with prospects you see for growing regional and national enterprise? If you want to be part of the dynamic business network of the immediate future, you should want to be an active participant in Commerce Families.

Go to http://www.commerce.uct.ac.za and find the Commerce Families Facebook, Twitter and Flickr links immediately under the banner.

77 rands & sense

The call to lead and represent the interests of Commerce students had never before been answered with such vigor and enthusiasm as was seen in the tightly contested CSC elections in 2012. Eager to build on the successes of the previous council, the 10 member team I have had the honor to work with, has been nothing short of outstanding.

Our term began with zealous strategic planning sessions, where we reconciled the passions of each individual to collectively form the vision, mission and goals that would be the cornerstones of our term in office. Part of our mission is “to be a viable, visible, reliable and approachable platform for students to voice their opinions, thoughts and concerns”, and coupled with the rebranding of our logo to one with more vibrant colours, the slogan “Engage. Empower. Serve” embodied all that we wanted to achieve for Commerce students in 2013.

With each event an undertaking, we ensured that we always kept our eyes fixed on our main objectives.

This year CSC has successfully coordinated the class rep system and the mentorship program, ensuring that class reps and mentors are trained and that communication channels are always open. Events such as Suit-Up Day, which saw hundreds of students abandon their usual campus clothes for more dapper and suave attire, and the annual CANSA Shavathon provided the opportunity to engage with

students, while being more visible as a council, and attending to the non-academic aspect of student life.

Ensuring that students’ views, ideas and concerns are heard has been one of our primary focal points, which we facilitated through discussions such as the Dean’s Open Forum and the Dream Project discussion around the Youth Wage Subsidy with Mmusi Maimane.

As a council we continually sought out ways to ensure effective communication with students and encourage participation, not allowing the phenomenon of student apathy to derail or discourage us from fulfilling our mandate. The job of a leader is never fully finished, and in light of this fact I believe the CSC this year has worked hard to achieve what it set out to. Congratulations team!

Gciniwe KhumaloCSC CHAIRpERSon

CHAIR’S ADDRESS

8 9rands & sense 9

The Deans Open Forum was held

on 6 May 2013, in the first semester.

It was basically a round table

discussion, in the form of a forum

open to all Commerce students,

where pertinent academic matters

were discussed critically. The

forums panelists included all heads

of departments, the Academic Dean

(Tessa Minter), the Faculty Council

coordinator (Christine Immenga)

and the SRC Undergraduate

Academic Representative (Sarvesh

Balkaran). Students were given

an opportunity to come and ask

questions of these individuals, and

I must say that the quality of the

interaction and discussion was

amazing.

Issues such as the availability

of semester study abroad

opportunities, the lack of black

academics in the faculty, the

reason why so few courses are

offered during summer and winter

term for commerce students, the

possibility of having lectures

recorded for challenging courses

with high failure rates and much

more. At the time of the forum,

the College of Accounting had

recently introduced the optional 2

year Financial Reporting 2 course,

where the first semester of Financial

Reporting 2 is done in the first year

and the second semester done in the

second year, the courses are now

known as Financial Reporting 2A

and Financial Reporting 2B. The

question that was posed to Mark

Graham, the Head of the College

of Accounting, was related to the

fact that the succeeding Financial

Reporting courses are not broken

down to this extent, and does it not

further disadvantage the student

by giving them this false sense of

security. Mark Graham responded

by saying that the College was aware

that the solution is not perfect, but

then what solution is, research

had shown that considering all

Financial Reporting courses,

Financial Reporting 2 had the

biggest bottle neck as this course

was the most popular stumbling

block for students and something

innovative yet experimental had to

be done.

“the solution is not perfect, but then what solution is ?”

The great thing about the Forum

was student participation and

engagement on the issues at such

a critical level. Events such as the

Deans Open Forum give students

the opportunity to engage with

the lecturers and HODs on issues

outside pure academics, for example,

issues of policy development,

course structuring and convening

and so much more. Be sure not to

miss the next forum.

DEAN’S OPEN

FORUMBY KGomoTS0 mALELE

99 rands & sense

The day was 16 April 2013, when

UCT stood still, the red carpets

were rolled and it was lights,

camera, SUIT-UP! Everybody

received a free copy of GQ/

Glamour and the winners each

received a R500 gift hamper and a

6-month GQ/ Glamour

subscription. Runners Up received

a 3 months subscription of either

GQ/Glamour.

The dictum ‘dress for the job you

want, not the job you have,’ applies

when you’re about to climb onto the

first rung of the corporate ladder,

too. The first rule of making a good

first impression is looking the part,

whether at a job interview or on the

first day in - your new, plum position,

which is why CSC encourages its

students to get some practice in the

school of style on Suit Up day.

Suit Up Day is an annual event,

where all commerce students and

UCT at large, are encouraged to

pull out their dapper outfits in

camaraderie and unity. It is a day

when the UCT Community honours

the legions of future accountants,

bankers, economists,marketing

gurus, actuaries, politicians,

entrepreneurs, academics, IT

Specialist activists, and the list is

endless.

It really is almost impossible to

think of a world without these men

and women. Their derivatives and

other financial

instruments bring sleep to the

farmer, and cereal to that UCT

student burning an all-nighter

session. We owe gratitude to the

innovative markers who bring

buyers and sellers together. Life is

full o f uncertainty. We thank God

for the actuaries. With a little price

tag to it, now you can buy some sleep

by insurin

g your business/ life. We are

grateful for the engineering, and

science of men who build bridges,

but really it’s the financial

engineering and entrepreneurship

that has accelerated life for our

modern civilization.

It is important for a certain degree

of unity to exist within the UCT

community. The annual Suit Up day

is one way to bring about that. We

see students from different faculties

expressing pride in the way look and

having fun dressing up. We are

hoping that the tradition of Suit-Up

day will continues and become an

even bigger event that students can

take pride in.

SUIT UP DAY2013 SAW AnoTHER YEAR oF A SuCCESSFuL CSC SuIT-up DAY.

THIS YEAR CSC pARTnERED WITH GQ AnD GLAmouR, To BRInG uCT A BIGGER, BETTER AnD BoLDER SuIT-up DAY.

BY mZWA mBEDu

10 11rands & sense 11

SUIT-UP!

1111 rands & sense

The Outreach Portfolio along with Kopano Residence partnered once again in a long standing legacy of hosting the annual Shavathon. The Shavathon was held on 25th of April on a Jammie Thursday as we aimed to target not only Commerce students but all students who succumb to the temptation of sitting on Jammie stairs for a couple of minutes that most likely turn into hours. The event was marketed on various social networks such as Twitter and Facebook , we also managed to get an insert on the UCT Radio early morning show where we mainly looked at just talking about the importance of affording Commerce students and students at large the opportunity to become conscious of the challenges in the world around us.

