When it comes to RAG festival memories, 2020 would surely stand out, as it marked the first time in 53 years that there was no float parade through the streets of Potchefstroom.
You would think it would be all doom and gloom, right? However, the unfortunate incidents that lead to this, also proved to be a showcase of the composure, organisational skills and determination of students and staff of the North-West University (NWU) and the Potchefstroom community.
Tragedy strikes… twice
On Thursday night, 30 January 2020, a massive storm hit the NWU’s annual RAG music festival in Potchefstroom, causing severe damage to the sound stage and two of the festivals’ tents.
Nine students were slightly injured and approximately 4 000 students were evacuated in just more than 30 minutes from the RAG farm to prevent further injuries.
To compound matters further, a vehicle from Fireworks for Africa exploded the following morning, due to a combination of intense humidity and static electricity.
Fortunately no students or staff were injured, and the university’s emergency services were immediately on the scene to extinguish the fire.
Praise for the unsung heroes
Successfully managing these testy incidents was no easy task, so let’s give credit where credit is due.
“On behalf of the Student Campus Council (SCC) and especially SCC RAG, we want to express our heartfelt thanks to not only the Potchefstroom community who were so willing to give their assistance, but also to the various services on our campus,” says SCC chairperson Heinz Schoeman-Struwig.
“All the people involved were so proficient in what they did and displayed excellent leadership and crisis control during the RAG weekend. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have been able to continue with RAG.”
Heinz says this shows how resilient the Potchefstroom community and the staff and students of the NWU are.
“We showed that it takes more than a storm to bring us down. RAG is about contributing to the community, and it was wonderful to see how the community got involved. As a campus we pride ourselves on caring for our community, and what an honour it was to see that they feel the same about us.”
“I would like to thank Heinz for absolutely going that extra mile,” says Dr Corrie Rheeder, director for student life on the campus.
“He was constantly part of the crisis management team and was continuously communicating with students on all platforms to keep them informed and calm.”
Dr Rheeder also thanks all the other parties involved – her office, the NWU’s emergency services, ER24, the SCC and RAG SCC with their respective executive committees and sub-committees, Protection Services, the Health Care Centre and all the residences who immediately volunteered their assistance.
A silver lining
All the hard work of staff, students and the greater NWU community will however not go to waste. On 15 February, from 09:00 to 13:00, the Potchefstroom community will have the opportunity to view the floats where they will be displayed at the Mooi River Mall in Potchefstroom. Access to the floats will be free.
RAG lives on!
