Author: Grocott's Mail Contributors

With the demand for property being high, it is important that before you enter into a lease agreement you are aware of your rights, duties and obligations. This will allow you to minimise any disputes that might otherwise arise between the landlord and the tenant. Both parties need to understand and respect each other to have a fruitful business relationship. WHAT IS A LEASE AGREEMENT? A lease agreement is an agreement between a landlord and a tenant which allows the tenant to enjoy occupation of the property in return for the payment of rental. Lease agreements are normally in writing,…

Makana social media is in panic mode as the municipality has promised to cut water supplies to Grahamstown SPCA and thus seriously restrict its operations because of an unpaid water account. Facebook posts and a flurry of WhatsApp messages heavily criticised the municipality for its threat. Comments ranged from “This is outrageous”, “This is pathetic!!”, “I am shocked at this”, to several calls for taking legal advice. One post suggested that the municipality is required by law to give at least 14 days notice of any impending disconnection. SPCA Centre Manager, Mark Thomas, has provoked widespread consternation by reacting to…

The Concerned Citizens Committee of Makana has sent copies of a letter to the Eastern Cape Provincial and national governments urgently requesting that the municipality be placed under administration. The drastic move follows the failure of Makana Municipality to comply with an earlier Committee letter demanding that Council voluntarily submit to administration. At a Council meeting held on 27 June to discuss the municipality’s financial crisis, it was revealed that  municipal accounts are out of control and deteriorating every month. The Committee, comprising the Grahamstown Business Forum, the Grahamstown Residents’ Association and the Makana Unity League, said that Makana Municipality…

By Anne Loeffler Recently, the Business Day reported that Makana was the fifth-worst run municipality in South Africa. Apart from a culture of laziness, said Mayor Nomhle Gaga at the latest Special Council meeting, we are drowning in debt. Grahamstown’s infrastructure and public services has disintegrated to such an extent that it’s not even possible to get your fire extinguisher serviced. Anne Loeffler spoke to Bernie Dolley from the Ikhala Trust about ways to rehabilitate Grahamstown. Her organisation is a strong advocate of Asset-based Community Development and has ignited movements of growth within many small and prospering communities in the…

A cow killed when it was hit by a vehicle that careered down an embankment in an accident in Grahamstown yesterday morning was quickly surrounded by residents in the area, who wasted no time in cutting up the carcass for meat. Three vehicles were involved in the incident, which occurred in drizzle and slippery conditions around 9am Thursday 13 July. Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said it had been alleged that a vehicle was attempting to overtake another vehicle at the eastern end of Dr Jacob Zuma Drive. “Two cars collided and went down the embankment.” No human injuries had been…

By Adrienne Carlisle/ DAILY DISPATCH PRISCILLA HALL 27 March 1939 – 11 July 2017 Human rights warrior, writer, editor and renowned lifelong champion of the oppressed, Priscilla Hall, died aged 78 at her Grahamstown home this week. As news of her death spread through Grahamstown, there was an outpouring of grief as well as camaraderie and joy with people who knew her telling stories of an unconventional woman who lived life bravely, to the full, and usually in service to others. Fellow anti-apartheid activist and former ANC MPL Phila Nkayi, who has known her since the 1970s, described her as…

by TONY LANKESTER the 2017 Festival took a slight knock in numbers. We’re still doing the final tally, but early indications are that our theatre audiences dropped by about 10% from last year. While we would love to grow continually, and usually we do, it’s unrealistic to expect to keep doing so. There is a tough economic climate, with low levels of consumer and business confidence, and the tightening of belts all round. Why should Grahamstown be immune? This year’s Festival has brought into sharp focus the impact the recession is having on what people do when they’re here. Most…

This week Grahamstown joins Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg, Boksburg, Pretoria, Bloemfontein, White River, Thoyando, Franschhoek, Cape Town and Durban in an extraordinary mission to keep people warm this winter. South Africa’s KnitWits are churning out numerous scarves for the 67 Blankets Secret Scarves Shhh…!! Mission or popularly known as SSS. The nationwide wool mission will culminate on the 13 July at 3pm, with thousands of scarves being tied to trees for people in need to take at various spots across the country. In Grahamstown, around 300 colourful scarves will be hung up in Church Square and at the Kingswood College circle, in a campaign co-ordinated by the Rhodes…

More than two hundred productions premiered on the Fringe at The National Arts Festival this year, it was no easy feat for the Ovations Awards panel to make their way through the Festival’s theatres to select work that stood out and made audiences stand up. Tracey Saunders, convenor of the 2017 panel, said that the range of work on offer was diverse – from delicate, solo work to large, chaotic ensembles and several permutations in between. “A willingness to take risks was evident in many productions and in several instances it paid off. Exciting work came from unexpected places and…

The spotlight was turned on the importance of the arts in South African society at the official opening ceremony of the National Arts Festival (which runs from 29 June – 9 July) in Grahamstown on Wednesday night.