Author: Fahdia Msaka

By Fahdia Msaka Recognising the need for comprehensive intervention, the Rotary clubs initiated the Water, Sanitation, and Dignity Project in 2019 and George Dickerson Primary School in Makhanda was one of the beneficiaries. Brendan Wilhelmi, a representative of the Rotary project, explained that the initiative initially focused on water-related issues in schools but expanded to address sanitation challenges as well. Through a global grant application, Rotary International secured substantial funding for the project, enabling the revamping of facilities in seven schools, including George Dickerson. Roger Meterkamp, principal of George Dickerson, emphasised, “We realised that if we can change the perception…

By Fahdia Msaka The Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature (ECPL) programme in Makhanda on 26 October 2023 focused on economic development, environmental affairs and tourism, cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta), as well as community safety. The Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality (Graaf Reinet) hosted the event this year. In order for all the local areas to get an opportunity to speak, the programme was live-streamed so all community members could watch it in their respective halls on a large screen, and it would be made available online. According to speakers, the ECPL is a people’s assembly that upholds democracy and…

By Fahdia Msaka In 2017, entrepreneur Mbonisi Nduna Ndlovu embarked on a journey that addressed the gap that most societies in South Africa face due to the severe racial inequalities that have become embedded in our nation. He started an attempt to create accessibility and convenience uncommon in townships. Ndlovu owned Mbo’s Tshisa Nyama, located at Mandisa’s Place in Fingo Village. This is where he discovered the gap because certain customers could not purchase his product due to the lack of transport. To bridge this gap and cater to the needs of his community, Ndlovu introduced free delivery services to…

By Fahdia Msaka Makhanda’s Albany Museum, the second oldest museum in South Africa, has long held a significant place in the cultural and historical landscape of the Eastern Cape. It is a provincial museum consisting of a family of seven buildings, each dedicated to preserving South Africa’s history and heritage. Albany Museum is part-funded by the Eastern Cape Department of Sports Recreation, Arts, and Culture and also generates its own funding. Therefore, the board must approve any expense exceeding R10 000 but the province makes decisions regarding the usage of large external monetary amounts. While the museum has a rich…

By Fahdia Msaka Grocott’s Mail journalists recently visited Alicedale to investigate the neglected M10 road and the ongoing water crisis. During an interview with community spokespersons, they informed this newspaper of the dire situation at the Hendrik Kanise Combined School where a deteriorating double-storey classroom building is currently on the verge of collapse. On arriving at the school, Grocott’s Mail stumbled on an inhumane sanitary problem of broken toilets and waterless handbasins. The school has learners from grade R to grade 12 but no water in the toilets. Therefore, the students collect water from the water tanks outside the bathroom…

By Fahdia Msaka A Makhanda mother has been left asking whether not having medical aid might turn out to be a death sentence for her son. Silubonile Zinquntu is only two years old and has lived with Biliary atresia from the age of two months. Biliary atresia is a condition in infants in which the bile ducts outside and inside the liver are scarred and blocked, causing bile to build up in the liver instead of flowing into the intestine. This damages the liver, causing scarring, loss of liver tissue and function, and cirrhosis. Silubonile’s mother, Wendy Ziquntu, describes the…

By Fahdia Msaka South Africa has a long history of fighting for equality in education. The racial segregation that lasted from 1948 to 1994 also enforced segregation in schools. This policy resulted in the stark difference in educational opportunities we still see today. The end of Apartheid in 1994 marked a new beginning for South Africa, especially in the education sector. The ruling party that Nelson Mandela led had a strong belief that education was one of the biggest keys to change.  Nearly two decades post-Apartheid, we have come to learn that inequality in education is not limited to racial…

By Fahdia Msaka and Tsholofelo Ledwaba The 132-year-old Victoria Girls’ High School (VGHS) in Makhanda, named originally after the colonial Queen Victoria of England, has co-dedicated its name to anti-apartheid activist, nurse, midwife, and attorney Victoria Nonyamezelo Mxenge. Mxenge is one of the anti-apartheid movement’s best-loved and most well-known female icons, and was assassinated in 1985 by one of the apartheid government’s death squads, just four years after her attorney and anti-apartheid activist husband, Griffiths Mxenge, was murdered by Vlakplaas agents led by apartheid assassin, Dirk Coetzee. At a co-dedication ceremony on 25 August, Mxenge’s son, Mbasa Mxenge expressed his…

By Fahdia Msaka It was an exciting weekend for Rhodes University, who won this year’s Eastern Cape Intervarsity champions for the first time in the history of the competition, taking the trophy from current champs, Nelson Mandela University (NMU), in the final game. “You have made us proud; you have made history. For the first time in the history of Intervarsity, you have won,” said Rhodes University Vice Chancellor Prof. Sizwe Mabizela during the Trophy campus parade ceremony on 17 August 2023. The intervarsity games were held at Rhodes University from 11 – 12 August 2023. The 2-day sporting and…

By Fahdia Msaka The South African Police Service (SAPS) has confirmed that a manhunt is underway to apprehend a group of suspects responsible for a heinous triple murder in Makhanda on 3 August. One of the three people who were shot dead was an employee of the Department of Correctional Services. According to SAPS spokesperson Majola Nkohli, a group of six people were sitting outside with the homeowner in a home in Joza’s Extension Six when shots were fired at them. All six ran in different directions, trying to flee while gunshots quickly blasted through, disturbing the scene. Three of…