By Mahlatse Mokgope A recent report stipulates that 81% of learners in Grade 4 cannot read for meaning in any language. It is impossible to overstate the reading crisis facing South Africa. An all-hands-on-deck approach is needed to combat the literacy crisis. On 24 June, the Right to Read campaign hosted a workshop at the Lebone Centre to discuss the barriers and pragmatic solutions. Cameron McConnachie, the Legal Resources Centre (LRC) Regional Director in Makhanda, hosted the workshop. Right to Read is proposing national regulations to combat the reading crisis. The workshop was attended by teachers, principals, after-school programme facilitators…
Author: Philanathi Mapisa
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By Rosa-Karoo Loewe Daily Dispatch The National Youth Jazz Festival is set to enthral with an electrifying mix of professional artists and promising young musicians, running adjacent to the National Arts Festival in Makhanda. The programme includes more than 300 participants from across the country, featuring more than 55 professionals, nearly half of whom once performed as students at the festival, Jazz Festival director Alan Webster said. “The National Youth Jazz Festival, founded in 1992, is a special jazz festival produced as a barometer of South African jazz, where young people are inspired by the jazz they hear and the people…
By Uyanda Khumalo After decades of unanswered pleas, residents of Scott’s Farm in Makhanda are now fixing their own potholes and drains, fed up with Makana Municipality’s failure to deliver even the most basic services. “It’s been 30 years and they’ve done nothing,” says 65-year-old Verna Haywoot, sharing the frustration of a community that feels abandoned by local government. Blocked drains, broken streetlights and crumbling roads have plagued the area for years, and the only visible sign of municipal work is a wall built around a nearby field and some paving on the main road. “We are old. We can’t…
By Uyanda Khumalo It is quite thrilling for Makhanda to host approximately 10 000 guests – parents, alumni, scouts, sports enthusiasts – from around the globe for the celebrated K-Day. Not only does the week of culture and sports bring about friendly competition between Kingswood College, DSG, St Andrews, and St Andrews Prep, but it also brings the broader community of Makhanda together. With K-Day being one of the two biggest events that generate a lot of revenue for this town, there is a lot of profit that guest houses, restaurants, and retail stores make from this eventful week. “It is…
By Phila-Nathi Mapisa Grahamstown Primary School teacher Jaylice Fritz convened a fruitful planning meeting with the principals of three local primary schools this week. Lucien Bartis (Grahamstown Primary), Roderique Coetzee (George Dickerson), and Gerard Jacobs (St Mary’s) signed their schools up for a joint teacher empowerment workshop on 25–26 June at St Mary’s DCC. Good Shepherd Primary is also expected to join the initiative. The workshop aims to address burnout, behaviour challenges, and isolation in schools as well as build morale. With a focus on community-driven change, the team calls on stakeholders to support the initiative through funding, expertise, or…
By Phila-Nathi Mapisa A closed-door meeting intended to resolve escalating tensions at Nathaniel Nyaluza Secondary School erupted into chaos on Sunday, leaving students traumatised and stakeholders more divided than ever. The meeting, hosted by the Department of Education, was meant to address ongoing conflict at the school, including the recent replacement of principal Mzwandile Kleyi. Only parents of current learners and staff were permitted to attend, as they are considered immediate stakeholders. A register was taken at the entrance, and members of the Representative Council of Learners (RCL) were allowed in to fulfil their duty of reporting back to their peers. However,…
By Phila-Nathi Mapisa The house that served as a lifeline for many schoolchildren in the immediate eThembeni community is now in ashes. Limise Gagayi, founder of the beloved Meal After School initiative, lost her home on Monday in a devastating fire that has shaken the eThembeni and Joza township communities. Her husband, Masixole Gagayi, was home when the fire started. “I was cutting grass in the yard when I heard glass breaking,” he recalled. “I looked inside but didn’t see anything wrong and continued as I was. Moments later, a neighbourhood child came running, screaming, ‘Kuyatsha!’” By the time he…
This Freedom Day, Makhanda is alive with voices, rhythm, and reflection. Join us as we honour the hard-won right to speak, sing, create, and question. Tomorrow (26 April) the Rhodes University Chamber Choir will perform Songs of Freedom and Praise at the RU Chapel. The concert begins at 6pm and features a selection of choral works that speak to spiritual and political liberation. The programme includes African spirituals, sacred music, and liberation songs. Tickets are R50 for students and R80 for adults if booked in advance, and R60 or R100 at the door. Freedom Day itself (Sunday 27 April) will…
By Lindokuhle Fuba Siphosethu Zono, a media practitioner born and raised in Joza, is back in his hometown after spending time in East London. Zono, who did his schooling at Graeme College, is a photographer, media practitioner and audiovisual specialist. He views photography as only one aspect of his work. Initially, he was not inspired to pursue this path; instead, he felt compelled to find work after losing his job during Covid-19. It was out of necessity — his inspiration comes from hunger, as he needed to find a way to support himself. He started Sizo Media in 2020. Sizo Media…
By Garikai Chaunza In partnership with the Global Engagement Division, the Centre for Postgraduate Studies (CPGS) recently hosted a Postdoctoral Networking Meeting, bringing together postdoctoral fellows to explore academic and research development opportunities. The event, held on March 26, marked the conclusion of the Annual Postgraduate Orientation Programme, aimed at supporting postdoctoral scholars in their academic journey. In his opening remarks, CPGS director, Professor Sybert Mutereko, introduced the Postdoc Framework, which is currently under development, and invited feedback from attendees to ensure it meets their needs. He also highlighted key programs supporting early-career researchers. “Rhodes University is your platform to…