FEASIBILITY OF FREE EDUCATION FOR ALL

The problems we facing today with our current education system are not by mistake, during apartheid, the Bantu education system was set up and the so-called black pupil had to digest inferior education because of his skin pigmentation while the white child enjoyed the best that education could offer. Today education is still structured along class lines and the continued consequences of apartheid dispossession along racial lines. The knot between race and class defines the quality of our education. Both education departments, Basic and Higher Education, can be used as examples in this particular matter. 

Under the capitalist society we live in, the current education system plays a role of reproducing class structure in society. It is there to ensure that the so-called middle class remains and does not even eventually eliminate the classism that exists within our societies. If someone comes from a poor black family that is still burdened by the legacy of apartheid, that particular individual is expected to go to a school with few resources and it will be hard for him to get a good quality education. This means that later on in life he will get a working-class job and be frustrated with his basic wage. However if you come from a wealthy family you can go to schools that gives you the best this education system has to offer. Meaning later on in life you more prone to landing into a better job than the child coming from a poor family and inferior education standard. This reinforces class and racial oppression. Free qualitative education for all can change this. 

One thing that should be made clear is that, students are neither rich not poor, as they are not financially independent. Students rely on their parents whom (in most cases) are financially independent even though some maybe locked in chains of debt due to the low wage that some of our black parents earn. When we say we rally behind free education for the poor it means that we are now perpetuating classism among students. 

I believe that this matter has been window dressed by the government for far too long. The government has been vocal on millions of rands it has funded to NSFAS as extra funding and how there are numerous scholarships and bursaries that students can apply for in the same way that the Freedom Charter proposes for Higher Education. 

The Freedom Charter, which was adapted at the Congress of the People in Kliptown in 1955 states that:

The aim of education shall be to teach the youth to love their people and their culture, to honour human brotherhood, liberty and peace;

Education shall be free, compulsory, universal and equal for all children; 

Higher education and technical training shall be opened to all by means of state allowances and scholarships awarded on the basis of merit;

NSFAS, scholarships and bursaries should and can never be compared to free education. Those funding models only cover a certain group of students depending on their academic output and not just any Tom, Dick and Harry. In most cases a student is required to have aggregate of 65% and above, in order to qualify for a bursary and the requirements for scholarships are even higher and are given to the "cream of the crop". Therefore these can never be used as a solution to free education as it does not benefit the whole but a minority. 

I fail to comprehend how a debt sentence which is the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) can ever be counted as a solution to free education when it is still colonizing our black brothers and sisters upon entering the working-class. 

The only solution to this is free education. Once free education has been implemented, there won't be any discussions on financial exclusions, registration fees, fee increments and scraping of historical debt. 

It is no secret that majority of people's mind, particularly the black child, as a result of the current status quo of our education system, is still colonized.

Many black people (including myself) feel that the current education  system is exclusive to the black child and is inclusive of the white child. Under the current education system learners and students are taught to be workers and not innovators. The education system is flawed in a way that even racism is institutionalized. We are taught black is ugly, inferior, dirty, evil, darkness and valueless then after all of that education we African people are then called blacks. Automatically putting a stain on our minds that we are evil and dirty. On the other hand, we are taught white is peace, beautiful, superior and everything that reigns supreme and after all of that the European decedents are called white people. 

With the current status quo within the education system, there is an investment in the teachings of European history alongside the Russians so-called heroes such as Hilter, yet there is no investment in the teachings about Steve Biko, Oliver Tambo, Robert Sobukwe, Christ Hani, Thomas Sankara, Frantz Fanon, Patrice Lumumba, Anton Lembede, Marcus Garvey, Muamar Gaddaffi, Julius Nyerere,  Samora Mitchel, Malcom X, Stokley Carmichael, Frederick Douglass, Edward W. Blyden, Booker T. Washington, Chika Onyeani and Kwame Nkrumah to name few. These are OUR African heroes whom in some instances paid the highest price for the liberation (of not only our country but our continent) which was death. 

When this country saw a change of governance in 1994, no change occurred within the education department but just a transition of power. 

