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12 November 2024 | Story Dr Nombulelo Shange | Photo André Damons
Dr Nombulelo Shange
Dr Nombulelo Shange, Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of the Free State

Opinion article by Dr Nombulelo Shange, Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of the Free State

Women For Change has created a very important petition, calling for the cancellation of the upcoming Chris Brown concert. Chris Brown has a long history of abusing women, with the 2009 abuse of Rihanna being the most notable example. The Women for Change petitionhas been polarising, with some celebrating the activism and support for women, even when it seems “unpopular” to do so. Others have rushed to social media to defend the American singer, sharing their excitement about attending the concert.

The sad reality is the Women For Change campaign is unlikely to succeed given that the tickets sold out in a matter of hours. South Africa prioritises profit over everything, over social well-being, over protecting vulnerable groups, its own state agenda or other important social factors. But this is an important campaign because it drums up awareness and holds a mirror to our society, reflecting the lengths we will go through to defend patriarchy.

Understanding structures of patriarchy through a radical feminist perspective

The overwhelming support for Chris Brown in a country that has been labelled the rape capital of the world, shows we are unwilling or unable to understand how we gained this jarring reputation. Patriarchy is at the centre of it all, radical feminist scholar, Sylvia Walby offers deeper discussion on patriarchy. Broadly, patriarchy is a social system that prioritises men and sees them as superior to women and is rooted in the oppression and marginalisation of women.

Walby identifies six social structures and practices that create or reinforce patriarchy, namely;

  • Household production, which includes everything from the hierarchy of importance within the family, women’s roles often being seen as inferior and unpaid domestic work.
  • Labour, where women are either excluded, discriminated against and/or paid less.
  • Culture, which entails ideologies and praxis that portray women as inherently inferior, a view often reinforced by religion, media and even language.
  • Sexuality ensures that women’s sexuality or sexual expression is more controlled, while men have more freedoms. Women have less bodily autonomy and agency.
  • Violence, gender-based violence and sexual abuse give men power over women, leaving women subdued and fearful.
  • Finally, the state and related structures like legal systems, policies and so on have a long history of perpetuating systematic and direct violences against women.

Intersectional politics and patriarchy

These six structures of patriarchy seldom ever exist in isolation from each other, in fact, it can be challenging to tell them apart because they are so interwoven. A single event could see one or more of these structures at play, which is why in part it becomes difficult to ensure justice in individual cases or to even dismantle patriarchy as a whole to protect everyone (including men) from the harm patriarchy causes. Intersectional scholars and activists such as Audre Lorde, Kimberlé Crenshaw, bell hooks and Patricia Hill Collins further help us understand the complex cocktail of oppression when patriarchy is met by other social identities perceived as negative, including; race, class, religion and so on.

These two theoretical approaches provide a lens for society to understand gender and different forms of oppression, so that we might be better able to address them. So, if a black woman in South Africa experiences oppression at a predominantly white-male-led highly respected place of work, and the abuse and bullying eventually leads to the black woman being pushed out with some reputational harm – in this singular case it becomes clear that there are different structures of patriarchy involved, and intersectional politics at play. The intersectional politics help us understand the racial and other social nuances like age and others that were used as a basis for marginalising this black woman. Multiple structures of patriarchy are at play in this illustration, labour, because the oppression is taking place in the workplace. Sexuality might also be at play depending on the kind of abuse the black woman is experiencing and because this structure of patriarchy includes bodily autonomy and the risk of being sexualised at work, based on rigid ideas around how one should behave or dress. Culture is also at play and informs the view that the workplace has towards the black women being seen as incompetent, incapable and not belonging in that space. And even the state and related structures are also interlocked into this oppression because stronger legal and policy protections that should prevent this kind of workplace abuse are missing. Many of these listed patriarchal violences are usually not viewed as illegal and are at worst, welcomed and celebrated or at best, seen as unfair or bordering on unethical

Connecting to the Chris Brown boycott

I am making this example because it is a relatable one that most women have gone through, even those who have come out fiercely defending Chris Brown. Whether you are a domestic worker or hold one of the most “important” roles one can hold within your industry, and it is followed by national and global recognition, we have all experienced some kind of gendered oppression in the workplace, relationships, and society as a whole. The structures of patriarchy active in our seemingly more relatable systemic oppression and lives as South African women are exactly the same, even though the events and experiences of abuse might appear to be different. It is the same structures of patriarchy that oppress us on a daily basis, that enable and empower artists like Chris Brown, P Diddy, R Kelly or Harvey Weinstein to rise to such prominence despite being known abusers for decades. To protect and celebrate these people and systems the way we have done, is to preserve and defend the very same oppression we go through in our own daily lives.

