By Karabo Matalajoe In the spirit of ‘Ubuntu’ and honouring the legacy of Nelson Mandela, Rhodes Sport and Grocott’s Mail, along with other sponsors, are set to host a 6.7 km Charity Run on Saturday, 19 July, at the Ally Weakley Great Field in Makhanda. The event is set to raise donations of essential goods for three local organisations, the SPCA, Home of Joy and the Meals After School programme, all of which play a crucial role in the community of Makhanda. Starting at 9 am, the run commemorates Mandela Day through a collective act of service and community service. It…
Author: Karabo Matalajoe
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By Karabo Matalajoe Fulufhelo “Lekay” Munzhelele, who went swimming in Port Alfred on 27 June with friends, got caught in waves at East Beach. This tragic loss of the young Rhodes University student has left the academic community in shock. His friends could swim back to shore and make it to safety; however, he didn’t make it back with them. He was declared missing on 27 June. During the early hours of Saturday morning, 5 July, a body was discovered in the Kowie River in Port Alfred. The recovery was led by the South African Police Service Search and Rescue…
The Confession, Theatre Venue: Princess Alice Review By Karabo Matalajoe At the heart of the story The Confession is a young girl named Thembisa, who is caught in reliving the past traumas of her family’s history. It is an exploration of grief, generational trauma and ancestral beliefs. However, what begins as a somber turn of events becomes a journey of discovery and healing. The play’s narrative is structured with powerful flashbacks which provide us insight into the damaged relationship between Thembisa and her family, most importantly highlighting the abuse between her parents Mkhonto and Mazondi. Their marriage is displayed with…
Ethel, Cabaret & Musical Theatre Next Performance: Thursday3 July 2025 16:00 Venue: Victoria Theatre Review by Karabo Matalajoe In Ethel: A Tribute to the Incomparable Ethel Merman, Lisa Bobbert (McIlroy) delivers a performance as loud, unapologetic and glittering as the woman she honours. What starts as a nostalgic nod to the Golden Age of musical theatre quickly transforms into something far more intimate – an emotionally rich celebration of a woman who, despite the glamour of Broadway, lived a very real, very raw life. The cabaret-style performances showcase iconic tunes by the late Ethel such as “Gypsy” to “Annie Get…
Jaiva Pantsula, Dance Venue: PJs Next Performance: 2 July 2025, 12:00 Review By Karabo Matalajoe Jaiva Pantsula is a high-energy production which pays tribute to South Africa’s iconic street dancing culture. Through quick footwork, nostalgic music and fashionable outfits, the production affirms pantsula’s long-term influence and still-living contribution to joy in our culture. The sharpness and fast pace of the choreography of pantsula is connected to the language of the township, with its own dialect, humour, hustle and rhythm. This echoes the history of pantsula’s birth in the Apartheid era, where dance was both a refuge and an act of…
Portals and Petals: The Subtle Alchemy of My Grandmother’s Dreams, Dance Next Performance: 01 July 2025, 20:00 Venue: Rhodes Theatre Review By Karabo Matalajoe Some performances entertain, and then some reach deep within you and touch your spirit. This recent artwork by Musa Hlatshwayo definitely moved me, even as someone who has not experienced contemporary dance before. This was not just a performance but a crossover into a different realm of remembrance. “The piece is in honour of my grandmother, she was a healer and a matriarch,” Hlatshwayo says. “She was the inspiration in terms of the work coming to…
The Eastern Cape Dance and Music Ensemble, Dance Venue: PJ’s Review By Karabo Matalajoe From the opening beat of the drums to the last dance, the Eastern Cape Dance and Music Ensemble was nothing short of an amazing performance. This production was organised by the Department of Arts and Culture, which comprised different generations of cast members, representing all the districts of the Eastern Cape, as they celebrate the indigenous music and dances of their diverse traditions. The stage came to life as dancers were dressed in their different and bright traditional attire, which represented the Abathembu, Amabhaca, and…
Saulspoort Dam the Musical, Theatre Venue: City Hall Next performance: Saturday 28 June 16:00 Review/Interview By Karabo Matalajoe Saulspoort Dam, the Musical stands as a bold and graceful tribute to one of South Africa’s most devastating disasters. The captivating musical theatre production recounts the road accident in which 51 lives were lost when the bus they were travelling in from Kimberly to QwaQwa careened into the waters of the dam. The incident happened in the early hours of 1 May 2001 and claimed many lives, and now over 20 years later, this is reimagined through song, storytelling and memory as…
By Karabo Matalajoe The National Arts fringe programme is an open-access platform that invites artists from all walks of life to present their art without any curation or gatekeeping. These are shows independently produced by registered artists to encourage freedom of expression, experimentation and diverse creativity. They cover a variety of creative genres including theatre, dance, music, comedy, film and children’s shows. To adapt to the digital space, the NAF launched a virtual version of this programme, which allows artists to register their shows, submit digital materials and handle their own production and promotion. Furthermore, this allows lovers of arts…
By Karabo Matalajoe In commemoration of Africa Day 2025, Rhodes University’s Global Engagement Division hosted a panel discussion titled “An Exploration of the Concepts of Justice and Reparations.” Held on 26 May in the Bioscience Major lecture theatre, the event brought together scholars and professors embedded in global struggles for justice, memory, and restitution. Drawing on the African Union’s 2025 theme of reparative justice, the discussion was no polite academic exercise. It was a challenge, a call to move beyond the identification of justice and toward something deeper, messier, and more transformative, connecting to the traumas of slavery, colonialism, apartheid,…