22 years after democracy was achieved, students have not called for an investment in African history. They want an investment on the true teachings of who we are as Africans and not what the colonizers wrote for us and wanted us to know. There is no way a man who first met you 1652 can write history about you. What does he know about you? Further more, there is no way a man who used education to oppress you, can just hand it over to you on a silver platter. 

Students believe that the first step to decolonisation is the decolonisation of our education system in South Africa. This is where the discussions of an Afrocentric education system falls in place. It seeks to sweep away all the colonial nonsense that is still dominating in our lives and seeks to keep us oppressed and appendages to white capitalist society in the 21st Centenary. 

Moving over to the fallacy that our country cannot afford free education.

This year we have seen the ruling party being exposed over a number of corruption activities including the Nkandla saga which draw attention from all corners of this world to the latest State Capture Report by the out-gone Public Protector. 

This year (2016): 

R246 million was wasted on Nkandla. 

R1.37 billion went down the drain on Post Office

VIP jets for the executive members of the state cost R2 billion

The state had to bail SAA with R6.5 billion

R10 billion is wasted on E-tolls

The biggest one of all is the proposed nuclear deal which will leave our country with a R1.2 trillion debt (this is above the debt the country inherited from the apartheid regime)

Further money was lost on the president this year (2016):

R2.1 million was spent in defending the president in court against his many cases including the Spy Tapes 

R950 million on foreign missions 

R2.9 million on websites upgrades and designs 

R18.5 million on travel and outreach

R11 million on VIP protection 

R95.9 million on lease of aircrafts 

R10 million on motor vehicles 

And that's not even the last of it. 

Imagine the number of graduates that could be funded by the above billions of rands if it where to be invested in education. 

I must say that where there is political will, money can be found. Take for example the financing of hosting the 2010 World Cup. The government had no problem financing stadiums and other infrastructure that are nothing more than just white elephants. 

Students have always been vocal that in the first instance money for free education can be obtained by taxing the rich. Basically the possessed should pay for the dispossessed. According to Dominic Brown, in his article Digging in: Financing Higher Education, he states that it is a complete myth that the middle class and rich are over taxed. Since 1996 when the neoliberal GEAR macroeconomic policy was implemented government set a conservative ceiling of tax to GDP of 25%, whereas this easily be lifted to 33% as in the case in many so-called developing countries. This alone could liberate billions of additional funding to meet the demands for financing free higher education. 

The largest domestic savings pool in the country is the R1.8 trillion Public Investment Corporation (PIC), owned by the government. A prescribed asset of 10% dedicated to government projects such as free education would release R180 billion per annum. 

A mere 10% tax on the Idle corporate bank deposits - corporate bank deposits presently not reinvested - will free another R150 billion per annum. 

A tiny tax on the financial speculation of 0.25% alone can release R75 billion per annum and would have the additional merit of slowing down the speculative frenzy that destabilizers our economy. 

Furthermore, from recent reports released by the United Nation Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), indicates that billions of dollars leave South Africa illegally every year due to the accountancy tricks of commodity exports. From the UNCTAD study, platinum and silver were under invoiced by $2.3 billion between 2006 and 2014 and in fact, a further $2.3 billion between 2000-2005. 

Under-invoicing within South Africa's gold sector is even more staggering. Total mis-invoicing of gold exports to South Africa's leading trading partners was $113.6 billion over the 15 year period- the UNCTAD report characterizes this as nothing less than gold smuggling. 

At an average exchange rate over this period of R9 per dollar this corresponds to over R1 trillion. R1 trillion pays for free tertiary education for at least the next generation. By stopping just the smuggling by people seen as the 'great and good' amongst us, free education becomes entirely affordable. 

All this money can and should be used to finance tertiary education as well as for the development needs of society.

Students find it rather difficult to believe, that a free education system promise was made but no measures were actually put in place on how to actually achieve it. 

Students are tired of suggesting methods on how the government can achieve a no fee paying education system when the government prefers to act deaf.

We call upon the government to stop taking a liberal approach to this matter and implement and what promised to students and what was adapted at the  ANC's 2013 congress. 

