Author: Grocott's Mail Contributors

By Carey Finn We may have seen a bit of rain over the past few weeks, but with our own Day Zero still looming, Grahamstown cannot afford to relax. As Tichaona (Tich) Pesanayi, Lead Researcher at the Amanzi for Food project, says, “the rainy seasons aren’t so rainy anymore,” meaning it’s vital you have enough water for your veggie (or even non-edible) garden. “We need to extend our ‘rainy season’, because it’s become unreliable,” says Pesanayi, “and for us to be able to do that we need to harvest rainwater whenever we can and store it – both in a protected…

Why was the land claims process instituted, and how does it work? The Rhodes University Law Clinic team explains. From owners to farm workers Nombuso Gcwala’s great grandfather, Phathekile Gcwala, used to live on a farm approximately 30 km outside of Bloemfontein. Mr Gcwala used to raise cattle and grow vegetables. According to stories from Nombuso’s family this is where her ancestors lived. On or about 20 July 1914 Mr Gcwala was visited by a Mr Van der Merwe. He informed him that he wanted to purchase the Gcwala family farm. Mr Van der Merwe offered Mr Gcwala five cattle…

Retired Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke, acclaimed authors, Dr Sindiwe Magona and Professor Peter Mtuze are among six exceptional individuals to be conferred with Honorary Doctorates by Rhodes University next week. Together with Moseneke, Magona and Mtuze,  Rhodes will also honour Dr Andrew Mlangeni, Professor Vishnu Padayachee and the singer and activist Yvonne Chaka Chaka at its 114th graduation scheduled for 5-7 April. They will all be recognised as Africans with its highest honour in recognition for their contribution in various fields including culture, education, economic policy, social upliftment, health and jurisprudence. “It is a privilege for us as the Rhodes University community…

Nelson Mandela University’s Eloise Webb will represent South Africa in the women’s rugby sevens team at the Commonwealth Games in Australia from April 4. She will be joined by Nadine Roos, Unathi Mali, Rights Mkhari, Zintle Mpupha, Veroeshka Grain, Zenay Jordaan, Marithy Pienaar, Mathrin Simmers, Christelene Steinhobel, Chane Stadler and Zinthle Ndawonde. “One of my goals was just to grow as a player and learn as much as I possibly can. Every time you make the team to go to any tournament it is an achievement,” said Webb. The fourth-year BEd Intermediate Phase Maths and Science student, who plays at flyhalf and…

The African continent’s most lucrative year of professional surfing will be launched in Port Elizabeth over the Easter weekend when competitors in the Volkswagen Nelson Mandela Bay Surf Pro presented by Billabong take to the surf at Pollock Beach on Friday. Taking place at locations that range from Lamberts Bay on the West Coast to Ballito on the East Coast, and including events in Morocco  (co-sanctioned with WSL Europe) and the first-ever World Surf League (WSL) event in Dakar, Senegal, the 14-event schedule offers total prize money exceeding R18 million. Comprising events for men, women, junior (18-and-under) men and women and…

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will step up preparations for the forthcoming international season when the first of three alignment camps will be hosted from 1 to 4 April in Vanderbijlpark, south of Johannesburg. Eleven Vodacom Bulls players will meet up with Erasmus, his assistant coaches and the rest of the Springbok management for the first of three sessions. The second camp is scheduled to run from 8 to 11 April, also in Vanderbijlpark, and will include players as yet to be determined from the Emirates Lions and DHL Stormers. Durban will host the third assessment camp from 22 to 25 April, which will include the…

By Charissa Cassels I am a heterosexual Coloured woman writing about the story of a homosexual, traditional Xhosa man experiencing the initiation process, Inxeba, The Wound. Already this film is one step ahead of me as it is written and performed by Xhosa men of amaXhosa. And this is the importance of representation: people taking ownership of it and their narrative. I could state that Inxeba, The Wound, has already received 28 awards locally and nationally combined. I could even outline the series of events that took place after the release of the movie. This including that the movie was…

While Cape Town is gearing up for a busy Easter holiday season, the organisers of the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon have confirmed that they are ready for the 49thedition of the world’s most beautiful marathon, scheduled to take place on 31 March 2018. “We are once again looking forward to welcoming the sold-out field of 27 000 participants in the Ultra and Half Marathons next Saturday,” said Carol Vosloo, General Manager of the Two Oceans Marathon NPC. “In addition, we anticipate hosting around 5 000 additional runners across our other events on Good Friday. The popular 12km and 24km OMTOM Trail Runs will see…

“Reading for the Tortoise” is the ear-catching theme of the sixth annual Mandela Bay Book Fair (MBFF). Billed as a “writers’ and public book and exhibition event”, the MBFF gathers together a diverse line-up of award- winning authors, poets, academics and school teachers alongside university students, scholars, speakers, librarians, book publishers at the Port Elizabeth Opera House on Friday March 23 and Saturday March 24. New Brighton-based poet and lecturer in the MA Creative Writing department at Rhodes University, Mxolisi Nyezwa is the co-curator of the book fair. In an interview with The Herald earlier this week he explained that…

RANDS AND SENSE – Personal Finance Cashing in your pension or provident fund benefits when you change jobs is seldom the right thing to do.  It would be wise to avoid doing so at all costs!  Research undertaken by Old Mutual in 2017 showed that an increasing number of fund members planned to draw cash from their retirement savings if they changed jobs.  Around 35% stated that they would do so compared to only 19% four years ago.  The study identified various reasons for this increase, including the current economic downturn, increased debt levels, an increase in the number of…