We have seen some very influential celebrities and leaders we love and look up to support Chris Brown or criticise Women For Change’s boycott and in doing so have attempted to compartmentalise abuse as separate from Chris Brown’s artistry and work. This is not true, many of these men mentioned above, use their places of work to enact their terror. Their connection to media and ability to shape and inform culture sees them normalising their violence or discrediting victims. We believe them because we are moved by their work and do not want to believe that such talented people can be so vile.

South Africa has its own fair share of these kinds of demonic perpetrators who hunt women for sport. The problem with our division as a country (and especially as women) over issues like this Chris Brown boycott, is that we believe we are different and have therefore transcended some of the patriarchal oppressions. You could be a young, poor woman, wearing next to nothing, twerking in a hip-hop music video for a living, or a church woman and highly respected member of your community, married with children and a thriving career in what is perceived as an important industry, patriarchy does not care. It treats us all with the same brutality, we must understand that these intersectional politics interact with patriarchal structures to create shared oppression and violences. We must see ourselves in the experiences of the women who come forward against artists like Chris Brown because it could easily be one of us. In the rape capital of the world, this threat of violence follows us everywhere, in churches, our homes, work, school and even mundane places like the post office.

16 Days of Activism 2024

The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children Campaign (16 Days Campaign) is a United Nations campaign which takes place annually from 25 November (International Day of No Violence against Women) to 10 December (International Human Rights Day).  https://www.gov.za/16DaysOfActivism2024

 

Other articles by Dr Shange

→ Violent events will continue to take place if poverty is not eradicated as a matter of urgency

→ Black women’s hair: A political battlefield

→ Opinion: Disrupting the harmful ‘strong black woman’ narrative

→ Xenophobic South Africa goes against the Pan-Africanist agenda that liberated us from Apartheid

→ Black men take a page out of their own oppression to marginalise black women in higher education

→ Opinion: Love as Revolutionary Rebellion

→ African Knowledge: Not yet uhuru

→ South Africa has betrayed the dreams of the youth of 1976

→ Charges against Frederick Mhangazo for Cape Town fire criminalise poverty

→ Opinion: Overcoming COVID-19 with the strength and resilience of Sharpeville

→ Can we use African Indigenous Knowledge to tackle COVID-19?

→ Tokenised celebrations of black womanist leaders negate their success

→ What are we really celebrating this Women’s Day?

 

 

News Archive

Financial and registration information for UFS students (including international students)
2017-02-22


Update: 7 February 2017

The management of the University of the Free State (UFS)
is aware of a misleading post on social media this
past weekend.

The correct facts are:

1) In December 2016, the UFS received information of a
total allocation of R189 239 000 from the National Student
Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) for 2017.

2) NSFAS provisionally funded 453 first-time entering
students in January 2017.

3) During 2016, 3 868 students received NSFAS funding.
Should these students qualify according to the academic
requirements of NSFAS, they will qualify to receive the
same funding again in 2017. In the meantime, due to the
current backlog at NSFAS, the UFS assisted 2 573 of
these students who qualify for funding academically.
This will enable the students to register for 2017 while
waiting for NSFAS to make the necessary allocations.
Information as on 6 February 2017 indicated that 2 330
of these students already made use of the opportunity
and have registered for 2017.

4) On 6 February 2017, the UFS received communication
from NSFAS regarding an additional amount of
R66 513 252 which is available for first-time
entering students. Approximately 875 students
will benefit from this allocation. Financial Aid will soon
finalise this process and successful students will be
notified of the allocations.

5) The UFS is in the process of resolving the
classification of the quintile schools so that more
students could be assisted.

The above-mentioned is not final and will change
on a daily basis.

There is an understandable and shared concern among students of the University of the Free State (UFS) around the cost of higher education. This has been a topic of discussion not only on national level, but it has also been a priority for the university’s senior leadership in discussions with student leaders.

The following are ways in which students receive assistance to register for the 2017 academic year:

1.    Students receiving assistance from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS)

1.1    Senior students

1.    Senior students who received NSFAS assistance in 2016.
a.    This group of students will receive a NSFAS allocation in 2017, subject to the following terms and conditions:
i.    If they satisfied the 50% module pass requirement for the 2016 academic year.
ii.    If they satisfied the n+2 completion requirement.

b.    Students who conform to these requirements can register as from 31 January 2017.
c.    These students’ placement in residences can also be confirmed.
d.    These students will receive an allocation for books and meals subject to the prioritisation as prescribed by NSFAS.

2.    Senior students who received confirmation of a NSFAS allocation in 2017 with outstanding debt of not more than R20 000.
a.    These students must please visit the Student Finance desk in the different registration venues to make acceptable arrangements for payment of the outstanding monies.
b.    Acceptable arrangements refer to the payment of 50% of these outstanding monies by 30 June 2017 and the remainder by 31 October 2017.
c.    These students will be allowed to continue with their registration after the above process has been complied with.
d.    These students’ placement in residences can also be confirmed.
e.    These students will receive an allocation for books and meals subject to the prioritisation as prescribed by NSFAS.

