Author: Grocott's Mail Contributors

Dear Residents Makana Municipality officially welcomed the Kagiso Trust team which was led by its chairperson Reverend Frank Chikane from 31 July to 2 August 2019. During the visit, the team had extensive consultations and engagements with the community and stakeholders, represented by faith, business and cultural organisations. Prior to the visit, a stakeholder forum was convened which served as preparation. The purpose of getting to know Makana through meeting key stakeholders is to promote collaboration on key developmental focus areas that will assist Makana in becoming a better place for all its citizens. All stakeholders welcomed Kagiso with open…

Cry for housing falls on deaf ears, say Fingo residents. Chris Gilili reports The residents of Mission, in Fingo Village, say they feel ignored by their municipality which they’ve been voted in for many years now. In 2011, the municipality built toilets for the residents for 28 households, with the vain promise that houses would follow soon. Some of the toilets are now cracked and blocked. Ethel Funani is 74 and has lived in Fingo her whole life. She is among those who have been waiting for a house since the early 90s. She lives in a four-roomed zinc and mud…

By ILVA PIETERSE A diversity of multi-sectoral civil society stakeholders including faith organisations, businesses, unemployed people, schools, rate-payers, youth and cultural organisations, met at Rhodes University on 30 July in an “unprecedented show of unity” to reflect on the challenges facing the city. City Mayor, Mr Mzukisi Mpahlwa, who also attended the gathering, gave an unscripted address followed by questions and comments from the stakeholder groups. Speakers on a packed programme reflected the diversity of the stakeholder groups in attendance. They included Rhodes University Vice Chancellor, Dr Sizwe Mabizela, Mr Ayanda Kota of Unemployed Peoples Movement, Professor Harry Dugmore of…

Rejoicing in our afflictions, seems like a complete paradox. In fact, it appears to be pretty much impossible. How is it even possible to have joy during trying times? What is there to rejoice about trials? The Apostle Paul in Romans 5:3-5, wants us to know that there is purpose in our hardships. He wants us to understand that affliction is a means to an end. In light of the great pain a woman endures during child birth, deep in her heart, there is joy at the thought of the arrival of her baby. Child birth produces children. Likewise, affliction…

Dear Residents We are constantly trying to improve the services we offer to you and we want to make it easy for you to get in contact with us without using the traditional methods which are not always effective. Service delivery is one of our most important priorities as a municipality. It is therefore important for us to make sure residents are able to report daily service delivery issues on a reliable platform. We were extremely fortunate to enjoy a partnership with Rhodes University and benefit from a pilot project headed by its academics. MobiSAM (Mobile Social Accountability Monitoring) is…

Compiled by Philip Machanick ME News Turns 300 This is the 300th Makana Enviro-News column. On Tuesday 25 October 2005 the first column appeared and the column has continued through a succession of editors: Nontyatyambo Petros, Jonathan Ancer, Steven Lang and Sue Maclennan. While we now only publish once a month instead of every second week, the column remains a project for those interested in learning about and spreading the message of environmental sustainability, an increasingly urgent concern as the human footprint on our planet threatens our very basis for existence. With this column’s legacy in mind, I turn this…

By RUTH WOUDSTRA How do you deal with pain or discomfort in the body? Often we automatically place our hands on the area of affliction. Reiki, literally translated from Japanese as ‘universal energy’, works on the same principal. When Paula Cotton’s son, Daniel, experienced a serious head injury at the age of two, he suffered from intense post-hospital pain. After a few weeks of visits to a reiki healer, the family was able to discard pain pills and Daniel’s state of wellbeing improved radically. This personal journey inspired Paula to study reiki. Reiki involves a practitioner laying hands on and…

Thank you to each person who took the time to come and visit the SPCA for our Open Day on Sunday 21 July! The dogs and cats absolutely loved all of the attention and walks they got on Sunday –  they were thoroughly spoilt and the excitement had them all so overwhelmed! We hope this will encourage some people to come and volunteer more often and once again thank you to the community for all of their support!  Watching the little ones walk with a rescue, the dog and child hesitant and then after a few walks, love and gentle…

Recent media coverage has highlighted a major problem with Parvo and Distemper among dogs in Port Elizabeth. Articles posted on the Herald Live website in June gave details of some cases recently reported there and warned dog owners to ensure their dogs were adequately vaccinated against these deadly diseases. This has left many Makhanda (Grahamstown) dog owners uncertain of what the situation is here and confused as to whether their dogs are adequately protected. What are Parvo and Distemper? It is important to understand what Parvo and Distemper are and to be aware of the symptoms. That way, you can…

Dear Residents On Tuesday 23 July a meeting of representatives from civil society organisations took place at Graham Hotel, facilitated by Kagiso Trust. Kagiso Trust is commissioned by Cogta to assist Makana Municipality to cleanse the municipal database, enhance revenue collection and register indigents. Representatives from the following organisations met – Grahamstown Residents Association, Rhodes University, Grahamstown Business Forum, members of the religious community, the National Arts Festival, Fingo Festival and volunteers from various civil society organisations. This meeting provided an opportunity for stakeholders to gather around the table and discuss the preliminary steps that are needed to take the…