It is not correct that the words which were once said against the oppressive state in the 70's can still be echoed in a post-apartheid state which is "They never taught us education, they trained us how to get it. They taught us how to be employees. It is all a caucus of being employed by someone else." 

The late former president of the Republic of South Africa, Dr Nelson R. Mandela, once said education is the most powerful weapon one can use to change the world. How are we expected to change the world when we are being deprived of that same education? I do not understand how the youth is expected to change the world if they are constantly deprived of their right to education due to their economic status. 

I unconditionally reject the colony and I unconditionally support the call of a Free Qualitative Decolonised Afrocentric Education system in South Africa.

A luta continua!!!

Open Letter To The Vice-Chancellor of CPUT

17 October 2016

Dr. A Nevhutalu 
Vice-Chancellor 
Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT)
Symphon Way
Bellville
7535


Dear: Dr. Nevhutalu 

RE: ROLE OF PRIVATE SECURITIES ON CAMPUS

I write this letter in suspense of your truthful answer. I am writing this letter to your office as a concerned student who has witnessed firsthand what has transpired over the past couple of weeks on campus and in some instances had to run away from police in fear of being arrested, whilst I am innocent and committed no crime.  

I write to you at a time where young people, particularly young black people, are waking up and realizing that the promise of a free qualitative education system in South Africa, is long overdue. Free education has been pending since the Freedom Charter was adapted in 1955 in Kliptown. It's been pending since 1994 when the African National Congress officially took office. We find it rather hard to believe, that a free education system promise was made but no measures was taken on how to actually achieve it. 

I write to you at a time where students are tired of suggesting methods on how the government can achieve a no fee paying education system when the government prefers to act deaf.

I write this letter at a time where our institution provides very little (close to none) POSITIVE interaction between management (more especially executive management) and its major stakeholders, the general students of CPUT. 

Below are a few questions that I have gathered and I would like your assistance in answering them. I am not doing research of any kind but however the institution has been silent on matters where it should not be silent on, hence I ask the following questions:

1. What is role of private securities on campus? Who are they protecting? What are they controlling?

2. Do private securities form part of a political fight of order and power?

3. Do they really control situations within our campuses or are they the reason of destruction (as destruction on our campuses normally occurs after the interaction of students and the police and private security)  

4. Thus far, private securities have proven to be clueless on the legislation that comes with protesting. If they are then clueless about it, how are they controlling it?

5. Do private securities have the right to arrest? We've witnessed a number of students being arrested not only at CPUT but throughout the country and when they appear in court, it is found that there was no legal basis for the arrest. 

6. Is CPUT a private space or a public space? If it's a public space, then why are we restricted and arrested for being in a public space? 

7. What is the difference between the duties of the police and the private securities? 

8. Is there a lack of training between SAPS and private securities on how to handle protests?

9. Should securities not also be held liable for identification in the same way that we students are?

10. Why is it okay for the private securities to take video footage during a protest but it's not okay for a student?

11. What is the use of the Regulatory Board if we have private security on campus? 

12. What is the institution doing about the shooting and arrest of innocent students?

13. CPUT has repeatedly stated that it is running on a deficit and does not have the necessary funds to function optimally however, who is funding private securities if the institution is really having financial difficulties? 

14. According to Section 17 of the Constitution, everyone has a right to protest, peacefully and unarmed. This includes protests which are non-violent but very disruptive. It is further stipulated under the Regulation of Gatherings Act that the police cannot pepper spray and tear gas in confined spaces or in a stadium but we have witnessed otherwise when pepper sprays and tear gasses are used in our residences. 

15. Rubber bullets may only be used to disperse a crowd and not necessarily to harm anyone however when the police shoot they aim directly at our faces and arms and the institution is silent on this matter alongside the state, even though it is an unlawful act. 

16. Police training manuals state that stunt grenades must never be thrown directly at protestors, and it must be rolled to avoid injury however in reality once more this is otherwise. 

17. According to law, police can only arrest if they see an individual committing an offense or has probable cause to believe that an individual was committing a crime, however as I had asked above, a great number of students who are innocent (some forcibly taken out of their residences which are meant to be places of safety) have been arrested without the police having solid reasons and legal basis for their arrest and the institution is quiet on this matter. 

