Author: Rod Amner

By TOKOLOGO LEKOMA Many South African students have to work while they study. It’s called ‘hustle culture’. Future neuropsychologist Zintle Madolo explains that working as a research assistant at Rhodes University’s Department of Physics is no joke. After getting the job upon the recommendation of her warden, Madolo felt the pressure of living up to the work of the previous assistant. Not having any prior science-related experience meant that she had to self-teach and carefully follow instructions on data analysis. Work can be challenging and demanding, but Madolo believes it all has value. Scrunching up her nose, she finds it…

By JADE RHODE She wears a reddish hoodie over a black polo neck paired with black tights. Her attire is indistinguishable from her personality, a sense of warmth. This is just the way you would want your driving instructor to be. Anna-Maré Herselman is the owner and founder of Ladies 1st Driving School, established in 2014. Born in Caledon, Anna-Maré moved to Makhanda in 2003 to be closer to her family after her father’s passing. Her fun-loving spirit and patience allow her to enjoy working with others, which, she says, would be a waste in an office job! Coupled with…

By STAFF REPORTER Newly-appointed Rhodes Music Radio station Manager, Unathi Koboka, officially relaunched the campus-based community station with her new team last week. Grocott’s Mail has partnered with the station to bring listeners local news updates and a current affairs show hosted by Ovayo Novukela and Likhapha Thaathaa on Thursdays from 7-8 pm. Founded in 1981, the station was the first campus-based station to be licensed to broadcast legally. It is a youth lifestyle station and provides fun, experimental, informative programming that challenges the status quo. RMR has provided an educational and practical training ground for some of South Africa’s…

By HELEN HOLLEMAN The short answer is everything! Severe drought in China has impacted grain harvests, mainly in Sichuan province in the south of the country. Already a significant importer of corn, wheat, and rice since 2020, China’s imports of these crops have increased in recent years as cities have expanded and agricultural land has shrunk. China is also a major importer of sugar, coffee, and other agricultural products. The shortages created by the war in Ukraine have been compounded by drought in many countries, not only in China. We can expect competition for supplies of grain, sunflower oil, sugar, and…

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,…

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),…