The cold wind and rain blanketed Avondale in a thick grey mist; buckets and bottles lined the perimeters of colourful houses and shacks waiting to be filled with perhaps the community’s rarest resource- water. After searching for someone to speak to, our team met Bonakela Mbangani and Jack Gobile; two residents who struggle to access water. It wasn’t hard to believe: there appeared to be more buckets and bottles in the community than residents. Avondale is one of three state-owned farms in the area (and among more than a dozen within the municipality) where the water supply in insufficient for…
Author: Grocott's Mail Reporters
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By AZLAN MAKALIMA AND SUE MACLENNAN Classes are set to resume today at Eastcape Midlands College in Makhanda (Grahamstown) after a meeting of management and students that continued late into yesterday afternoon. Student leader Sabelo Madlala said the meeting in the City Hall Monday 11 February, facilitated by Makana Mayor Mzukisi Mpahlwa, was productive. The students have been protesting outside the Makhanda (Grahamstown) campus daily since Thursday 7 February, when they marched to the City Hall. Last Friday and today they burned rubbish outside the main gates. Their demands, as listed in a document dated 4 February and elaborated on…
It was a superb weekend for the Graeme College cricket sides. The First team continued on their impressive learning curve, as they had a double fixture over the weekend of 9-10 February. First up was the CSA T20 knock-out game against Muir College in Uitenhage. Siya Mdlankomo (2/18) set the tone early with a brilliant first over, picking up an early wicket with impressive energy. A combination of youth an experience from Mornay Kohl and Aaron Richardson got Graeme through a tough start, and weathered the storm. Kohl showed how much he is improving with every game, and played a…
By: CHRIS TOTOBELA The local football season is not that far from commencing and the games will be played under the auspices of Makana LFA which is the only football association in Makhanda (Grahamstown). The premier division usually consists of 16 clubs, all of which have two to three junior teams, while the first division usually consists of around ten teams who fight to gain promotion. As Rhodes University welcomes in the new first years for 2019, there are a number f local soccer clubs that these first years can join: Sophia stars is one of the most promising sides and…
Featherstone Brewery Located only minutes outside Makhanda (Grahamstown) on Brackenhill farm, this nano brewery boasts an array of beers all brewed on site. There’s also a tasting room, a beer garden and hiking so you can enjoy a beer after a long walk. Known for its rustic, homely environment and friendly atmosphere, the brewery is an ideal spot to relax with friends. This Sunday, the Oldenburgia Hiking Club is organising a 10km hike at the brewery this Sunday – see the Great Big Gtown Weekend for details. Opening hours are Friday 3pm-7pm; Saturday 12pm-6pm; Sunday 12pm-5pm. Featherstone Brewery is on Brackenhill Farm, Howison’s Poort,…
A young Graeme 1st XI were up against it against a strong Kingswood team on Saturday 26 January, at Graeme’s Somerset field. Graeme won the toss and elected to bowl in very overcast conditions; the threat of rain was a concern though with the possibility of the ball getting wet. The match had been reduced slightly due to the weather conditions, reducing the match to approximately 100 overs in the day. The Kingswood opening pair of Mihali Jamda (24) and Cameron Lombaard (18) batted with good discipline as they put on 32 runs for the first wicket in bowler friendly…
The St Andrew’s College rowing club hosted the first Eastern Cape Regatta of 2019 on Saturday 26 January, with the Settlers Regatta once again being relocated to the Kowie River in Port Alfred. All the day’s events ran over 450 meters in a knockout racing format, allowing for a large number of races in the day for many of the rowers and, most importantly, some very close racing. The competition was fierce between the Eastern Cape schools and universities. The U14 age group got a first taste of competition very early in their rowing careers, racing in quads and…
On Saturday 19 January, the Graeme Juniors had a great outing against Grey, despite the U13 A side struggling. There were three good wins to celebrate for the visiting side, against the strong competition at Grey in Port Elizabeth. Alizwa Jack was without doubt the man of the match in the U13 B game, with his 34 runs, and 4 for 15 with the ball. Rhys Wiblin wad joined by Aaron Richardson, of the first team, with a 5-for on the day, ending with exceptional figures of 6 for 14 in the U11 A match. The senior teams met Pearson…
By: CHRIS TOTOBELA On Saturday 19 January, City Pirates hosted Port Alfred-based Young Pirates in their SAB league clash. Both teams struggled in the dusty and windy conditions at the JD Dlepu stadium. Both sides had a shaky start to the game giving away possesion easily. The home side adapted much quicker to the conditions and tried to put the ball on the ground as they were playing against the wind. Lack of communication at the back and poor marking nearly landed the home side into trouble. The first clear chance of the game went to the visitors after a…
The St Andrew’s College U14 A, U15 A and Firsts water polo teams travelled to Grey High School in Port Elizabeth this past weekend to participate in the Grey High School Water Polo Festival. It was a great way to start this season with each team playing four games over the weekend. It was also a “baptism of fire” for the coaches, players and refs as all tried to get used to the new rules. St Andrew’s U14 A side was undefeated at the festival, with their only blemish on their all win record coming against Selborne, where they drew…