On the day students showed up in their numbers some shaved their hair but most of us took the more conservative route of spraying our hair. The event was loads of fun and an overall success, we raised R7000 on the day which was donated to the CANSA initiative in support of cancer survivors and those fighting cancer.

I would like to thank the ladies from The Make Up Issue who assisted on the day, Kopano Residence for the man power, my team for the continuous support and most importantly, you, the students for coming out and supporting a worthy cause. It is the little things that become the big things.

SHAVATHONBY SHARon oGWAnG

1313 rands & sense

The most intriguing thing about transformation is that it really makes some people uncomfortable. The reality is that there will always be discussions on race, gender, disability, social class etc.

The idea that one’s success is a simple equation, where the ONLY input is one’s hard-work is usually not true in reality. As such, there should be some means of recognising the disadvantages brought about by gender, disability, class and race inequalities. I really would encourage ALL commerce students to actually read up and engage in the topic of transformation. It is best to formulate your own opinions and views based on knowledge instead of other people’s beliefs.

UCT has identified transformation as one of its most fundamental issues. However, there is still a lot to be done to accommodate people who are disadvantaged due to gender, race etc.

As the Transformation Rep of CSC, I sat in the Commerce Transformation Committee,

which was made up of various staff members. There is urgency in trying to change the demographics of both the student and staff body.

“uCT HAS IDEnTIFIED TRAnSFoRmATIon

AS onE oF ITS moST FunDAmEnTAL ISSuES.”

Of course not everything relates to transformation directly and rightfully so. We are not just focused on certain students. Any and all changes will actually benefit everyone. Students should continue to support student governance at large, because the truth of the matter is; that the student governance does not hold as much power as it would elsewhere. UCT is bound to make some changes when they see more students interested in certain issues.

transformationADDRESSInG THE ELEpHAnT In THE Room

BY mZWA mBEDu


For many students out there, Entrepreneurship may look like a daunting, difficult, and time-consuming task. Well, it is. It is also one of the most rewarding things you could possibly do for yourself, and for the society around you. With unemployment rates at over 25%, the jobs YOU create go a long way in starting to correct the inefficiencies of the society around us.

So if everyone in South Africa wanted to be an entrepreneur, who would actually need jobs? This question brings me to an interesting thing called intrepreneurship. This phrase is never given enough attention, but is one of the most vital parts of any business. Richard Branson defines an intrepreneur as “an employee who is given freedom and financial support to create new

products, services and systems, who does not have to follow the company’s usual routines or protocols.” It is true that we need entrepreneurs to start new companies, and accelerate innovation, but who then keeps the innovation coming? Is one person responsible for the constant development of new products? The standard answer is no. Whether you are starting a new business, or joining one, the concepts of entrepreneurship and intrepreneurship apply across the board! These concepts and mindsets need to be nurtured in order to achieve the kind of success and meaning we all search for in this life.

There is a quote which I believe captures the spirit of a successful entrepreneur, which goes like this: “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy,

the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it! Begin it now!”

Providence moves towards those who are bold, and hesitancy truly kills the splendid dreams and countless plans. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it! Begin it now.

Whether you want to start your own business, or make an impact in one you’re passionate about, an entrepreneurial mindset will point you in the right direction.

“An Enrep reneur i s one who rea l i ses the i r in f in i te c rea t i ve power, wh ich g ives b i r th to a deep fee l ing o f f reedom and

l ibe r ty, and chooses to t rans la te tha t fee l ing in to c rea t ion .”

STUDENT INVESTOR

e n t r e p r e n e u r s h i p

BY mATTHEW pIpER – FounDER & CHIEF mAnAGER a t STuDEnT InVESToR

1515 rands & sense

Awethu facilitates this goal by investing in high-potential employers, whose success leads to sustainable job creation. With an army of full-time coaches they provide business incubation and training, focusing on entrepreneurs from under-resourced communities.When Yusuf Randera-Rees launched the Awethu Project back in 2009 it was with the belief that given the right resources and training, gifted entrepreneurs from under-resourced communities could start competing with the world’s best.

The Awethu Project goes directly into low-income communities to look for the right entrepreneurial talent, interacting with over

15,000 formal and informal entrepreneurs in the greater Johannesburg region since the middle of 2012. The proposition to entrepreneurs is that if they don’t have a

business, Awethu can help them get started; and if they do, Awethu can help them grow.

These core operations of startup and established bus ines s incubat ion are supp lemented by programmes such as the Awethu Corporate Startup Challenge (a challenge involving corporate teams

who fund and mentor aspiring entrepreneurs), Awethu PSU Plus (fast-tracking high-impact, economically-disruptive ideas that have clear exit

strategies), and Awethu Microfranchising (linking established franchisors with talented franchisees to access the township market).

Rather than pre-screening based on formal market criteria, applicants are encouraged to bring nothing but their talent and work ethic to prove entrepreneurial ability in the Awethu Talent

AwETHU PROjECT i n v e s t i n g i n t o m o r r o w ’ s e c o n o m i c h e r o e s

South Africa is plagued by ever increasing rates of unemployment. The problem, in the simplest possible terms, is that neither government nor the private sector will ever be able to fulfil the demand for employment. Accord-ing to the Awethu project, a local business incubator, the only sustainable solution to this problem lies in creating a culture of entrepreneurship - or in their words “a movement of economic heroes”.

The Awethu project goes directly into low-income communities to look for the right

entrepreneurial talent.

BY DALE SEpTEmBER

16 17rands & sense 17CAREERS

Identification Process. This approach makes the Awethu Incubator accessible to any ambitious entrepreneur from an under-resourced community, regardless of previous education or business experience. From this often-overlooked talent pool, over 200 Awethu Entrepreneurs have been signed, with the view to having 500 similarly

talented Entrepreneurs in incubation by the end of September 2013. With the dedicated business support of Incubation Coaches, each Entrepreneur is tasked with creating a sustainable and scalable income source for themselves in the first six months of incubation. If each business is able to create just one job from this

targeted growth, at least 1000 jobs will have been created as a direct result of Awethu’s incubation. By investing in under-resourced entrepreneurs to develop economic leaders, the Awethu Project aims to become the world’s best incubator; ultimately replicating the model across South Africa and the continent.

