By Chris Totobela Alleged racism may have abruptly ended former South African national handball player Ntomboxolo “Nana” September’s career of playing handball for her country, but it has not dimmed her hopes for developing the sport in Makhanda, her home town. September, who also played netball for the Eastern Cape provincial side, still has her heart set on developing sport in the small town. September started her netball journey in 1984 while she was still at a farm school before relocating to Makhanda where she played for Benjamin Mahlasela High School. Her netball career took a huge turn when she…
Author: Luvuyo Mjekula
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By Chris Totobela To close off Heritage Month, Grocott’s Mail takes a closer look at two local sporting legends. First up is former United Royals Football Club’s Andile “Ace” Mphulani, one of the greatest centre backs Makhanda has ever produced. Tall, strong, good both aerially and on the ground, cool, calm and collected, but hard tackling. Mphulani joined Big Bafana, as Royals was known at that time in 1978, as an 11-year-old boy. “I joined Big Bafana at a very young age. Big Bafana was formed in 1975 after a number of Early Birds bench warmers decided to break away…
By Luvuyo Mjekula ‘Wine and dine in the dark’ is the theme for an awareness programme on visual impairment and blindness scheduled to take place at the Foley’s Ground in Hlalani Location this Friday. The Grahamstown Self Help and Rehabilitation on Disability (Grashrd) is behind the idea and will host the educational event. The aim is three-pronged, say the organisers. The event aims to get sighted people to experience, first hand, what it is like to be blind; the event seeks to raise funds for the organisation and will also celebrate Heritage Month. The theme of the event is “Wine…
By Luvuyo Mjekula and Lindokuhle Fuba “If anything typifies heritage, it’s Amazwi.” So said retired Albany Museum historian and curator Fleur Way-Jones at the Amazwi South African Museum of Literature Heritage Carnival on Tuesday. Grocott’s Mail caught up with Way-Jones as she was leaving the carnival. Asked what she thought of the event, she said: “If anything typifies heritage, it’s Amazwi. Because everybody will be here, and everyone is here. Except there is no braai,” she laughed. She said she had visited the carnival to show support to Amazwi, but to also meet the museum’s new director whom she said…
By Chesley Daniels In a thrilling Score Energy Drink Epru Grand Challenge Bottom 12 second-round fixture, St Marks Alicedale’s 1st XV edged out Eastern PE 24-17 at the Alicedale Sports Ground on Saturday. The bonus point victory propelled St Marks to 44 league log points, tied with their opponents and crucially boosting their relegation survival hopes. St Marks’ captain Charles Oosthuizen led by example, scoring a brace of tries in the first half. The home side’s powerful pack provided quality lineout driving mauls, laying the foundation for Oosthuizen’s tries. Brian Buys also crossed the whitewash, as St Marks took a…
By Chesley Daniels In a stunning display of dominance, Rhodes University’s 1st XV rugby team annihilated Swallows 50-17 in their Epru Adams Cup second-round fixture at the Rhodes University Great Field on Saturday. The students’ breathtaking second-half performance left the 2023 Sedru champions reeling. The initial 40 minutes were a tightly contested affair, with Rhodes edging Swallows 12-7 at halftime. The Students’ forwards laid the foundation, while their backs probed for openings. Swallows, however, remained resilient, capitalizing on Rhodes’ errors to stay within striking distance. The floodgates opened in the second half as Rhodes unleashed a devastating attacking spree, running…
By Chris Totobela Joza Indoor Sports Centre is expeted to be packed with boxing fans on Saturday as women from all over the province will be exchanging leather. The all-women breast cancer awareness tournament has attracted a lot of interest from the public and promises fireworks. This event has now been moved to Joza Indoor Sports Centre and will no longer be held at the Hlalani community hall as was previously planned. Mfuzo, Masakheke, Rhodes University and Vukani boxing clubs will represent Makhanda against Acemates Academy from Qonce, Dabhan from Peddie, Hotspurs from Gqeberha, Mali Boxing Academy from Bathurst, Stinging…
With September being Heritage Month and Tuesday, 24 September, Heritage Day, Grocott’s Mail reporters Sindisiwe Tshona and Nosiphiwe Nyangana hit the streets recently to ask Makhanda residents what heritage meant to them and what they would be doing on Heritage Day. Bernadette Hubbart from Makhanda I feel connected by looks with one of my heritages, but I don’t know the language that my people came from, the dances, or the songs they sang, which can be a bit lonely sometimes. As an Irish and Afrikaans mix, I know the Afrikaans side more, they are fond of their culture, they keep…
By Chris Totobela In this week’s Heritage Month feature, we reflect on one of the longest serving coaches in local football and one of the most underrated tacticians Makhanda has ever produced. Mzwandile Ntlanjeni, affectionately known as Louis in football circles, comes from a family with a rich sporting history. He got involved in football at a very young age while he was still at NV Cewu Primary School. Ntlanjeni established a soccer team and named it Swallows, which became the feeder team to Joza Callies, popularly known as AmaKenya. Ntlanjeni played with the likes of Xolisile “Maradona” Booi, Mthuthuzeli…
By Steven Lang Can you really mix business and pleasure? Well if the business is educational, and the pleasure is a trip to the Addo Elephant Park, you most certainly can. That is what a group of 24 Rhodes University students set out to achieve last Saturday. The third-year audio journalism class left the Journalism and Media Studies building in two minibus vehicles just after six o clock in the morning. Singing at the top of their voices for one-and-a-half hours all the way to the Main Camp showed their excitement. For most people in the group, it was their…