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Stellen-Buzz with SMF
May 23, 2025
Dear reader,
This week required an extra bit of effort to muster the courage to get out of bed. This is due to the weather, of course. Going outside in the rain is especially terrible when wearing jeans, as denim is the slowest fabric to dry. My umbrella, with its two broken ribs (which is apparently the correct terminology for the spokes that support the structure, according to the umbrella workshop), did a miserable job of keeping my lower half dry this week. Circulation is yet to return to my toes.
Concern about the weather is almost enough to distract us from the mountain of tasks we have to complete this week. The honours class’ journalistic capabilities are being tested in every sense, which is starting to feel like a fun trip down memory lane. It is almost unbelievable to recall how much we have done this year! We are being assessed in a range of skills, including, but not limited to:
Interviewing
Writing
Photography
Filming
Production
Thinking critically
Being ethical
Being entrepreneurial
(debates may follow about the juxtaposition of the last two)
It is quite obvious that we will be overwhelmed with job offers at the end of the year.
I would also like to argue how lucky we are that our assessments require more of us than merely memorising phrases from a textbook and reciting them in a test venue. I mean this with no condescension, but rather as an effort to marginally refocus our attention away from stress. As postgraduate students, we are all familiar with the monotony of sitting in a study space for hours on end, having to churn out flash cards and mind maps like a printing press in an attempt to cement knowledge in our brains (that will disappear literally the second after the exam is written). This year, we get to stay involved in the happenings of the community by looking for news, and we get to practice more than just our short-term memory by taking photos and videos.
If I was confident enough to publish terrible jokes, I would say that we are all starting to look like circles because we are so well-rounded. But I am not, so maybe ignore what you just read.
In closing, I would like to bestow a piece of very generic and completely unoriginal advice on my fellow classmates: take it one day at a time. This seems obvious, but it is also often forgotten until someone reminds you. So, this is your reminder!
Anke Spies, newsletter editor.
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The weekly rundown:
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A planned talk on student activism was recently suspended, following issues surrounding the venue on the Stellenbosch University (SU) campus, where the event was set to take place. |  By Kiara Wales |
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 By Hlomla Mdala | The residents of ward 9 in Stellenbosch recently voted in a new ward councillor. This is according to the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) website. |
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A second-year student in BCom Financial Accounting recently won Stellenbosch University’s (SU) first intra-university tournament of the year. |  By Iman Allie |
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Visual of the week:
Don’t forget to eat your veggies
One of two greenhouses at Kayamandi High School, where learners in the subject of agricultural management practices grow a variety of vegetables, including cabbage, spinach, and potatoes. This is according to Yolani Furunek, the agricultural management practices teacher at the school. Furunek said that the vegetables get sold to teachers and parents to be able to buy fertilisers and anything else the learners might need.
By Hannah Abrahams
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Have you ever listened to drone music?
In 1978, British musician Brian Eno pioneered an entirely new musical genre that he coined “ambient music” on his album Music For Airports.
Being bed-bound after a car accident, Eno came up with a new form of music that is much less imposing to the listener and created an auditory soundscape, according to an interview with Aljezeera.
“Ambient must be able to accommodate many levels of listening attention without enforcing one in particular,” said Eno, in the album’s liner notes. “It must be as ignorable as it is interesting.”
Now, almost fifty years later, ambient music is the most popular it has ever been amongst contemporary listeners, with artists like Aphex Twin growing cult-like followings thanks to the genre.
The eleventh consecutive celebration of international drone day will be celebrated on 24 May, which focuses on a sub-genre of ambient music, namely drone music. Drone music is categorised by minimalist instrumentals that feature sustained notes or chords that usually go on for long periods of time, according to an article by perfect circuit.
The Sonic Exploration Network of South Africa (SENSA) is hosting a celebration of drone music in Muizenberg community kitchen on 24 May, where local artists will explore this often-overlooked genre in a live setting. Performers will utilise instruments that range from synths and guitars to gongs.
The event will utilise a donation-based entry fee to make the event as “accessible and inclusive as possible, bringing all parts of the experimental community together”, according to SENSA’s social media.
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Get to know me!
What is your favourite song and who is your favourite artist?
Favourite song: Mutserendende by Oliver Mtukudzi. Shona is the business language of the world. If you don’t believe me, listen to Tuku’s music.
Favourite artist: Westlife (their music is nostalgic) and Kujenga. (When has jazz never made sense? You have 24 hours to respond.)
What is your favourite film?
My all-time favorite movie is 3 Ninjas. To this day, I still believe it would have been better if it was 4 Ninjas (with me included of course).
What is your favourite book, and what are you currently reading?
Favourite book: Atomic Habits by James Clear.
Currently reading: Dead Aid by Dambisa Moyo.
What is your favourite place you’ve ever visited and why?
Clarens — My favourite small town in the Free State. Everything is easy going there — no stress, just 7de Laan lifestyle vibes.
If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Ziyanda Ncgobo — she inspires me and is making great strides in the world of journalism.
Steven Darby — best tenor backing vocalist of all time.
Motheo Khoaripe — he is the business reporter of all business reporters.
Sifiso Zulu — he is a seasoned news anchor who inspired me to pursue a career in journalism.
If you weren’t studying journalism, what would you be doing?
I’d probably still be working as a teacher or studying law.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
When I’m talking to people, I often think about which voice part they’d fit into, like “You’d make a killer tenor” or “You’ve got a solid alto”.
What is your current guilty pleasure?
Binge-watching The Dissection on Mighti Jamie’s YouTube channel. His political commentary is always on point.
What do you do if you’re not busy working?
I attend jazz and stand-up comedy shows. There’s nothing good music and a great laugh can’t fix.
What do you want to achieve this year?
I’d like to become a more versatile journalist this year, and have the ability to adapt to different formats and styles of storytelling.
Congratulations to our recent graduates!
Our BAHons (Journalism) classmates Enzokuhle Sabela, Anja van Zyl, Jared Moorgas and Annemieke Thomaidis recently received their undergraduate qualifications.
What we’re watching: | What we’re listening to: |
 | Disparate Youth Santigold  |
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