By ROBYN TYLES, BRIAN RAMADIRO, CAROLYN MCKINNEY, and XOLISA GUZULA From the fourth year of schooling, the majority of South African schools teach all subjects in English only. The devastating learning consequences of this for children who speak African languages at home have been compellingly captured in the documentary film Sink or Swim. These consequences include a lack of conceptual understanding and little identification with the content. There are 12 official languages in South Africa, including South African sign language. The constitution allows any of these languages to be used as a medium of instruction in schools. But only English, and in a…
Author: Rod Amner
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By LUCAS NOWICKI Lawyers representing Mary Waters High School will soon file contempt of court papers against the Eastern Cape Department of Education.With assistance from the Legal Resource Centre, the public school had to take the department to court to get more teachers and pay its newly appointed educators.In June, the court ordered the department to fill vacant teaching posts and appoint two additional teachers and two teaching assistants at Mary Waters. Lawyers representing Mary Waters High School in Makhanda will soon file contempt of court papers against the Eastern Cape Department of Education for failing to comply with a…
By JONATHAN WALTON “People generally fall into one of three groups: the few who make things happen, the many who watch things happen, and the overwhelming majority who have no notion of what happens. Every person is either a creator of fact or a creature of circumstance. He either puts colour into his environment, or, like a chameleon, takes colour from his environment.” Myles Munroe There is nothing wrong in questioning the controversial extension of the current Municipal Manager’s contract of employment or even questioning the controversial appointment of the new Chief Financial Officer. Given the poor managerial record of…
By LOYISO DYONGMAN Enkanini informal settlement in Makhanda has finally been electrified after five years of protests. The informal settlement was formed in 2017 in Mayfield by former back-yarders around Makhanda. Earlier this year, residents intensified their protests. Some municipal vehicles and electrical poles were burnt, and roads were barricaded with rocks and burning tyres. They informed Municipal Manager Moppo Mene that promises of electricity made three years ago had been repeatedly broken. At the time of the protests, local activist Patricia May vowed the community would not rest until they achieved their goal. Last week May paid tribute to…
By the GROCOTT’S MAIL EDITORIAL BOARD On Sunday, 31 July, Makana Citizens Front (MCF) leader Ayanda Kota submitted his opinion piece, ‘What Grocott’s Mail gets wrong about the MCF’. In our view, the piece flirts dangerously with hate speech and defames the reputation of several local citizens. We nevertheless decided to publish the article in full. This is why. In the piece, Kota writes MCF black councillors endure racism from “white supremacists” in Makhanda. He then names three of these alleged supremacists. Under South African law, defamation is “any wrongful, intentional publication of words or behaviour relating to another person…
EDITOR’S NOTE: The names of three local citizens have been redacted from this article. You can read a full explanation here for the decision of Grocott’s Mail’s Steering Committee to publish this My Say with redactions. By AYANDA KOTA Ayanda Kota during an interview with Grocott’s Mail on Thursday, 21 April. Photo: Ovayo Milisa Novukela Media is essential as it is a cornerstone of democracy. It helps to bring forth diverse views and promote healthy debate whilst at the same time; it should constantly act in the interests of the majority of citizens. We must always guard and protect its…
By ROD AMNER At Thursday’s chaotic council meeting, outgoing Makana Municipal manager Moppo Mene’s contract was extended for three months after the municipality failed to advertise his post in time. The Makana Citizens Front (MCF) Proportional Representation councillors again voted with the ANC to extend the contract of the man they launched a mass protest against in 2021. The 363-page agenda for the meeting – containing crucial information about the municipality’s Financial Recovery Plan, annual financial report, and supply chain management report – was sent to councillors at the last minute, in breach of municipal bylaws. The opposition Democratic Alliance…
By UYANDA NTLOKO Julia Arbuckle, a Rhodes University Master’s student in Fine Art, has been awarded the Javier Rosón Prize for her work entitled “Root/Rot: The Family Bible. The work is based on and inspired by the artist’s family history, which is centred on the British colonisation of South Africa in 1820. The Javier Rosón Prize is awarded by the Ankaria Foundation to a young artist of promise under the age of 28, with the aspiration to create a platform to promote culture and art by supporting creators in Spain and other parts of the world at large. The prize is…
By CHESLEY DANIELS SEDRU Log Leaders St Marks Alicedale extended their lead in the overall log standings with a clinical but hard-fought 15-5 win over second-placed Klipfontein United in their EPRU SEDRU Regional League competition fixture. This much-anticipated contest took place at the Alicedale Sports Ground on Saturday afternoon. It was also apparent that the home side and log leaders took a decent 10-0 lead at halftime. This top-of-the-log clash occurred in wet and cold weather conditions, but both teams ensured some heated rugby action inside the four corners. This was also sweet revenge for St Mark’s after a 5-26…
By CHESLEY DANIELS PJ Olivier High School 1st XV came out guns-blazing in their return schools rugby fixture against Alexandria High 1st XV with a clinical 27-20 win on Wednesday. The match was played at the PJ Olivier School’s Sports Ground. The home side took a commanding 24-0 lead at halftime. PJ Rhinos took sweet revenge against their counterparts after losing narrowly 15-7 in their previous encounter played in Alexandria on 18 May. This much-anticipated clash lived up to expectations, as both teams entertained the large crowd. The home support gave the hosts a much-needed boost as the Rhinos played…