39-year-old Makhanda resident, Natasha Danster, has two brain tumours and needs an operation and treatment. “Natasha Danster complained about severe headaches, and at first, the doctor said it was high blood pressure in the right eye,” says close friend Cherron Duiker Scheepers. She was treated for it, but the headaches persisted. When she was sent for an MRI, the results detected that she had two brain tumours. After going to a specialist for a second opinion, he also confirmed she had brain tumours. The doctors can remove one tumour but cannot operate on the other one, as it is too high a…
Author: Linda Pona
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By Linda Pona While the modern-day Bonnie and Clyde story of convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester and Dr Nandipha Magudumana has fascinated the country for the past few weeks, it is problematic. I echo the sentiments of ActionSA provincial chairperson Patricia Kopane who says this case of Magudumana highlights South Africa’s dysfunctional justice system where convicted criminals can walk freely for months without the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) intervention. What makes the Bester case interesting is the innovative way that he escaped prison. This is after he allegedly died in prison after a fire broke out in his…
Dear readers, I want to take this time to thank you for your continued support, given various changes to Grocott’s Mail, such as having a robust cohort of new journalists who have joined our team and the changes to the editorial team. That said, I want to take this opportunity to let you know that after this edition of GM Direct, Makhanda’s weekend read, we will take a break from publishing the PDF on Friday, 7 April 2023, and you can expect the next edition of GM Direct on 14 April 2023. Although there will be no Friday edition of…
By Linda Pona Every year, South Africans celebrate Human Rights Day on 21 March. The day commemorates the Sharpeville Massacre, which happened on the same day 63 years ago in 1960. On that day, there was a gross violation of fundamental human rights as we know them today. When a large crowd demonstrated against the pass laws, police opened fire on the protestors. This resulted in 249 victims, where 180 people were injured and 69 killed, including children. This was also during the apartheid regime, which by its very nature, was built on racial segregation and discrimination that denied people…
By Linda Pona A 100-year-old man has been waiting to get an RDP house from the government for almost a decade. In another instance, an older woman had her housing application rejected three times, forcing her to live in a temporary structure that was falling apart. These are only two cases I learned about this week alone. How did we get here when a constitution claims to protect the elderly? Because according to the Older Persons Act, this act intends to deal effectively with the plight of the elderly. This means protecting their status, rights, and well-being and ensuring they…
By Linda Pona Statistics SA (2019) shows that South Africa is one of the most unequal societies in the world, and the Eastern Cape has the highest levels of economic inequality. To show the level of inequality in the country, the stats SA report reveals that the country has been identified as one of the most unequal societies on Earth, with a per capita Gini coefficient of 0,65 in 2015. This means that there is a high level of income inequality. in addition to high levels of income inequality, a study published in 2022 revealed that Makhanda is also managed…
By Bukamuso Sebata Growing up in South Africa, I was acutely aware of the profound impact that apartheid had on my country. The social and political system that divided people based on the colour of their skin was cruel and unjust, and it left deep scars in our society that we still grapple with today. As a writer and a lover of literature, I am particularly fascinated by the role that Black writers and activists played in shaping the voice of the people during this tumultuous period in our history. The book that was read to the children at Amazwi.…
By Linda Pona The Auditor General’s report stated what we as the residents of Makhanda and the Makana Municipality already know: we are in trouble. We already know that the municipality has no systems to deal with service delivery. We see it on our roads every day, with the intermittent water supply, with the filthy state the town is in. Exactly a year ago, the Daily Maverick reported that the Premier of the Eastern Cape government, Oscar Mabuyane would have to report to the judge every three months on implementing a financial recovery plan for the municipality, after the community…
By LINDA PONA February is synonymous with dark sadness for South Africans. Since last, we learnt that one of the country’s biggest cultural icons and rappers, Ricky Rick, died by suicide. Ricky Rick, born Rikhado Makhado, was reported dead on 23 January 2022 after a long battle with depression. The news of his death was first widely spread on social media, where users were in disbelief and shock, with many using the opportunity to voice how they have battled with their own inclinations to attempt what he did. Coincidentally, a month prior, on 22 January, legendary actor Patrick Shai was…
By LINDA PONA On Monday, 13 February, the atmosphere at the Noluthando Community Hall in Makhanda’s Joza township was packed to capacity as angry community members defended the Grahamstown Anti-Crime Facebook group during a meeting. Community member, Kungeka Mashiane. Photo: Iviwe Haarmans The anti-crime group called a meeting with members of the community to discuss the way forward for the group. The gender included the possible closure of the neighbourhood watch group; and the case against six of its members, including the chairperson, Luyanda Sakata, for the alleged murder of alleged criminals. The meeting touched on the possible closure…