Upstart - Grocott's Mail

1The paper for youth by youthTuesday 1 March 2011 Vol. 4 No.1Mary Waters learners, teachers and parents demonstrate outside the Department of Education building last month. They staged thedemonstration because Mary Waters is short of 11 teachers. Interviews and more pictures on pages four and five...Inside this edition:Picture by Setumo-Thebe MohlomiCelebrating 21years of freedomUpstarter goes to Pretoria34 & 5Your Right toEducation…What is awareNet... pg 77pg 9

2NEWSUPSTART MARCH 2011WELCOMEupstart@grocotts.co.zaP.O. Box 103Grahamstown6140Vol. 4 No. 1Published by the David RabkinProject for Experiential JournalismTraining (Pty) Ltd, 40 High Street,Grahamstown, 6139.Printed by PaarlcoldsetTelephone: 046 6227222Fax: 046 6227282Upstart cell no: 073 040 7802Facebook page: Upstart the paper foryouth by youthEmail: upstart@grocotts.co.zaWebsite: www.grocotts.co.zaProject Manager: Shireen BadatProject Co-ordinator:Nompumezo MakinanaIntern: Setumo-Thebe MohlomiDesign: Shalen GajadharLayout: Ronél BowlesProtest, Pickets and RightsWelcome to the first edition of Upstartfor 2011. Upstart clubs got off to a greatstart at the beginning of the first schoolterm. We now have active clubs at thefollowing schools:• Ntsika High School• Benjamin Mahlasela High School• Nombulelo High School• Khutliso Daniels High School• TEM Mrwetyana High School• Archie Mbolekwa Higher PrimarySchool• CM Vellem Higher Primary School• Nathaniel Nyaluza High School• Ntaba Maria Higher Primary School• Mary Waters High School• PJ Olivier HoërskoolA newcomer to the Upstart family isIkamvalesizwe High School in Kenton-On-Sea and we carry the story of theirfi r s t Upstart outing on page 8.The Upstart club at Victoria Girls’ HighSchool has not yet become active, butwe hope that the club will be re-establishedthere in time for us to carry theirstories in the next edition.Unfortunately, general schooling inGrahamstown did not get off to as gooda start as we did. Mary Waters learnersarrived at school this year to discoverthat 11 teaching posts had been lostat their school. The situation at MaryWaters remains unchanged despite amarch to the Education Departmentby learners, teachers and parents toprotest against the loss of these posts.There has also been a visit to the schoolby the MEC for Education MandlaMakupula and an urgent court interdictfor the reinstatement of these posts.Still, nothing has happened.We at Upstart would like to add ourMy name is Amanda ‘Amish’ Maxibashe, a Grade 10learner at Nombulelo High School. I was born on 2December 1994 in Port Elizabeth. My parents are ZukiswaMaxibashe and Nkosinathi Vuso. I live in Wood Street andI have two brothers and two sisters. My hobbies are reading,writing and watching horror movies. I dislike fightingand gossiping.I joined Upstart because I want to keep myself busy andstay away from drugs and alcohol. As a captain I will makemy Upstart club the most perfect club and everyone willfeel comfortable.voice to the growing body of concernat the state of schooling in the EasternCape and in Grahamstown in particular.Once again the lion’s share of this year’sbudget has gone to education, but wehave yet to see the results of this expenditureon the quality of learning andteaching in the schools of GrahamstownEast.The plight of schooling in the EasternCape was highlighted outside theHouses of Parliament by membersof the Cape Town-based organisation,Equal Education. As we share thesame values and objectives as EqualEducation we decided to introduce ourUpstarters to their Equalizers to discussand share ideas amongst one another.See page 4 for the report on thetelephonic interview our Mary WatersUpstarters conducted with Equalisers.At Upstart we would be unable to carryout the work we do without partneringwith other organisations. We would liketo thank the National English LiteraryMuseum for their on-going partnershipwith us, and in this edition we cover theouting to Kenton-on-Sea and report onthe project launched at our CM VellemClub on page 11.Cameron McConnachie a lawyer atthe Legal Resources Centre and SarahChurchill-Joly a Canadian Intern conductedworkshops on the Right toEducation at the Ntaba Maria and MaryWaters Upstart clubs. They introducedUpstarters to the Universal Declarationof Human Rights and the Four A’s ofEducation. Read what our membersthink of their rights to education as childrenon page 5.We have a new intern at Upstart,Setumo-Thebe Mohlomi whoSetumo-Thebe Mohlomijoined us at the beginning of February.Setumo completed his schooling at theGerman School in Cape Town and hasa degree from Rhodes University inEnglish and Politics. Setumo is passionateabout working with young peopleand we look forward to his contributionto the project in the coming months.We carry the wonderful news of our formerUpstart member, Athenkosi Office’swinning the Premier’s provincial speechcompetition on page 3. AlthoughAthenkosi is now in Grade 12 and canno longer be a member of the Upstartclub at his school, he is still a member ofthe Upstart Plus Poetry group (see page11).Please remember to send us your comments,thoughts and suggestions on thisedition of Upstart.Happy reading!Shireen BadatUpstart Project Managervisit upstart the paper for the youth by the youth on facebookCAPTAINSPROFILESMy name is Anelisa Valela, a Grade 9 learner at CMVellem Primary School and I am 14 years old.My hobbies include eating, playing and reading books. Ilike shopping and goingto church. I am the kindof person that laughsa lot and I love seeingother people beinghappy. I like talking andmaking new friends.My favourite sports arenetball and volleyball.This is my second yearin Upstart.

