Grocott's Mail congratulates Grahamstown's 2014 matriculants – including all those who have not been mentioned by name on these pages this week.
Grocott's Mail congratulates Grahamstown's 2014 matriculants – including all those who have not been mentioned by name on these pages this week.
We opted not to publish the full list of matric results when the education department announced only examination numbers may be published rather than names. It's shifted our main focus to the city's top achievers.
But success means different things for different people, and so we congratulate all the matrics who achieved their goals – whatever they were.
Gadra Matric School offers a second chance at matric. For those who failed and qualified for supplementary exams, read about Gadra's high-powered supps school on Page 9. Also on Page 9, read Gadra Education manager Ashley Westaway's analysis of the matric results for the city of Grahamstown.
Ten new locomotives will be allocated to the Eastern Cape, a press release announced a month or two ago, with the cheery assurance by Passenger Rail Services CEO Mosenngwa Mofi that this will change lives for the better.
Given shrinking incomes, and driving on Eastern Cape roads being like Russian roulette, easily accessible rail transport would seem to be the very thing our province and our region need.
With such a concerted official drive to restore rail transport in South Africa, it's hard to believe that Transnet and Prasa, in a supreme show of unaccountability, are between them cutting off Grahamstown's lifeline to this vital artery.
The station and along with it the city's rail service to Alicedale have all but disappeared thanks to fantastic teamwork between vandalism and bureaucracy.
In another instance of confusing, Transport MEC Weziwe Tikana announced that the number of accidents on Eastern Cape roads has significantly decreased.
You have to read much deeper into the piece to realise that the number of road deaths, however, has actually significantly increased.
The ANC's holding it's 103rd birthday celebrations in the City of Cape Town is a clear political stunt. Everyone can see that it has nothing to do with celebrations purely but it is a way for the ruling party to attempt gaining support in the city.
It doesn't make things much better for the DA because while the ANC is trying to point out many things that are not working in the Western Cape, the DA is trying to convince us that the ANC is trying to destroy what they have created.
The road to 2016 Local Government elections is going to be a very interesting one, the two opposition parties will definitely give the nation a lot to debate about.
Already in the province the media houses are being invited to cutting of the cake ceremonies just to show that the ruling party is making a big deal about their birthday celebrations.
Wherever our politicians and party stalwarts travel on the campaign trail, thank heavens they're not obliged to get there by train.
