Author: Grocott's Mail Contributors

For One Night Only – The Rhodes University Fine Art Department is pleased to announce that the Fourth Year Graduate Exhibition will take place on Friday 3 November.  This annual year end show begins at 5:30 at the School of Art in Somerset Street, and takes the form of a walkabout through the Rhodes BFA students final exhibitions hosted at various venues nearby. The public is invited to view and explore these exhibition sites and exciting installation spaces in Grahamstown. Each year, the graduate exhibitions represent the culmination of four years of focused study in the visual arts and reflect…

The balance of forces is gradually shifting in favour of forces outside mainstream politics. Forces located within mainstream political environment have become complacent and insensitive to the peopleship’s needs. Pre-occupation with material consumption has completely taken their eyes off the ball. Post liberation gains have largely been reversed through nefarious activities. Mainstream politics has become unintelligent, saturated and infested with deeply entrenched conflict, allowing rogue elements to thrive on the resulting anarchy. Leaders there excel in pointing out things that should not have happened – but fail to provide an alternative trajectory. It has become fashionable to apologise for past…

The author draws similarities between the two leaders. Furthermore, he believes that the Eastern Cape province will do well in reviving the leadership tradition that it is known for. Throughout the month of October media outlets carried heartfelt tributes to mark the centenary of OR Tambo. President Zuma unveiled a life-size statue of OR Tambo disembarking from a plane at the international arrivals section of Africa’s largest airport named after the renowned anti-apartheid struggle icon. In his tribute Zuma, quite ironically alluded that “he [Tambo] knew that the people of South Africa owed him nothing. He led the ANC during…

On 31 October 1517 an insignificant monk called Martin Luther challenged the mighty religious powers of his day by calling the church back to the basics of the Christian faith. It had some amazing spin-offs not always realised. In collaboration with Johann Gutenberg and his printing press, Luther put copies of about 300 000 of his 95 theses in the hands of ordinary people to read and respond to in their mother tongue, within a matter of weeks. It was the same 95 theses that he hammered onto the door of the university chapel in Wittenberg, Germany. It was a…

TACKLING OUR WASTE PROBLEM, ONE STEP AT A TIME From Monday 6 November, residents can recycle with minimum effort. Quite simply, put all your recyclable stuff – clean and dry – into clear/orange bags, and put out early on the day of your normal waste collection. This Masahlule Recycling initiative – with the blessing of WESSA, GBF and GRA – means there will be less waste going to the landfill site, and more income for recycling entrepreneurs. Masahlule’s dedicated vehicle will do the rounds ahead of the Municipal truck, initially just in Grahamstown West. They have a working arrangement with the…

In the late 1970s, Victor Kiam acquired the Personal Care Division of Remington, a large American company. Remington innovated – from rifles to the QWERTY keyboard – first incorporated into the Remington Rand typewriter, but the personal care division was a loss maker. The Remington personal care business manufactured electric shavers and had been wallowing in losses and debt. Only a year after Kiam’s intervention, the company reversed its fortunes and made a profit of $47 million (R630 million). Victor Kiam was not only a great entrepreneur; he was a charismatic leader and mastered the personality advertisement technique; where the…

By Shaun Bergover When a person dies without leaving a Will, that person is said to have died intestate. When a person dies intestate, the assets and property of that person are distributed in terms of the Intestate Succession Act 81 of 1987 (“the Act”). In other words, the Act will determine who inherits what. Should you die intestate, only certain people, called beneficiaries, can inherit from your estate. The following persons qualify as beneficiaries: The deceased’s: Legal spouse Biological or adopted children Blood relatives Not all of the above will necessarily inherit. Exactly who will inherit in terms of…

Many investors could be in for a nasty surprise when they discover how damaging the menace of inflation could be on their savings.  They need to plan for the effect inflation will have on their savings and ensure that they make use of a suitably diversified portfolio of investments to enable their savings to grow in real terms over time. The official inflation rate is reported by Stats SA.  It changes on a monthly basis and is influenced by a number of factors such as the oil price, exchange rates and the change in the price of a basket of…

By Lester Sigauke South Africa needs a new economy. And the way to get there is to build an entrepreneurial culture. This is the message that author, entrepreneur and speaker Thabo Mahlobo shared at a talk at Rhodes University on Saturday 30 September as part of a tour promoting his book The New Economy: Ancient Hope for Modern Economies. Mahlobo’s book applies wisdom from the Bible to the challenges posed by South Africa’s current economic crisis. Highlighting that excellent business opportunities emerges from recessions, Mahlobo spoke about South Africa’s recent recession. During times of recession there should therefore be a…

The Riebeeck East garden competition was a huge success this year; as it was in 2016. It was amazing to see the hard work and effort which went into these gardens. Some people have even started planting up the kerbside outside their houses which adds to the overall street appeal of our very quaint Kwa Nomzamo Location.  This will mean that the people of Riebeeck East will have healthy fruits and veges for many months to come and really take pride in their environment. Thanks to everyone who made this possible; especially Waterfall Farm, Adelaide Buco, Grahamstown Penny Pinchers/ Buco, Yebo Tanks East London, a…