Author: Grocott's Mail Contributors

Rain that fell over parts of the Eastern Cape was mainly confined to the coastal belt and adjacent interior, says Garth Sampson of the South African Weather Service’s Port Elizabeth office. The best figure was recorded at the PE Airport, with 33mm measured. The catchment area measured had very little rain, with the best figure recorded at Joubertina at 5mm. Station Names 5 6 Nelson Mandela Bay AWOS Port Elizabeth Airport 12.8 33.4 ARS 3rd Ave Dip 6.0 * ARS Blue Horizon Bay 0.2 7.0 ARS Chetty NIL 6.4 AWS Coega NIL 5.8 AWSH Fettes Road 2.4 27.6 ARS Flower…

Gift of the Givers celebrates its 28th anniversary on Thursday, 6 August 2020, having been founded on a Thursday night, 6 August 1992, in Istanbul, Turkey,  at the instruction of a spiritual teacher, a Sufi master, Sheik Safer Dal Efendi Al Jerrahi, of the Halveti Jerrahi Sufi Order. In the months leading up to the anniversary you have witnessed our diverse and intense intervention in the Covid-19 pandemic. We have delivered protective materials including masks, gloves, coveralls, Hazmat suits, head and shoe covers, sanitisers, reusable surgical gowns, scrubs, non-contact thermometers, pulse oximeters, intuboxes, thirty seven triage tents, blankets, mattresses, pillows,…

Awarenet – a non profit organisation which runs two computer labs at the Joza Youth Hub – has since level 3 on the 1st of June invited selected group of high school learners to its computer labs. In order to enter they have to be screened for Covid-19, have their temperatures checked and wear masks and adhere to social distancing at all times while at the Joza Youth Hub. The decision to reopen was based on the lack of learning and lack of access to learning materials for some of our learners. Most of our high school learners are currently…

Makana Tourism is set to interact and showcase its best assets with the world on a virtual landscape through the Eastern Cape’s first 3D and interactive virtual expo. The Eastern Cape Virtual Expo, a first for the country, is sponsored by the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA) as a Covid business relief measure. Visitors attending the tradeshow will be able to get a virtual tour of Makana’s diverse and breath-taking culture, architecture, scenery and wildlife. They will also have the opportunity to do a live chat and interact with the Makana Tourism office. Makana Tourism will be alongside…

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown more than ever that collaboration, cooperation and the co-creation of solutions are vital between all local stakeholders if communities are to prosper. Paul Smith, Kagiso’s Trust’s local government support head, recounted their ongoing work with Makana Municipality as a case study of what can be achieved. He was speaking at a recent Trialogue webinar – ‘Supporting Local Government in the Midst of a Global Pandemic’. “When people set aside their differences and get their hands dirty, working together, things get done,” said Smith. The Kagiso Trust began working with the Makana finance department in 2018, assisting…

By Emma Jane Spencer It used to be an easy question in interviews when they asked, unassumingly, “So, why did you choose to study literature?” I could always wax philosophical about the human condition, casually quote some Shakespeare I’d apparently committed to memory, and raise my voice just enough to display my passion without seeming hostile. Except that today I am hostile. They say that studying what you love is absolutely always a risk but I’m here to tell you otherwise; that studying what you love is absolutely always a disaster. Here’s why. To love something, Martha Nussbaum tells us,…

By TANYA MACQUILKAN Since lockdown, with the congregation unable to worship together, Glen Craig who has pastored for many years and now in his 80s, is giving a sermon each morning to our congregation on Whatsapp. His sermons have gone global via YouTube. The sermon we include here is so relevant to what we are all going through currently in this pandemic.  He speaks of the hard times that our ancestors endured; how we can and will get through this, in trust and in faith. Glen ministered to Nelson Mandela on Robben Island. The Salem Church had planned huge celebrations…

Rhodes University based Institute for Water Research (IWR) has been named a partner in an international research consortium to address the global challenges of energy, water conservation, urbanisation and food security. The programme to strengthen the capacity of African research is backed by the Global Challenges Research Fund. The project, ‘Unlocking resilient benefits from African water resources’ saw IWR named one of four Centres of Excellence. This means it will be supported to develop into an expert hub where veteran and new-generation problem solvers collaborate in world-class research across priority themes including energy, water conservation, urbanisation and food security. The four joint research excellence…

Rhodes University’s Community Engagement (RUCE), in partnership with Food & Trees for Africa, has launched its Victory Gardens drive, which aims to encourage Makhanda citizens to start their own vegetable gardens in order to foster increased food security. The idea for the drive came as a result of the citizens’ struggles associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Makhanda’s already high unemployment rate has been exacerbated by the myriad imposed precautionary restrictions, and citizens have increasingly not been able to afford basic needs, such as food and proper nutrition. The drive’s aim is to stabilise food security for those severely affected by…

This year, because of the Covid-19 lockdown, GBS Mutual Bank (GBS) is holding its first virtual AGM. And with its annual annual client and investor dinner cancelled for the first time in 22 years, it’s apt that GBS earlier this year stepped in to assist in hunger relief in Makhanda. The bank donated R15 000 for the Food 4 Futures food parcel programme administered by Mary Birt, R15 000 to the Rotary Club of Grahamstown Sunset’s hunger relief project, and R10 000 to Makana Revive Trust’s Solidarity Fast feeding scheme. GBS has its head office in Makhanda, with branches in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and…