Freshers’ Braai: welcome to UCT

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Published on Tuesday, 14 February 2012 00:00

Written by Kaede Wildschut

On Thursday, February 2nd, approximately 6 000 UCT students braved the wind and gathered on the university rugby fields for the 2012 UCT Freshers’ Braai.

The Student Orientation and Advocacy Centre (SOAC) along with the SRC and UCT Radio  organise the Braai annually to welcome new students and mark their inauguration into university life. 

The main entertainment came from the stage hosting bands and rap artists. Throughout the evening freebies were thrown into the excited crowd. 

In addition to the music and performances, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Danie Visser took to the stage to deliver a speech which urged students to communicate with their SRC and to voice their demands on the university. However, many students were oblivious to the fact that there had been a guest speaker.

The Braai was well-managed and under control, with no reports of misbehaviour or issues of safety. Lucas Dinzi of G4S security said that the Braai ran smoothly, with no crimes reported. He explained that each bag was searched at the entrances for alcohol, illegal substances and weapons. No alcohol was on sale.

The entire SRC attended the event in striking red jumpsuits. Members spent the evening in the main entertainment area, spreading the word about the upcoming Freshers’ sports tournament, and painting first-years’ faces. 

Also attending were the UCT Green Campus Initiative in green jumpsuits, and Orientation leaders in T-shirts colour-coded by faculty. Naledi Maponopono, a Humanities Orientation leader, said, “It’s been great, really successful. We O-leaders are working hard to integrate the kids across all the faculties and also to vibe the place up.”

Students were mostly positive about the event. A first-year Humanities student, Jane Borman, said, “I think it’s been pretty successful. It’s been lots of fun.” While most students agreed that they were having fun at their Freshers’ Braai, there were a few critical attendants.

The main criticism was the lack of alcohol. One student said, “It would be so much more fun, and everyone would socialise more easily.” Another complaint was about the genre of music played at the Braai: “I don’t listen to this type of music. The entertainment seems to be targeted at people who listen to rap and hip-hop.” 

Despite these critiques, those that attended seemed largely satisfied with the festivities. The Student Orientation and Advocacy Centre said that they felt the Braai had been a success. SRC member Michael Moss agreed that, although there were some issues that could be worked on next year, the Freshers’ Braai 2012 went down very well.