4EDUCATIONeUPSTART MARCH 2011Chaos in EastErn CapE sChooling systEm - mary WatErs Upstarters SPeAk oUTMary Waters learners arrived at school this year to findthat the Department of Eductation had decided not to reemploy11 teachers. When we asked learners at the schoolwhat was happening, they said - utter chaos! Even thoughall the learners, teachers and some parents marched to theHead of Education’s office to demand the return of theirteachers the situation has not changed at all.VoxPopsUpstarters talk to Equalisersthe feedback we got from theDepartment of Education was thatthe matter is out of their hands andthat we must try form study groups,which is pointless without some kind ofguidance.Cuma Boltina Grade 10Dmost classes currently have seven periodsand only attend four. most of usare short of between two and threeteachers.Linda Mafele Grade 10Fthe new learners (grade 8`s) are adaptingto the situation because its theirfirst experience of high school and theythink this is the way it is supposed tobe. Nkcubeko Balani Grade 10Fi mostly feel sorry for the grade 9s becauselast year our external exams weredifficult even though with had enoughteachers. imagine how much harder itwill be this year without educators.Nomaphelo Mapapu Grade 10DWe are currently facing a situation wherebywe have a shortage of 11 educators.the matter is causing chaos at the schoolbecause learners take advantage of thesituation by bunking class, fighting in class,stealing and the worldwide problem of substanceabuse and teenage pregnancy.Aphiwe Ngalo • Grade 10FWe are expected to pass at the end ofthe year but how can we do that wihoutany educators?Aphiwe Mame • Grade 10Fsome educators are not taking the matterseriously and are putting their needsbefore ours.Sinesipho Skoti Grade 10DWhat is Equal Education?Equal Education is a movement of learners, parents, teachersand community members working for quality and equality insouth african education, through analysis and activismUpstarters intrviewing Equaliserson the 17 th February 2011, Equal Education members in Cape town staged a demonstrationat the gates of parliament. Equal Education tries to improve the educationsystem in south africa, its members come from high schools in the WesternCape.Upstarters from mary Waters high school interviewed Equal Education members(who are called equalisers) Qhayisani Dlakana a grade 12 learner from haroldCressy high school, sizeka marala a grade 11 learner from luhlaza high school andlwando mzandisi (Equal Educator) who took part in the demonstration.We asked them why they chose to demonstrate on that day and they told us thatthere was a debate on that specific day in parliament on basic education. mrsWinnie madikizela mandela who is a member of parliament was taking part inthat debate. Equal Education handed over a memorandum to hon Dudley from theEducation portfolio committee. the point of the demonstration was to attract theattention of government, members of parliament and passers-by in Cape town. anarticle was written on the demonstration and appeared in the mail and guardian.this particular demonstration was to expose the problem of schools in the EasternCape which have some classrooms made out of mud, have no access to electricity,have leaking roofs, no proper furniture, and some with no shelter at all. the demonstratorsused mud to write the message ‘Eradicate mud schools’ on the ground.they lined desks outside the gates of parliament to make a mock class exposed torain, wind and sun. the Equalisers also told people driving by the busy intersectionnext to parliament about the problems some Eastern Cape schools are facing.Upstarters and equalisers shared their views on the education problem in theEastern Cape. mary Waters has a shortage of 11 teachers and some learners havegaps in their timetables every day. But what concerned the equalisers the mostwas that corporal punishment is still being practiced at the school. they could notbelieve that something as illegal as hitting a child was still being done at school.Aphiwe Mame, Nomaphelo Mapapu and Chuma Boltina, Mary Waters High SchoolWhat is an Equaliser?Equal Education members are called ‘equalisers.’ as the namesuggests, ‘Equalisers’ are bringers and builders of equality.Equalisers are leaders and role models to their classmatesin their attitude toward education. they have a firm beliefin the value of education and constantly seek to improveeducation for themselves and for others. equalisers are alsoactively involved in the affairs of their community, and areof service to their schools and their teachers. equalisers arepassionate about the responsibility they carry in the strugglefor change in education. they recognise that this changebegins in themselves and from within their classrooms. Equalisers sit in their mock classroom outside the Houses ofParliamentpicture sUppliEDFor more information visit www.equaleducation.org.za

UPSTART MARCH 2011EDUCATION5Sarah Churchill-Joly and Cameron McConnachie lawyers at the Legal Resources Centres, spoke to Upstarters at Ntaba Mariaand Mary Waters on the Right to Education. They introduced Upstarters to the Universal Declaration of Human RightsOn this page Ntaba Maria Upstarters write about why they believeeducation is important to themI am Yonelisa Matomana and I am in Grade 9 at Ntaba Maria Higher Primary School.When I grow up I would like to be a model because I have self confidence, the looks,the body and the vibe. The people who inspire me are Charlize Theron, Tyra Banks andNonhle Thema.I personally think that rights are things like rules that need to be followed or obeyed.They are part of the Bill of Rights in our country’s consitution. Three examples of children’srights are: the right to a name; the right to shelter and a right to basic education.My name is Babalwa Sonkobe and I am 13 years old. In my own words I say that educationis the key to success. If you don’t have education you have no chance of becomingsomeone in life. Everyone has the right to education, but we learnt that with rights youalso have responsibilities.Some children don’t have enough teachers at school and some children don’t get propereducation. Children should get equal education whether you are poor or rich becauseall schoolchildren want to achieve goals.And at some schools teachers have to teach more than one subject and in my own viewthat is not right because that is putting pressure on teachers.I am Simamkele Mqananaku and am in Grade 9 this year. When I am grown up I wouldlike to be a doctor and if that does not happen I would like to be a professional sportsman.The people I look up to are my parents – my parents are my role models in life.Everyone has his or her own rights in South Africa. But nowadays people abuse theirrights in a very bad way because they commit crimes and when they are arrested theysay that their rights have been violated. I think that some people don’t care about otherpeople’s rights.We learnt about the 4 A’s from Sarah. They are: • ACCEPTABLITY, • AVAILABILITY, •ADAPTABILITY AND • ACCESSIBILTYThe four A’s helped me a lot to understand my rights to education. Education is thekey to success. Without education people cannot understand what is going on in oureconomy and country.My name is Sibusisiwe Boja a grade 9 learner at Ntaba Maria. When I grow up I wouldlike to become an Advertising Manager.Education in my own words means the process of trainingour minds and abilities so we can gain knowledgeand develop skills. Education to me is also the key tosuccess, doors open up for you and you can be successfuland be somebody in life.To me the Four A’s mean:ACCEPTABILITY – the type of education we receiveshould be at our levelAVAILABILITY – schools and teachers should be therefor usADAPTABILITY – we need to know the environment weare in. We can’t have a Spanish teacher us isiXhosaACCESSIBILITY – we should have access to the instrumentsor materials that we need, like microscopes forstudying science.Through this focus on education I learnt a lot and I nowknow things I have never thought of at school before.Thanks to the two lawyers who visited us and told usabout the 4 A’s.Everywhereyou go youwill hear abouteducation, or seeinstitutions of educationand thereare loads of theseglobally. Some ofus are probablywondering what isbizarre about educationor why is itimportant? Manyindividuals havedifferent opinionsor descriptions ofeducation. For instance,people likeSarah Churchill-Joly of the LRC speaks to UpstartersPicture by Setumo-Thebe Mohlomisaying “education isthe key to success”so to them when you get your education then you are opening and entering throughthe door of success. Then some would say it is a barrier breaker because through educationyou break away from poverty.But how must education be? Are there any barriers to education? Of course there are,otherwise it would just be worthless. There are things that must accompany education.The ‘Four As’. You’re probably wondering what I am on about? Well the four As are:Availability, Accessiblity, Adaptability and Acceptability. When I talk of the availability ofeducation it means that there must be enough schools for everyone, not only schoolsbut also libraries, universities, technikons and so on. Accessibility refers to whether ornot there are people of different ages getting education, the ability to get the availableeducation.Another important one is adaptability. Here in South Africa we have many differentcultures and people of different races living in the same country. It is important thatanyone can adapt in any source of education they attend there shouldn’t be any racismor discrimination in terms of age, gender and standard of living. There must be noinequalities no matter what the situation is. Acceptability means education must be acceptablemeaning that there are enough facilities, proper, safe infrastructure and skillededucators. If all these are met then thereshouldn’t be any obstacles in this part ofone’s life journey.As I have stated before, everyone has theirown description of education. So to meeducation is one part of a person’s journeybecause to me life is a journey and thevery first step is education. By using it asa reference you will definitely enter theworld of success. So go on study hard andenjoy the adventures of life so you can explorethis world of success.Ntaba Maria Upstarters listen attentivelyPicture by Setumo-Thebe MohlomiBy Zenande Kukisi, • Grade 9, Ntaba MariaPrimary SchoolEducation is important because.........Teaches social skillsMeet peopleAchieve career goalsLearn more about who you are personality wiseGain confidenceChange the poverty situation of your backgroundHelp you to educate othersHelp you with current affairs and technologyNomaphelo Mapapu • Grade 10D, Mary Waters High SchoolLearners, parents & teachers toyi-toying outside the Education DepartmentofficesPicture by Shireen Badat