An example of this is what happened at City Edge residence last week. Whereby police forced their way into the residence to make arrests and ensure that students are locked inside their rooms. This was an unjust act should be strongly condemned. This was even caught on CCTV footage and your office again is silent on this matter. 

There is a student who resides on one of the residences on campus. The student was shot near the eye by one of the private security guards late at night while the student was using an ATM. The student was alone and unarmed. Is this what our campus has degenerated to? A place where even those to live on it cannot move freely on campus otherwise they will be shot for literally nothing? 

Sir, please listen to your students cry and provide them an opportunity to further more state their grievances. The call that students are making of a free decolonised qualitative education system in South Africa is one which is just. Simultaneously we understand that the implementation of that no fee paying education is out of your hands but however it will be nice for us to hear you vocally support the call for free education even in meetings with the Minister of Higher Education, Dr. BE Nzimande that you participate in. This is why students have on an institutional level called for:

1. Debt clearance 

2. No upfront registration fee

3. No financial exclusions 

I believe you are well aware why students have called for the three above mentioned things as you have already interacted with various student leaders ranging from those of FeesMustFall and the newly elected SRC. 

In conclusion, as students we have been vocal of our support for insourcing of outsourced workers. We can't stand by and watch modern day slavery whereby our parents earn close to nothing yet there is a third party which is making a large scale profit from the exploitation of our parents and for such we can't remain silent on this matter. 

As someone who sat in the Crisis Committee this year and saw how much some these outsourced workers earn, I also can't remain silent on this issue. It is near impossible for any parent (more especially) a single parent to support not only him/herself on R1 250 (on a monthly basis) but also his/her children. This is modern day slavery. Hence we support the call for insourcing. 

I anxiously await for your feedback. 

Luchulumanco Nanto

Registered CPUT student

CPUT STRIKES AGAIN OVER THE LACK OF FUNDS FROM THE NATIONAL STUDENT FINANCIAL AID SCHEME

It is no undisclosed matter that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) lacks funds. It was estimated in 2013 by the former acting CEO at NSFAS Nathan Johnstone that NSFAS needs to triple its budget in order to cater for all the students who require financial assistance. A lot of students’ dreams were however shattered this year after they were financially excluded by the NSFAS.

This is why at the dawn of August 6 2015, Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania (PASMA) members were preparing for a strike over the lack of funds in the NSFAS on the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) Cape Town campus and Bellville campus

This was the second strike in one year the CPUT institution has had regarding the lack of funds of NSFAS. The first strike transpired in February 2015 at the Bellville campus where tens of students were arrested and severely injured.

According to the Department of Higher Education (2015) 4 378 students at the University of Johannesburg were excluded from NSFAS. These were returning students and those applying for the first time who met the NSFAS requirements. Institutions including the Tshwane University of Technology, Vaal University of Technology, University of KwaZulu-Natal and the CPUT were amongst the institutions with the highest number of students who were excluded by the NSFAS.

The strike began in Cape Town, were students were chanting and forcing their way into lecture rooms. Once they were able to force their way in, they sang to the top of their voices and threatened everyone to leave and not attend any more classes. The striking students vowed students who refuse to leave will be dealt with physically. The fuming students then relocated to the Bellville campus to mobilize more students to join them.

The mentality the striking students have is that, if one student is affected, then the rest of the students are affected. However this is not true in this case as some students claimed they are not students of the NFAS and are either funding their fees themselves, or by financial support from parents or by bursaries and the strike was depriving them of their basic right to education.

According to the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) there have been protests at 10 universities against the government-sponsored NSFAS after fees were not paid.

Yandisa, an irritated second year ND Accounting said: I’m upraised by a single parent who has worked hard for me to enter varsity. She has been saving my entire life so I can get a decent higher education. It was not easy but she did it! I spoke to my mother over the phone and she is also pissed of what is happening. This is unfair on the rest of us. Not all of us are on NSFAS! Those of us who are not on NSFAS should not be deprived of their right to education.

