By Thandile Masinyana and Sihle Nyamanda Local businesses and schools have played their part to wrap trees in pink and purple in a bid to raise awareness for breast cancer awareness this month. October is recognised as Breast Cancer Awareness Month globally as gazetted by the World Health Organization and the colour pink represents the cancer. The colour has been identified to bring solidarity to those who are survivors and is also used as a reminder for those who have lost their lives as a result of breast cancer. According the global organization breast cancer occurs when cells in the…
Author: Luvuyo Mjekula
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By Staff Reporter Eskom is urging prepaid electricity customers to recode their meters by 24 November 2024, as required by the Standard Transfer Specification Association (STSA). After this deadline, meters will no longer accept electricity tokens unless they are updated to Key Revision Number (KRN) 2, the power utility said in a statement this week. In response to recent reports, including one from City Power, Eskom confirms that there will be no extension to the 24 November 2024 deadline for the Token Identifier (TID) update. The recoding process affects approximately 6.9 million prepaid meters in Eskom-supplied areas. Failure to recode…
By Staff Reporter The DA caucus in the Makana Local Municipality has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s proclamation on 21 October that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) will investigate certain processes within the municipality. “We believe this investigation is long overdue,” said DA Makana caucus leader Luvuyo Sizani in a statement. Sizani said the DA in Makana was confident the investigation would reveal numerous irregularities and unlawful activities related to the procurement of services. “We have long maintained that some councillors and officials in this municipality have unlawfully benefited from specific tenders. In several instances, they have failed to disclose their…
By Ross Marriner As former U.S. president Benjamin Franklin famously said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” This sentiment is especially true when it comes to preparing for retirement. Even a well-structured retirement plan can face challenges due to various risks. Being able to identify these risks allows you to prepare more effectively, enabling you to make informed decisions and better safeguard your future. Some risks are within your control, while others are not. For instance, one significant risk is not saving enough for retirement. Fortunately, this is something you can manage by taking action early…
By Samantha Carolus and Nicola Jearey Graham A new project called the LO Support Participatory Action Research (LOSPAR) has been launched in Makhanda, South Africa, to improve Life Orientation (LO) education in schools. Local schools, Rhodes University’s Critical Studies in Sexualities and Reproduction (CSSR) unit, the Community Engagement (CE) division and the Department of Psychology are all working together to make this happen. LO teachers often deal with difficult issues like mental health and sexual health concerns, but they don’t get enough training or support for these roles. On top of that, LO is often treated as an unimportant subject.…
By Chris Totobela Bathurst-based United Eleven won the Nedbank Cup preliminary round final this past weekend. In the first semi-final game played at Mamityi Gidana Stadium in Port Alfred last Saturday, United defeated City Aces 3-1 while in the other semi, Seven Stars got the better of Wits 2-1. The final match was surprisingly one-way traffic with United easing past Seven Stars 4-0 and earning the right to represent the Sarah Baartman District in a provincial elimination round. United’s team manager and coach Andile Marasi expressed his excitement. “My boys played very well and deserved to win. The provincial games…
By Chris Totobela This week the spolight falls on the three local sides that will take part in the 2024/25 season of the Sarah Baartman Hollywood Bets Regional League. The new season kicks off this weekend and will see all three local representatives in action. Maru FC seems to be the most formidable of the three sides and has a solid squad with a lot of depth. They just need to beef up their goalkeeping department, which looks a little bit shaky at times. Maru will be among the title contenders and with all the talent and experience the team…
By The Division of Communications & Advancement As part of Rhodes University’s RU120 celebrations, the Old Rhodian Golf Club (established in 1970), under the leadership of Terry Sutherland, organised a Golf Day at Royal Johannesburg to bring alumni together for a noble cause. From a modest 60 participants to an incredible 200, this event aimed at generating third-stream income for the University saw the awarding of a significant bursary to nineteen-year-old Psychology student Luyolo Nketsheni, who was the Sports Star of the Year 2023 (Awarded by Mfuzo Boxing Camp) and Sportsperson of the Year 2023 (Awarded by Rhodes University). The…
By The Division of Communications & Advancement Ntobeko Promise Songcata, a Rhodes University PhD student, has been awarded the prestigious R700,000 start-up grant from the SAB Foundation. His biotechnology start-up, Pro’land Biotech, co-founded with Charles Arineitwe, was recognised for their innovative invention, PetriCam, at the 2024 Social Innovation and Disability Empowerment Awards. Pro’land Biotech is one of the first spinouts of the recently established Rhodes Enterprises (Pty) Ltd. PetriCam is a groundbreaking device developed to provide scalable and real-time analysis of microbial organisms for various industries, including environmental monitoring and pharmaceutical quality control. Developed at the Rhodes University Biotechnology Innovation Centre…
By Ephreeda Banda The School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University, in collaboration with the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF), introduced the Makhanda Declaration. This significant proclamation aims to rejuvenate the field of journalism in South Africa, aligning with the celebration of SA Media Freedom Day. October 19 marks Media Freedom Day, commemorating Black Wednesday in 1977 when the Apartheid regime banned the World and Sunday World newspapers and imprisoned anti-apartheid journalists. The Makhanda Declaration, a document inspired by the 1991 Windhoek Declaration created by African journalists, has been revisited. This updated declaration, formulated by journalists, academics, and scholars during…