Author: Grocott's Mail Contributors

Graeme College had a tough start to the derby rugby day against Nico Malan on Saturday 2 June. There were some epic contests that went down to the wire, but Nico Malan seemed to keep edging Graeme at the final moments of the respective games. With time up, the Graeme Second team conceded a penalty in front of the poles, which Nico Malan converted to snatch victory, which seemed to sum up the day for Graeme. With two games left in the day, Graeme had not managed to win a game, however, the u16 A side then produced an incredible…

On Friday 1 June, in a ground-breaking judgment for the protection of customary rights of access to resources in South Africa, the Supreme Court of Appeal has held that three fishers, who were found guilty of fishing unlawfully in a Marine Protected Area without permits, were exercising their customary right to fish and were therefore acting lawfully. In overturning the convictions of David Gongqose and two other fishers from Hobeni, Dwesa-Cwebe in the Eastern Cape by the Elliotdale Magistrate’s Court, upheld by a full bench of the High Court, the SCA held that the lawfulness of the conduct of the…

There are many people who do not think twice about insuring assets such as their home or motor vehicle but neglect to insure their most important asset – themselves.  Becoming disabled through injury or sickness or suffering from a severe illness (often called a dread disease), could be your greatest financial risk.  Such an event could result in your not being able to work and earn an income to support yourself and your loved ones. If you have disability cover and become disabled, you will either receive a monthly payment (income protection) or a lump sum payment (capital disability), depending…

My fellow liberals, Yes, I speak to the masses reading this article. It may be an assumption that the Grocott’s Mail readership is primarily comprised of liberals, libertarians, and maybe a few conservatives thrown in there for posterity reasons. However, it is not an assumption devoid of merit. The South African media in its formation and practice, at least in an objective, ideal world, is central or slightly left-of-center in regard to its output and its position on the issues it reports on. There are those within media itself who would refute this (go read the “About Us” page of…

By SIPESIHLE MGUGA Gideon Mather is a mechanic currently living at Acrobats Court in Grahamstown with his wife Asanda and their 12-year-old daughter, Avumile. Gideon and his family are originally from Butterworth and they moved to Grahamstown in January 2018. When Gideon and his family arrived in Grahamstown, he concluded a periodic (month-to-month) lease agreement with one Ms Stacy Philips. The terms of the agreement were that rent would be R3500 per month and it would be paid on the 1st of every month. Gideon has been fulfilling his obligations in terms of the lease agreement, in that he pays…

Grey Dam Thanks from all of us to whoever is taking care of Grey Dam.  Week in, week out people are doing their bit and the result is a litter-free place to relax.  The picture shows a calm early morning scene at Grey Dam. Meanwhile, the consultancy report on Grey Dam has been adopted by Makana Council, though it’s not clear that funding will be available.  The difficulty with placing any fencing or other facilities at this location are security-related.  If there are further developments we’ll let you know, including public consultations. Grahamstown Plastic Action Group Actions so far…

Sensei Mike Dukas visited Grahamstown over the weekend of 26-27 May, in a demonstration event which was a tremendous success. Sensei Dukas’s friendly and charismatic approach to teaching, together with his impressive technical ability and unrivalled explanations made for an incredible Seminar. Approximately 70 karateka of all ages ranging from white to black belt attended the training which was held at East Cape Shotokan-Ryu’s Hill Street Dojo on Saturday. Apart from a strong local contingent, a number of senior karateka also travelled from Port Elizabeth and East London in order to attend the Seminar. The following day, Sensei Dukas travelled…

Mean Girls was one of my favourite movies growing up. It had everything that I wanted in a movie during that time – the cool high school underdog who finds redemption, the high school bitch who gets served, the weird antics that I could only wish my friends and I came up with, the moral lesson, and of course Lindsay Lohan (at the time). It was a ride. However, as an older version of that little girl who still loves the movie, I started to realise that there is more to it.

Let’s start with my home. Which one though? I have had three homes in my time in Grahamstown. Four if you want to get technical but that is more metaphorically my home. My first home in this town was Robert Sobukwe house. That residence that cast aside its old colonial name.

You are my ride, my wheels, my getaway driver. A letter to the automobile. He sits just outside your window, parked underneath a tree whose leaves never stop falling. She hides away in the left-hand-side garage, squeezed in between the lawnmower and the golf clubs that never tee off. He’s quietly rusting under a tarpaulin, left with the broken promise of being your weekend project. She’s forever parked on a red line, waiting outside the shopping mall for rich kids to hail her to take them home. Many of us view the car as a mere object. Something that makes…