A lecture who wished to remain anonymous said: If the students really want to be successful in their march they need to go to the Administration and NSFAS offices and close them down.  Marching in and out of classes will only last for an hour after two hours things will go back to normal and the so-called ‘strike’ will not be effective.

"The money is not enough to fund everybody. There are various opportunities that the door of education and training has opened. There are artisan opportunities. Also now in further education and training colleges, we are also funding students for that. There are a lot of initiatives to make sure we reduce the number of youth that are doing nothing. This is not the only place for youth to be skilled and to be employable in the economy." (Msulwa Daca, 2014)

According to the CPUT Vice- Chancellor, Dr Prins Nevhutalu, about 2 300 students could not be funded in 2015 due to a NSFAS shortfall of about R 73 million. The CEO of the institution has indicated that he is hard at work fundraising to supplement the shortfall and any successful attempts would be made available to students. The university is also making its own appeals to donors in an attempt to assist needy students. Management also raised this funding concern to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher Education during their visit to CPUT.

Although there was an increase in the NSFAS budget from R1.561-billion in 2010/11 to the current R4.094-billion more funds are needed drastically.

According to the Department of High Education in 2011 there were 937 455 university students, of whom 216 874 received NSFAS funding. In 2011 there were approximately 650 000 FET college students, of whom 114 968 received NSFAS funding. NSFAS assisted over 400 000 students at universities and FET colleges throughout the country in 2013. Since 2009, when NSFAS provided loans and bursaries to 191 040 students, the numbers have more than doubled. With the number of students who depend on NSFAS increasing annually, was it not foreseen that there would be financial problems?

Ayanda Malangeni, a young upcoming scientist said: NSFAS is not consistent.  They accepted me in my first year because I could not afford to pay for my tuition fees but in my second year they reject my application as if I suddenly got richer. Where do they think I suddenly got funds to cover my tuition fees? The worst part is the fact that I got told in July that I am one of the thousands of students who got excluded. All sorts of funding have already closed in July for this year. Where am I supposed to get funding for this year? This is affecting me emotionally, for example I can’t even concentrate fully in class because I know regardless of how well I person academically, I will not receive my results at the end of the semester due to my fees not being paid up.

To find out what the LSRC of the CPUT Cape Town campus had to say about the matter, the Finance Officer was interviewed.

Question: How many students from CPUT have been excluded due to finances?

Answer: Only 2300 students are affected by this NSFAS matter.Tthat number includes Bellville and Cape Town. Other campuses are funded by certain departments from the Government level like the Health Department for students in Athlone and Education Department for Mowbray students.

Question: What effect has the lack of funds by NSFAS had on CPUT?

Answer:  This has consistently shown a very negative impact and effect on potential students who had the abilities to advance their studies. 

Question: Is there no possible way the institution could help needy students?

Answer: There are various ways the institution could approach to meet students half way, such as:

·         Faculty bursaries being awarded to not only academically deserving students,  but to also academically improving students so that a culture of motivating students to always aim high and do better is created.

·         SRC bursary - as we have seen so far that the student leadership has been compromising a portion of its budget to accommodate students. This has proven to be effective and helpful as many students have been able to come back to the system of the institution.

·         Through stakeholder relations-the institution can at this point in time persuade it's stakeholders and partners to form a bursary scheme that will assist students

·         Tenderpreneur- for every service provider that gets business at Cput,  it will be essential for such to take responsibility of at least ten students(2 in each faculty) and pay for their tuition and meals for the period they will be rendering services to the institution..  talking about millions..

·         Innovative ideas-students through their leadership can also start their own campaign and co-opt organisations such as "Right to learn" to come to the fore and bring donors on board.

Question: Is the LSRC budget still relevant?

Answer: The LSRC at this stage becomes relevant at the beginning of the year, other than that, we witness these reps fighting over who should provide services and whose getting what.

The NSFAS was established by the South African Government in 1996. It was set up to ensure that students, who have the potential, but cannot afford to fund their own studies, will have access to funding for tertiary education, but over the progression of time this has turned to be a different story for many. It is funded by the government, international donors, and the private sector. With the appointment of Sizwe Nxasana as the new chairman of the NSFAS, there are high expectations that there will be a turnaround in the troubled multibillion rand scheme‚ which has been dogged by corruption and mismanagement that has resulted in many disadvantaged young people missing out on higher education opportunities.

