By OVAYO MILISA NOVUKELA This week’s ‘go-slow’ by Makana Municipality workers was called off on Wednesday, 7 September, pending the outcome of negotiations. Regular refuse collection resumed on Wednesday after uncollected garbage built up around town on Monday and Tuesday. Makana municipal manager Moppo Mene said formal disputes between the Municipal Council, municipal management and workers were being dealt with “internally”. If the dispute is not resolved, it will be referred to the SA Local Government Bargaining Council. Workers staged a sit-in protest on Wednesday while negotiations continued. After Makana Municipality responded to workers’ grievances, the principle of no work,…
Author: Rod Amner
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By JONATHAN WALTON Worker strikes led by trade unions are not everyone’s cup of tea. Worker strikes are often disliked because of conservative perceptions and lack of understanding. Whether people like it or not, trade unions and worker strikes are protected by the Constitution[i] and labour law[ii]. In summary, workers enjoy certain constitutional rights that must be exercised legally and responsibly. ‘Go slow’ or ‘tools down’ are forms of worker protests provided trade unions adhere to the rules regulating strikes. Workers do not embark on strikes at the spur of the moment. Often strikes are triggered by unresolved work-related complaints…
By STAFF REPORTER Three exciting young musicians will perform a programme titled Resonating Classics on clarinet, saxophone and piano at the Beethoven Room at Rhodes on 14 September. These performers have all achieved high distinction results for their ABRSM advanced performance exams, placing them amongst some of the top students in South Africa. Organisers Bridging Events said they hoped to attract music students and teachers to the concert, which is inspiring and motivational for aspiring musicians. Venue: Beethoven Room, Rhodes University Music & Musicology DepartmentDate and time: 14 September, 19:00Tickets: Adults R50, students R30; purchase at the door or book…
Jim Cambray recorded 17mm of rain in Park Road from 26-31 August. Paul Maylam measured 13.7mm in Cathcart Street for the same period, which was 1mm less than the previous week. Temperatures ranged from 3.5-28 degrees Celcius for the week. For August, Cambray recorded a total of 68.8mm, “nicely above the long-term average of 51mm and the median of 36.2mm”. “The lowest for the month was 1.8mm in 1989, and the highest was a wonderful 266mm in 2006,” Cambray said. Now, what will September deliver?
By SIYANDA MPAKO and ROD AMNER The body of a Settlers Hospital patient was discovered on the hospital grounds on Friday, 26 August, more than two months after she was discharged. The deceased, Zukiswa Java, 49, was discovered in a patch of long grass on Settlers’ premises by a local woman walking her dog. Java was admitted to Settlers Hospital by her family on 14 June and discharged three days later, on 17 June. A relative told Grocott’s Mail Java’s family was concerned she was in “a disturbed mental state and refused to eat or talk”. According to Eastern Cape…
By SAM VAN HEERDEN Much of Southern Africa’s documented history is dominated by the written records of the colonial project. As a result, the region’s history is either murky or neglected. But Rhodes University’s Library Services, through its Cory Library branch and in collaboration with the University of Cape Town (UCT), plans to change this through the Five Hundred Years Archive (FHYA) project. The project seeks to make diverse historical materials available to researchers. The team at Cory Library has collaborated with UCT to digitise and make accessible some of the work done by Samuel Edward Krune Mqhayi (S.E.K. Mqhayi),…
By TANIA BROUGHTON and TOTO TSARNEBA The High Court has ruled that the exploration rights granted to Impact Africa and Shell along the Wild Coast were unlawful.The judges said there was “no meaningful consultation” with interested and affected parties before the award of the right.The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy had also failed to consider factors such as community cultural rights and environmental harm. The Eastern Cape High Court has ruled that the exploration rights granted by the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Affairs to Impact Africa and Shell were unlawful – putting an end to any seismic…
By ATHI NONDZABA Third-year Rhodes student Simphiwe Magolego co-hosts and produces a podcast she founded a year ago using her favourite medium. “Audio is like speaking to the soul,” she says, “because there is so much intimacy. It is not like writing where you are giving a person a written voice or a video where you assign a voice to a face.” She believes audio soul-talk allows her to explore depth in her storytelling and creativity with a podcast that focuses on spirituality. The Sacred Tapes serves as a medium for discussions about the spiritual side of our human experiences.…
By GAIL OLIVER Art is deeply rooted in Makhanda’s culture. There’s the National Arts Festival, which began in 1974 as a project of the 1820 Settlers Foundation (later renamed the Grahamstown Foundation) and is now one of the top arts events in Southern Africa and the world. Outside the Festival, art is seen on various walls around town, on High Street, and at monthly thrift markets. Art makes this small town go round. But art means artists. Grocott’s Mail caught up with two of our town’s queer artists. Farron Adriaan: “Art has always been a part of my life.” Born…
By JACKIE GROVÉ Thursday 1 September, was not only the first day of Spring but also a special anniversary for Dr Davies Optometrists who celebrated their “second 30th Birthday”. Due to Covid-19, they could not celebrate their 30th birthday. So, their 32nd birthday was celebrated as their second 30th birthday. A giant cake and doughnuts were handed out to the community to celebrate their anniversary and to make community members aware that Dr Davies runs an eye clinic on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings to help people who cannot afford private eye care. Doughnuts were handed out with the message,…