Author: Kathryn Cleary

With the Sixth Democratic National Assembly of Parliament formally constituted on Wednesday, the focus turned to the establishment of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP). Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng will presiding over the swearing-in of the delegates to the NCOP, as well as the election of the Chairperson and Deputy Chair of the House. The NCOP consists of 90 provincial delegates – 10 delegates for each of the nine provinces. A provincial delegation consists of six permanent delegates and four special delegates. The permanent delegates are appointed by the nine provincial legislatures. The four special delegates consist of the Premier…

While the country has enough water to sustain the fast approaching dry winter season, South Africans have been urged to use water sparingly. Current the country is sitting with 23 809.2 cubic metres of water in storage, according to a weekly report of the Department of Water and Sanitation. Department spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said although vast parts of the Eastern Cape received heavy rains in the past two weeks, the regions of Gamtoos Valley and Makhanda remained a source of concern as they are almost dry of potable water. “In Makhanda, residents rely on tankered water for basic use as the…

WEEK 2 training programme for the GBS Mountain Drive 21K It’s 14 weeks and one day to go to the GBS Mountain Drive Half Marathon, and Week 2 of our special training programme. Each week we take you through a progressive strength and endurance regime designed to take you from zero to 21K hero! STRENGTH TRAINING – SESSION 1 A: 2 rounds: 10 bird dogs each side, 10 dying bugs each side. B: 3 rounds of the following with minimal rest between: 35-second side plank per side*, 10 single-leg glute bridges/ leg (*if you cannot hold for 35 seconds then…

A local Makhanda (Grahamstown) parent approached Grocott’s Mail with deep concerns after failing to find the necessary vaccine for their 6 year-old child. According to the 2010 Expanded  Programme on  Immunisation in  South Africa (EPI-SA) guidelines; 6 year-olds require a combined booster vaccine for tetanus and diphtheria. However, allegedly this vaccine has been unavailable in government clinics and hospitals for more than six months. The parent said that the local government clinics, Settler’s Hospital paediatric ward and Click’s pharmacy were out of stock, and were not sure when any would arrive. Our reporter phoned Click’s and was told that the…

Residents in Makhanda (Grahamstown) have growing concerns over what appears to be a recent spike in IT related theft. What might start as a disturbance in the garden has, for some families, turned into a violent attempt at a house break-in. Since the beginning of May, Grocott’s Mail has made note of at least seven incidents reported on local social media, warning of house break-ins resulting in stolen laptops, televisions and other technologies. Police Spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said that SAPS cannot release crime stats; however in most cases, cellphones and laptops are stolen. “We no longer find that PC…

The big day finally arrived here in Makhanda (Grahamstown) and parties and voters were queued up for the polls from the early hours of Wednesday 8 May. Despite other parts of the Eastern Cape struggling to open voting stations on time, polls in Makhanda were off to a smooth start, with voting materials and IEC officials ready to go by 7 Wednesday morning. Our reporters were based all over Makana on the day; here’s a report back from the voting stations in the Albany Road and CBD area. The voting stations that the Grocott’s Election team visited across Makana municipality…

Ahead of the 8 May election, political parties were as active online as they were on the streets. Social media has become at least as powerful a tool as door to door campaigning and Grocott’s Mail asked a few experts to explain just how persuasive this tool may have been in the hands of eager political-hopefuls. “Social media plays a massive role in shaping and shifting public sentiment ahead of an election,” said Michael Salzwedel, Director and media trainer at Social Weaver. “Politicians and their teams of propagandists know this only too well and if they aren’t busy sticking up posters…

It’s the big day here in Makhanda (Grahamstown) and parties and voters have queued up for the polls. Despite other parts of the Eastern Cape struggling to open voting stations on time, polls in Makhanda were off to a smooth start, with voting materials and IEC officials ready to go by 7 this morning. Our reporters are based all over Makana today; here’s a report back from the voting stations in the Albany Road area. The voting station at the Albany Recreational Hall near Middle Terrace opened on time, according to the IEC Presiding Officer. Voters were slow to arrive…