*NSFAS has run out of funds apparently before they could even pay for everyone. So I have been part of DASO and we want to help the students. We planning to have a Rally on the 4th of September (Sizwe Mapapu)

For some students, dreams were shuttered even before they shone. And to the majority of the affected and infected, this has created an uncomfortable environment of not knowing or having the hope that tuition will be paid and someone will progress to the next level.

Some questions that remain unanswered: What is the Department of Higher Education doing to ensure that no student gets excluded for financial reasons from any university in South Africa? In the current academic year, how many students have been excluded from universities as a result of the lack of funds from NSFAS? Is it possible to cut the red tape on bursary and scholarship awards? Will there ever be a free education system in South Africa as in Germany? When will education stop being a debt in South Africa?

* The promised DASO rally against the NSFAS financial issue never took place. 

HIV IN MODERN SOUTH AFRICA

Human Immunodeficiency Virus, commonly known as HIV, is the virus that weakens a person's ability to fight infections and cancer. People with HIV are said to have AIDS when they develop certain infections or cancers or when their CD4 count is less than 800. CD4 count is determined by a blood test.

Once HIV has entered the body, it replicates. A virus cannot make a copy of itself on its own; it needs to invade a healthy cell in your body to survive. HIV targets and invades CD4 cells. CD4 cells help the body’s immune system and protect it against germs and viruses that make us sick. A normal CD4 cell count is 800 – 1 600. When your CD4 cell count is low than 800 you are more vulnerable to illnesses.

Having HIV does not always mean that you have AIDS. It can take many years for people with the virus to develop AIDS. HIV and AIDS cannot be cured. However, with the medications available today, it is possible to have a normal lifespan with little or minimal interruption in quality of life.

In 2011 there were 34 million people in the age group 15 – 49 living with the HI virus worldwide. Out of those only 1.7 million died from AIDS related causes.

AIDS is the more advanced stage of HIV infection. When the immune system CD4 cells drop to a very low level, a person's ability to fight infection is lost. Without HIV treatment, full-blown AIDS starts to develop. During this last phase of the disease, the virus severely damages the immune system to a point where the body can no longer fight a number of viral, fungal, bacterial and parasitic infections that invade. Anyone of these infections is life threatening, and most people with AIDS eventually succumb to them

According to a survey performed by Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) there were over 400 000 new HIV infections in South Africa in 2012. This ranked South Africa first in HIV incidents in the world. Women aged between 30 and 34 and males aged 35 to 39 had the highest infection rates: 36% of females and 28.8% of males in these respective age groups contracted HIV. Provincially, KwaZulu-Natal has the highest HIV prevalence (16.9%) and the Western Cape the lowest (5%).

According to the survey, the increased infection rate is "largely due to the combined effects of new infections and a successfully expanded antiretroviral treatment [ART] program" – ART allow people with HIV to live significantly longer, leading to greater percentage of HIV-infected people remaining in society. ART access almost doubled between 2008 and 2012, with about a third of the country's HIV-infected population – about two-million out of 6.4-million infected people – accessing ART in 2012.

Black African females aged 20 to 34 recorded the highest incidence of HIV among all the analysed population groups.

Disaggregation of the survey data by race showed that "Black Africans had the highest HIV infection rate compared to all other race groups [15%]", followed by Coloured people (3.1%), Indians or Asians (0.8%) and Whites (0.3%). The figures for white people were however considered unreliable because of a low response rate. In attempting to understand the possible reasons for high infection rates among black Africans, the survey findings suggest that "black Africans were less likely than all other races to live in urban formal areas. Urban informal areas are generally under-resourced and lack some of the basic necessities such as formal housing, water, sanitation and access to preventative health services."

Over 85% of HIV transmission of is through sexual intercourse. Many people are still ignorant about HIV, as some still believe that this is a virus for Black People whereas HIV does not discriminate.

