Author: Benny Mojela

By Benny Mojela Ilanga’litshoni ”Illy” Kulati is a multi-talented comedian born in the settlement of Xolani in Tantyi Location. He has been a comic for 12 years. He started doing Improv comedy at the Rhodes University Theatre with an improv troupe called Naturally Caffeinated (Nat Caf), founded by an American named Matthew Jackson, who was visiting Rhodes University. As a testament to the giftedness of its members, Nat Caf was featured in the official Rhodes University Orientation Week program. Makhanda, formerly known as Grahamstown, is a place that has played a significant role in Illy’s life and career. His journey…

By Benny Mojela The Amazwi South African Museum of Literature was the stage for a thought-provoking event unveiling the “Routledge Handbook of Critical Studies in Whiteness”. This comprehensive academic work takes an incisive approach to understanding the concept of whiteness, and it drew together distinguished scholars and contributors for a dynamic discussion. Dr Kwezi Mzilikazi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research, Innovation, and Strategic Partnerships at Rhodes University, inaugurated the session, setting the scene for a captivating exchange of ideas. At the heart of the book launch event were contributors Dr Mandisi Majavu and Prof Christi van der Westhuizen, engaging in a…

By Benny Mojela On 12 September 2023, exactly 46 years after Steve Biko was murdered in detention by Apartheid police, The Black Power Station (TBPS) hosted a discussion on freedom, justice, and the new politics of gender and religious equality, unpacking the legacies of injustice and the future, the meaning of Ubuntu, and the conflicts of these concepts within the legal system. The discussion was led by Attorney Basil Andrew Williams, a senior legal practitioner in Makhanda who represented over 40 students who were arrested during the Fees Must Fall movement because he believed they were fighting for a good…

By Benny Mojela The Rhodes University Political and International Studies department hosted a Black Consciousness Colloquium titled “Genealogies, Current Trends, and New Interpretation” on 13 September 2023. There were two speakers and a discussant for each of them. The first speaker was Professor Victoria Collins-Buthelezi, Associate Professor in English and Director of the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for the Study of Race, and her discussant was Lindokuhle Gama, a lecturer in Rhodes University’s Philosophy Department. The second speaker was Professor Tendayi Sithole from the Department of Political Sciences at the University of South Africa and his discussant was Dr Mandisi…

By Benny Mojela Chapter Two of the Constitution of South Africa states that “Everyone has the right to have access to sufficient food and water.” This places a legal obligation on the government of South Africa to provide water for its citizens. Yet the residents of Alicedale have been struggling with water for a long time. Water is usually available three times a week, but residents say there hasn’t been water for a month. Khayalethu Nyamakazi, a community activist in Alicedale, told Grocott’s Mail there are seven JoJo tanks in KwaNonzwakazi township, and three tanks in Trans-rivière. Each holds 5000…

By Benny Mojela As part of their 150-year birthday celebrations, Graeme College showcased Grease the Musical from 2 to 4 August 2023. The fully booked production took place at Templeton Hall, where learners from different grades worked backstage and played different roles. The school principal Gavin Watson said, “It’s fantastic to be able to put on something; the last time Graeme put together anything like this was 25 years ago. It’s amazing that in our 150, we can put together a musical where our learners could get the opportunity to perform on stage and sing on stage and the courage…

By Benny Mojela Residents of Alicedale are struggling without a petrol station or public transport in the town, a Grocott’s Mail visit to the area has found. There was a petrol station in Alicedale in the past but now it is a 58 kilometre round trip to the nearest petrol station in Paterson for anyone who wants to fill their car. The alternative is to buy five-litre bottles of petrol for R125 from two local shops. The shop owners “buy the petrol for R100 in Paterson and they add R25 on top”, resident Sinekhaya Kolweno told Grocott’s Mail. Journalists met…

By Benny Mojela Following her recent lifetime appointment by Pope Francis to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Grocott’s Mail held a question and answer session with multiple award-winning scientist, Rhodes University’s Distinguished Professor, Tebello Nyokong, to chat about hard work, money, academic loneliness, and her love for her students. Prof. Nyokong is Director of the Institute for Nanotechnology Innovation at RU and was also elected recently as a Fellow of the Royal Society, the scientific academy of the United Kingdom. In 2009, Prof. Nyokong was chosen as the most influential woman in education and training by Celebrating Excellence in Organisations…

By Benny Mojela Which level of leadership in South Africa is responsible for load shedding and the power crisis? This was the question discussed by journalist and former Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha, at the teach-in on load shedding and energy organised by the Rhodes University politics department this week. Mantshantsha, the third speaker at the teach-in, left Eskom on 28 February this year to return to his work as a journalist. South Africans are currently spending about four hours a day without electricity, but there have been times when load shedding was a lot longer. “We are sitting here without…

By Benny Mojela On 17 June, the Black Power Station hosted a historic event. The event included live music from Zimisto eRoofini and Zamani, and spoken word poetry from Dongadala Bemdiliza and Siyanda Kila. Central to the event was the launch of Guerillas and Combative Mothers: Women in the Armed Struggle in South Africa, by Siphokazi Magadla, Associate Professor and head of the Department of Politics and International Relations at Rhodes University. Magadla interviewed 40 different women, starting in 2010 with Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Thandi Modise. She became curious about the lives of women who became soldiers…