UPSTART MARCH 20117awareNetQ & A with Thozi Ngeju, awareNet trainerWhat is awareNet?awareNet is a restricted (meaning, safe) website that is made especially for schools– mostly learners. It is safe because we create the accounts and not anyone cancreate one. It is a social networking website that works a lot like Facebook butsafer.Who created awareNet and why?awareNet was created by Mr Ron Wertlen and is developed by eKhaya ICT, an organisationbased in Grahamstown. It was created because of a need for a local andless expensive website that didn’t use too much bandwidth.When was it first launched?It was first launched in 2007Has it been successful?Given the interest it has generated from local learners and people from overseasplaces such as France, it has been successfulWho is Thozi?I am a Grahamstownian, born and bred. I like writing anything from scripts, shortWhat I learnt on awareNet?Ihave been using awareNet since last year and whatI enjoy the most is chatting with friends online viaawareNet. I know how to create a profile, write ablog, take pictures and to upload them,how to addfriends and how to change pictures.There are more projects that we could join such as theclan names and the World Aids Day project. In the clannames project I learnt that a person’s surname has history.I had the opportunity to ask my family about myclan name and where it comes from.stories and I like working with peopleThis year I’m looking forward to learning more aboutawareNet, join projects and learn everything there is toknow about the site.Asemahle Diniso • Grade 10, Nombulelo High SchoolI’ve learned a lot from awareNet. When I started goingto the awareNet meetings I didn’t know how tostart a computer but as time went by Bhuti Thozitaught me. Last year I learned how to log on to the internet,how to sign up, how to chat with people online.How did you find out aboutawareNet?I was browsing the Internet one dayand came across the website bychance. I decided to send an e-mailand they took an interest in my CV, sothey hired me.What is the best part about workingfor awareNet?Thozi NgejuThe best part is working with my mindand the opportunity to learn as I workwith kids – they teach one patience and using ‘accessible’ lingo.Anything else you want us to know about youProbably that I started out wishing to be a singer. I pursued music until I caught thewriting bug at about eighteen.Interview by Sathembisa Ngcani • Grade 10, Nombulelo High SchoolI like that you can chat with people in other provincesor even overseas if they are also on awareNet.I like that awareNet is very important to the Upstartnewspaper because last year we joined the WorldAids Day project on awareNet and it was published inUpstart. I would like to learn more about awareNet thisyear and the people who invented it.Sathembisa Ngcani • Grade 10, Nombulelo High SchoolBelgiumColine (18), an exchange student at DSG from Belgium tells PJ Olivier Upstarters all abouther country, what it’s like living there and how different it is to South Africa.Coline Muller a Rotary exchange studentfrom Belgium spoke to PJ OlivierUpstarters about the differences betweenher country and South Africa.Coline is spending time at DSG whereshe is trying to improve her English.This what they learnt.•Belgium is a small country in Europe• The capital of Belgium is Brussels• Belgian children do not wear uniformsto school• Sport is a subject at school• Belgium is a very safe country,there is very little crime• Belgian teenager go to parties fromthe age of 13• They can drive cars when they are16 years old• They drive on the left-hand side ofthe road• The steering wheel is on the leftside in their cars• It rains a lot in Belgium• It is very cold in winter and it snowsthere• When it is summer in South Africa,it is winter in Belgium• People drink a lot of beer in Belgium• There are 850 kinds of differentbeer in Belgium• They also speak different languagesin Belgium• The country is divided into Dutchspeakers and Flemish speakers• They do not have provinces like wehave, but there are lots of smalltownsAsanele Kaleni, Jasmine Kumm,Shawndray Jewell, Gillian Dreyer,Devron Plaatjies, Reggie Goba, KeenanMaart, Seviano Korkee, Callum Arries,Siya Zanil, Keith Trompetter PJ OlivierHoërskoolhttp://www.google.co.za/imgres?imgurl=http://goeurope.about.com/library/graphics/belgium.gif&imgrefurl=http://goeurope.about.com/cs/belguim/l/bl_belgium_map.htm&usgFEATUREW 2 word worth knowingKmonarchytype of word: nouna country that is run or governed by a king, a queen or both wherethey have all of the power to make decisions

8 CLUBSUPSTART MARCH 2011On Thursday 17 February Basil Mills, Jeremy Fogg and Johannes “Bubbles” du Preez took the Ikamvalesizwe Combined School Upstart Clubto explore the Kenton-on-Sea beachfront. On this adventure they discovered that their little town is rich in history.Ikamvalesizwe Upstarters pose for a group photograph with Basil Mills and Jeremy Foggat the seaside.When we arrived near thebeach, we enjoyed a lessonfrom Mr Mills aboutthe Nguni and Khoi-San people thatlived a long time ago. He told us thatthe Nguni people were gatherers andthey grew their own vegetables andfood while the Khoi-San people werehunters.The Khoi-San people were very smartbecause they stole cattle from theNguni people so they could have meatand skin to wear. They were alwaysfighting with the Nguni people becauseof the cattle.When the Khoi-San went hunting,they used a bow and arrow, spears andstones. At the time they did not haveguns. The Khoi-San people movedfrom the mountains to live close tothe beach where they could hunt forfish and sea shells. They collected seashells to make beautiful beads andnecklaces for themselves. They alsoused sea shells as cups because theydid not have cups back then. They alsoused to eat ostrich eggs and used theegg shells as a container to keep theirwater.Mr Mills told us that because the Xhosapeople stayed around the Khoi-Khoipeople, some of the Xhosa words like“qwa” come from Khoi-San language.By Tulisa Nqowana, Siphesihle Jimmy,Nulusindiso Jama, Lukhanyo Willie andNtombentsha Peter, IkamvalesizweCombined SchoolJeremy Fogg reads the story of Ghamka to Kenton Upstarters about the arrival ofthe first European ‘explorer’ ship captained by Bartholomeu DiasJeremy Fogg read us a story written by Eve Merchant called Ghamka Man ofMen. It is the story of Attaqua and his father Ghamka who was the chief of theGhamka tribe who lived near the sea a long time ago. The Ghamka were a Khoi-San tribe and they had never seen white people before.This one day the Ghamka people saw a boat coming and they saw that therewere strange looking people wearing unusual clothesBy Ayandisa Magopeni, Lethukuthula Mdlalose and Zukiswa Jama and KhanyisaGeorge, Ikamvalesizwe Combined School.Upstart artwork made with shells, Khoi San beads and piecesof broken pottery.Khoi San people used tolive close to the beach.They collected seashells to make beautifulbeads and necklaces forthemselves.By Tulisa Nqowana,Ikamvalesizwe CombinedSchoolPictures by:Setumo-Thebe MohlomiIkamvalesizwe Upstarters hike to the beach where the first inhabitants of the EasternCape lived.Mr Basil Mills talked to us about some of the plants that we found on our wayto the beach. One of the plants is called a “bee-sting” because it has thorns thathurt if they touch you. In isiXhosa the plant is called “ikhala” and he said that theplant can be used for many different things. For example, in the old days peopleused it to comb their hair or rub it on their skin to make it softer. Also if you wantsomeone to stop smoking you rub the plant on their fingers or on the cigaretteand they won’t want to smoke it because it tastes bad.There was also another plant that is called “umgqwashu”, this plant was used formedicine. Even sangomas used that plant when they healed people.By Xolisa Nkwinti, Zikhona Mgogoshe and Nokuthula Sineli, IkamvalesizweCombined SchoolWhat made us sad was the grave of Marcella Shelley Marinelli who diedon the beach in 1997. She was from Italy, died in an aeroplane accidentwhen she was 18 and was buried there by the beach. The beach we wentto is now named after her. We liked the words written on her grave: “Fromthe sky I can see whales and dolphins. I swear it feels like I am in heaven.”That was a painful moment that some of us cried.By Yolanda Kayi, Siviwe Moke and Sibongile Roli, Ikamvalesizwe CombinedSchoolword worth knowingW 2 KKhoi-Santype of word: propernounthe first two groups of people to live in Southern Africa were the Sanand the Khoi-Khoi. When these groups came together and marriedinto each other’s tribes they became know as the Khoi-San