3.    Senior students who applied for NSFAS assistance in 2017 for the first time or applied previously, but did not meet the qualifying criteria, may only register with the assistance of a NSFAS allocation once confirmed by NSFAS. In the absence thereof, these students may only register after payment of the required prepayments for full registration, or they may register provisionally.

1.2     First-time entering students
The university’s Department of Finance is dealing with this group collectively based on the confirmed financial assistance by NSFAS for the group as a whole.

1.    First-time entering students to whom an allocation have been confirmed by NSFAS will receive an allocation and will be able to continue with their registration. Their placement in residences can also be confirmed. They will receive an allocation for books and meals subject to the prioritisation as prescribed by NSFAS.

2.    First-time entering students who applied at NSFAS before the cut-off dates and matriculated at schools in the quintile 1 to 3 categories will be allowed to register on providing proof of submission of their application. Their placement in residences can also be confirmed. They will receive an allocation for books and meals subject to the prioritisation as prescribed by NSFAS. Confirmation of the students who matriculated at schools in the quintiles 1 to 3 (as per the data collected with the assistance of the university’s ICT Services) will serve as sufficient evidence of the NSFAS allocation still to be made to them.

3.    First-time entering students who can provide proof that the family income is dependent on a grant from the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA)  has also been confirmed to receive a NSFAS allocation.  Their placement in residences can also be confirmed. They will receive an allocation for books and meals subject to the prioritisation as prescribed by NSFAS.

4.    Please note that the above process only caters for applicants who applied in time and who are admitted in programmes for 2017.

1.3 NSFAS prescriptions towards the allocation of funds

NSFAS determined a priority order that must be used to distribute the NSFAS allocation. The priority order is as follows:

1.    Tuition fees
2.    Books
3.    Accommodation
4.    Meals
5.    Travel

The amount awarded must be allocated according to the above priority order until it is depleted. It thus means that all tuition fees must first be paid before an allocation may be made for books, accommodation, meals, and travel.

NSFAS also prescribes that no allowance may be paid until the student has signed his or her contract. Due to the backlog with allocations to students by NSFAS, contracts for these allocations are also not made available yet.

The UFS is fully aware of the predicament the above circumstances create for students with regard to the allocations for books and meals. To assist students as a transitional arrangement, the university took it upon itself to advance an amount of R750 for meals to all registered NSFAS recipients. This advancement will be paid by the students’ NSFAS allocation after they have signed the contract. All other payments, as per the priority order, can unfortunately only be made after students signed the NSFAS contracts. Signing of contracts will be done electronically.  

The advance for meals has been available since Monday 6 February 2017. Students  are reminded that they must be registered before the amount of R750 may be advanced. Students should visit the Financial Aid Offices for enquiries.

Students are requested to support the effort of the UFS by availing themselves to sign contracts as soon as it becomes available.

Students should also note that all universities were informed this week of the backlogs that has developed at NSFAS in the processing of financial aid applications made by first-time entering students and returning students. NSFAS is giving urgent attention to the matter. The UFS is monitoring the progress closely and will communicate with the affected students, if necessary.

2.    Senior students with outstanding debt who do not receive NSFAS funding

Students may register provisionally, subject to the following terms and conditions approved by the UFS Council on 2 December 2016.

1.    Students must be South African citizens. (International students may not register provisionally because of the Immigration Act.)
2.    Students must have been previously registered at the UFS.
3.    Students must be enrolled for full-time studies and must attend lectures on one of the three campuses (open-learning students, e-learning students, and students registered with Varsity College do not qualify for provisional registration).  
4.    Outstanding balances on an applicant’s tuition fees account for 2016 must be less than R20 000.

The minimum pre-payment to register provisionally in 2017 is:
R1 900 for non-residential students; and
R6 750 for residential students.

3.    Department of Higher Education Fees Adjustment Grant for 2017

The Department of Higher Education and Training will pay the fee increase capped at 8% for all qualifying registered students with a gross combined family income of up to R600 000 per annum in 2017. This is a grant and will not have to be repaid by qualifying students. The grant will only cover tuition fees and accommodation provided by universities. Students who are recipients of bursaries and scholarships that cover their full cost of study will have to pay the percentage fee adjustment.

The following students qualify:

1.    Only South African citizens and citizens with permanent South African residence studying towards an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification in 2017.
2.    The applicant and direct family (mother, father, spouse or legal guardians) must have a GROSS combined family income of R600 000 or less per annum before tax deductions.

