Author: Grocott's Mail Contributors

THE FIRST ALLISTON (BULLY) KOHL MEMORIAL LECTURE DELIVERED BY LEX MPATI ON 12 MAY 2017 AT THE CITY HALL, GRAHAMSTOWN I wish to thank the Mawarian Alumni Association and its management committee for inviting me to deliver the first lecture in memory of the life of Alliston Kohl, affectionately known as ‘Bully’. I am honoured by the invitation and privileged to have been nominated and appointment as the first honorary President of the Mawarian Alumni Association. I must confess, though, that I first made sure that the honorary President has no duties to perform before I could accept nomination. And, something…

Rom 8:28-29. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Death is a terrible and formidable reality. So abruptly and irrevocably it steals away love and laughter, joy and companionship, presence and togetherness, sharing and caring, play and service, wisdom and words, fulfillment and warmth. Leaving a void of loneliness and longing. You could add many more words in praise…

Eastcape Midlands TVET College, Grahamstown Campus in partnership with the Eastern Cape Department of Transport gave 20 Grahamstown Campus students an opportunity to acquire their learner’s licence. Campus Student Liaison Officer, Lithemba Busakwe, said the initiative is an ongoing partnership programme aimed at assisting students in acquiring their learners’ licenses while studying at EMC. The 13 students who passed the learners test were presented with their learners licenses on Thursday, 20 May, 2021 at the Monument.

The K9 Search and Rescue units are rarely in the limelight compared to their frontline colleagues. Yet they never hesitate to put their lives on the line on a daily basis.The Eastern Cape K9 Search and Rescue Unit comprises seven trained members and five fully trained and skilled canines. The Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) policing area is lucky to have a particularly experienced and skilful member, Warrant Officer Ettienne Gerber. He and his dog, Misty, display true altruism every day. Their tasks mainly entail the search for missing persons (dead or alive), retrieval of bodies from shallow graves, drownings and suicide victims.…

A look into our environmental future The Rhodes University SRC Environmental Councillor, Ms Milca Matariro, and the 2021 environmental representatives have sat down to brainstorm strategic ways to keep the Makhanda environment clean and green. The aim is to assist with reversing the rapid dismantling of the environment due to a human escalated demand on nature. We aim to make a difference on the Rhodes University campus and in the greater Makhanda community. We aim to do so by keeping our environment cleaner and more eco-friendly. All environmental sustainability projects were strategically designed to create and tackle issues around energy,…

By CHRISTOPHER LEACH African Connection women’s football club is a beacon of light in Makhanda. Chris Totobela recognised a need in our town – and 25 years ago he acted on it. Long before women’s sport was properly recognised in South Africa, Chris started African Connection, a women’s soccer club based in Joza. Chris is no stranger to the benefits of soccer. At age 10 he started a local under 11 club, Soccer Chiefs. Five years later, aged 15, he formed Joza Bushbucks, which won every trophy on offer in the then Joza Soccer Board. In 1996 he chose a…

Last month, local construction businesses CM Heunis CC and Gem Paving came to the aid of the Association for Persons with Physical Disabilities, an NGO. APD’s office area has long suffered with a dilapidated ramp for vehicles and pedestrians. The torn concrete made for a bumpy ride with cars but is even worse for our clientele in wheelchairs who had to push themselves up the uneven slope.  CM Heunis stepped in and after some discussion, they set to work with Gem Paving to rebuild the ramp. Feedback was taken from APD and staff at the next-door Settlers Day Hospital, and…

By SAKHE NTLABEZO In October 2020, it was announced that Makhanda had been selected as one of the new Open Government Partnership (OGP) Local members in 2020. OGP is an international model of governance and building active citizenship that is reforming how citizens can relate and contribute to decision making processes by their respective state structures. In a nutshell, national/local governments collaborate with civil society and work together to co-create two-year action plans with concrete steps – referred to as “commitments” – that can cover a broad range of issues. This unique model ensures that civil society and/or direct citizen engagement…

Park Road (Jim Cambray) For the month of April we had 47.2mm. Our 35-year average is 64.5mm and median of 54.2mm with a range of 6.7mm (1991) and 155mm (1997).  So we were well below both the median and the average rainfall for the month of April 2021. Grant Street (Robin Stobbs) April total was 29.4mm with a mean of 58.06mm. Median of 48.5mm and range of 2.0mm to 161.5mm Darling Street (Roger Rowswell) Although we had eleven raindays we didn’t get much in the way of actual precipitation. The figures for April are 40.0mm compared with the LTA of 65.6mm…