Author: Grocott's Mail Contributors

St Andrew’s College U14 swimmer, Oliva Lange, continues to break school records in the pool. He was recently part of a group of Grahamstown swimmers who took part in the Swimming South Africa Level 3 Championships gala in Cape Town. He won gold in the 200m breaststroke event, also swimming a Junior Nationals Qualification time. Winning in a time of 2.44.09, Lange finished well ahead of his competitors. He won silver medals in the 100m breaststroke (also with a Junior Nationals Qualification time) and the 50m breaststroke, with a time of 1.16.60 and 35.19 respectively. Lange’s 100m and 200m breaststroke times were considerably faster,…

MAKANA MUNICIPALITY COMMUNICATIONS UNIT The Municipality is pleased to announce that efforts by the Executive Mayor, Councillor Nomhle Gaga with the support of the Engineering and Infrastructural Services Department to have Beaufort Street revamped have finally produced results. The Executive Mayor had written to SANRAL in August 2016 requesting assistance to fix the 9km-long road. (Full letter to be published on the Makana website). The project started on Thursday 5 April and it will include fixing other pothole-riddled streets. Local Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) have also been included in the project. Ancillary works such as sidewalk paving, kerbing,…

Ruth Woudstra Take out my phone. That is the first thing I do when waiting in a queue. And why not? I have had no chance to check my messages all day! But then that little voice – the one I try to suppress most of the day, reminds me that this is a perfect opportunity to do some yoga. Yoga accommodates anybody and everybody, regardless of background, level of fitness or spiritual inclination. It encompasses more than just asanas (postures), incorporating seven other elements such breathing techniques and meditation. Yoga means ‘union’ in Sanskrit, which can be interpreted in…

By Lungile Mxube Dear Mama Winnie Nomzamo Madikizela Mandela Your death has left a big vacuum as the mother of our nation.  You left us at the beginning of a freedom month, just nine days before commemorating the 25th anniversary of the death of the great comrade Thembisile ‘Chris’ Hani, another people’s commander who worked closely with you until the end. We thank you for your sacrifice, contribution and for leading the people’s revolutionary cause fearlessly when others left for exile.  You became not only a symbol of resistance but also, a force and a pillar of strength to millions…

The Feral Cat Project recently held a collection outside the Pick ‘n Pay store. We would like to thank management including John Campbell, for allowing us to hold our collection in front of their store at Pepper Grove Mall. We would also like to thank the following for giving of their time to collect for the Feral Cat Project: Lynn Grant, Lolly Richardson, Val Theron, Donovan van Lil, Connie Niekerk, June Venn, Joey Watson, Willem Retief, Eileen Shepherd, Lyn Henson and Vivian Botha. Many thanks to Ian Fletcher for all the admin done before and after collection. We would also…

The rights of many learners to education and human dignity is being violated because of the lack of sanitation facilities, writes Siyabulela Fobosi. While South Africa is seen as having some of the highest rates of universal access to primary education, with Gross enrolment rates in primary schools having increased from 88,1% in 2002 to 94,2% in 2015 (StatsSA, 2016), public schools continue to face infrastructure challenges. For example, in January 2018 the Department of Basic Education in its National Education Infrastructure Management System (NEIMS) reported that out of the 5 400 schools in the Eastern Cape, 1 945 schools…

BY: Kelia Losa Reinoso “Graduands must wear graduate gowns and carry the hood appropriate to the degree they are to receive. They must not appear on the stage wearing hoods from other Universities or for first Rhodes degrees.” Taken directly from the Rhodes University site, stated, clearly that gowns have to be worn to the prestigious event that is Graduation. A couple of grand later, graduates have the attire ready to get knighted. I mean capped. But why do we wear these Harry Potter cloaks to celebrate, for many people, the beginning of adulting? The meaning of the ceremony itself…

By HARRY OWEN Until I visited Grahamstown for the first time in July 2007, I had barely heard of the place. It might have been a forgotten settlement on the dark side of the moon for all I was aware. Although supposedly a poet, I knew nothing at all of just how richly poetic a place this small city is, or of how central a part it would come to play in my life. For more than a decade now Grahamstown has been my home – and I haven’t regretted a moment of that time. Many excellent poets live and work here, and…

With Day Zero on the horizon, two researchers at Rhodes reckon it’s time we start talking about Day One. Carey Finn reports What happens after Day Zero, when we wake up without water in the taps? It’s the question being asked not just in the Mother City, but Makana too, and the central theme of a new podcast in the South African audio sphere. Created by two Cape Town-based PhD candidates at the Environmental Learning Research Centre at Rhodes University, DayOne is an attempt to open up conversations about the water situation in South Africa and what we can do…

It’s important to know the steps to take when a loved one passes away, to secure your rights, writes attorney at the Rhodes University Law Clinic, Ryan McDonald. John Matiwana’s mother passed away at the age of 92 without a will. She left behind a house in Joza worth approximately R180 000, together with furniture worth about R40 000. John was an only child and his mother never married. At the time of her death, John was working in Mthatha. John was deeply saddened by the news. He decided to wait a few months before returning to Grahamstown. When he eventually returned, he…