By Fahdia Msaka Strong winds over the weekend of 29 and 30 April disrupted daily life, caused significant damage to properties, and posed serious safety problems for residents in Hlalani, Newtown Extension and Extension Six. Grocott’s Mail visited Nobuntu Nombombo at her home in Newtown Extension. Her harrowing experience began in the early hours of 30 April. Nombombo recalls, “We heard the roof flying off at 3 am on Sunday”. The force of the strong winds tore away the roof, leaving their home completely exposed. For the safety of her children and grandchildren, she evacuated to her daughter’s flat, located in…
Author: Fahdia Msaka
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By Fahdia Msaka The state of neglect of Alicedale, a small town in the Sarah Baartman District Municipality in the Eastern Cape, overwhelmed Grocott’s Mail journalists, leaving them feeling shaken after visiting the town for the first time. As in much of South Africa, Alicedale, just one hour’s drive from Makhanda, is divided along former Apartheid lines into a town centre, a formerly so-called Coloured area (Transriviere), and a township (KwaNonzwakazi), where mostly Black South Africans still live. In both Transriviere and KwaNonzwakazi, the play areas are neglected and filled with pollution despite these being spaces where children, the most…
By Fahdia Msaka Makhanda’s only specialist tuberculosis (TB) hospital has been abruptly shut down by the Provincial Department of Health, allegedly without any consultation with the community of Makhanda. When Grocott’s Mail visited the Temba Santa TB hospital on 12 July, the buildings were deserted. Security guards told the newspaper it was their last day, and that all the patients had been moved to Settlers’ Hospital. The Temba Santa TB hospital stood empty on 12 July 2023. Photo: Fahdia Msaka A 21 June letter from the Provincial Health Department to staff members of the hospital said that the department “realised…
By Fahdia Msaka Members of the Makana small and medium enterprises (SME) community, representatives of banks, Sarah Baartman District Municipality, and Rhodes University gathered at the Jazz Corner in Joza on 20 June to discuss how to enable township entrepreneurs to access opportunities in the digital economy. The ‘Kasi Talks Business’ event was sponsored by Absa, with successful entrepreneurs Siyabulelo Mandla, Rhino Group managing director, and Khaya Tantsi, director of Khula Tech Solutions, sharing their experiences of starting an SME in the township. Mandla said when he was studying, his research proposal on the Township Economy was rejected by his…
By Fahdia Msaka On 20 May, the Rhodes University Sports Media team interviewed the University’s sports teams as they shared their excitement for USSA 2023. USSA stands for University Sport South Africa and is recognized by the National University Sports Associations (NUSAs). The NUSAs are responsible for planning, organizing, administering, and promoting their respective sports. The primary function is to organize annual sports tournaments in which national student teams are chosen to represent USSA and South Africa at various national and international tournaments. Rhodes University Head of Sports, Frans Mamabolo. Photo: Ovayo Novukela Frans Mpho Mamabolo, the Manager of Rhodes…
By Fahdia Msaka Saint Mary’s Development and Care Centre (DCC) started as a shelter for children and provided clothing. Today, the DCC continues to be a beacon of hope in the community to build a better world for all. A gala dinner was held to celebrate its 40th anniversary, and the evening was filled with food, music, and heartfelt stories. The late founder, Thelma Henderson, was represented by her daughter, Margie Keeton, on what would have been Henderson’s 90th birthday. Guests enjoying the 40th anniversary dinner celebration. Photo: Fahdia Msaka A wonderful time was had by all who celebrated 40…
By Fahdia Msaka Some parents at George Dickerson Primary School parents are aggrieved that they are not being given employment opportunities in cooking and preparing food for learners. The parents contacted Grocott’s Mail this week to say they have heard that parents who were hired by the School Governing Body in 2022, have had their annual contracts extended to work again in 2023. This denies other unemployed parents their opportunity to work, says parent Brenda Marhinus. “I started filling in forms at that primary school for four years ago [for this work]. This year they did call me for an…
By Fahdia Msaka After months of being underfunded, schools in Eastern Cape will finally receive the total funds allocated to them by the national norm and Standards Act after being pressured by the Legal Representative Council (LRC). The Department, Under the threat of legal action from the LRC, the Department of Education in Eastern Cape led to the decision to avail R872.5 million to fund the National Norms and Standards Act for 2023/2024. Despite most of the schools in Eastern Cape being no-fee-paying and funded well below the national per-learner target, students have been allocated R607,90, a third of the…
By Fahdia Msaka I am Fahdia Msaka and I am 21 years old. Strand, Cape Town, is where I was born and raised. I matriculated at Madrastur Rajaa High School in 2019, and I attended the University of the Western Cape for my Bachelor of Arts degree. Since primary school, I dreamt of being in a position where I could inspire and motivate young minds. For a very long time, I believed the place where the real change occurred was at schools for a very long time, and so I wanted to be a teacher. After I obtained my undergraduate…
By Fahdia Msaka “Koko, Nqonqo, Knock knock! Arts for life! A mental health project” is a hybrid arts intervention launched by Wits University’s Drama for Life Arts Centre in collaboration with Rhodes University’s drama department. The project aims to create meaningful dialogue and connections that will be used to de-stigmatise student mental health problems, using drama, music, art and dance movement as therapy methods. Project facilitator Nine Magwagla explained that the project’s title, “Koko, Nqonqo, knock knock!” describes the drama team knocking on participants’ hearts to start the process of them opening up so that therapy can begin. The Koko…