Mensa Winelands’ Discussion SIG* meets again on Wednesday 3 March at the home of Erik Eloff and Louise Lindenberg in Stellenbosch.
This informal discussion group meets monthly to enjoy each other’s company, and lively group discussion on diverse topics – the subject for our March meeting is:
‘Ethics and morality’
Whether you are an active contributor to the discussion, or would just like to come along and listen, we’d be delighted if you joined us!
*SIG – Special Interest group
Please bring whatever you’re drinking with you.
RSVP to give us an idea of numbers attending.
Join Mensa Winelands’ favourite flaura and fauna expert, Andreas Groenewald, for a guided New Moon Night Walk in the Helderberg Nature Reserve on Friday 12 March.
We’ll meet inside the reserve at 18h30 for hot chocolate and marshmallows, prior to the walk commencing at 19h00.
The Helderberg Nature Reserve is renowned for its numerous nocturnal inhabitants – expect to encounter an assortment of amphibians, see night jars and owls, and be amazed by the spiders and scorpions which glow light green under ultra-violet light.
There’s also the possibility of sighting porcupine, caracal, foxes and genets, as well as some of the reserve’s other larger inhabitants.
For astronomers, the night sky visibility is better here than anywhere else in the district.
For photographers, there’s an opportunity to contribute to the research being conducted in the reserve by submitting your photographs to their data collection team.
You’re advised to wear non-slip footwear or wellies, to dress warmly, and to bring a torch. The walk is classified as ‘easy’, mostly on flat ground, and will last approximately two-and-a-half hours.
The cost of the excursion is R 50pp, which includes the entrance fee to the Helderberg Nature Reserve. An additional fee of R 15 per car will be levied.
Numbers are limited and pre-booking and payment is essential.
Mensa Winelands’ monthly speaker evening.
Further information and venue details from the Winelands secretary, Yvonne Steyn.
Membership eligibility testing in Stellenbosch.
STRICT COVID-19 PROTOCOLS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING WILL BE APPLIED.
Two multiple-choice tests are written; one is purely symbols and has no language component, and the other is available in English or Afrikaans. To be eligible for membership, you need to achieve a qualifying score on only one of these tests. The testing will take about an hour-and-a-half.
*R 130 per person – discounted to R 100 per person for groups of four or more people. Scholars over the age of sixteen years and full-time students in possession of a valid student ID also pay R 100 per person.
To register, send an email to the Winelands Testing Officer (details above), or complete a contact form on our website.
Life behind bars: An insider’s perspective on the psychology of, and in, South African prisons.
Zibeth Hansen is currently employed as the psychologist at the Brandvlei Maximum Male Correctional Centre, situated outside Worcester in the Western Cape. She began working full-time in the criminal justice system in 2014, but she has been engaged in the forensic field – including as a student volunteer at Pretoria’s C-Max prison – since 2008. Prior to her employment at Brandvlei, she worked at a private super-maximum facility in Bloemfontein.
A member of Mensa Winelands, Zibeth maintains an active academic interest in the field of psychology. She is enrolled for a Postgraduate Diploma in Addiction Care at Stellenbosch University, and has co-authored several journal articles, as well as a book chapter on the application of a solution-focused therapeutic approach in South African correctional facilities.
Mensa Winelands’ monthly speaker evening – further information and venue details from the Winelands secretary, Yvonne Steyn.
Membership eligibility testing in Somerset West.
Two multiple-choice tests are written; one is purely symbols and has no language component, and the other is available in English or Afrikaans. To be eligible for membership, you need to achieve a qualifying score on only one of these tests. The testing will take about an hour-and-a-half.
*R 130 per person – discounted to R 100 per person for groups of four or more people. Scholars over the age of sixteen years and full-time students in possession of a valid student ID also pay R 100 per person.
To register, send an email to the Winelands Testing Officer (details above), or complete a contact form on our website.
Mensa Winelands’ monthly speaker evening.
Further information and venue details from the Winelands secretary, Yvonne Steyn.
Due to the unprecedented response we’ve received previously for our parliamentary art and heritage tours, Mrs Lila Komnick, the head of the Parliamentary Artwork Collection, has kindly agreed to provide another behind-the-scenes tour of this little-known rare art collection, not available to the general public, to accommodate those members who didn’t make it onto the tours in previous years.
Parliament is the custodian of more than 5 000 pieces of heritage art, worth almost R 50 million. Only 300 pieces are still in plain sight – former speaker Frene Ginwala decided to remove most of the art amid controversy in 1996. The remainder is stored in an access- and climate-controlled environment.
Activists at the time argued that the new democratic government was attempting to censor Afrikaner, colonial and apartheid history.
Note that numbers are strictly limited and that you will be required to provide a copy of your ID prior to the event.
Further information and booking with the Winelands Secretary.
Membership eligibility testing in Somerset West.
Two multiple-choice tests are written; one is purely symbols and has no language component, and the other is available in English or Afrikaans. To be eligible for membership, you need to achieve a qualifying score on only one of these tests. The testing will take about an hour-and-a-half.
*R 130 per person – discounted to R 100 per person for groups of four or more people. Scholars over the age of sixteen years and full-time students in possession of a valid student ID also pay R 100 per person.
To register, send an email to the Winelands Testing Officer (details above), or complete a contact form on our website.
