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Tragedy and maths
Stellen-Buzz with SMF
April 25, 2025
Dear reader,
The BaHons Journalism class is composed of students who completed their undergraduate degrees in the social sciences, and Marise, who did science. Unfortunately, we did a very poor job of disproving the rumours about humanities students this week. We do, indeed, struggle with basic maths. It is most probably due to the fact that most of us haven't had to handle numbers since high school, but BODMAS seemed unnecessarily complex.
We started with numeric and financial journalism this week. Percentages, ratios, and balance sheets were things that I was more than happy to say farewell to after grade 12. And yet, there we were. Accounting, for the purposes of journalism, made my brain short-circuit in a way that I hadn’t experienced since I was 15. But I am not complaining – I also won two new books for being at the top of the leaderboard for the class quizzes. Excuse the boasting (sorry, not sorry).
For a sample of the brain-teasing we’ve had to navigate this week, consider this:
You are competing in a game show.
You have the choice of three doors, behind two of which stands a goat.
Behind the last one is the prize money.
You get to select one door, and the presenter opens a different one to show a goat.
Now, do you stick with your original choice of door, or do you switch to the other unopened one?
The math indicates that you should switch.
We tested this in class, and it checked out. Five out of six times, if you switch doors, you get the money. The more you know!
Do not ask me to explain why, because I only confuse people more when I try.
So our class was not performing at an optimal level on Tuesday and Wednesday. We have moved on to data journalism, which is more graspable, but our brains still feel a bit wrung out. Any restfulness from the long weekend has worn off. Luckily, we have another one coming up – happy almost Freedom Day! The commemoration of the first democratic elections is truly something to celebrate.
Black smoke
Easter weekend came to a close with the passing of Pope Francis on Monday. I would like to extend my condolences to the Catholic community here in Stellenbosch.
Pope Francis advocated for climate change, more involvement from women in the church, and was steadfast in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Considering the current global trend towards conservative politics, there is a common apprehension about who the next pope will be.
The election for a new pope typically begins 15 to 20 days after the passing of the previous one. I do not deem myself fit to explain the process, but this article gives a pretty detailed account.
Apart from this, there have been exciting political and economic developments here in South Africa. Keep reading for insights from our Editor-in-Chief.
Anke Spies, newsletter editor.
Letter from the Editor
VAT – South Africa’s latest financial mess
Yesterday morning, we woke up to news that Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana had reversed the proposed Value-Added Tax (VAT) increase. VAT was due to increase by 0.5 percentage points on 1 May. The increase came with expanding the list of VAT zero-rated items to protect poor households against the VAT hike, which has also now been cancelled.
The main heavyweights of the Government of National Unity (GNU), the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA), have been at odds over the proposed VAT increase, with the DA expressing discontent and the ANC fighting to increase the VAT rate.
The DA held a press briefing on Thursday morning, expressing victory over the VAT hike reversal. The question we are all asking ourselves is: what now? Why did the minister wait until now to reverse this decision? Most importantly, what does this mean for the state of the country’s finances? This decision will possibly result in an estimated revenue shortfall of R75 billion, but where will these cuts be made?
Looking past this decision, what is on the cards regarding the GNU and the balance of power?
Enzokuhle Sabela, Editor-in-Chief
The weekly rundown:
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A new WhatsApp communication channel – used to report incidents of crime – is currently being piloted in Stellenbosch. |  By Kyla Laing |
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 By Aubrey Phungo | Three Stellenbosch University (SU) students recently won first place in a national competition for their sign language translator app. |
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Despite a lower pass rate, administrators at Stellenbosch Traffic Services are optimistic about the improvements that the new Computerised Learner’s Licence Testing (CLLT) programme brings. |  By Anke Spies |
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Get to know me!
What is your favourite song and who is your favourite artist?
The Kid LAROI - NIGHTS LIKE THIS.
What is your favourite film?
Blink Twice.
What is your favourite book, and what are you currently reading?
Well, my favourite book is Haunting Adeline and I am currently reading Little Stranger – I love fiction mostly.
What is your favourite place you’ve ever visited and why?
Probably Clarens, that place oozes tranquility.
If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
One of my grandmothers. I grew up without both of them, so I have always longed for a relationship like that.
If you weren’t studying journalism, what would you be doing?
Definitely something in marketing.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
I may seem shy and quiet, but my playlist is exclusively female rap.
What is your current guilty pleasure?
Binge-watching K-dramas until 2am.
What do you do if you’re not busy working?
Cooking, eating, or cleaning my place lol.
What do you want to achieve this year?
More personal growth and growing closer to God.
Sinners Review: A fang-tastic, bloody affair
By Jared Moorgas and Reid Donson
You may think watching a movie called Sinners on Easter weekend is downright blasphemous, but Michael B. Jordan with his shirt off is something everyone should experience.
Directed by Ryan Coogler, the film is an action thriller, creature feature, single-location, musical-vampire-love-story-gorefest. It is one of the first movies to be shot on two different film formats –Ultra Panavision 70 (2.76:1) and IMAX (1.43:1) film – making it an immersive experience. It also has the first female director of photography to shoot in large IMAX film format.
Amidst the Marvel slop, original stories are hard to come by these days, let alone ones that address oppression in such a nuanced way.
Transcending generational boundaries, the film connects music across time periods and nationality, incorporating Blues and Irish folk music as songs of liberation in a period of struggle. Though it is not a musical in the traditional sense, the story erupts with live performances that give soul to the film.
With a backdrop of a Jim Crowe-period United States, Michael B. Jordan leads the film in dual roles as Smoke and Stack, gangsters who return to their hometown in Mississippi to open up a “Juke Joint”.
Coogler blurs a variety of themes to conjure up an unpredictable journey. The movie spends an hour setting up its characters, so when things get real, you actually give a shit about what happens, lol.
The real sin is not watching this movie in theatres.
What we’re watching: | What we’re listening to: |
 | What Was That Lorde  |
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