Awethu was founded by Yusuf Randera-Rees, a

South African graduate of Harvard and oxford,

passionate about correcting the social inequali-

ties in our country. Awethu’s patron is Archbish-

op Desmond Tutu, our Board includes leaders

from across South Africa’s private and public

sectors, and we are supported by iconic cor-

porates such as Discovery and Accenture. In

2011, Awethu was recognised as one of the

most visionary social enterprises in the world

by the Echoing Green Foundation in new York,

which assessed 2854 organisations from over

100 countries before selecting Awethu as one

of its Fellows.

on the back of the pilot’s initial success, 2012

saw Awethu selected as one of the first 20

beneficiaries out of over 3000 applicants to the

South African Government’s jobs Fund.

ABouT AWETHu

www.awethuproject.co.za | phone: (011) 024 -1606

1717 rands & sense

Ludwick invented DryBath® in grade 11, after a lazy friend complained about why there wasn’t such a product on the market. In the Limpopo community he grew up in, most people used the bucket-bathing method; where you boil water in a kettle & mix it with cold water in a small bowl in order to bathe. This method is very uncomfortable, and especially irritating during the winter months.

After being accepted to UCT, he was fortunate to receive the Allan Gray Orbis Scholarship, and he networked with all the right people during university to get help in making DryBath® and starting a business to make it a success. During his 3rd year at UCT, he was chosen as the best student entrepreneur in the world (GSEA 2011), and Google named him as one of the 12 brightest young minds in the world (Zeitgeist 2011).

After graduating from UCT, Ludwick has dedicated himself to running his business, and to working with the Technology Innovation Agency in order to promote technology/ innovation entrepreneurship, especially among young people.

Mzwa Mbedu, caught up with the young entrepreneur to find out his thoughts on entrepreneurship, the African economy and everything in between

Looking back, what would you wish you had done differently ?

I wish I had started my entrepreneurial journey even earlier before university. I also wish I had created a team around the business even earlier, so that I didn’t have to carry the burden of running the business on my own in the senior years.

UCT GRADUATE TAkING THE bUSINESS

wORlD bY STORMBY mZWA mBEDu

Ludwick marishane(23) is the founder & mD of Headboy Industries Inc., and is South Africa’s youngest patent-filer after having invented DryBath® at the age of 17. In 2011, he was rated as the best student

entrepreneur in the world (Global Champion of the Global Student Entrepreneurs Awards 2011). That same year, Google named him as one of the 12 brightest young minds in the world. He holds a Bachelor of Busi-

ness Science, majoring in Finance & Accounting, from the university of Cape Town.


What are you currently working on, and what are the plans for the future?

I spend most of my time on the Headboy business. We’ve been working on a project called Pioneers@Uni, which consists of 2 student development programmes (Excel@Uni and Entrepreneurs@Uni). This new programme has been piloted with 15 students over the past 4 months, and will be grown next year.

I am sure you can agree that you were far from a typical student, or individual for that matter. Did you ever feel like university was not for you?

University is an amazing experience for any entrepreneur or entrepreneurial person (whether you graduate or not is not too important, as long as you know where you’re going & how you might get there). The men & women we become is highly determined by our university experiences, and it is the place where we develop the lifelong friends who will play an instrumental role in our futures. UCT, as an institution, has been quite lacking in entrepreneurial support, but the level of entrepreneurial activity amongst

the students is extremely impressive. I don’t think I would’ve been half the entrepreneur I am if it wasn’t for UCT surrounding me with such great peers.

What advice would you have for students who are run-ning their enterprises, involved in charity initiatives, competitions, international summits etc.? How did you keep the ball rolling, with other things on your plate?

Surround yourself with like-minded people, because they will provide you with the support you need. You need to know the limits of your abilities & the limited hours in a day, and pick the friends you spend most of your time with, with the same level of scrutiny you use when you are getting married. Start everything with the end in mind; in 1st year, I already knew that if the business grew as I wanted it to, I would have to drop out. I almost did dropout at the end of 3rd year, but my friends, family & the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation (my scholarship) encouraged & supported me to finish the degree.

Do you believe that Entrepreneurs are born or trained?

Entrepreneurs can be created, but it takes decades to teach someone to develop the traits that are necessary. On the other hand, entrepreneurial skills can be learned by anyone, and mastered over a much shorter time. An entrepreneurial mind-set is something you can use in the workplace, school, or extra-curricular activities in order to be a top performer. Starting a company is simply not for everyone.

1919 rands & sense

Simon B lampied i s a uCT maste r ’ s s tudent who i s heav i l y invo lved in the market ing assoc ia t ion and GetSmar te r. He b r ie f l y jo ined the uCT s ta f f as the market ing 1 lec tu re r and course convenor.

Te l l us about your exper ience as a market ing s tudent and how your peers v iew your cu r ren t p ro fess ion .

SIMON BLAMPIED: My experience was fun, bar the three years of ecos (laughs). Obviously many people come into varsity not knowing how things are going to be, and because the first years of the business science stream are very general, the first time you see marketing is in the second semester of second year. But once you get into it and start progressing, it gets fun. I wouldn’t change it for the world

A lo t o f commerce s tudents might have a pe rcept ion that market ing i s one o f the eas ie r de -g rees and not as cha l leng ing. What do you have to say about tha t?

SB: I think that’s just the nature of how students are. When people don’t understand what you do, it’s easy to pass judgement; in the same that I, not having done three or

four years of finance, might look at a finance student and they’re just a pencil pusher. It’s not fair, because that’s not the truth, but unfortunately that’s popular perception. One of the goals of the marketing association is to counter the bad publicity surrounding the marketing profession.

You were a market ing lec tu re r fo r a year in 2012; p lease te l l us a b i t about tha t exper ience

It was interesting in the sense that if you think about the three main stakeholders in the university, students, staff and alumni, I was all three last year. You start to see things that you shouldn’t as a student, learn a lot about students and student psychology which makes you look back and laugh about your own experiences. I learnt a lot about time management too. On the whole it was challenging but fun.

What’s your d i s se r ta t ion on?

It’s on looking at building the UCT-Unilever report, looking at consumer behaviour in South Africa and particularly looking at customer loyalty and what could be causing differences in loyalty.

CONVERSATIONw i t h

SIMON blAMPIEDBY SInoVuYo RoDoLo


Why d id you do your maste r s? Why d idn’ t you jus t go s t ra igh t in to the job market?

At first, it was a case of ‘why not?’ Once you graduate, you gain a bit more perspective and realise that you want to achieve more. I don’t want to be an academic necessarily but I think a Masters gives you credibility. When you go into the workplace you’re showing some skill there, you are showing that you are happy to go above and beyond. And why not spend more time at this awesome place (Laughs)

How d id the fo rmat ion o f the market ing Assoc ia t ion come about? We actually had one guy who graduated last year who went on a study abroad programme in the University of Columbia. They had a marketing association and he was really keen to get UCT to have a similar platform for people interested in marketing.

