Author: Grocott's Mail Contributors

By JULIAN A JACOBS, Makana JOC spokesperson The Makana Joint Operating Centre (JOC) heard on Tuesday at its regular weekly meeting that close to 11 000 residents in the local municipal area has been vaccinated. Included in the groups already vaccinated were residents from Makhanda, Alicedale, Riebeeck East, Extension 9, and other areas in Joza. About 2000 health care workers, about 850 public school teachers, farmers and farm workers, and residents living in old age homes.   Planned vaccination also took place this week in Port Alfred, Kenton-on-Sea, residents residing near BB Zondani Hall and eligible residents who are bedridden were visited…

Roger Rowswell reports on rainfall for the month of June 2021 Rainfall for June 2021 has been awfully scarce with only 5.8mm being recorded for the month over 2 raindays. This may be a good omen as it is quite typical of June. Over the 36 years of recording June rainfall has been below the LTA of 34.5mm 24 times (67%) and below 10mm 7 times (28%) of the time. The highest and lowest rainfalls for June were 173.6mm and 0mm respectively. So possibly this is a good indication that we are reverting back to our normal rainfall patterns?  It may…

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”   – Matthew 5v3 In chapters 5 to 7 of Matthew’s Gospel we have a record of what is arguably the world’s most famous sermon – Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. A prominent theme in Jesus’ preaching was the Kingdom of God: He proclaimed that the Kingdom was near (Mark 4v15), since the promised Messiah had finally arrived to usher it in. It’s this subject of the Kingdom that is central in the Sermon on the Mount, and Jesus begins His teaching with the well-known Beatitudes (Matt. 5v3-12), where…

Every Tuesday at 5:15pm, Albany Runners hosts a Time Trial. Open to everyone, it’s a timed 4km circuit starting and finishing at the Graemian Centre. A few months ago, some of the runners had a crazy idea: Let’s join the Comrades Centenary Hope Challenge, they said. We can beat some previous best distances (as opposed to personal best times) while we raise awareness – and hopefully some sponsorship for our favourite causes. So it was that at 6.30am on Sunday 13 June, while Makhanda was either still partying or still sleeping, a few of us gathered for a mini adventure. At…

“It is time for Cabinet Ministers to do more than revisit what restrictions to impose on citizens and organisations doing good and to dip into their own pockets,” Bam said. “A salary sacrifice should be on the cards as well.” The pressure on NGOs since the first lockdown over a year ago has not eased and another hard lockdown could cripple the sector entirely, says Dr Armand Bam, Head of Social Impact at the University of Stellenbosch Business School. A survey by Tshikululu Social Investments in 2020 reported income losses for two-thirds of NPOs since the beginning of lockdown and indicated…

By SIZIPHIWE YUZE Have you ever felt harassed, or misled by a supplier, or perhaps been lured into a pyramid scheme? If you have, then this article is for you. One of the important purposes of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) is that it protects consumers from behaviour by suppliers during the precontractual negotiation process that is considered to be “unconscionable”. The word “unconscionable” is defined specifically to include the use of physical force, coercion, undue influence, inappropriate pressure or harassment. As such, no supplier or agent may use any of these techniques when marketing or supplying goods, negotiating services,…

Ons bedank graag vir Derek Richardson die Armed Response Manager van Hi-Tec Security wat vanoggend met dir Grondslagfase leerders oor veiligheid kom gesels het. Die kinders is “Safety Smart” gemaak deur kennis op  te doen oor veiligheid soos byvoorbeeld om altyd pappa, mamma, die polisie of Hi-Tec se nommer in hulle tasse moet hê en nie met vreemdelinge te praat nie. Die kinders het baie geleer en het die praatjie baie geniet.

By KELLY SLINGERS I’ve just gotten back to Gauteng after spending an incredible two weeks in Makhanda (despite the town being shut down). I was compelled to share my positive experience in the face of what seemed to be hopelessness about the town. I’m a pilot originally from Makhanda but relocated to Pretoria with my family in 2003. I’m a very proud product of the City of Saints. I founded a non-profit called The Plane Project. We fly essential supplies to hard-to-reach, underserved communities in South Africa. I spent two weeks in the Eastern Cape flying medical supplies to rural…

As we are celebrating Youth Month in our country, commemorating the 1976 Soweto uprising, the forefront struggle of the youth then, this devotion will focus on the spiritual struggle among our young people to live pure lives. The Psalmist (119:9) asks a fundamental question to which he has the answer but let us first briefly focus on the question, “How can a young person live a pure life?” The struggle to live pure lives in this world is very real, especially when the bible tells us what this world is all about, “…the lust of the flesh, the lust of…

By BILLY MORGAN After a few months of digging up verges and roads, fibre is now rolling out apace across Makhanda.  All sorts of folk are dashing up to you in the local supermarket parking lot trying to sign you up for one or another fibre deal. So what is it all about? Well first, let us define some terms… Asymmetric: the maximum amount of data that can be delivered over the service (download) is higher (typically about 10 times) than the maximum amount that can be sent out (upload). Symmetric: the download and upload bandwidth maximums are the same.…