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This is a message of hope!
Stellen-Buzz with SMF
May 16, 2025
Dear reader,
When is it appropriate to use clichés?
According to any English lecturer that you might ever encounter, never.
It is decidedly lazy, and could be considered the second cardinal sin in the world of writing. The first being plagiarism, of course.
Honourable writing must not commit these transgressions, and so the first semester of journalism honours cannot be described as a mountain that we have summited. Reflections on the date cannot be reduced to time flies, and a week of preparation before exams cannot be considered as the calm before the storm. This is all very boring. It would also be unfair to describe the first semester in such simple terms. Rather, words like “tumultuous” come to mind when I try to decipher the haze of memories that is the past four months.
And yet, there is currently a palpable lack of any sense of victory. This should be expected after dumping the physical manifestation of cortisol on the desks of an already anxious class. We have been presented with our end-of-semester assessments, which makes it slightly difficult to reminisce about the previous two terms.
Instead, we might contemplate the price we have to pay for making progress: being asked about the future. Despite the frequent reminders that it is only May, and that this question doesn’t need to be answered yet, there are also frequent reminders that it is already May (see above). Four months seem especially long when I consider that I haven’t kicked my habit of procrastination yet, which should apparently only take 21 days. A few minutes on Google confirmed that this is indeed a myth*, but that does not completely absolve me of my guilt. Again, looking back is challenging when the immediate future is so daunting.
Luckily, we have the reliable knowledge that other students have done this before us to keep us afloat. Surely, they would not keep subjecting students to something that is impossible to achieve. Based on my credentials of first-year philosophy, the logic is flawless, so it is only rational that we will all survive.
Anke Spies, newsletter editor.
*This is a “zombie fact” — something everyone believes to be true, but is in fact not. Other examples of zombie facts include the Great Wall of China being visible from space, and carrots improving your vision.
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The weekly rundown:
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ʼn Werknemer van ʼn plaaslike koffiewinkel is onlangs oorlede nadat hy tydens een van sy skofte voor die koffiewinkel inmekaar gesak het. |  Deur Anja van Zyl |
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 By Onthatile Mahlangu | A piano available for public use in Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Neelsie Student Centre was recently removed, following complaints about it being disruptive. This is according to Martin Viljoen, spokesperson for SU. |
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Stellenbosse musiekliefhebbers het onlangs byeengekom in die Universiteit Stellenbosch (US) konservatorium se Endlersaal om die jaarlikse wêreld-trekklavierdag te vier. |  Deur Kobus Erasmus |
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Visual of the week:
Free kick!
Denver Loggenberg, midfielder for Ida’s Valley Athletic Football Club (AFC), taking a free kick in Ida’s Valley AFC’s play-off final against Maties Football Club (FC) in the Stellenbosch Local Football Association (SLFA) Promotional League. “We had a lot of our youngsters and our local youth,” said Adrian Barros, head coach of Ida’s Valley AFC. “To see some of their role models showcase themselves on the field was great for the community.”
By Jared Moorgas
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Get to know me!
What is your favourite song and who is your favourite artist?
I like EDM, like melodic house. Joris Voorn, Klur, Massane, Triliucid, Romain Garcia, Jan Blomqvist, Jody Wisternoff, and everything similar recommended by Spotify. But my favourite artist to see live is Tori Amos.
What is your favourite film?
A river runs through it and House of the Spirits. And most Almadóvar and Cinema Nouveau movies with subtitles.
What is your favourite book, and what are you currently reading?
I recently read The Cruel Sea, by Nicholas Monsarrat, which I found in my local library in Paarl. It was written in 1951 about a group of Royal Navy sailors fighting the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War. I loved it. The most recent Afrikaans novel I read and highly recommend was by PJO Jonker: Die Onsigbare. Next on my list is something by Kate Mosse.
What is your favourite place you’ve ever visited and why?
I have travelled pretty extensively in my twenties, as I used to be a purser (cabin manager) with Etihad Airways. It was always an aspiration to see as much of the world as I could and to understand as many cultures as possible. Now, I love being home, living in the Cape Winelands.
If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
I have met incredible, wonderful people who are very much part of my life. I don’t yearn for anybody else, except for my father, whom I miss dearly since he passed away, and would give anything to see again.
If you weren’t studying journalism, what would you be doing?
My honours in creative writing.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
I am the first to leave a party.
What is your current guilty pleasure?
I have to work on that: the feeling guilty-about-pleasure part. And to think about what I consider pleasurable in the first place.
What do you do if you’re not busy working?
I try to spend quality time with my two teenagers, my daughter Klara and my son Daniel. I find them fascinating beings: loving, witty, robust, and emotionally intelligent. My favourite feeling is to be their mother. I also try to stay fit by running in the Arboretum in Paarl at least four times a week. I honestly hate not being productive, but it is something I have to work on. Haha!
What do you want to achieve this year?
I want to complete my studies successfully. I want to continue working as a makeup artist and hairstylist, which I simply love doing. I want to stay connected with my kids, family, and friends. I want to be kind. I want to make life beautiful.
SMF News’s musings on
semester one
Iman Allie — “Finally submitting after having 7 stories fall through in one week, I learned to not give up because things are always happening in Stellenbosch.”
Uendjii Kandanga — “Things I’ve learned: I lied in my CV; I do not work well under pressure.”
Marise Schoonraad — “My fun little story: I was on my first crime scene in crocs. I interviewed police and witnesses in a very serious situation in my white crocs🫠”
Buhle Bam — “I have learned that discomfort with the purpose of growth and refinements is worthwhile.”
Annemieke Thomaidis — “As one of three sports fanatics in our class, one of my favourite memories was donning that media access bib, walking onto the pitch at Danie Craven, and literally hearing the grunts and spotting every bead of sweat on those rugby players 😂👀”
Enzokuhle Sabela — “Stun grenades aren’t that bad.”
Ishmael Mabena — “Theres nothing as time sensitive as a nap. Take it. And the biggest lesson I learnt: I can’t do it until I am doing it!”
Hannah Abrahams — “Highlight: agriculture article in Kayamandi.”
Nadia Swart — “Ending up on a sketchy farm in the middle of nowhere for Kiara Wales’s newsweek story.”
Kiara Wales — “Some of my favourite Kyla Laing quotes from throughout the semester:
“Together, we stand together…?”
“I’m not made for politics… or manual cars.”
“What is Parow?”
“Wait does [the investigative journalism technology] let us see who has a trust fund?”
Rentia Weber — “I learnt a whole new vocabulary:
Onlyfans
Zins
Loki
Valid
Gaslighting
Queen
Slay
“I feel like” as a pretext to anything mildly interesting
Chappell Roan
What we’re watching: | What we’re listening to: |
 | Big Dreams Bakar  |
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