What a re your p lans fo r the assoc ia t ion?

We’d like to build the marketing community, not just students and alumni, just anyone who’s interested in marketing. We’re going to build that up over the next few years which should be a nice challenge.Why shou ld a s tudent who’s not s tudy ing anyth ing re la ted to market ing be in te res ted in jo in ing the assoc ia t ion?

If you think about engineering, for example, there are so many engineers who end up going into the business world, so why not start now and learn something different and related to the business world?

I s the re a sense o f job guarantee in the market ing f ie ld as seen in o the r commerce f ie lds l i ke account -ing and f inance?

There are pros and cons to it, but marketing as a field is remarkably broad and there are lots of different niches you can pursue. You might not hear or know about them as a non-marketing student because they don’t spend as much money as, say, the big 5 accounting firms getting their name out there. Companies like Unilever, SAB, Brandhouse, The Foschini Group which are big marketing companies and smaller companies which mainly focus on research. I do think, however, that it could be better in terms of making options known. I think the other thing to note is that historically if you think about the mentality of an accounting student, they are probably more risk averse. A marketing student may not be as bothered by the uncertainty and may well see the opportunities to expand and jump into different fields and jobs as an attractive thing, because people get bored you know.

2121 rands & sense

The single biggest mistake people can make when

investing is to act irrationally. In this article I’ll just list

some rules that have contributed to the success of many

famous investors and the downfall of those that have

strayed from them. We must first understand that the

majority of unit trusts and other investment schemes

have, as a whole underperformed the broad market in

general. What this means is that over the years many

investors fail to meet the benchmark set by the JSE All

Share Index. Why is this the case?

Well, for starters, many so-called expert investors don’t

follow the fundamental rules when it comes to investing.

There are many rules but ones that should be followed

at all times are the following: Never expect vast superior

results than the market and other people. When we set

ourselves up for unrealistic gains, we are in fact setting

ourselves up for failure.

Why is it so hard to beat the market? Surely people

that are paid to invest should be able to beat the general

market, but this is not often the case. They are at a

disadvantage when it comes to the costs of buying and

selling shares which generally totals up to 2% of the

price. That means that every trade they do is already

lagging behind. Another problem for these funds is

the fact that the majority of them are trading with an

enormous amount of capital that has to be placed in the

market. Jason Zweig refers to this as asset elephantiasis.

The huge amount of capital can be burdensome and

severely hinder results. It also rules out the possibility

of purchasing smaller companies that could generally

impact the fund’s performance.

So if you are not investing such vast amounts and have

the discipline to understand that beating the market

continuously is rather difficult, the most important

thing to do is to create your own set of guidelines that

you will stick to throughout your investing lifetime.

These rules could be as simple only investing in

companies that show healthy financing. There are many

little rules that you could implement to conjure up a

portfolio of shares that meets your requirements. One

of the biggest investors make is to stray from a set of

guidelines and charter into unknown waters. This can

end up in catastrophe.

Before you start investing, it is recommended that you

read a few books about investing, go through some

articles and video tutorials at www.studentinvestor.biz

. There are many different strategies that one can adopt

but it is imperative that one sticks to that one as mixing

strategies can lead to confusion and inevitably losses.

Remember, Investing is a game that can be won.

STUDENT INVESTOR

i n v e s t i n g i s e a s y

jACK nEWBY – CHIEF EDIToR,poRTFoLIo mAnAGER a t STuDEnT InVESToR


ONE YOUNG wORlD

Outside of the Olympic Games, the claim goes, no youth-

dominated event brings together participants from

more countries than the One Young World Summit.

That is why I was determined to use the summit to

represent the views of South Africans as accurately

and thoroughly as possible. As a South African delegate

among approximately 1,500 international peers at the

2012 instalment of the summit, which ran from 18

to 22 October in Pittsburgh, USA, I had spotted an

opportunity to give the South African agenda some air

time.

The summit creates a space for dialogue on possible

solutions to many global issues. It mainly challenges

world leaders to shift focus and bring the more rapid and

ready change that the world so earnestly desires.

The event focused on six areas: global business, the

environment, health, interfaith dialogue, leadership

and media. Bill Clinton led the council, with individuals

such as former secretary-general of the United Nations

Kofi Annan serving as counsellors, along with a number

of multi-national corporations. The summit plays an

influential role in global leadership, and is not just the

average talk shop. Decisions are made, projects are

started and there is a feedback mechanism in place.

Apart from bringing dialogue and solutions, the summit

creates a platform for individuals to get support for any

ideas, projects and movements they may have in mind

to improve their society. This is through the network

they create with other delegates, the councillors, the

companies associated, and also the organisation itself.

2012 saw the launching of the social business fund,

where everyone was welcome to apply for funding.

The One Young World Summit is bid for by different

cities each year around the world this year, the summit

will be hosted in Johannesburg. Hopefully many young

people from Africa will be present. The way we view the

world is changing, and many call it a social revolution.

There is increasing pressure on business to holistically

benefit all stakeholders, including workers and the

environment, for example.

There is an on-going forum that continues conversation

on these topics, and it is essential that we gather and

represent South African views on such matters. One

of the projects that OYW started is the Kofi Annan

Dialogues, where Kofi Annan gets to engage with young

people from across the world. A few other councillors

associated with OYW are Richard Branson, Desmond

Tutu, Jammie Oliver, Muhumud Yunus, Anthony

Jenkins, Trevor Ncube, Ryk Neethling, Francois

Pienaar, Maria Ramos, Paul Polman and many others.

I hope to see many more students get involved.

BY mZWA mBEDu

2323 rands & sense

Student governance is like flying a plane while building it at the same time. This is not to say that student governance is not well established, but rather that it is often only the first or second major leadership position a student holds and it is only for a short period of time – mostly just a year. As you enter into your position you are thrown straight into the deep end and expected to fly, yet at the same time you have to plan strategically for your term in office, create operational models, learn how those models work and tweak them as you go. You have to be both pilot and mechanic at the same time and these are not easy roles to combine.

Against this backdrop, it is safe to say that student leadership comes with many challenges. One of these challenges is convincing students that student leaders can actually achieve meaningful change for the better.

Good student leaders should able to enrich life on campus. Some might be able to bring the fee increase down, improve the financial aid offering or just provide a student perspective in a committee sitting. Unfortunately, a lot of this work happens behind closed doors in places such

as Bremner, a building most students haven’t even heard of. And so, while student leaders play a vital role in the functioning of the university, it is very tough to convince students that this is the case.