UPSTART MARCH 20119Upstart celebrates 21 st anniversary of Nelson Madela’s release from prisonOn the 21 st anniversary of the release of Nelson Mandela from 27 years of imprisonment, the Archie Mbolekwa Upstart Club watched amovie about the life and times of Nelson Mandela. On this page some of them share what Mandela means to themMr. Nelson Mandela was born 18 th of July 1918. Helived with his uncle at Qunu in Umthatha. He is ahero in South Africa, most people have a lot of respectfor him, even the nurses in hospital are alwaysup to date about his health. Every 18th of July wecelebrate his birthday. When he was younger hewanted become a lawyer, when he was an adult hebecame a politician and fought against apartheid inSouth Africa. He went to jail because he was fightingfor freedom for all people, that’s why we call him aWhat Nelson Mandela means to mehero. ”Siyabonga Tata, siyabonga Tatomkhulu” wehold our hands for you.Khonaye Mpofana • Grade 8, Archie Mbolekwa HigherMy Role ModelI see Mr Nelson Mandela as a role model and I thinkthat he has done so much for South Africa. He gaveup his life, his wife, family and the education that hehad so that he could go and fight for black people tobe free. I think that each and everyone of us shouldbe grateful that he gave up 27 years of his life forus. As Martin Luther King said “I have a dream”,Mr Mandela also had a dream that all black peoplewould be free.The apartheid government said that they would freehim if he told everyone to back-off and be silent.They promised to give him homelands, money andeverything he wanted. Even when he got these offershe did not want to be free alone. He decided all blackmen, women and children must also be free.By Zikhona Faku • Grade 8, Archie Mbolekwa HigherPrimary SchoolWhen Nelson Mandela was born, he was given thename Rolihlahla. It means troublemaker in isiXhosa.The story of King Lobengula continued...Grahamstown restoresLobengula memoryOn the 17 th February the NathanielNyaluza Upstart Club met Mr. SizweMda, a family member of KingLobengula.Mr. Mda has moved to Grahamstownto renew the history of the Lobengulafamily. He wants to build a museumin memory of the Lobengula’s. Hespoke to us about the history of KingLobengula and his father. He said thatMzilikazi was King Lobengula’s fatherand he was born in Zululand but hemoved to Matabeleland which is nowknown as Zimbabwe.When King Mzilikazi died, Lobengulabecame King and he married a Xhosawoman and had children with her. KingLobengula met Cecil John Rhodes inSouth Africa and they became friends,but when he died Mr. Rhodes took overalmost everything he owned and therewere no other kings of Matabelelandafter him.To be continued!By Xolelwa Donyeli • Grade 10 NathanielNyaluza High SchoolA princely visit to UpstartWe had a very special guest at our Upstart Club meeting,Prince Sizwe Mda who is the great-grandson ofthe late King Lobengula.I learned some things about King Lobengula. He wasa Zulu who was born in Matabeleland which is nowZimbabwe. It was named Matabeleland because ofthe Ndebele people who lived there. Then there wasa war and the king was removed from Matabelelandand came to Grahamstown. When he got here hemarried a Xhosa woman called Nombini and they hadchildren.King Lobengula took over his father’s crown whenKing Mizilikazi died. The saddest thing is that all theLobengual’s have died, only the great-grandson is left.We haven’t found all the information we need yet,but we hope that with the help of the people ofGrahamstown we will find more information aboutthe life and times of King Lobengula. Once we havemore information it will be possible to have a museumthat will have the complete history of King Lobengula.Ntombovuyo Nogqala • Grade 10 Nathaniel Nyaluza HighSchoolHe was always called Rolihlahla when he was a childand the name suited him well because he was alwaysfighting with the other village boys out on the fields.By Zamuxolo Siyazi • Grade 8, Archie Mbolekwa HigherPrimary School Primary SchoolMandela means the world to me. He is like a fatherto me and he is my role model. He is like the God ofthe earth to me. I wish God can give him more yearsto live, and I wish I could meet with him one day if heis still alive.M= ManyA = AfricansN = NeverD = DieE = EvenL = LoseA = AmandlaBy NontuthuzeloXaba • Grade 9,Archie MbolekwaHigher PrimarySchoolIs this the freedom?Nelson Mandela fought for usHe chose his nation over hisfamilyonly because of love for hisnationbut is this the “freedom” hefought for?By Sinobuhle Saki • Grade 8, ArchieMbolekwa Higher Primary SchoolLast year Upstarters discovered that King Lobengula and his family had lived in the very township in which they were born and raised. We continue our journey of discovery this yearand with the help of the King’s great-grandson have found new information. At the beginning of the year we also received a phone call at the Upstart office from Collet Ndlovu whofound a copy of the October edition of Upstart in Pretoria. He is working with a group of eminent people to restore the Ndebele monarchy. He sent us a letter (see below) and wehope to continue working with him and his group this year.Sizwe Mda, great-grandson of King Lobengula pictured here with Nathaniel NyaluzaUpstarters.Dear ShireenThank you very much for the information you supplied and, once more,for the research that was done by your magazine. Just on Sunday 16January 2011 we managed to have a meeting with one of RhodesNjube Lobengula’s great grandson (who is an heir-apparent for theNdebele people of Matebeleland). It was a full house, with Ndebeleacademics like Prof MJ Matshazi (formerly of Fort Hare), Dr ChurchillGuduza of the London School of Economics, Dr Morgan Sebele, DrMbobo, lawyers and numerous other civil society representatives. Ifthings go according to plan, he could be coronated later this year.Once again thanks for the wonderful research that you did.Regards Collet NdlovuFEATUREW 2 word worth knowingKeminenttype of word: adjectivebeing above others in importance, position or quality.

10STORYUPSTART MARCH 2011SITTING WITH ANDILEChapter TwelveBACK TO SCHOOLDid he shoot you?” Andile asked me.“He just kept pointing at me with the gun, not sure if he should shootme or not. Then I said to him ‘I cannot imagine the pain she put youthrough, but I do understand the anger you are feeling. I myself atthat moment was too angry with her to interfere in what you were doing toher. So I decided to watch, but then you wanted to kill her. I could not let yougo through with that. Even after all the pain she put me through, she is still mymother’s niece. Most importantly I hope you can find it in your heart to forgiveme for taking your mother’s life away from you. I am sorry about your motherbut I am not sorry for interfering in your actions ‘ I said.‘I have known you for about two years and we are now entering December. Thisis not what I imagined the future would be like for us. Do you remember thefirst time Vuyo introduced you to us? ‘ he asked.‘I was scared at times yet still excited on the other hand ‘ I replied.‘That is not what you told me when we were introduced to each other. You toldme you were bored with your life and the only reason you were with Vuyo wasbecause you wanted adventure in your life. That moment you reminded meof myself. They say curiosity killed the cat. In this case you are the cat and youknow too much. I could kill you right now, but eventually I would be caught andtaken to prison. Of all the places in this earth Pollsmoor is one place I do notwish to go to. I forgive you Sive ‘ he said.‘Thank you, but I do not think I will be able to forgive myself. There is too muchblood in these hands of mine ‘ I said. We shook hands and went separate ways.I did not know what I was going to do. On the other hand I was thinking of killingmyself. Every time I closed my eyes I see them with bullet wounds. They arestanding there expressionless, butwith blood. There was only one placeI knew I could go to and that wasmy grandmother. When I got to mygrandmother house she welcomedme with open arms. She preparedsomething to eat then we sat in thedining room. She said, she heard herchild’s death was gang related. Thenshe asked me to honestly tell her thetruth of what happened. I told hereverything from day one when I metVuyo. When I had finished telling herwhat happen, she wiped the tearsin her eyes. She then told me I wasjust like my mother. In order for herto be serious about life she had to gothrough a serious situation similarto mine. Then she told me in orderto continue with life, I must be bornagain and my sins must be washedof me. That night my grandmotherprayed for me and instructed me tolive my life with God’s guidance andknowledge” I said to Andile.“But who is to say any of these guysof mine will ever experience whatyou experienced?” he asked.“Who is to say you won’t, and if youdo can you really guarantee yourselfthat you will still be alive?”“I suppose you are right.”“For a person’s mind to open it first has to go tosleep and feel the nightmares. Now that you have messed up your life, are yougoing to allow Satan to use you to mess up other people children lives. Insteadof brainwashing their minds why don’t you enlighten their minds. If you carryon like this, they will hate you in the future and might want to kill you whenthey realise that you used them. I consider myself fortunate for being able togo back to school. Do not fool yourself into thinking you are too wise. The onlytime a person is wise is when they finish what they started.”“How did it feel like killingall those people?”“It felt like being thereholding the gun, but notin control of my actions.It also felt like I was someoneelse, like the dark sideof me. I had no boundaries,no limitations and Icould do anything I wanted,because I had thepower in my hand and noone could stop me.”“Well thank you for tellingme about your past and Iwill definitely change myways. If there is anythingThe author MFUNDO JACOBSyou need please let me know.”“Andile you do know if you everexpose me to anyone I will have to kill you and I hope you understand why.Another thing, your girlfriend said I must ask you if I may have her.”“Sure, take her” Andile said in fear.The End by Mfundo Jacobs“This is the final chapter of Sitting with Andile. We apologisefor the mistake made in the last edition of Upstart when wepublished the wrong chapter as chapter twelve.Drawing by: Nkosinathi Mahote • Grade 10, Nombulelo High SchoolWIN GREAT PRIZESSend us 10 HIV/Aids fact or 10 TB fact and you couldwin awsome prizes.