The following graph shows the estimated HIV groups per institution of higher learning in South Africa.

TB does not cause HIV. If you are HIV positive, your immune system is compromised therefore you are at a greater risk of contracting TB. Currently Western Cape Province has the highest TB rate in the world.

Irrespective of many efforts done by the Department of Health to lower the numbers of new HIV infections still to many people get infected. The department has made it easy for everyone to have access to contraceptives such as condoms. New condoms have been established by the department to encourage people to use contraceptives as a way of protecting themselves from STI’s/STD’s particularly the HI virus. Flavoured condoms; finger condoms; dental wraps (for oral sex); and femidoms (female condoms) are some of the condoms that have been introduced. Even so, the vast majority of people in our country do not know how to use a condom correctly. This is one of the major contributions to the incline of STI’s/STD’s. The government is doing more than expected to promote safe sex.  Illiteracy cannot be blamed for the incline of HIV in South Africa. 

PUBLIC SPEAKING: THE DO’S AND DON’TS

You know that feeling you get when butterflies fill your stomach and intestines? That anxious feeling you get? Or maybe not sleeping enough because you stressed how you will perform tomorrow?

Well that feeling is caused by your fear of public speaking.

It’s amazing that even in the 20th century the one thing that people fear the most other than Death, is Public Speaking.

I recently attended a DSA Public Speaking Workshop on develeoping basic communication and presentation skills at my institution Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) located in Cape Town, South Africa and these are some of the notes I could gather from the training. I hope you find them as useful as I did.

 Stress Triggers which can be defined as, events or conditions in your surroundings that may trigger stress, that are common when it comes to public speaking are:

·                    Going blank in the mind

·                    Being Confused

·                    Not knowing where to start

·                    Thinking of other things that are not related

Emotions that come with stress:

·         Cry

·         Angry

·         Irrational

·         Panic

Things that show you are stressed:

·         Sweaty palms

·         Heart racing

·         Feeling like you can’t breath

·         Back and body aches

·         Mouth becomes dry

The vocals are also affected when you stresses.  The changes in your vocals that happen:

·         Wobbly voice

·         Talk too loudly or too softly

·         Loose voice / Laryngitis  

INTERCOSTAL DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING (IDB)

This is deep breathing is breathing that is done by contracting the diaphragm, which is a muscle located horizontally between the chest cavity and stomach cavity. Air enters the lungs and the belly expands during this type of breathing.

Using your stomach to breathe causes strain on your vocal voice.

 The benefit of using this type of breathing is that:

·         It reduces the tension in the neck, shoulders and jaws

·         72% of oxygen in each breath

·         Allows an emotional connect to take place

·         You can project your voice without shouting

When doing public speaking is imperative for you to make at least 75% eye contact with your audience.  It helps to keep them awake and not bored during the time of your speech and it makes them feel engaged.

DRESS CODE

HAIR

·         Men should always keep it short and neat and

·         Women keep it tamed

·         If you have dreadlocks or extensions, twist them up or pull them back.

·         Your hair should look clean and have a mild smell.

SHOES

·         Men should wear formal shoes that are preferably black, brown, or navy while

·         Women should wear flat shoes such as pumps or if you prefer heels they should not be over 3″ long.

ADORNMENT

·         Men should stick with a ring, a watch, cufflinks, and/or tie clips. No chains!

·         Women, keep your jewelry small, simple, and of good quality

·         No piercings tattoos should be visible

CLOTHING

·         Men, your clothing should be of good quality and fit you well. Keep your shirt buttoned up.  Once you’re speaking, you can roll up your sleeves and open one button.

·         Women, no short skirts.  Your clothes should not be too tight.

MAKE-UP

·         Women, keep it light, in neutral or classic colors. No black nail polish, white lipstick, or glitter eyes, it diverts the attention of your audience.

SCENTS

·         No heavy aftershaves or perfumes. Some people love them, some people hate them.  Don’t take chances.

·         Be sure you smell fresh.

·         If you sweat easily, bring a washcloth, wipes, or even clean clothes so that you can freshen up when you arrive.

REMEMBER TO BE YOU AND TO RELAX.