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- Looking back to move forward
Looking back to move forward
Stellen-Buzz with SMF
August 29, 2025
Dear reader,
Studying journalism at Stellenbosch is many, many things. But it is never boring.
There have been multiple occasions where it felt like we have landed in the pages of
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss. Whether we were following stories for SMF News or traveling for assignments, we were lucky enough not to be subjected to never-ending lectures.
The entrance test for next year’s honours class is being written next week Saturday, and this has been the most successful indication so far that time really is moving. Journalism has a tendency to become all-consuming from time to time, so I would like to do a quick ‘remember when’ to remind us of how far we’ve come:
I cannot start this list without mentioning the stun grenade incident that happened a few weeks into our tenure as journalism students. Covering a student protest that was dispersed by South African Police Service truly felt like the real deal.
Sports Journalism allowed us to sit in on a Blitzboks practice session. They are smaller in person than they look on TV.
Media Law took us on a trip to the Magistrate’s Court, and it was extremely exciting to see the law in action – such as when the men in the class were asked to leave the courtroom for the offense of wearing shorts.
Media passes to Varsity Cup games gave us direct access to the field at Coetzenburg. This instigated a small feud with SuperSport photographers for a while.
A walking tour through Cape Town was followed by a very warm welcome from Parliament, which included a three-course meal.
Three of our journalists travelled to Oudtshoorn to cover the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees.
The very busy, very insightful media tour.
Documentary filmmaking introduced us to people and places we never would have known otherwise, such as:
The inner workings of a family restaurant.
The lovely community of Pniel.
A full shift at a fire station.
Backstage and dressing rooms of drama productions.
Student night life, from the perspective of security personnel.
A family of tattoo artists.
The next few weeks will be spent mainly in the confines of the newsroom as we work on publishing our website and print project. To avoid the slow onset of cabin fever, we are still writing news articles. This allows for late-night trips to Aandklas to cover Battle of the Bands, amongst other things.
Anke Spies, newsletter editor.
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The weekly rundown:
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A local resident is training to run from Stellenbosch to Robertson for an initiative aiming to collect 1 000 sanitary pads. |  By Reid Donson |
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 By Lienke Norval | Being a postgraduate student while running your own start-up business is no small task, according to Marothi Motshekga, a PGDip (Marketing) student at Stellenbosch University (SU) and co-owner of her own skincare brand, Aunora. |
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Part of a ceiling at a local private student residence recently collapsed. This is according to Zander Prinsloo, a student living at The One Stellenbosch. |  By Kyla Laing |
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Visual of the week:
Rock on
Seth Lekas (left), bassist for Blitz, and Johan Verdoes (right), Blitz’s guitarist and vocalist, perform at the Battle of the Bands semi-finals on 20 August. was in attendance. Verdoes said that he “feels good” about their band having advanced to the finals.
By Daniélle Schaafsma
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Get to know me!
What is your favourite song and who is your favourite artist?
Oof, favourite song is a tough one. According to Apple Music, my most listened to song is Let Me Love You by Mario (121 plays), so it’s probably that one. I also really love August by Taylor Swift (I’m not a Swiftie, but her Folklore album is poetry).
For favourite artist, it’s either early 2000s Ne-Yo or Michael Jackson.
And I’d also like to thank Beyoncé.
What is your favourite film?
I have three favourite films that I love equally for different reasons.
The first is Se7en. My mom and I are constantly looking for a reason to watch it. Everything about it is just perfect.
Secondly, there’s Good Will Hunting. Absolutely beautiful movie. “It’s not your fault” will forever be my favourite scene in any film. Also, I watched it for the first time on a whim the morning of my matric dance. It was the highlight of my day.
Lastly, there’s Everything Everywhere All at Once. If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll know there’s no explanation needed here. But I will say this: I’ve never felt more seen in a cinema before.
What is your favourite book, and what are you currently reading?
My favourite book is probably Half Gods by Akil Kumarasamy. It is a beautiful story that masterfully tells the story of a multi-generational immigrant family, and its experimental style of storytelling has inspired my writing more than any other novel or book.
I recently started reading On Writing by Stephen King to try to keep my love for writing alive. But I sadly haven’t had the time to get deep into it.
What is your favourite place you’ve ever visited and why?
Probably Zambia. It’s an amazing country and the people are incredibly nice. I went when I was 16 and I’ve always wanted to go back.
If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
My grandfather on my mother’s side. He passed away when my mom was little. I’ve always wished I could meet him.
If you weren’t studying journalism, what would you be doing?
Sleeping probably, lol. No, I’d likely either be doing something in creative writing or completing my masters in philosophy.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
I don’t know what to write here so I’ll just tell this anecdote I always use in situations like this. When I was three years old, I befriended an ant outside my house. I played with him for what seemed like hours, and then I attempted to express my affection by kissing him. I ended up killing him with my teeth. I think that’s when the trauma started.
What is your current guilty pleasure?
The sushi at Spar. It’s becoming a problem.
What do you do if you’re not busy working?
Ask me again in three months. But seriously, at the moment it’s just sleep, eat, work, and the first two seem to be happening less and less.
What do you want to achieve this year?
I don’t really ever set goals for myself. I came into this year wanting to become the best writer I possibly can. Now that we’re nearing the finish line, my main aim is to make it to the other side without giving so much of myself that I forget how to be a human being.
What we’re watching: | What we’re listening to: |
 | Sandman Dominic Fike  |
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