Author: Rod Amner

By KARABO DIKOBE Earlier this month, the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa) hosted its annual AGM, which included a lecture in memory of the beloved Jack’ Skeado will do’ Skead. Skead (1912-2006) was a South African ornithologist, historian, and botanist. He was an avid birdwatcher who wrote to encourage people to take an interest in birds. Meryl Howls, one of the speakers, described Skead as “observant and wonderful”. His daughter Peggy recounted how much she had learnt from him and how involved she was with everything he had ever written. She shared how much of a magnificent…

The legendary singer and actor Elvis Presley earned over a billion dollars throughout his career. Still, when he passed away in 1977, all that was left in his estate was approximately $10 million. When his Executors wound up his estate, over 70% of the value of his estate had to be paid to the US Government in estate taxes, penalties and fees. This resulted in an amount of only $3 million being allocated to his beneficiaries.  Although the “King of Rock & Roll” was one of the most outstanding performers of all time, the legacy he left behind for his…

By MAKWENA MANAKA & MATTHEW PETERSEN A case of arson has been opened against seven boys, aged 10 to 15 years old, after R100 000 of equipment belonging to the Brumbies Rugby Club was damaged in a fire at The Oval ground on Sunday 19 September. Firefighters were called to the scene by community members, but the fire had already caused extensive damage to a container of precious Brumbies equipment. Brumbies public relations officer Chesley Daniels and club President Tyrone Goliath rushed to the scene after being alerted about the fire at around 4 pm. Daniels said that when he and…

By MATTHEW PETERSEN With the Makana LFA Premier League having crowned Jacaranda Aces as the champions for the 2021 season, our focus shifts to the First Division. Plenty of teams are fighting for promotion to the Premier League for next season, and some are fighting to avoid finishing bottom of the pile. With a host of games taking place at Fiddler’s Green, Extension 7 and the JD Dlepu Stadium, the football season continues and heads towards an exciting climax! Match Report: Pumba Pirates vs African Spears Spears kicked the game off, but Pirates quickly established themselves as the dominant side…

By AYANDA KOTA, founding chairperson of the Unemployed Peoples’ Movement (UPM) The ruling party’s top-down approach to governance, especially at the municipal level, is arrogant, entitled and expresses its contempt for the needs and desires of citizens. The November local government elections are taking place in unprecedented times. The unemployment crisis continues to escalate, impoverished people are being pushed further out on the margins of society, and Covid-19 continues to destroy lives and livelihoods. And then there are the relentless looting and ANC factional battles. The 2019-2020 consolidated report on local government audit outcomes by the office of the auditor…

By CHRIS TOTOBELA On Saturday night, Makhanda’s pride Mzoxolo ‘Black Tiger’ Ndwayana overcame the streetfighting tactics of the DRC’s Katemba Kuvesa of DRC in their non-title WBO international welterweight bout. Ndwayana came to this fight with an impressive record of 26 fights,18 wins (16 KOs), six losses and two draws. In the first round, both boxers tried to figure out their opponent’s strategies. In the second round, Ndwayana caught Kuvesa with a very sharp left hook that caused him to lose his balance and kiss the canvas. Kuvesa came back strongly in the third round, and his clumsy and casual…

The final voter registration weekend is here! Check that you are registered in the correct place and encourage any first-time voters to register. You can register online: https://registertovote.elections.org.za/voter-on-line-registration/overview and can check your registration: https://www.elections.org.za/pw/voter/voter-information Local elections are scheduled for Monday 1st November 2021.

By ROD AMNER Local business owners arrived at work on Wednesday, 15 September, to find their street-facing security cameras stolen. One business owner, Andre McLean, immediately called Hi-Tec and provided them with footage of someone with their face uncovered, reaching to remove the one camera at 9 pm on Tuesday 14 September. The cameras record to a hard drive where footage can later be retrieved, such as in this case. In total, three cameras were stolen, one off the building at Mac’s Auto and two from the building further up the road on the corner of High Street and Cuyler.…

Last week, Grocott’s Mail reported on a landmark court order upheld by the high court on behalf of the Ezihagweni Street Committee and Mary Water High School, compelling the Makana Municipality to eradicate illegal dumpsites in the city. The municipality agreed to the court order, which requires it to clean up seven illegal dumpsites in the city’s poorer areas by the end of next week. The court order also ruled that the municipality work with communities identify all other illegal dumpsites within 30 days and then clear all illegal dumpsites within 120 days. The municipality must also provide three plastic bags…

By SUE MACLENNAN Makhanda vets in private practice are joining forces with the State Veterinarian in a campaign to vaccinate the town’s dogs against rabies. This comes as outbreaks are reported in Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City Metro municipalities. According to local vets, no rabies cases have been reported among domestic animals in Makhanda for several years; however, three cases in surrounding areas were reported in 2020 – two wildlife and one domestic. “In Makhanda itself this year, there have been no positive rabies cases,” said Grahamstown State Veterinarian Sivuyile Tabankulu. The last positive case in a domestic animal…