UPSTART MARCH 201111CUT OUT AND kEEP RESOURCEgOne of the first things we did in Upstart Clubs at the beginning of this year wasto introduce our new members to the skill of interviewing people. Once the newUpstarters were confident with their new skill they went out and interviewedpeople and so collected most of the stories for this edition.We would like readers of this paper who are not members of Upstart to alsolearn these skills, and so we are including the general rules of interviewingwhich we use in our clubs. This is the first part of our “cut out and keep” serieswhich we hope you will find useful.The Story of My LifeThe National English Literary Museum (NELM) launched a project called The Story ofMy Life at the CM Vellem Upstart Club. Jeffery Thomas and Basil Mills came to theschool to talk about how the project will be run. Upstarters will be given disposablecameras and taught how to use them. They will then go home and take pictureswhich tells the story of their lives. These pictures will be put together in an exhibitionand will be launched during the National Arts Festival.GENERAL RULES OF CONDUCTING AN INTERVIEWWhat is an interview?W 2 KAn interview is a conversation between two people (theinterviewer and the interviewee) where questions areasked by the interviewer to get information from theinterviewee.Before you start the interview process, think about whyyou want this interview. What questions do you needanswered. When you know what questions you want toask, set up an interview with the person you want to interview by calling, e-mailingor asking in person for an appointment.Step 1: Planning for the interviewIt is important to do research before the interview.This will help you when you preparethe questions for your interview. However,sometimes we do not get the chance to do researchbefore the interview, like today at theend of this session, you will have to interviewthe person sitting next to you and report backto the class what you know about your partner.So it is important to think about The five “W”s and the “H” (What, Where,Who, When, Why and How), if your interview answers all these questions thenyou have a good interview.Below is an example of how one should ask to answer The Five “W”s and the“H” : if for example you are interviewing someone from a sports team that isentering a competition:• Who is the team? Who is the coach? Who are the most well- known players inthe team?• What is the competition they are entering? What can they win?• Where is the competition taking place? Where is the team from?• When is the competition?• Why are they entering this particular competition?• How are they going to enter the competition? How long have they been preparingfor the competition?Step 2 : During the interviewStart off by introducing yourself and thenexplain the reason for your interview.Importantly, listen carefully to the personand take notes during the interviewGet the person’s name, age, and job title(NB:double check spelling of names).When doing the interview, listen carefullyto the person because what they say canlead to another questionLet the person talk, don’t interrupt. If there is something you did not understandask the person to please repeat it for you.Step 3 : After the interviewRead over your notes to make sure that all your questions have been answeredAsk them if they have any questionsSay thank youhword worth knowingBRIEFSdisposabletype of word: adjectiveijPictured above is Jeffery Thomas and Basil Mills of NELM explaining how to take good photos.N O D T U J Z B F J W D N P E A D G M HB T H Z V Q V V Y B X O B H K I U R T BP F R G O C N C E U A S U U D N N L L SG G Z L H O X M U W D I S P O S A B L EZ U D P N R I D Z X D Z Q B H E W B O AH V I I V N E N K D B P R N H T W D I AG F C N E D U Q D T V Y L X I V P Y Y JP H A N O T M S D U R Q Y S Q X C S Q RO U T M V I B X A I B H H S T O K J B RU W X L Q A T D H D M H R J M Z H T O UY C N M Z R E U C U Y E S Z E S X J P EX I J M C G B S T M P X A Q B R S P N ZY Q U C N V O A Z I M O N A R C H Y J JA V K I P R E V E N T I O N P V W X Q ZT D P Y Y L I L V W S S P P C U I O T TD W Q S C P E K C U G U N E F N Z M I ZZ J Y B X N Q L M R O K M O O R F K W QI C E B R E A K E R C E A A C K O S P IA Z A M C O U N G W I L I K N F A W B KV J Y L T I H U G I Y Q Y P V V D B A CQ B O C C E N T R E N D N V C R T P B PR L F J R W N P F W R S H C Y N J S F DT G Y O U J W U M J M P P L F H E J J OP H D Y U Q S B G A M G Q O P S A B K SH N A S I O H K U A W K R D C E I O A BEMINENTMONARCHYKHOISANDISPOSABLEICEBREAKERCONSTITUTIONPREVENTIONHEALTHPREGNANCYCENTREWORD SEARCHUpstart Plus meetsagainThe Upstart Plus grouphas started meetingon a weekly basis onceagain. This groupsconsists of grade 11and 12 learners whono longer qualify formembership of Upstartclubs, but share a passionfor poetry. Underthe guidance of internationallyacclaimedpoet, Harry Owen,they meet to write andshare their poetry withone another. This yearthey have an ambitiousplan to publish a bookof their poetry andplan to launch it at theNational Arts Festival.something that is made for cheapness and to be used for a short timeonly. Something that is usually thrown away after it has been used

POETRY12 UPSTART MARCH 2011A new born babyWhat a precious giftWhat an amazing creatureYou are something wonderfulSomething amazing to allYou cry for a sip of milkYou are appreciated by allYou break the loneliness of a houseYour presence fills it with joyAn innocent creaturewith no responsibilitiesno burden for your shouldersno difficult job for your handswhen your father touches your skinit makes him feel likethe luckiest man alive!By Asemahle Diniso • Grade 10,Nombulelo High SchoolWho are you?Who are you?I am the one who made mistakesthat I will never forgetWho are you?I am the one who disappointed myparentsI am the one who got pregnantwhen I was in Grade 12Who are you?I am the one who got pregnant bymy uncle andaccused me of having sex with theneighbour boy andnever told anyone the truth that itis my uncle’s babythat I am pregnant withWho are you?I am who I amI will pay for my mistakes even if itdoes not matterwhat age I amI will finish Grade 12 to correct mymistakesto my family I will tell the truthabout my uncleand I will live my dreams with mychild.By Nosithembele Ngoqo • Grade 10,Mary Waters High SchoolWin great prizesWhich poem made you think, cryor LOL (Laugh out Loud). Watter gedighet jou laat lag, huil of vlou val?Ngowuphi owona mbongo oye wakuchukumisaintliziyo?Write to us, tell us why and you couldwin really awesome prizes!!!Send us a message on facebook.Send us a letter through your UpstartclubOr SMS us: 073 040 7802You belong to meYou are the one that makes me happy,crazyeven when I’m thinking of youI become dizzySometimes when you smileI doubt that you are mineeverything now in my life is funEverytime at nightmy tears drop ‘causeI’m praying for us to lastIn my life you stay till the endthat’s why I sayYou belong to me!By Neliswa Mjeje • Grade 9, NathanielNyaluza High SchoolJy?!Ek Sit Hier op n Hoop‘n hoop van as.Wensend dat jy sal verstaanJy maak my seerhoe meer jy my laat wag .Jy weet presies hoe ek voelEk wil jou net naby my hêmaak nie saak wat nie.Net on jou sagte lippeTeen my voorkop te voeldis al....Is jy werklik lief vir my?Simone Swarts • Graad 10, HoërskoolP.J OlivierLove me for meLove me for meoh, love me for who I amWhy bother loving me if you cannotlove me for who I am, just me?I am who I am because Ichoose to be who I amas a matter of fact I love being meso love me for meI won’t beg for your loveif you don’t love me for methen