Author: Grocott's Mail Contributors

By CHRIS TOTOBELA The New Year’s Cup 2018 continued on Christmas Day with the last two quarter final games taking place at a packed JD Dlepu stadium. Zwide Pirates proved to be too strong for Bathurst City Tigers as they humilated them by three unanswered goals and proceeded to the semi finals. In the highly anticipated second game Addo Academy took on Amavarara from Queenstown. The game started well with both teams trying to gain an early advantage but it was Amavarara who dominated the midfield battle. Academy opened the scoring in the early stages of the first half after…

The 2018 Color Run is coming back to Port Elizabeth, with the so-called “Happiest 5km on the planet” taking place on 9 December. The Color Run South Africa is promising less frowning and more clowning at Port Elizabeth’s favourite fun run. The Color Run debuted in South Africa in The Friendly City, and PE has cheered on Color Runners every year since. There are a number of firsts included in this year’s Color Run, with each Color Runner receiving an exclusive finisher’s medal and equally as exciting is the event is being held in The People’s Port, possibly a global first that The…

Linda Dyani, the Albany Museum’s Marketing and Communications Officer, encourages Makhanda (Grahamstown) families to visit their local museums these holidays. Here are some of the highlights to look out for: History Museum: The Songs for Freedom exhibition officially opened on 23 November depicts the life and times of Canon Calata, also known as JA, or Tatou. The Anglican Priest and seasoned politician of the African National Congress (he joined the movement in 1930) was a prolific composer of church hymns. Surviving members of the Cradock based Congress Choir are assisting with a project to transcribe them before they are lost. …

My first memory of grief was when I was in Std 3 (Grade 5). We were living on our farm just outside Stellenbosch, and went to and from school each day with the school bus. The farm next door had children our age (my sister and me), also a boy and a girl, and we became good friends. Sometimes we would walk across their property to go and visit them, and it was always fun to see someone else’s home. But one afternoon, tragedy struck. The school bus had dropped me and my sister off at our farm. We walked…

Faithful to the Vision by Eric Kelly NISC, Grahamstown. 159 pages. (available from the author at R180 ericjeankelly@gmail.com) By Roy Lubke and Delysia Hoehne This History of the Grahamstown Teachers’ Training College (locally called TC) which educated numerous teachers from 1894 to 1975 was recently launched. The Reverend Dr Eric Kelly used four years of his retirement in researching the archives of the Training College, housed in the Cory Library, Rhodes University; in the production of a Doctor of Philosophy thesis on the history of the TC and his degree was awarded in 2016. Two years later and this thesis has been converted…

Child Welfare SA Grahamstown is writing to express our deepest thanks for the support of the Grahamstown community in the last year. All the contributions from small to large help to bridge the gap between the fortunate in life and the less fortunate. All donations (whether it is business services, money contributions or clothing etc.) always go a long way in our organisation that is dedicated to put our best efforts to help vulnerable children in our community, improving their living conditions and assisting in providing essential social work services to children and families. We would also like to thank…

The annual Eastern Areas Champion of Champions bowls tournament was played over the weekend of 24-25 November, at the Albany bowling club between the five local clubs mens and ladies open champions. After two days of bowls, the ladies winner, June McDougall from the Grahamstown bowls club, was crowned, after she won all of her games to lift the trophy. The ladies runner-up was Patricia Greig from the Kenton bowls club. In the men’s section, the finish was extremely close with four of the five players still in contention for the title playing the last game. In the end, Brian…

Ticks and fleas are still very much with us and it is important to make sure that your pets are protected from the serious risk of biliary. We have seen an alarming number of cases recently with dogs and cats suffering advanced stages of the disease where their survival rate is seriously diminished. Please be responsible and treat your animals as a form of prevention. Dip baths are available for use at both the SPCA and Grahamstown Vets for this purpose as well as the off the shelf medication that can be sourced from Hoof and Hound, and the Veterinary…

CHILD WELFARE SA GRAHAMSTOWN Christmas is a very exciting time and as parents, it’s easy to get lost in the planning, shopping and need to make this a festive season to remember. But parents and guardians need to pay extra attention to their children’s safety at this time of the year. Below are some tips provided by Child Welfare SA Grahamstown: Shopping centres are very busy at this time of year. While you may be in a rush to complete your shopping, be vigilant at all times. If you take your children, ensure you keep a close eye on them…

This idiom must not be confused with that of the black sheep of the family. Nowadays the stinkbug is rarely seen – and many young people of today may not have seen it at all. Ndanga ndingawushiya nomzi wam ndakubona ukuba umfazi nabantwana bam kungathi kubo ndinuka umzondo. Nqunquthani mawethu. Xa ufunda eligama lithi umzondo, livakala ngathi sisithutho kwezinye zeziduko zakwantu, kodwa akunjalo. Ngathi umntu uzakuthi ah, Mzondo zintshaba, mzondo nozwathi lakhe okanye mzond’onzongonzongo njalonjalo. Kanti umzondo lona yintoni kanye? Umzondo sisinambuzane esithi xa sithe sahlala okanye sisabhabha nje ungekasiboni uve ivumba laso elingathandekiyo ngendlela le yokuba kubenzima ukulinyamezela ivumba elo. Kangangendlela elinga nyamezelekiyo…