Grocott's Mail
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Thursday, July 17
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Grocott's Mail
    • NEWS
      • Courts & Crime
      • Features
      • Politics
      • People
      • Health & Well-being
    • SPORT
      • News
      • Results
      • Sports Diary
      • Club Contacts
      • Columns
      • Sport Galleries
      • Sport Videos
    • OPINION
      • Election Connection
      • Makana Voices
      • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
      • Newtown… Old Eyes
      • Incisive View
      • Your Say
    • CUE
      • Cue Archives
    • ARTSLIFE
      • Makana Sharp!
      • Visual Art
      • Literature
      • Food
      • Festivals
      • Community Arts
      • Going Places
    • OUR TOWN
      • What’s on
      • Spiritual
      • Emergency & Well-being
      • Covid-19
      • Safety
      • Civic
      • Municipality
      • Weather
      • Properties
        • Grahamstown Properties
      • Your Town, Our Town
    • OUTSIDE
      • Enviro News
      • Gardening
      • Farming
      • Science
      • Conservation
      • Motoring
      • Pets/Animals
    • ECONOMIX
      • Business News
      • Entrepreneurship
      • Personal Finance
    • EDUCATION
      • Education NEWS
      • Education OUR TOWN
      • Education INFO
    • EDITORIAL
    Grocott's Mail
    You are at:Home»EDITORIAL»A circle of unity – and action
    EDITORIAL

    A circle of unity – and action

    Rod AmnerBy Rod AmnerAugust 20, 2021No Comments2 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Rod Amner, Grocott's Mail editor

    By ROD AMNER

    I was in the Makhanda Circle of Unity Education Cluster meeting on Zoom with Makhandan educational leaders on Wednesday when someone suggested setting up school vaccinations sites for 18+ learners.

    The head of Community Engagement at Rhodes Di Hornby immediately WhatsApped the Makana Department of Health manager Mohamed Docrat… and before the meeting had ended, Docrat had already responded and several schools were signed up for next week.

    Apparently, this is how things get done in Makhanda. Citizens gather. They connect, they deliberate and, most importantly, they act.

    The Makhanda Circle of Unity (MCU) was formed in 2019 as a mechanism for civil society organisations and concerned institutions to collaborate in tackling local challenges. It is managed with extraordinary vigour, skill and good humour by Sakhe Ntlabezo.

    The MCU does not replicate or replace existing structures and energies. It fosters collaboration and inclusiveness and is neither informed nor swayed by party politics.

    Makana has an impressive vaccination record, and our province is ahead of the pack in the national vaccination drive. The sites at Rhodes University, the Settlers Day Hospital, and Clicks are working well. In addition to the school vaccination sites, the health department plans to bring six more clinic-based sites on stream in the coming weeks. All 18-34 year-olds are eligible for the jab from Friday, 20 August.

    We have an efficient and responsive health department; we have strong networks and open lines of communication across institutions and organisations.

    But do we have the will to communicate with all our citizens and re-energise our vaccination drive?

    All media in our town – including ourselves, our two radio stations and the many ‘citizen journalists’ active on social media – need to do more to communicate daily vaccine information and walk-in sites, and explain the benefits if more people get vaccinated.

    And let’s get communities involved. HIV treatment scaled up in the late 2000s because youth groups in townships were included. People going door-to-door in townships encouraging vaccination and answering questions from hesitant people could make a big difference.

    Game has offered a discount for people who are vaccinated. Could retailers in our city follow this example?

    Nice job so far, Makhanda. Now, let’s get this done.

    Previous ArticleJDE 294 by George Euvrard
    Next Article Moving towards productive conversations
    Rod Amner
    • Website

    Comments are closed.

    Code of Ethics and Conduct
    GROCOTT’S SUBSCRIPTION
    RMR
    Listen to RMR


    Humans of Makhanda

    Humans of Makhanda

    Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

    © 2025 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.