I don’t care becauseI love being meand am proud of who I amIntelligent, smart, clever, gorgeousand most of all lovingWow, I love being meso get a life and learn to love me forme!By Zenande Kukisi • Grade 9, NtabaMaria Primary SchoolWhen love is dangerousTears on my eyesWhat could have happenedIt’s all about loveLove is everywhereOr I can say sometimes it feels heavyCommit suicide...that sometimeshappensAll because of loveAll the glamour and happinessBut in the endIt’s all a happy start and a badendingYou never knowWho is Mr or Miss Right in your lifeLove and patienceThese don’t like each otherLove and curiosityThose are best friendsIt was great time at the start butnowIt is tears that we seeThe tears were not seenBuried in the deeper eyesThere comes loveAnd the tears come racingtoward each otherWhen love is dangerous!By Aviwe Menze • Grade 10, TEMMrwetyana High SchoolMy love for you will never dieYou are the love of my heartThe love of my lifeThe love that brings me joyYou bring happiness to my soulMy love for you will never dieYou are always there to talk toEverytime you open your mouthI feel inspired by youMy love for you will never dieWhen I think of youMy heart beats too muchWishing to hold you andSay thanks for being youMy love for you will never dieI can see the birds singing for usOur love will last foreverYou will always be in my heartMy love for you will never die.By Asive Mdingi • Grade 11, NombuleloHigh SchoolLove will never lieNothing can stop emotion that runs downyour faceI wish I can change this moment to anothertime to place loveNothing you say can move meI have chosen the fight for freedomUntil this fight is over and wonLove will never lieWe will keep the faith between usIf you only tryMy dogMy dog lives with me everydayMy dog is sad when I leave in themorningHe gets excited when I come homein the afternoonI feed my dog and I do everything formy dogWhen it is hot I give him waterMy dog’s name is Snoopyand he is always happyI teach him how to fight sohe can be a strong dogOnce my dog disappeared for daysI cried for days because I missed mydogI love my dog and want to stay withhim for life.By Ayabonga Qakamfana • Grade 9,Mary Waters High SchoolAmazinyoNina ningaphambili niyasiphangelakodwa nathi ngemva siyanilandelaniyathanda ukungcamla singekafikiakwaba besixatyiswe njenganiakwaba besingaza kakuhle nathiO! hayi khanisiyeke sihlale nathinazikhethela indawo eshushu ninaizigulo zenu asingezibalisizingeniswa kuphela bubuxeleguNgoku ninqwenela ukuba ngabanyebethukambe thina singamanene eneneninaxa nathi sikhe sigul’exeshenikodwa sikwi lali yamanene ngeneneSihlamba sibe bahle yonke imihlanina madoda amakhulu bayanifihlayi loo nto senambethe ingub’emdakaseningabahle kuyaphi nangebalaSekuyimbubho yodwa kwikhaya lenusebengcwatyiwe abaninziabantakwenukanti sithetheleleni madod’akuthimasiphathwe ngokufanayo bakuthimakungahanjwa ngobudalaekuthandweninoko sisebatsha sisebenza nzimathina sibambe owona msebenziunzima.NguOlwethu Fleck • Grade 9, ArchieMbolekwa Higher Primary SchoolWe will keep the truth inside usLove will never lieSomeone will always hear youCare about youI wish you can feel my heartMy heart is breaking as I say goodbye butone thing I sayLove will never lieBy Luvuyo Tshali • Grade 10, IkamvalesizweCombined SchoolNetW 2 word worth knowingKresponsibilitytype of word: nounsomething you take charge of, are forced to do, or are answerable for

UPSTART MARCH 2011POETRY13Just differentI am a different singerWho sings different songsI went to different countriesI sang on different stagesIn different weather andwearing different clothesOn different daysI met different peopleand loved by different peopletravelling with different carsand my picture takenby different camerasIf you look outside and look properlyeverything is just different.By Xola Joni • Grade 10, TEM MrwetyanaHigh SchoolDo we still have love?Not the kind that makes us not proudof who we are and where we comefromnot the kind that makes us kill eachother’s backsnot the kind that makes us commitcrimeDo we still have love?Not the kind that makes us talk behindeach otherbut the kind that makes us honestwith each otherthe kind that makes us proud of whowe arethe question still remains- do we stillhave love?By Lulama Fatyela • Grade 10, NathanielNyaluza High SchoolWhen I look at youthWhen I look at the youthI feel ashamed because theydon’t see how stong the killerHIV is and when they get itthey say life is difficult butI don’t see life like thateven if one is infectedWhen I look at the youthI sometimes wish thatI could stop them from gettinginfectedbecause HIV is really a killerBut I know I cannot becausethey will not value my help as I amyoungWhen I look at the youthI wish that I can make them feel as Ifeelmake them be as I want them to beI would like to share this with youwhen I close my eyes I seehow the rights are destroying usWhen I close my eyesI see the youth are struggling!By Ntombizandile Mkhaliphi • Grade 10,Nombulelo High SchoolA great countryyou know a great countrywhere all the people worship Godthey help othersthey achieve their goalsYou know a great countryYOU KNOW A GREAT COUNTRYyou find people who like otherswe know a great country that makespeople feel betterall people express themselvesIn our great country we want trustworthypeoplewe don’t want people who will destroythis countrywe don’t want criminals in thiscountryA great country with lots of peoplea country with beautiful plantsa country with people who havedignitywe love people who are honest inthis countrylet’s take this country as a temple ofGod.By Thembani Buka • Grade 9, CM VellemPrimary SchoolInspiration friendship - My nameMy name is Aviwe, my mum gave it to meI also have three other nicknames:Angie, my cousin gave it to meVista, my classmates gave it to meVivi, my neighbour gave it to me.Aviwe means heardMy parents’ prayers were heardAngie is short for AngelAngels are always with meThrough thick and thinVista is a slang nameVivi is a slang name tooI love my namesBecause they are speciallyGiven to me.Aviwe means we have been heardOr our prayers have been answeredThe angel is the third person God sends toGuide and protect me through good andbadMy name is unique, it was made for meI love and appreciate itIts not fancy nor glamourous but I love it!I love it because I make It more valuableandI live up to my nameI will make sure people Hear meBecause I scream successI mean loud and clearMy name cannot be bought, no one canafford itNo cows can buy my nameNot even Donald Trump can buy my nameNot even Oprah Winfrey can buy mynameNot even Bill Gates can buy my nameMy name makes me feel strongIt makes me feel like I can just talk to theworldAnd it will just listen and hear.By Aviwe Diko • Grade 9, Ntaba MariaPrimary SchoolEk is lief vir jou?Ek onthou nog ons eerste dag saamDie dag wat jy my FingersVas geslaan het en alles woubetter maak.Ek onthou ons eerste soenWat ons saam gehad het ,Ons was albei skaam en bangDit voel soos gister. Alles wat ekEn jy saam gedoen het gaan ekbaie mis selfs die dag toe jy vir myheuning gaan uithaal het. Aistrawberry was ons fav milkshake!!!Jy was enige meisie se droom manEk sal jou nooit vergeet nie.Jy was en is die een vir myDie twee aande en drie weke saammet jou was die beste tyd van mylewe. Jy sal altyd in my hart wees.Riaan lief vir jouSpesiaal geskryf aan Riaan BoucherDeur Simone Swarts • Graad 11,Hoërskool PJ OlivierForgivenI have let my mind and heart toponder other thingsI have opened my soul for you guysI have let my heart love againI forgive youI have seen how sorry you areI have let