Top of the Vox: The first-year ‘meat market’ at universities

“To me, and many of my friends, first-year girls are fresh meat. I know that she will be a flame; many other guys want to get with her, but I will be the one with her. It’s all about getting the hottest girl so that all the other guys are envious – I will be the man! I only savage first years that look great.”

First year. Orientation week. It’s a fun – and daunting – time for any student. But there’s a darker side too. Pontsho Pilane spoke to a senior male student about why he pursues first years, and also found out how senior female students view the practice. #sexistSA

Must-read, this week
Xenophobia is back in the spotlight, in its most ugly incarnation. On Thursday night, a Somali man was set alight in Braamfischerville, Soweto; while looting and violence against foreigners in Philippi, Cape Town erupted earlier in the week. Let’s hope that the government response is better considered than it was in January.

Match of the day
408 for 5. That’s what the Proteas scored in today’s cricket World Cup fixture against the West Indies, ultimately winning the match by a whopping 257 runs. Seems like AB listened to the advice dished out by former Kiwi captain Martin Crowe – the skip was clean-shaven this morning and led the batting line-up in a dominating performance. Go Protea Fire, this one is for your fans – the South Africans, the Kashmiris, the Bangladeshis, and, most of all, for Kieron.

Don’t miss
Despite the country’s massive ARV rollout, the disease is still devastating for those affected. What would you do if you had to choose between keeping your job and attending your clinic check-ups? Zimasa Matiwane spoke to a woman in KZN to find out how she navigates her way through these tough choices.

Toon of the week: Mamphela Ramphele: “I had a dream”

Weekend special
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe turned 91 last week. And tomorrow it’s this year’s big birthday bash. His parties are well known for their lavish feasting – this time round we trust there’ll be plenty of dancing as well.

Weekly hangout: Mmusi Maimane 
On Tuesday our executive editor Khadija Patel hosted a hangout with the DA Parliamentary leader, who opened up about *that* accent, and what he makes of being called Obama Lite. He also discussed some more important issues like, you know, our “broken country”. If you missed it, don’t stress, there’s a video.

The week ahead
We’ll continue to keep you informed about the latest xenophobic attacks and also bring you more about the real-life effects of Budget 2015 on the lives of ordinary South Africans, especially the most impoverished.

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– Featured image: By Safiyyah Patel.