Author: Grocott's Mail Contributors

By SOUTH AFRICAN REVENUE SERVICE #Your Tax Matters: Column 7 part 1 Preparations for the 2021 Filing Season are in full swing. This means that, in the coming weeks, you will start receiving important tax certificates you require to complete your Income Tax Return (ITR12). In addition, there is important tips that will assist you to be ready to submit your Income Tax Return (ITR12). Do not ignore those tax certificates and information tips. Read this column, so that you are up to date: Some documents to watch out for in your inbox: IRP5/IT3a: a tax certificate from your employer…

We published the heart-warming story of anti-poaching dog Sammy’s retirement in GMDirect, the weekly PDF edition. As we were about to publish it online a few days later, the news came that Sammy had been lost. Read here first about Sammy’s well earned rest at her new home, the heartbreak of losing her… and the joy of finding her again. All stories and photos courtesy Amakhala Game Reserve and the Chipembere Rhino Foundation. After more than six years on the frontline of rhino conservation, K9 Sammy has retired. She is the Eastern Cape’s (EC) first Anti-Poaching Tracking and Apprehension Dog…

By JOY TANDY Life is difficult in Makhanda/Grahamstown at the moment. We have been battling the Covid epidemic for a year and recently the entire town was shut down because of the strike which highlighted the shocking state of affairs of the town and the poor service delivery on the part of the municipality. Through it all, the little shop in Pepper Grove Mall, which sells just about everything from delicious country favourites, chicken pies, home-baked cakes to brownies, knitted toys, crocheted toilet roll covers – Home Industries – has stayed open – except for a brief closure in the…

(Romans 13:14) “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Friends, as Christians we live by the power of the Holy Spirit and find our direction by the Word of God. We are not like a piece of driftwood floating in the current of contemporary culture or selfish indulgence. No, instead, in the power of the Holy Spirit and by the instruction of God’s Word we clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. Our deepest desire is to identify with Jesus, to emulate Him to exemplify…

A team of three Rhodes University students and two external collaborators have won first prize at the recently concluded nationwide Hackathon challenge. The two-day challenge, which was organised by the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), started on Friday, 25 June at 15h00 and ended on Saturday, 26 June 2021 at 15h00. A Hackathon is an event, usually hosted by a tech company or organisation, where programmers get together for a short period of time to collaborate on a project. The participants work rapidly to achieve their task, as the events generally only last 24 hours or take place…

Makana Local Municipality joined the local SAPS leadership in celebrating the start of the multi-million rand renovation of the older of Makhanda’s two police stations recently. Speaking at the event on Wednesday, 30 June, Station Commander Colonel Mbulelo Pika welcomed various stakeholders to the “auspicious occasion as we celebrate the renovation of a police building which has served our communities faithfully for the past of the 30 years”. The renovation of the Grahamstown Police Station has been in the pipeline for a number of years. However, the renovations were delayed by internal processes of the Department of Public Works, which…

By ASHWIN DESAI 2006. ASHWELL Adriaan, a friend through the ages, suggested we write a book on black rugby in Makhanda. I was keen but kept wondering how we would go about writing this story. And then Ashwell showed me a scattering of five or six photographs. They just blew my mind. For there before my eyes was a history that stretched into the late 19th century. As photographs met memories, the barest outlines of past generations came to life. To think I had walked the streets of Joza and Ghost Town in the 1980s and never knew this history.…

What South Africa has been through with the recent looting in Kwazulu Natal and Gauteng and the fear of further spreading our Country, has been very painful and heart-breaking. Many hearts have bled by the scenes of looted malls and looted shops. The billion’s worth of damages added to our already weakened economy heavily affected by the Pandemic. The many job losses for many South Africans are extremely sad. According to BusinessTech, “South Africa’s week of riots and looting likely cost 50,000 jobs: economists.” The hopelessness many must be feeling at this time is very real. This devotion would like…

IMATU takes food to children’s home The Chairperson and Branch Secretary of trade union IMATU, Ntsiki Ntlanjeni and Thembinkosi Mashiyi, led a group of members to Joza children’s home, Home of Joy, where they made a donation of both perishable and non-perishable food. House Mother Margaret Ncanca was very grateful. Lulama Maseti’s team made a special meal The Lulama Covid-19 Support Team Soup Kitchen served close to 500 people, thanks to donations they received. They also distributed clothes people had donated. SANCO conducted a cleanup campaign and collected items for recycling Sanco conducted a cleanup programme and contributed to the…

With public schools in South Africa set to re-open on 26 July, the United Nations Children’s Fund has called for urgent action to protect schools from vandalism and urges ongoing compliance to Covid-19 safety measures so that every child can be in class, every day. The impact of disrupted education since the COVID-19 outbreak has been devastating, with learners between 75 per cent and a full school year behind where they should be, according to latest statistics. Rotational attendance, sporadic school closures and days off for specific grades, have resulted in school children losing 54 percent of learning time. Some…