Report by Rosanna Scott

Meat
We like meat. And because of high-intensity farming, we get a lot of it. We often don’t realise how much animal cruelty is involved in one hamburger. Instead, as Peter Singer explains to us, the connection between cow and beef has been lost. All the while climate change looms.
Rosanna Scott’s portfolio is found here

Report by Aimee Caulfield

This 5-minute documentary looks at two individuals, Vuyani Mpako and Robyn Pienaar, both willing to put themselves at risk for the sake of beauty. Mpako has used skin lightening creams for the past 6 years and Pienaar has used the sunbed regularly for the past 5 years. They are both aware of the clinical dangers but for Mpako becoming lighter is worth the risk. For Piernaar, life is that much easier when you are tanned. Leading dermatologist Dr Derek Odendaal and salon owner Pete Delport comment on this beauty craze.
See Aimee Caulfield’s portfolio here

Report by Thomas Mills

Renowned South African artist, Diane Victor, introduces us to two of her most prominent mediums, her smoke drawings and her print pieces. Through these, she aims to showcase contemporary issues faced by South Africa and its people by voicing her own about the country’s woes. Catching Ghosts demonstrates how Victor creates her fascinating smoke drawings as well as her large-scale etchings.
Thomas Mills’ Portfolio is found here

Report by Kelley Wake

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has become one of the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children today. We investigate the controversial issues surrounding the medication and the diagnosis of ADHD in young children as well and the effects on schooling. Interviews with educational psychologists, doctors, school matrons and a student who was diagnosed when he was nine years old, outline their experiences, opinions and knowledge of the disorder.
Kelley Wakes’s portfolio is found here

Report by Charmian Africa

Sangomas have always been a crucial part of African culture. An estimated 60 per cent of the South African population consult traditional healers in the belief that they have the power to cure disease and wash away bad luck — but it all comes at price. Media headlines suggest that serious sangoma related crimes are on the rise but very little attention is paid to more common cases where people have been exploited by some sangomas for money. We find the case of Iris Morris who lost her life’s savings to a sangoma.
Charmian Africa’s portfolio is here

Report by Tarryn Ross

We take a look at the proposed site where Eskom plans the second and largest nuclear power station to be built in South Africa. The site has been declared as unsuitable by locals and experts and this piece looks into the fears and distaste of the relevant stakeholders. We explore the environmental hazards and risks a nuclear power plant could pose to the sensitive area of Thyspunt and the surrounds of Jeffrey’s Bay and St. Francis Bay.
Tarryn Ross’s portfolio is here

Reprot by Christopher Tucker

Blanche’s Hedgehog looks into the life of a woman living with cancer. Marianne Tucker, a pharmacist from Johannesburg, has been living with cancer for the past four years. She has always expressed that people should not be scared of death but scared of not living the life they have been given – to the full. It is this positive outlook on life that allows her to have the strength to go for weekly chemotherapy sessions and still get up for work.
Christopher’s portfolio is here

Report by Gabi Zietsman

How does a disabled person experience university? At Rhodes University, an event was held where students and staff could experience what it was like to be disabled for a day….
On 27 September 2012, able-bodied staff and students could experience one of three impairments, namely sight, mobility and hearing. In orange shirts with the bold slogan RU Disabled? The New Apartheid. Separate but equal? printed on the back, the participants went about their day as they faced new types of obstacles. Tim Stones, the disability advisor for Rhodes, is hard of hearing and believes that Rhodes is very much behind in their accessibility for disabled students. Adrian Hubbard, a wheelchair specialist at CE Mobility and paralympian, has been in a wheelchair since his twenties and talks about the importance of an accessible environment for equality. The third interviewee was one of the participants, John Vries, who is a student and experienced being in a wheelchair for the day.
Gabi Zietsman’s portfolio is found here

Reprot by Enathi Mqokeli

The Calling is a fascinating part of the Xhosa and Zulu culture – which believes that the ancestors chose your life’s path. This piece shows the journey of Nondithini Samson, a lady who first questioned and then later agreed to accept the calling and the spiritualjourney. Even though she was sceptical she finally decided to accept it and acknowledge that she is the chosen one and there is nothing she can do. She has to submit to being a traditional diviner.
Enathi Mqokeli’s portfolio is found here

Report by Candyce Bruce

Destruction was left in the wake of 2012 floods in Port Alfred. We look at the recovery process that people in the region currently face. A suburban resident recalls the Southdowns Avenue Bridge being washed away leaving the Southdowns area completely cut off. However, the community came together and rebuilt the road. This is juxtaposed with people who are housed at the Ingubo Community Hall after their houses were washed away. The ability to recover seems to lie only in the hands of the privileged.
Candyce Bruce’s portfolio is found here

Report by Candice Ford

Loaves & Fishes is an organisation in Port Alfred that gives monthly food parcels to families who are battling financially. This documentary shows the stories of two women who have been helped by the initiative; how their relationships and lives are being restored. Corrie Parsons is the main facilitator of Loaves and Fishes. The organisation gives out food to those in need, but more importantly gives them the helping hand that they need
See Candice’s portfolio here

Report by Justin Archer

The Chevrolet Warriors have recently embarked on their 2012/13 season and are focused on success in this year’s Sunfoil Series. While the Warriors are known for their recent success in the shorter forms of the game the team is motivated on doing well in the four day format and a lot of preparation has gone on during the off season to ensure they are prepared. The team is also buoyed by the return of Captain Davy Jacobs, after being sidelined from first class cricket for over two years. We assess the strengths and weaknesses of the team and look ahead at what’s to come.
Justin’s portfolio is found here

Report by Martin Bleazard

Making Mead
At an abandoned power station just out of Grahamstown, Dr Garth Cambray makes mead traded as Iquilika, the isiXhosa term for the alcohol made from the fermentation of honey. Here he takes us through the process and explains his philosophy on how he makes this product sustainably and locally.
Martin Bleazard’s porfolio is found here

Report by Julie Campbell

This documentary is a profile on Home of Joy Youthcare centre in Joza, Grahamstown. It introduces Margaret Ngcangca who runs Home of Joy, children who live there and one of the volunteers who helps out there. The video shows the amazing love Mama Margaret invests in these abandoned, sick or orphaned children, and shows people how they can help Home of Joy.
Julie Campbell’s portfolio is foudn here