By Luvuyo Mjekula An Extension 6 man accused of repeatedly raping his 12-year-old stepdaughter and threatening to feed her mother and siblings rat poison if she reported what had happened to her to anyone has been denied bail. The 46-year-old appeared for a formal bail hearing in the Grahamstown Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. Charged with three counts of rape, the man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his stepdaughter, allegedly first raped her in their Extension 7 home between May and June 2020. This after he dragged her into his bedroom after she had ignored his instruction…
Author: Luvuyo Mjekula
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By Luvuyo Mjekula Four Makhanda residents arrested for allegedly brutally beating two men, killing one of them, are seeking bail in the local magistrate’s court. Ntombekhaya Jacobs, 49, Sibongile Moses, 25, Masixole Siko, 25 and Masixole Ralo, also in his 20s, appeared for a formal bail application on Thursday. They have been charged with murder and attempted murder. The four are accused of beating 32-year-old Zandile Sandi and Mandilakhe Royi, near Polar Park informal settlement on 5 February, apparently after the two were accused of stealing a pair of shoes. The incident was suspected to be motivated by mob justice.…
By Luvuyo Mjekula Some residents of Ward 2 in Joza recently threatened to halt a road-repair project in the area, claiming they were excluded by the powers that be. Led by local leaders of ActionSA, the small group of residents demonstrated with placards at the site last week, threatening to shut down the project and demanding the presence of ward councillor, Ramie Xonxa. An angry Blondie Mdoko, a contractor and owner of Buhlumuzi Trading (Pty) Ltd in Ward 2, said she has been out of business for the past three years because she has been excluded from previous projects and…
By Luvuyo Mjekula An association of renowned game reserves, including Shamwari, Kwandwe, Lalibela and Kariega, has warned that inappropriately placed wind farms in the Eastern Cape, such as the proposed Albany Wind Farm immediately adjacent to Makhanda, are a threat to biodiversity, healthy ecosystems, conservation and tourism. The Indalo Private Game Reserve Association has launched an impassioned campaign to challenge the “misplaced wind farms endangering the very fabric of this historic town [of Makhanda] and the region”. “The call is clear: protect our heritage, preserve our biodiversity, and stand against the ecological injustice unfolding in our midst,” reads a statement…
By Luvuyo Mjekula Instead of being mocked on social media, police officers should be respected and appreciated, as thousands leave their families to put their lives on the line. These were the words of Grahamstown High Court judge John Smith as he sentenced two men who shot and paralysed an East London police officer and narrowly missed a private security officer in a brazen attack on 23 November 2021. “It has regrettably become fashionable to criticise and even mock police officers based on anecdotal evidence and speculation in the social media. Yet every day – and night, for that matter…
By Luvuyo Mjekula In a mob justice-inspired beating, a group of angry residents assaulted two boys aged 11 and 14 years and slapped and tied up the younger boy’s 18-year-old sibling – over a pair of white Puma socks. The angry mob inflicted the attacks on the morning of Saturday, 3 February, first in Xolani Location and then in N Street. According to a Xolani resident, the 11-year-old boy was head-butted by a man in his 30s, trampled on and left with a swollen face, while the 14-year-old sustained an injury to his ankle after being struck with a stick.…
By Luvuyo Mjekula Eastern Cape Social Development MEC Bukiwe Fanta visited two schools in Makhanda on Thursday morning as part of the provincial government’s back-to-school campaign to support, motivate and ensure learners’ wellness. The campaign sees political heads and government officials going to schools in all corners of the province to offer support to learners and their teachers while also checking on the children’s welfare. Fanta led a team of officials from her department, the mayor of Sarah Baartman District Municipality, Deon de Vos, as well as Makana Local Municipality councillors Zodwa Cetu and Ramie Xonxa. The MEC motivated learners…
By Luvuyo Mjekula The Auditor General (AG) slapped Makana Local Municipality with a fourth straight disclaimer audit opinion this week, citing a culture of non-accountability, non-reporting, no progress and a lack of processes in the system. The AG said, as it is, the municipality cannot be trusted with money. Having to audit the municipality’s financial statements comprising its financial position as at 30 June 2023; financial performance; changes in net assets; cash flow statement and the statement of comparison of budget and actual amounts for the year that ended; as well as the notes to the financial statements, including a…
By Luvuyo Mjekula The Democratic Alliance in the Eastern Cape has vowed to get to the bottom of the water crisis plaguing the community of Makhanda in the Makana Municipality. On Tuesday, 9 January, DA provincial leader and member of parliament Andrew Whitfield led a team of various party leaders and councillors on an oversight inspection of water infrastructure in Makhanda. Frontier Constituency leader and member of parliament Kevin Mileham, DA Cogta shadow MEC Vicky Knoetze and local councillors Luvuyo Sizani and Cary Clarke joined Whitfield. In a statement released prior to the inspection, the party expressed its determination to…
By Luvuyo Mjekula Accused of destroying solid and longstanding infrastructure of a town built more than 200 years ago, Makana Municipality mayor Yandiswa Vara hit back at her critics last week. “Two hundred years ago, this municipality was built for one section of the town. Now, the capacity cannot meet the demand. We did not mess up the infrastructure of this town,” she said emphatically. Earlier, Makhanda residents had taken turns throwing strong accusations at Vara and her eight councillors during her mayoral imbizo at City Hall on Thursday last week. A local advocate even called on the mayor and…