By Luvuyo Mjekula Makhanda police are hunting down suspects after a business robbery and a deadly shooting in Makhanda in recent days. On Saturday, armed robbers held up staff at PEP Store in Market Square. Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli said at least three armed robbers hit the store. “They threatened cashiers with firearms and demanded money. They managed to steal an undisclosed amount of money before fleeing the scene,” Nkohli said. In a separate incident, two people were shot dead in Vukani Location on Tuesday. Nkohli said the police have opened a double murder investigation after the bodies of an adult…
Author: Luvuyo Mjekula
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By Chris Totobela “Our decisions are always challenged, not because they are wrong, but just because we are women.” These were the words of Onenceba Sweetness Manjezi, a Makhanda-based boxing referee. Grocott’s Mail sat down with Manjezi as part of the regular Women’s Month feature. The soft spoken 21-year-old East Cape Midlands College student admits she encounters gender-based challenges in her career. “As women, we always have to go an extra mile to prove that we can officiate in big fights. Our decisions are always challenged not because they are wrong, but just because we are women. “Everything we do…
NguChris Totobela Bekugos’ okwaphukayo ngeCawe ngethuba iJoza Stars ivan’ amandla neYoung Eagles kumdlalo wabaneminyaka engaphantsi kweshumi elinesibhozo. Lo mdlalo uqale ngesona santya siphezulu kwaye kukhawuleze kwacaca ukuba kudibene ebezikade zizondana. IYoung Eagles, neyaziwa kakhulu ngokuphuhlisa isakhono sabadlali abaselula, yophise kuqala ngethuba abadlali bangasemva beJoza Stars beqhawukelwa lunxulumelwano nonozinti wabo, nto leyo ibbangele bohlwaywe yifolosi yeEagles, ibeka iqela layo phambili ngenqaku elinye eqandeni. Oku kuye kwayothusa iJoza Stars, nethande ukubhinqa mbhinqo wumbi mvanje, yaze yaxoza mphini wumbi yafaka iEagles phantsi koxinzelelo. IStars iye yavuzwa ngenqaku emva kokuba uAkhanani Mpangiso exhumile wabetha kakuhle ibhola ngentloko wayivalela esigcawini. Iye yankqunkqa ibuyelela ixela izulu…
By Chris Totobela The Kay Motsepe Schools Championship regional football tournament took place at JD Dlepu Stadium in Joza recently. Different teams represented their respective municipalities in the hotly contested tournament in chilly weather conditions. Makana was represented by Makhanda’s Ntsika Secondary School, with the home side making it all the way to the final and claiming the scalps of Nompucuko and Nqweba secondary schools along the way. In the final, Ntsika came up against Sunday’s River’s champs and Addo-based Samkelwe Secondary School that earned a spot in the final after beating Johnson Nqonqoza Secondary. The game started at a…
By Luvuyo Mjekula The shutdown of Makhanda by residents demanding land may have ended on Wednesday, but it has left behind a bitter row among residents on social media. Anti-shutdown residents have sharply criticised the blocking of roads and closure of schools and businesses. But the “landless” group of residents have come out in defence of their actions. Major roads in the town were blocked with rocks and rubble as hundreds of residents prepared to march to the City Hall on Wednesday morning to demand access to a piece of vacant municipal land – Erf 4807, also known as eGalfini, near…
By Luvuyo Mjekula The national Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs department is in the process of implementing a phased support programme to rescue the Makana Municipality from the financial and governance quagmire it has landed itself in. The first phase will entail an assessment and diagnosis of the challenges and failings of the institution, followed by planning on how to tackle the problems, and thereby ease the burden on residents. In the second phase, the focus will be on capacity development and policy reform, the third phase will pay attention to pilot projects and full-scale implementation and support. The fourth…
By Chris Totobela In our Women’s Month feature this week, we introduce a young woman who has made huge strides in the world of sport. Nqobile Ndlela is a strength and conditioning coach. She is also currently studying towards a Master’s degree in Human Kinetics and Ergonomics (HKE) at Rhodes University. Ndlela started working at the Joza-based High Performance Centre (HPC) last year under her HKE department as part of her Honour’s programme and has been enjoying it since. Ndlela told Grocott’s Mail that she fell in love with sport at a very young age. “I used to play different…
By Luvuyo Mjekula Police officers and staff from the SAPS’ Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) in Makhanda recently embarked on an outreach programme to empower local pupils with knowledge and much-needed school supplies. Led by commander, Lt-Col Matyobeni, the LCRC team handed out gift packs containing school uniform and shoes to more than 10 pupils at Tantyi Primary School near Xolani Location. The event was inspired by Mandela Day recently celebrated across South Africa and the rest of the world. Addressing the children, Matyobeni enlightened them about the work of the police and their relationship with members of the community.…
By Luvuyo Mjekula Hopes to end a potentially damaging dispute between Makana Municipality and a group of “landless” residents were dashed yesterday (Thursday). This after the residents, who invaded municipal land last month, rejected an offer that included vacant sites in a Joza informal settlement. It was hoped the matter would be resolved at a public meeting at the Joza Indoor Sports Centre. However, there was no consensus and the residents left the venue resolute in their mission to start their Mpolweni Squatter Camp on the commonage near the R67, known as eGalfini. This despite the municipality publicly declaring the…
By Luvuyo Mjekula A senior Makhanda police officer faces multiple assault charges after he allegedly pepper-sprayed residents in separate incidents between February and October 2023. Makhanda Police Station Commander, Colonel Mbulelo Pika, appeared briefly in the Makhanda Magistrate’s Court last week on four counts of assault. According to the charge sheet, Pika pepper-sprayed four residents – Nkosentsha Toto in West Street and Conrad Hanekom, Clemens Harris and Christiaan Tafara in New Street. The 58-year-old officer told the court he had applied for a state attorney to represent him in the case. Magistrate Robert Ntuli postponed the case until 4 September…