By Luvuyo Mjekula “No truck or machine will leave this site until our demands are met.” This was the message from residents of wards 5, 6 and 9 in Joza earlier this week as they continued their sit-in at the Makana Way upgrade project site, calling for the decision makers to remove “illegitimately employed” workers and replace them with those chosen by the relevant communities. Grocott’s Mail reported this week that the project had been at a standstill for two days as angry residents, who accused certain Makana Municipality councillors and other project role players of corruption, nepotism and dishonesty,…
Author: Luvuyo Mjekula
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By Owethu Nokhangela and Zipho Ndwayana In collaboration with Joza police and community leaders, Gift of the Givers set out to various schools in Makhanda on Thursday to educate learners about gender-based violence, sexual assault and bullying while also showering the children with much-needed gifts. In the initiative, three primary schools – Makana, Archie Mbolekwa and DD Siwisa, were visited. Joza police station commander, Colonel Nomsa Mtshagi, Makana Municipality councillor Ramie Xonxa, pastors and community members, accompanied the members of the popular NGO. Mtshagi addressed the children. “We are here… as we work with everyone to fight against GBV so…
By Noxolo Mnisi and Busisiwe Maluleka Rhodes University Community Engagement (RUCE) in collaboration with the Rhodes University IT department have been donating old computers to local schools around Makhanda. The recent donations were made to Nathaniel Nyaluza Secondary School in Fingo Village. Now and again, with the assistance of RUCE, the IT division at Rhodes University rols out computers when updating their labs. RUCE developed the project to help schools that need digital learning material so that teachers and pupils can enhance their computer skills. The Social Innovation Hub is one of the programmes at RUCE, and according to coordinator,…
By Staff Reporter Rhodes University mourns the passing of education giant, alumnus, and Order of the Baobab recipient, Dr William Smith, the university said in a statement on Thursday. Smith, 85, passed away after a short battle with cancer. “We honour his legacy, and wish to express our deepest condolences to his loved ones and all who were guided by some we consider to have been the teacher of the nation,” said Vice-Chancellor, Prof Sizwe Mabizela. In 2021, Rhodes University conferred a degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) (honoris causa) on Smith, already the 2019 recipient of the coveted Distinguished…
By The Division of Communication and Advancement Retired Judge of Appeal Azhar Cachalia recently delivered a compelling public lecture at Rhodes University, where he criticised Parliament’s questionable decision to appoint individuals with known unethical conduct to serve on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). Judge Cachalia, a Visiting Professor at Rhodes University’s Faculty of Law, was appointed as a Judge of the High Court in Johannesburg in 2001 and later as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2006. He currently serves as chair of the non-governmental organisation Freedom Under Law. Professor Helen Kruuse, who introduced the judge, highlighted his…
By Staff Reporter Rhodes University is pleased to announce that SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter will deliver the keynote address at the 10th Archbishop Thabo Makgoba Development Trust Annual Lecture on Values-Based Leadership. The event is set to take place on Monday, 26 August 2024, at 18h00 at Eden Grove Red, Rhodes University. Commissioner Kieswetter, who assumed the role of SARS Commissioner on 1 May 2019, brings a wealth of experience and a distinguished career in both the public and private sectors. His tenure at SARS is marked by a deep commitment to integrity and excellence, underpinned by his previous roles…
By The Division of Communication and Advancement Rhodes University recently participated in an institutional audit conducted by the Council on Higher Education (CHE), and while the report highlighted both the strengths and areas for improvement, Rhodes University showed commendable results overall. The CHE is a statutory body mandated by the Higher Education Act (Act No. 101 of 1997) to promote quality assurance in the higher education sector, “audit the quality assurance mechanisms of higher education institutions and accredit higher education programmes”. The audit process began with Rhodes University engaging with the CHE to establish an audit agreement, followed by the…
By Ross Marriner Last week, we assisted yet another client to submit a dread disease (otherwise known as critical or severe illness) claim, reinforcing just how important it is to have this form of cover as part of your financial plan. It is sobering to note just how many clients have submitted claims for this benefit in recent months. Dread disease cover is designed to pay you a tax-free cash lump sum if you are diagnosed with a critical illness. This pay-out can be used to cover out-of-pocket medical expenses such as medical appliances, home adaptations, travel costs, private nursing…
By Mbali Tanana and Luvuyo Mjekula “It was like we were watching a movie.” So said a group of car guards who witnessed a large tree falling on a white BMW on Allen Street on Wednesday afternoon. Seconds after parking his white BMW 330i, Sabhi Shahzad and his two passengers were in shock as the tree fell onto the vehicle, smashing his rear windshield. Still trembling from shock, the teary-eyed Shahzad said the municipality must account for the damages and trauma he and his passengers experienced. The young driver was then whisked into a white Ford Ranger bakkie that was…
By Luvuyo Mjekula and Rikie Lai The water crisis in Makhanda appears to be going from bad to worse, with frustrated ratepayers and ordinary residents reporting more frequent water outages while the Makana Municipality is keeping mum. On a daily basis, social media pages are flooded with messages like this one: “Water situation today??? Day number….!!! Seems I have to buy water …AGAIN!!!” Said another ratepayer recently: “I have not had water at 63 Hill since Saturday. I previously had a problem in that all my neighbors had water but I did not. This was after the water was switched…