Author: Grocott's Mail Contributors

Chris Totobela reflects on the New Year’s Cup soccer tournament 2017 Teams came from all over to come and take part in the 2017 edition of the New Year’s cup. There were six local sides taking part as well. Most of the teams seemed well prepared for the tournament while a few were here just to add numbers and seemed not to be aware of the high standard of this competition. The opening game at Dlepu Stadium did not live up to the expectations of football fans as it was one-sided affair.Our local sides gave a very good account of…

By CHRIS TOTOBELA Maru beat Young Chiefs 3-2 in a very close and entertaining encounter which had the fans on the edges of their seats in the final match of the New Year’s Cup at JD Dlephu Stadium in Grahamstown on Sunday 31 December 2017. Mzoxolo Rafane scored all three goals for Maru and it was no surprise when he was chosen as the Man of the match. Earlier, in the battle for third place, Queenstown team Amavarara easily took bronze against local side Sophia Stars in a one-sided contest. Amavarara won 2-0, with both goals coming in the first 20 minutes…

By CHRIS TOTOBELA An exciting final for tomorrow Sunday 31 December, was set up in Thursday’s semifinals of the New Year’s Cup soccer tournament hosted in Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown. The final scores in the semifinals of the were: Sophia stars 1-1 Young Chiefs. Young Chiefs won 5-3 on penalties. Maru 1-0 Amavarara The final between Grahamstown team Maru and Young Chiefs, from Alice, will be played tomorrow Sunday 31 Dec 2017 at 3pm at JD Dlephu Stadium in Grahamstown. This has every ingredient of becoming a great final. Both teams met twice in last year’s edition. They played a draw in…

Here’s some useful information about traffic at the coast on and around New Year’s Day from police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender: Due to the high volumes of vehicle and pedestrian traffic on our coast on New Year’s Day the following areas will be affected in terms of traffic. At Birha Mouth there will be no road closures; however the traffic will be diverted and the road treated as one-way: left to enter and right to exit. No vehicles except emergency vehicles will be allowed to park close to the beach. SAPS and traffic officers will be on patrol with the…

It is a matter of hours before the watershed national elective conference of the ANC – a party in distress, yearning for leadership with the ability to rise to the challenge. The electoral hype is written on the faces of followers, convinced that their presidential hopefuls will grab the coveted position. The contest is around the party’s presidency. It is for the first time in the ANC that no fewer than seven contestants are eying the presidency. Campaigns leading to the “life and death” conference revolve around individuals. Contestants have gained prominence than their party, which has been subordinated to personality cult…

The poem is about the bloodline of the D sound. It is the bloodline according to the author with unshakable bond even though it is not a perfect bloodline. This bloodline is of the maternal side. The poem is an unfinished poem. Igazi libonakalis’ukusulungeka kwentembeko. Ngaphandle kwegazi asinge kuthembi ncam. Khaninqunquthe mawethu. NGUMNOMBO WEGAZI Nguwo owakulo ma Makhayandini ndinixelel’unganixokisi Andimlu wanyama Ndinabo endizelwe nabo Benikwe isandi segama Nam ndazala ndenza njalo Kulo makhulu katot’omkhulu Kwamntakubo makhulu Sinegam’esizidla ngalo Elithi du du du Liyaduma ke lidudume Kuba wonk’uban’umv’esithi .Besisathe nqa ningazi nalo KwaMathwayi sino bhuti Olithintitha kakhulu Ungamva xa eza kuthetha…

Compiled by Jenny Gon Let’s go thicketeering! Members of the Ght WESSA branch recently went ‘thicketeering’ with Mike Powell, from the Rhodes Restoration Research Group. Mike is passionate about thicket, a highly threatened vegetation type. He is currently developing restoration protocols for thicket woody species, to assist in the restoration of degraded thicket areas in the Albany area. First stop was the project’s Waainek nursery area where a number of trials are underway to identify 20–30 suitable restoration species which would be useful ‘in the wild’. Plants being trialled include local favourites such as wild plum (Harpephyllum caffrum), Cape ash…

We are counting the days to the ANC elective conference next weekend. The electoral hype is written on the faces of followers, convinced that their presidential hopefuls will ascend to the coveted position. The main contest revolves around the party’s presidency. It is for the first time in the history of the ANC that no fewer than seven presidential hopefuls are gunning for political power at all costs. Campaigns leading to the “life and death” elective conference are built around individuals. Presidential hopefuls have gained more prominence than their political party, which has been subordinated to phenomenon of personality cult…

The MEC for the Eastern Cape Department of Social Development (DSD), Nancy Sihlwayi and Rhodes University hosted an emotional graduation ceremony for over 168 young people who completed a three-year National Youth Service skills programme in level 4 Community Development on 30 November 2017 at Rhodes University. The Department of Social Development invested R6 million in empowering rural young people from all over the Eastern Cape Province with community development skills, through training by the Rhodes University’s Faculty of Education, facilitated by the Centre for Social Development. Speaking at the graduation, Sihlwayi said, “In a country and province where there…

The curious case of the Velour Hat of 26 Hodges Street An ongoing trial in the Grahamstown Magistrate’s Court occupied many column inches in the Grocott’s 1 December, 1926. The details are vivid but the outcome is, at least to this writer, unknown. Late on the night of 11 November, Agnes Thompson was lying in bed reading at 26 Hodges Street when someone ripped off the wire netting covering her bedroom window. Showing admirable sangfroid, Ms Thompson peered outside, but saw nobody. She asked the police to keep watch, as this was not the first incident of oddness that had…