my mouth smile for youagainI have let my eyes show love for youI forgive youWe are friends againLet us have life bring us joyhappiness and laughterLet us be happy as beforeLet our love and honesty lead usto the futureI forgive youWe are friends like beforeNot just for one day butfor so many years to comeIf we keep our love and honestyIn ten years time we will laugh togetheronce moreLet us be friends once moreI forgive you guysAnd no one will or can come betweenusbecause we are unbreakable!This poem is dedicated to SibabalweStephens and Xola JoniBy Hlonipha Lavens • Grade 10,Nombulelo High SchoolLove of GodYou are alone in the streetat night it is cold and rainingthere is no one it is darkno lights not even a soundBut God is with youThere is nowhere to go, no food evenmoneythere is always a fight at homeand that is why you ran away fromhomeBut God is with youThe life you have is notunderstandableBut God loves you and He will guideyouevery step you take I will pray withyouBut I want my future hopes to cometrueand I want my dream to come trueTo buy food for my family!By Unathi Maqoko • Grade 8, ArchieMbolekwa Higher Primary SchoolIf I was a boyIf I was a boyWhat would I be like?How would I differ fromthe boys of our days?How would I treat people?Would I have the respect for myelders?Would I drink alcohol?If I was a boyYes, I would be good lookingcharming, but most importantlyI would be caring and lovingI would keep my roots like my eldersI would treat people equallyand make sure I don’t treat themlike toys to play withYes respect I would have for youngand oldbecause I have to respect if I want tobe respectedI would say no to alcohol becauseI am the future, I am the lightIf I was a boyI would have dignityI would not take people for grantedI would follow in the footstepsof my father Jesus Christ who diedfor me and you on the crossIf I was a boyI would be a good boy!By Xolelwa Donyeli, Grade 10,Nathaniel Nyaluza High SchoolWIN GREAT PRIZESSMS or facbook us your favourite lines of poetry and stand achance to win airtime and sms bundlesW 2 word worth knowingKpondertype of word: verbthink about something deeply

14 UPSTART MARCH 2011SPORTXola Joni is the most energetic and powerful girl at the Makana KarateClub. I had a chat with her to find out more about this fascinating sport.When did you join the Makana Karate Club?I joined it on January 2009 sorry can’t remember the date‘What does it take to be a good fighter?It takes every strength you have. You’ve got to be patient and know the floorrules and train very hard.What makes you a good karateka?Well I would say going to the gym and training hard has made me who I am today.I think I’m good because I train very hard and so I’m well trained and I followthe rules.What belt are you now?Green belt but I’m supposed to be a Blue belt but I wasn’t fit enough for thegradingTournaments are very hard work, have you ever won any tournaments and howmany medals have you won?Yes I have four gold medals and two silver medals so that makes it seven alltogetherHow do you manage your training as well as your school work?Easy because school comes first and karate follows. I attend training twice orthree times a weekso I have enough time for my schoolworkWho inspires you when it comes tofightingWithout a doubt Nolan DerMaar andof course my SenseiDo you think you will go far, if so,what would you like to achieve inyour karate?I am going very far I mean to placesI have never been. I also want to bethe best female fighter in the countryBesides karate, what do you dowhen your are just relaxing athome?Reading, I’m a book wormInterview by Sibabalwe Stephen • Grade 10, Nombulelo High SchoolIAsanda Qawu interviewed LuvuyoEnock Stimele, also known as ‘Taceleb’of Ntsika High School about his passionfor soccer. Taceleb is originally from EastLondon but moved to Grahamstown tolive with his mother and brother.What sport do you play?I play soccer , for the Lord Hamper FootballClub. Mr Gongqa is our coach. I’m passionateabout playing soccer because I see myself asa big soccer star one dayWhen was your team formed?It was formed in July 2004Which position do you play in your team?Goalkeeper, I like playing goalie because I do not run around the whole field muchWho are the most well known players in your team?Sandile who is known as Bhompie and myself TacelebWho is your favourite soccer player?Siphiwe Tshabalala is my all-time favourite playerWould you like to play in the PSL and which team would you like to play for?Yes, I would. I would like to play for Supersport UnitedIn life, who is your role model?Mr Nelson MandelaWhat things would you still like to do?I would like to go to America and see more celebrities thereWhat are your dislikes?People who gossip and talk a lotSoccer starIn the township I stay in, I interviewed Extension 9’s very own soccerstar Xolani Skara Nxopo.Why do you play soccer?I play soccer because it keeps me out of the street where other childrenget hurt or go to jailHow does soccer affect you?It helps me stay fit and it keeps me working hard on my school workand my sportsWho inspired you to play soccer?Immanuel Skara Ngobese inspired me to play soccer and he made mewant to be betterWhen did you start playing soccer?I started when I was five years old. I started by watching every matchSkara Ngobese played inWhat do you do to get better?I train twice as hard as the other children that are better than meWhere did you start playing soccer?I started playing in Grade R with my friendsInterview by Reggie Goba • Grade 9, Hoërskool PJ Olivier123 4Interview by Asanda Qawu • Grade 10, Ntsika High School5 6ACROSSDOWN72. Used to make a situation more comfortable (10)1. Can be thrown away after3. Administrative capital of South Africa (8)short term use (10)5. Eastern style of fighting (6)4. Is within short reach (10)86. A place to find stuff online (7)7. Copy word for word (10)98.Changing to fit the situation (8)9. Where the country’s issues are discussed (10)10ACROSSDOWN2. Used to make a situation 1. Can be thrown away afterW 2 word worth knowing more comfortableshort term useKinspired3. Administrative capital of 4. Is within short reachtype of word: verb to fill someone South or something Africa with ideas, interest, or excitement5. Eastern style of fighting6. A place to find stuff online7. Copy word for word8. Changing to fit the situation9. Where the country's issues

UPSTART MARCH 2011eREVIEW15What the reader thought...1X2X3X4X5Xpoorgoodexcellentbetter than a movieyou MUST read this book!REVIEWSTitle of the book: Carmen Tutukaand the curse of Isis HouseAuthor: Helen BrainThe main characters in the book areHannah, Dr Crawley, Miss Battersby,Mr Fairley, Sidi, Thomas and MrsCarmen Tutuka. Isis House was theschool that Hannah went to and DrCrawley was the headmaster of theschool. Hannah loved her schooland she felt a connection to theschool that she could not explain.Her mother was a learner at theschool before Hannah.At school there was a competitionand it was held at the school hall.On that day Hannah almost gotinjured when the lights fell but DrCrawley pushed her quickly and shewas safe. Hannah did not like MrsTutuka, the new librarian becauseshe smelled funny like vinegar andshe was not nice to all the schoolchildren.There were a lot of strange thingshappening at the school. Hannah,Sidi and their friends thought thatMrs Tutuka was trying to kill themand that the school was cursed.There was an old storeroom thatthe learners were not allowed togo to at school but Hannah and herfriends went in. In that room MrsTutuka found the children openingan