Unfortunately I do not know how to overcome this problem. Emailing students to tell them about the recent decisions in the University Finance Committee, for example, is probably about as effective as studying in the library during a large Jammie Thursday.

Of course, one of the best ways to find out about what student leaders do is to attend their events, read their reports and interact with them. Attending a Student Assembly is a great place to start. This year Student Assembly made important decisions about Friday and Saturday Exams, Admissions Policy and Fees. It is the perfect place to witness student governance in action. It is also a great chance to question the SRC about the work that they do.

There is far more to the world of student governance than most people realize and there is an incredible amount to learn from engaging with it.

BY LoRnE HALLEnDoRFF

STUDENT GOVERNANCE

f ly i n g a p l a n e w h i l e b u i l d i n g i t


Te l l us about SAWIp .

The South Africa-Washington International program (SAWIP) is a 6-month leadership development program which comprises of three pillars: Leadership development, Professional exposure, and Community service. Fifteen students from the University of Cape Town, the University of the Western Cape, and Stellenbosch University are selected to be groomed and equipped to be servant-leaders of South Africa. The professional exposure component involves a 6-week internship in Washington DC and networking opportunities with US Congressmen, Senators and other influential business leaders, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, etc.

p lease desc r ibe the se lec t ion p rocess

The selection process is very rigorous. The application form contains questions most of which require 250-300 word answers. If your application is successful, you are called back for an interview. In the interview you interact with a panel of interviewers from SAWIP management and UCT management as well.Should they like you in the interview, you are called back to participate in the final stage of the process which is a selection

camp weekend. From Friday afternoon to Sunday morning, you are placed together with 30 or so other candidates who applied. You are given various group activities (e.g. debating, working on presentations) and expected to work together as a team, but still stand out as individuals.

What adv i ce can you g ive to s tudents who wou ld love to be par t o f the SAWIp exper ience?

SAWIP is looking for student leaders who desire to make a difference in their society. So you must be an individual who is passionate about a particular cause, and you should be part of initiatives and societies now that address those causes. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Be consistent. If you say you are good communicator and you have great ideas and that’s the type of contribution you make in a team; that needs to show during your interview and at the selection camp. SAWIP takes you completely out of your comfort zone, so you must be prepared to be placed in tough situations when you do apply. Your opinions will definitely be challenged and you will be forced to deal with a lot of sensitive topics and scenarios. Be ready for this when you apply.

Visit the website at www.sawip.org

SAwIPa l i f e c h a n g i n g e x p e r i e n c e

BY SInoVuYo RoDoLo

S ibah le magad la , one o f the commerce s tudents was se lec ted to go to the South A f r i ca -Wash ington In te rnat iona l p rog ram. Here i s what she had to say about he r exper ience :

2525 rands & sense

I remember when I discovered Twitter; I spent hours on my phone, sending (mostly useless) tweets instead of do-

ing my work. This continued until I realised the opportunities that I was missing out on. With so many influential people and com-panies increasingly using social networks, mediums like Twitter and Facebook have evolved from being opinion-sharing sites to platforms where people advertise themselves, their products and even establish important connections with influential people and po-tential employers.

There are many ways to take advantage of the opportunities that come with social net-works; but it all starts with responsible use of social media, something many people fail at. It doesn’t matter how many Business Daily tweets you retweet or how many excellent points you make about your field, your irre-sponsible tweets can and will count against you. As someone who once lost a job because of a controversial Facebook post, I can’t em-phasize the importance of responsible social networking enough. Obvious no-go areas in-clude comments about employers, slanderous posts and hate speech. The less conflict you are involved in, the more space you have on

your timeline for constructive posts; because potential employers look at your social net-work activity.

“The less conf l i c t you a re invo lved in , the more space you have on your

t ime l ine fo r cons t r uc t i ve pos ts”

For innovators and entrepreneurs, social networks are a heaven for spreading aware-ness about whatever product you may have. With over 5 million Twitter users in South Africa, most of them young people, young entrepreneurs should make use of the mar-keting potential available on social networks. There are young innovators who reach most of their market through social networks; like CHASE Apparel, a Queenstown-based cloth-ing brand run by young people who market and sell their products mostly using Twitter. Even major companies are moving in this di-rection for marketing and customer services.

It all starts with strategic use of your ac-count, depending on what your objectives are. With infinite opportunities available on social networks, it’s up to you to best use your online presence. Are you making your account work for you?

With the rap id r i se in popu la r i ty o f soc ia l ne tworks such as Twi t te r and Facebook over the las t ha l f a decade, many s tudents spend hours o f the i r t ime on soc ia l ne tworks in -s tead o f academics .

IT’S NOTjUST TwITTER

BY SIYABonGA nYEZI


the International Youth Leadership Conference is a leadership conference that unites the youth from around

the world, to come into one space where they have discussions on ideas concerning the fu-ture of world leadership. The youth is not just any youth but students who are leaders within their communities and have experi-ences to share. This conference is mainly a political conference that looks at how world leaders interact and govern the larger society beyond our own borders. Simulations such as the UN Security Council, International Criminal Court and European Parliament proceedings are the tools used to give the stu-dents/ young adults a better picture of global governance.

After travelling to Prague I realised that I’ve never been a global citizen. A global citizen is one that has knowledge of global affairs and understands that the world is not just a sphere with different countries but the world is different countries interacting to formulate an active sphere where trading, communication, international relations and leadership is practiced. This was the main reason I wanted to attend the conference. It was a chance to become a global citizen. One connected to people/ politicians and young business people in the globe. Another reason was to learn and grow as a person.

The conference challenged me to come out of my comfort zone of business and accounting and enter the world of not just South African politics, but global politics and law.

As much as the conference was very academic and interactive one has to highlight the underlying principle/ theme that stayed as the crux of the conference. This idea of something called responsible leadership. Leadership can be good or bad. Bad leadership is seen through unethical business decisions, rebel groups in Uganda lead by Joseph Kony or even ignoring one’s duty to be active in a positive manner in society. Good leadership ranges from ethical professional behaviour, being responsible to act on behalf of those that can’t act for themselves and working towards greater good. This theme of leadership is a challenge and conferences such as the IYLC allow us to understand different leaders and why they think the way they do.The three things I learnt from the conference were:1. Refrain from being narrow minded and become critical of the world around you2. You can’t be critical of the world around you if you don’t know what is happening in the world around you. 3. There’s no place like home.