The following students will not have to apply for the grant as they will automatically be considered:

1.    Applicants who applied for NSFAS funding.
2.    All students who attended quintile 1, 2, and 3 schools in Grade 12.

All other students will have to apply for the fee adjustment grant. The application form is available on www.ufs.ac.za. Incomplete applications will not be considered. More information can be obtained from the Financial Aid Office.

Students who are unsuccessful in their application may appeal within 14 days of the outcome of the decision by completing an appeal form which will also be available on the university's website at http://www.ufs.ac.za/kovsielife/unlisted-pages/bursaries/financial-aid.

The closing date for applications is 15 February 2017.

4.    International students

The prepayments for 2017 as approved by the UFS Council on 2 December 2016 are:
1.    Non-resident students: R28 160
2.    Resident students: R43 160

The following concessions were made to assist international students to meet the financial requirements for 2017 as approved by the UFS Council on 2 December 2016:

1.    Students who are unable to pay the full amount must visit Student Finance in registration venues.
2.    All outstanding monies of the previous year must be paid in full.

3.    The prepayment amount for 2017 will be calculated for each student based on the following:
a.    A minimum payment of R12 820 for non-resident students and R22 725 for resident students is payable before registration can be considered.
b.    A quotation will be prepared based on the academic advice for 2017.
c.    A payment agreement for the balance of the pre-payment or the first semester’s fees is signed by the student.
d.    This amount is payable not later than 31 March 2017.
e.    The registration of these students are subject to the on-time payment of the agreed amounts.    
The current position of the Department of Home Affairs is that all students who have pending applications should be allowed to register on condition that they produce their study visas by 31 March 2017 (Refer to the Minister’s Dispensation Immigration Directive 26 of 2016).

International students may apply for an emergency travel document at their respective Embassies/Consulates, as this will allow for cross-border travelling and will give the student an opportunity to register on site.

Students should bring or email a copy of their receipts as proof that they have applied for their study visa and a certified copy of their passport (issued by the South African Embassy or Consulate), confirmation of their medical aid (a SA medical aid registered under the SA Medical Schemes Act 131 of 1998). Students will have up until 31 March to submit their study visas to Mrs Niemann at the Office for International Affairs, located in the Mabaleng A Building on the Bloemfontein Campus; email: niemannaja@ufs.ac.za. Failure of which will result in deregistration of students.

Zimbabwe: Because Zimbabwe no longer issues emergency travel documents,  students from Zimbabwe must email a certified copy of their passport and receipt (issued by the South African Embassy or Consulate), and confirmation letter of the medical aid to Ms Jeanne Niemann from the Office for International Affairs on the following email address: niemannaja@ufs.ac.za. In doing so, students will be able to register online provided that their finances and their admission requirements are in order.

International students should note that the blanket concession was only for final-year students that could not complete their studies due to exams being written at the beginning of the next academic year.  If a student returned home in December 2016, this concession expired and the student had to re-apply for a study visa or apply for a visitor’s visa. The relaxed requirements will apply only to final-year students who were not meant to return and continue studies in 2017.

Please see the following explanation of the Blanket Concession:

CLARIFICATION – BLANKET STUDY VISA EXTENSION TO 31 MARCH 2017

Circular 31 of 2016 has reference.

The International Education Association of South Africa (IEASA) has brought to our attention that there may be some confusion regarding the blanket administrative extension to 31 March 2017 of study visas with an expiry date of or prior to 31 December 2016 granted by the Department of Home Affairs in Immigration Directive No. 25 of 2016.

The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed that the Directive does not serve as a replacement visa for students travelling home in December 2016. This Directive serves as an extension of current visas for students who need to complete their academic programmes in 2017. The DHA has advised that should any final-year students be travelling to their home countries in December 2016, they would need to return in January 2017 with a visitor’s visa.

5.    Enquiries

Bloemfontein and South Campuses:

Undergraduate and honours students: +27 51 401 3003 / 2806 / 9090 / 9670 / 2817 / 9669

Postgraduate students (Master’s and Doctoral): +27 51 401 9537

Refunds: +27 51 401 7050

Student cards (meals and books): +27 51 401 2799 / 3337

Collections: +27 51 401 3643 / 3448; Fax: +27 51 401 3579

Email: tuitionfees@ufs.ac.za  

Qwaqwa Campus:

Client Services: +27 58 718 5024 / 5119 / 5262

Student cards (meals and books): +27 58 718 5026

Cashiers: 058 718 5028; Fax: +27 58 718 5118

Email: nchapiem@qwa.ufs.ac.za

International Office:  

+27 51 401 3219

 

Released by:
Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Brand Management)
Telephone: +27 51 401 2584 | +27 83 645 2454
Email: news@ufs.ac.za | loaderl@ufs.ac.za
Fax: +27 51 444 6393















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