old mummy’s case. Shescreamed at them and wanted tokill Sidi with a knife. They foundout that Mrs Tutuka was a ghostthat killed Mrs Battersby and cameto school to take her place. Thechildren were saved by a cat thatjumped at Mrs Tutuka’s face.This is a nice book to read but itis also scary at times. I enjoyedit a lot. The book is published byHuman and Rousseau Publishers, itis available at bookstores and theISBN number is 0 7981 4200 6.Title: Cool-cat AlleyAuthor: Jenny WinerThe main characters in the story arePatty and Rodney. The story startswhen Patty’s parents want to leavethe farm they are living on becausethere is a drought and their cattleare dying. Patty is not happy aboutgoing to live in a city.Patty meets a guy at the new schoolshe goes to. He is called Rodney andshe is attracted to him. They bothliked each other; Rodney calledPatty his country girl. Patty likedthat Rodney had a motorbike andwas a bad boy at school. Patty andher father are fighting a lot latelyand especially because Patty invitesRodney back to the farm with them.I do not want to spell out the fullstory but you should look for thisbook as you will enjoy it as much asI did. I like the story for several reasons,firstly because it takes place atschool. Secondly, it is about teenagersand we can relate to it. I thinkthat many teenagers will enjoyreading this book, especially readerswho enjoy stories about love.The book is published by Humanand Rousseau and the ISBN numberis 0 7981 3675 8.Review by Thembalethu Nanto •Grade 10, Nathaniel Nyaluza HighSchoolTitle of the book: The Tsitsa Riverand BeyondAuthor: Russell KaschulaThis book is about two young SouthAfrican boys growing up in a farmin the Eastern Cape, near the TsitsaRiver. Themba is a Xhosa boy whileDavid is an English-speaking boyand this story is about their friendshipand experience of being friendsof different races.The story starts when David andThemba spend the summer holidaystogether with their familieson the farm. They go fishing andswimming in the Tsitsa River andalso spend a lot of time readingbooks and talking about school thefollowing year. Themba is a verysmart boy and received the DouglasBader Award and distinctions forMathematics and Science. The twoboys end up going to the same highschool and becoming friends forlife. The two boys work very hardand help each other in their schoolwork and in preparing for the moredifficult senior year at school.The best part of the story is whenit is the last day of the second termwhen David and Themba are gettingready to go on holiday. About15 boys including Themba andDavid are going to the Drakensbergto camp out. Themba and Davidare looking forward to viewingthe Khoisan rock art in that area.Themba and David are familiar withthe area because Maclear is wherethey come from.This book is available at the library,at school and at bookshops and theISBN number is 1 86895 004 2.Review by Simphiwe Mbonda • Grade10, Nombulelo High SchoolReview by Olwethu Fleck • Grade9, Archie Mbolekwa Higher PrimarySchool

eREVIEW16 UPSTART MARCH 2011What the reader thought...1X2X3X4X5Xpoorgoodexcellentbetter than a movieyou MUST read this book!REVIEWSTitle of the book: Flowers in theAtticAuthor: Virginia AndrewsThe characters in this book areChristopher (Chris), Cathy, Corrine,Carrie, Cory and Malcom. This is the storyof the Dollanganger children and theirmother. Malcom, the father, always usedto go away on business trips, but oneFriday night a car stopped in the driveway.Not their father’s car, but a policecar. There was a knock on the door. Thepoliceman told Mrs Dollanganger thather husband’s car had been involved inan accident and had caught fire. Afterthe father’s death, the children foundout that their mother had been richand they had rich grandparents. Theyall had to go live with the grandparents.Their mother kept secrets from them.When they arrived at their grandparentshouse, the kids were kept in one roomand they were not allowed outside theroom.For almost two years they stayed in thatroom. The grandmother would sendthem a picnic basket with food each day.After a few months Cory got sick anddied. Chris and Cathy did research whilelittle Carrie, who was sad at losing herlittle brother, sat in a corner. They foundout it was poisonous donuts that killedtheir brother. They decided they had toescape, but without money they wouldnot survive. So they decided to stealsome money, they found some way toescape, they collected enough moneyand that night they managed to escapefrom the horrible house. They caughtthe first train and went to the police andfiled a charge of murder against theirfamily.Virginia Andrews wrote a lot of booksabout the Dollangenger family, this ispart one of this story. These books shehas written are based on true storiesThe ISBN number is 978 0 00 783 326 9.Review by Jasmine Kümm • Grade 8,Hoërskool PJ OlivierTitle of the book: Horowitz HorrorAuthor: Anthony HorowitzThis is a very scary book filled withdifferent horror stories. When readingit, expect the unexpected. Thereare nine stories in this book and allstories are nice and short so youwon’t get bored. It is a world whereeverything seems nice and normal tobegin with. But the weird, surprisingand truly terrifying are always waitingin the shadows.In one of the stories called “KillerCamera”, a boy gets a camera as abirthday present not knowing thatit has evil powers. He bought thecamera at a yard sale. He thoughtthat it was just an ordinary camera,but soon realised that the cameradestroyed everything that it photographs.His brother takes a picture ofLondon and then a disaster follows.Some stories are scarier than othersbut they are all good includingthe one about the scary bus ride onHalloween night. It is called “TheNight Bus”, here two brothers take abus ride at night on Halloween and itturns into their worst nightmare.Whatever you do, don’t take thisbook to bed with you. However,it is a nice book to read with yourfriends.The book’s ISBN number is 1 – 84121– 455 – 8 and it is available at thelibrary.Title of the book: Road to NowhereAuthor: John MilneThe main charecters in the book areFaisal, Abdel Rahman and Hanim.This story is about Faisal who livedat Um Khalid. In Um Khalid there areonly 20 houses and the biggest housebelongs to Abdel Rahman who is therichest man and the chief of the village.Faisal is 18 years old, strong andhealthy but he is also very poor. He isinloved with Abdel’s daughter Hanimbecause she is the most beautiful girl.They met at a wedding in the village.But Faisal is poor and could not affordto marry Hanim.Faisal has to sell vegetables at a marketso he can afford something toeat. He leaves his home on Fridays atfive o’clock in the morning before thesun is even up. He wants to be at themarket before seven o’clock but themarket is twelve kilometres away inanother village called Nabur. He sellshis vegetables at the market to makemoney so he can marry Hanim becauseAbdel does not want his daughterto marry a poor man. Hanim andFaisal loved each other so they haveto hide it from Abdel. Read the bookto find out how Faisal and Hanim’slove grows and to see if they finallyget married.The book is published by HeinemannPublishers and the ISBN number is 0435 27191 1. The book is available atthe library and at school.Review by Anele Gobizembe • Grade 10,TEM Mrewtyana High SchoolReview by Aphiwe Mame • Grade 10,Mary Waters High SchoolWIN GREAT PRIZESHave you read an interesting book lately?Send Upstart your review and you could WIN BIG!You do not have to be a member of Upstart to send yourreview.Upstart is supported by the MDDA