BY nKoSI mAmBA

Th i s w in te r I was fo r tunate enough to be accepted to a t tend the 24th In te rnat iona l Youth Leadersh ip Confe rence in p rague, Czech Repub l i c on the 22nd to 27th o f ju ly 2012.

INTERNATIONAl YOUTH lEADERSHIP

CONFERENCE

2727 rands & sense

The GC programme is a learning and development programme (and is recognized on students’ transcripts as a UCT Short Course) with a focus on developing citizenship and leadership. The programme stems from UCT’s commitment to enhancing graduate attributes by encouraging students to become engaged citizens willing to think critically about issues of global import, social justice and inequality.

The broad objectives of the GC Programme are: • To expose students across all faculties to global citizenship & social justice issues beyond degree or discipline • To develop capacity for leadership on contemporary global-political & social justice issues by improving active listening, critical thinking & logical argument• To promote awareness of themselves as future global citizens motivated to work for social justice through community service/volunteering.

GC is not a conventional academic project but rather aims to engage students as thoughtful and opinionated scholars and citizens, who are keen to learn, think about, critique and respond to key contemporary issues. From the outset therefore we bring social justice into the framing of our questions and considerations and use this lens to think about whether and how we might be responsive to and responsible for, the world in which we live.

While this programme is important in its role in building active citizens, it also has an important role in the making of the intellectual. It is about building a sense of citizenship and social activism through intellectual engagement. We want students to have the opportunity to be critical thinkers – not just through opportunities for social activism and engagement but critical thinkers who also have sense of the world of ideas and how these two aspects are related.

The programme comprises 3 courses which a student is able to do at any stage of their university career. Global Debates, Local Voices (GC1) considers global issues, how these are realized or represented locally, and how we respond to them. The service learning course Service, Citizenship and Social Justice (GC2) focuses more specifically on engagement and partnerships with local community organizations and representatives. In both courses we challenge students to confront the centrality of power in local and global relationships and dealings. GC3 – Voluntary Community Service – requires students to log 60 hours of self-organised community service and write a reflection essay once this is complete.

For further information and to sign up visit www.globalcitizen.uct.ac.za or email [email protected].

uCT’S GLoBAL CITIZEnSHIp pRoGRAmmE

BY SuE GREDLEY


EDUCATIONAl DEVElOPMENT UNITa f a m i ly i n a p o o l o f a c a d e m i c p r e s s u r e

EDU is a division within the commerce faculty that stands for ‘the Educational Development Unit’. It involves a team of dedicated lecturers and administration staff who run the commerce degrees in a manner that aims to help bridge any gaps or disparities that students might have experienced at anytime in their schooling career by offering them the choice of doing an extended degree. EDU caters for students that are not on the extended degree as well, and does this by offering smaller, separate classes for all the students to encourage better student participation and better learning in the classroom environment. Regular workshops for extra academic support are also provided to assist students who may feel they require more support in a particular course at a point in time.

EDU strives for academic excellence from students, but also understands that the emotional well-being of a learner is an integral part of ensuring they perform well and are happy, all-rounded individuals that have a comparative advantage. Mentor-mentee programmes are therefore provided for first years to help them adjust to university life and the pressures it brings both academically and outside of academics.

An important aspect of EDU, almost even more important than the educational support it provides is the sense of belonging and the feeling of being part of a family that it provides through the relationships built among students, lectures and staff.

Such relationships are the kinds that build learners to be inspiring individuals as they are well equipped to be future leaders, having themselves been inspired by their lectures or fellow students from previous cohorts who have paved the way for them.

Outreach is another important aspect in the EDU community. This is because we acknowledge the fact that the unit thrives because of all support from all its sponsors that have made it possible for it to achieve all that it has thus far. We feel that because so much has been given to us, we have a responsibility to give back to other to enhance their lives as ours have been enhanced. EDUSO, the EDU Student Organization ensures that outreach opportunities as well as social and academic opportunities are always available.

EDU has had a very successful year and aims to do even better next while ensuring that students feel comfortable both academically and emotionally at UCT.

BY nomBuLELo mAYABA & K Im CHRIST IAn

2929 rands & sense

Whe r e d i d y ou h ea r a bou t t h e p e r n od R i c a r d ’ s I n t e r n a t i o na l B u s i n e s s Game?

Thembi: The Pernod Ricard Cape Town office did a presentation to the marketing class of which Teti was a part of. So she is the one that brought the news to Sizwe and I and so, we all decided to enter the competition.

p l e a s e t e l l u s mo r e a bou t p a r i s a nd how you d i d i n t h e c ompe t i t i o n?

Teti: Our experience in Paris was amazing, and I’ll definitely look back on it as the highlight of my time at UCT. It was mind blowing meeting and competing against a group of very bright students from all over Europe. The company also really spoiled us, and it was such a great honour to get to have conversations with executives of such an innovative and respected global firm. In the end, we won, tied with the team from Russia.

This was definitely a huge cherry on top – when we first entered the competition we’d told ourselves that winning at the national level, and thus getting to compete in Paris, would be a great experience itself. I don’t

think any of us expected that we’d win the opportunity to move abroad to launch our careers as part of Pernod Ricard Europe.

Wha t a d v i c e wou l d y ou g i v e t o f u t u r e e n t r a n t s i n t o t h e p e r n od R i c a r d ’ s I n t e r n a t i o na l B u s i n e s s Game?

Thembi: I would say, choose your team members well. This was our best advantage. All three of us where so different and this gave our team the variety we needed to be as creative and innovative as possible. Further, give the challenge your ultimate best. Teti: I’d advise students to make their apparent weakness their strength. The three of us were initially very nervous about being the only team from Africa, but had a paradigm shift when we recognized the continent for its massive growth potential.

uCT s t u den t s , Te t l a n yo L e ka l a ke , T h embeka Se t l o g i l e a nd S i zwe nd l o v u won t h e p e r n od R i c a r d ’ s I n t e r n a t i o na l B u s i n e s s Game . T h e i r c h a l l e nge wa s t o d e v e l o p a n i d e a t h a t wou l d a l l ow t h e A b s o l u t b r a nd t o k eep i t s r o l e o f l e a d i n g c r e a t i v e v i s i o n a r y i n t h e n ew D i g i t a l A g e . T h e CSC t e am c augh t u p w i t h T h emb i a nd Te t i t o f i n d o u t a bou t t h e i r e x pe r i e n c e .

PERNOD RICARD'S i n t e r n a t i o n a l b u s i n e s s g a m e

BY SInoVuYo RoDoLo


T he C ImA G l o ba l B u s i n e s s C ha l l e nge i s a n a nnua l c h a l l e nge s pon s o r e d b y Ba r c l a y s o pen t o un i v e r s i t y s t u d en t s a r o und t h e g l o b e . Te ams f r om un i v e r s i t i e s i n d i f f e r e n t c o un t r i e s h a v e t o a na l y s e a c a s e s t u d y a nd s u bm i t a 3000 wo r d r e po r t r e c ommend i n g s o l u t i o n s t o b u s i n e s s c h a l l e nge s t h a t t h e e n t i t y h a s .

I had the honour of being team leader of UHURU from the University Of Cape Town (UCT). It consisted of four dynamic, intelligent and highly motivated 3rd year Business Science (Finance) students namely, Thabi Poopedi, Loide De Almeida, Asanda Mahlabela and myself Dalisu Jwara.

As a team we had to analyse the issues facing Jot, a European Toy manufacturer. We then had to prioritise these issues and then submit a final 3000 word recommendation. A lot of work went into this, because we decided to compete later than all other participants. We played to our strengths never stopped testing and questioning our individual recommendations and sometimes it meant no sleep. Frans helped test our solutions and

was always willing to stay long nights and assessed our solutions critically.

We had been selected as one of the Top 4 Teams in South Africa. 97 teams registered and 40 managed to submit their reports. We would be jetted of to Johannesburg for the South African finals to compete with the teams from University of Johannesburg and University of Pretoria. We had to prepare a video submission and a 20 minute PowerPoint presentation.

During the event, the final four teams each presented their business case on this year’s case in front of a panel of judges, which included David Cropper, CIMA Africa Regional Board Chairman & Charles Russon, Barclays Africa: Regional Head of Finance, just to name a few.

We came a close second, and Team Simplified Solutions from UJ clinched 1st Place.

I recommend the competition to anyone who has a keen interest in Business within a global context. It’s the perfect platform for those who aspire to be management consultants. It’s a fantastic opportunity to network with corporate.

CIMA GlObAl bUSINESS CHAllENGE

BY DAL ISu jWARA

3131 rands & sense

‘ I f you cou ld , wou ld you do a re take o f underg rad?’ A ques t ion that has been posed to me on many occas ions ; my answer a lways the same: Vars i ty was te r r i f i c bu t abso lu te ly not! my hope i s tha t you too may one day look back on your years a t uCT wi th no reg re ts , bu t ins tead wi th a sense o f p r ide as you cont inue summit ing new mounta ins . Lessons lea rn t a long the way:

VALuE YouR T ImEYour experience of time will evolve as the years draw by. You will feel robbed and cheated of the 24 hours in your day as days go by in what feels like a blink of an eye. Make sure you use the excess time you have at varsity wisely. Use that time to invest in yourself, to gain new skills, to immerse yourself in new experiences. Travel the world, take up opportunities to gain work experience by way of internships, start an entrepreneurial venture…whatever you do, make sure you are able to account for your time.

HALVE YouR RELAT IonSHIpSYou have the opportunity of leaning from and engaging

with the countries brightest minds; be sure to use the opportunity to build an extensive and broad network. Break out of your comfort zone and connect with those outside of your social circle, those outside of your chosen discipline of study.

VALuE YouR EDuCAT IonUnfortunately we live in a country where good education is a privilege. You are studying at one of the country’s best academic institutions – make it count! Apply yourself to your studies; give it your absolute best. Challenge yourself to truly engage with the material, rather than going through the exercise merely to get credit for your degree. Your education should transform you; it should change the way you process information and the way that you apply it. Let your education and specifically your deeper knowledge and understanding of commerce empower you and enable you to become a positive agent of change in our society.

AYAnDA’S BIo

Graduated wi th a Bus iness sc ience degree in 2007;

majo r ing in F inance

jo ined Absa Cap i ta l in 2008; worked in debt s t r uc tu r ing

team then p roceeded to jo in the Equ i ty Cap i ta l markets

team

over th i s t ime, ga ined in te rnat iona l work ing exper ience by way o f

secondments to the London o f f i ce as we l l as the new

York o f f i ce (Barc lays Cap i ta l )

Graduated wi th an mBA degree f rom uCT in 2013

Cur rent ly work ing as a consu l tan t a t the IFC

wHAT wAS, AND wHAT COUlD HAVE bEEN a d v i c e f r o m a l u m n u s

WITH AYAnDA mAVunDLA


In the wake o f Aus t ra l ia ’ s ban on Tobacco packag ing in 2012 th rough the imp lementa t ion o f the “p la in packag ing po l i cy” , markete rs g loba l l y a re conce rned about poss ib i l i -t i es o f such regu la t ion h i t t ing the i r markets . Loca l l y, in South A f r i ca , rampant a l coho l i sm i s fo r c ing a l coho l p ro -duce rs and p romote rs to inco rpora te soc ia l l y respons ib le messages in the i r mass communica t ion to the pub l i c - bu t i s i t enough?

A lively group of professionals from the alcohol industry were brought to debate against concerned social groups in UCT Marketing Association’s Panel Debate launch event, on Thursday, 11 April. This panel consisted of two UCT Business Science 4th years, Thomas McLennan and Noah De Villiers, whom have many debating accolades to their names (including both being on the South African debate team) – who were supporting the ban on alcohol advertising. Arguing against the proposed ban were Sibani Mngadi, External Affairs Manager of Brandhouse (a premium liquor brands company) and Adrian Botha, Director of Industry Association for Responsible Alcohol Use (ARA).

Such a wide mix of backgrounds allowed for several noteworthy sentiments to be raised surrounding the proposed ban. A theme running through Noah’s argument was cantered around that of the “drinking culture” in South Africa. This stressed that “the good life”, portrayed in many alcohol advertisements, can be misleading and

dangerous to those who may buy into it and abuse alcohol can arise as a result. In dispute of this, Adrian mentioned that in his career, research has proven that there is no concrete link between alcohol advertising and alcohol abuse. This led to even more discussion about the validity of such research, but little discussion of how alcohol companies should be progressing.

Some of the questions, posed to team supporting the ban, probed into the claim that “glamorous” alcohol advertising promotes alcohol abuse. Other questions seemed to dismantle the claim that enforceability is an adequate excuse to stop the proposed ban, as South Africa is already strapped for resources. Questions from the audience were also posed, which resulted in some stellar responses from the panel.

Find us on http://uctma.co.za . Be sure to attend future events and grow the interest in marketing.

UCTMATHE pRopoSED BAn on ALCoHoL ADVERTISInG In SouTH AFRICA

BY AnDREW monTAnDon & ConSTAnDIno VICHoS

3333 rands & sense

originally dubbed “Young Women in Finance”, Young Women professionals (YWp) is a project run by InvestSoc, a business-affiliated society at the university of Cape Town. It is a campus-based project that is primarily dedicated to catering for the needs of young female professionals.

Young Women Professionals is aimed at producing holistic women who are prepared for the working world, while helping them become the women of character they were destined to be.

The foundation of YWP is built on 5 core pillars that seek to provide a vehicle that can facilitate the development of the woman holistically; through the developing of her spirit, mind, body and work expectations.

The 5 pillars are:• Unlock her Potential• Support her in all her professional endeavors• Empower her to empower others• Celebrate her femininity• Surround her with like-minded sisters

EVEnTS AnD InITIATIVES

Throughout the year, YWP aimed to fulfill its mandate by hosting events and running initiatives that would serve members and ensure their growth. The events were different in nature but had one main goal: to create holistic professional woman. These events and initiatives were:

• An evening soiree focused on mentoring and the power of self-confidence, with inspiring speakers and thought-provoking discussions.

• A wellness workshop and a spa day focused on taking care of mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.• A community development initiative entitled “Sister, Sister” focused on mentoring girls from under-resourced schools in Cape Town• A consulting challenge focused on finding a practical solution to the unemployment problem faced by many women in South Africa.• A professional development seminar with Allan Gray Ltd. focused on developing CV and career tips and lessons about preparing for the workplace.• A gala dinner with Bain and Company focused on setting oneself up for success in one’s twenties.• Throughout the year, professional and personal development resources were shared with members.

Looking back at the year that was, it has truly been a fruitful year for YWP. Projects like YWP are important because despite advances in gender balances in the professional sector, there is still much work to be done.

Our mandate, for 2013 and beyond, is simply to be a bridge for women; to give them tools, encouragement, motivation and resources to be able to achieve their dreams and to be the light.

INVESTSOC’SYounG WomEn pRoFESSIonALS

BY THATo mABuDuSHA


most of us varsity students are unaware of the potential positive impact we could have on less-advantaged learners. The thought of ‘mentoring’, ‘guiding’ or ‘advising’ another human being, and the sense of responsibility it brings, scares us. However, we have all been through high school and we know of the challenges it brings; we know the mistakes we made and time we wasted. In retrospect we can see what really mattered, what studying technique worked the best, and what fed our growth as an individual. Within each one of us is a ‘mentor’, a ‘guider’ or an ‘advisor’. Inkanyezi is a platform for university students to impart their knowledge to high school learners from townships, by linking the two.

Inkanyezi is a high school mentorship program that is built on the philosophy of Ubuntu. It falls under the umbrella body of Ubunye, and has two sister organisations, TeachOut and Township Debating League (TDL). Our dream is to empower learners from less advantaged areas in Cape Town and see them build a solid future for themselves. This is done through three projects of Inkanyezi: Mentorship, Ambassadorship and InfoCentre. Through a dedicated team of volunteers and committee members, Inkanyezi continues to have a much needed impact in the life of these learners.

Our projects are aligned to cater for the needs of the learners. Mentorship consists of a weekly workshop session where the mentor (yes, that’s you!) meets up with 5-6 Grade 11 mentees. A curriculum, which focuses on developing the soft skills of the learner, is prepared for the mentors by Inkanyezi. InfoCentre runs weekly workshop with Grade 11 learners, in which laptops and various reading materials are provided to the learners in the schools we work with. A lack of computer laboratories in township schools means that most of these learners go through school without ever touching a computer or laptop

and InfoCentre seeks to change this situation. The Ambassador project is targeted at Grade 9 and 12 learners. The main focus with Grade 9 learners, is to helps them make informed decision in choosing their subjects as they move to Grade 10. The importance of this step is often not realised until it is too late, as a number of students choose subject that are not aligned with the futures careers they would like to pursue. Grade 12 learners from townships often lack the resources and connections to find out how they could further their education and where they could find funding. Funding itself is a big issue as these learners come from financially weak homes. The Ambassador project targets this information gap by informing the learners about various universities, technikons and colleges and about the different funding options such as bursaries, scholarships and financial aid provided by institutions. We also take the learners to various Open Days, the main ones being UCT, UWC and CPUT. This is always a great chance for the learners to be exposed to various careers!

Inkanyezi believes in enabling the realisation of potential and the philosophy of Ubuntu in learners of South Africa, towards a more equal future for all. This we will keep working towards. We might just be a drop in the ocean, but ripples are bound to follow.

For more information, email us at [email protected], or visit us at office 6.07, Steve Biko Building

lET US SHINEBY jEFFY GEoRGE pALAmATTAm

3535 rands & sense

The philosophy behind the organization is peace and fulfillment of humankind’s potential. We achieve this by engaging with young people and unlocking their leadership potential. The organization is only run by university students and recent graduates.

AIESEC UCT mainly focuses on sending and bringing in interns on our global community development programs (GCDP). They are 6-8 week volunteering internships which take place between two AIESEC committees in separate countries with the organization providing all necessary documents for the intern’s visa. The GCDP and GIP (global internship program for graduates to work for a company for up to 18 months) programs are our main products, however we perform many other functions depending on our relevance in a country.

We also participate in multiple gatherings and conferences such as our Leadership summits where AIESECers from all over the country gather in one city to discuss progress and learn more about the organization.

We frequently engage with large companies. We have partnerships with companies such has PWC,

DHL, MICROSOFT, and AMAZON along with a long list of other corporations who share our ideals and also benefit from the quality of the service provided by AIESEC.Working on the AIESEC UCT executive board is a great way of maximizing job potential and one’s network in the working world. Our most recent Vice President of External Relations is still frequently approached to work for large companies and has met AIESEC alumni in many job interviews for some of the biggest companies in South Africa.

Most recently, we organized a 3 hour lunch called the Leader’s Lunch where leaders from organizations around UCT met with Nedbank, Investec and ABSA employees in order to building connections and network which took place at the UCT Graduate School of Business. Pictures of the event are available on our Facebook page fb.com/AIESECUCT.

AIESEC South Africa has enjoyed massive growth in the last two years, with more committees being formed every year in different universities.

A I E S E C E X P l A I N E D

BY LAnGALAKHE mAHAmBA-S ITHoLE

AIESEC uCT is the the local committee of AIESEC at the university of Cape Town. AIESEC is the world’s largest student-run organization present in over 124 countries and territories and with over 90,000 members. aiesec.org is the international website.

pRouDLY BRouGHT To You BY

uct rands & sense 2013

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