By ANDREW MARTIN The recently-formed Makhanda Chess Club fought hard for third place in the seven-team A section of a chess tournament held in Jeffrey’s Bay on 19 November. The tournament attracted teams from Jeffrey’s Bay, Gqeberha, Uitenhage, and Makhanda. The playing floor at the chess tournament in Jeffrey’s Bay. Photo: supplied Youth Chess Academy finished first, with the Jeffrey’s Bay A side placing second. The Makhanda team – including Andrew Martin, Jabulani Ndaba, Jeremiah Sewelo and Cuan Kruger – won four matches, drew one and lost one. Martin collected most of the points for the team, with 4.5 points…
Author: Rod Amner
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By STAFF REPORTER At least 50 stakeholders heeded the call to come together at Makana Municipality Council Chambers to participate in the inaugural Safety and Security Indaba on Monday, 28 November, in anticipation of this year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Femicide campaign. The Indaba touched on fighting GBV, the allocation of vehicles for police, the decline of trust in the police in the community, the role of community crime-fighting groups, and the rise of vigilantism. This session, led by the Sarah Baartman Department of Community Safety, was attended by the National Prosecuting Authority, station commanders…
By the RHODES UNIVERSITY LAW CLINIC Domestic violence is defined in the Domestic Violence Act of 1998 as physical, verbal, emotional, psychological or economic abuse, intimidation, harassment, stalking, damage to property, entry into the complainant’s residence without consent (when they do not live together), or any other controlling abusive behaviour towards the complainant, where such conduct harms, or may cause imminent harm to the safety and well-being of the complainant. South Africa has one of the world’s highest incidences of domestic violence. Every day women are murdered, physically and sexually abused, threatened and humiliated by their partners. It is not…
By CHESLEY DANIELS The St Mary’s Development and Care Centre (DCC) celebrated its 40th Anniversary at a joyful and well-attended event with children, staff, parents, and partners on Monday. It was also a perfect occasion to honour the life of the late Thelma Henderson, the founder member and fundraiser-in-chief of the DCC. The celebrations kick off with the St Mary’s Primary Marimba Band, followed by an emotional and comprehensive keynote address by Margie Keeton, Thelma Henderson’s daughter. Keeton detailed the DCC’s history and her mom’s role in establishing it. She said the immediate task for Thelma and the other founders…
At their Valedictory Service in October, St Andrew’s College matrics pledged their shoes to other learners who have none, knowing that they walked in somebody else’s shoes until today. Following tradition, the Matrics placed their shoes outside the exam hall after their final exam. Photo: St Andrew’s College Facebook page Shoes are a big deal. These pictures were taken of local school girls in early November.
By CHRIS TOTOBELA It was a weekend of mixed fortunes for our local sides in the Sarah Baartman SAB regional league. Jacaranda Aces nearly squandered a two-goal lead but managed to scrap through the game with a 3-2 win. Aces were still guilty of allowing the opposition to dictate terms and dominate the game and also needed to strengthen their shaky defence. They also need to find a lethal centre forward to be their point of reference when attacking. Aces’ goals came via the boot of Sixolise ‘Sugar’ Koliti, who scored a brace and Ntsikelelo ‘Mabunda’ Mabhuda. Bathurst City FC…
By ROD AMNER The legendary Fabian Juries Community Fun Day will kick off at the Oval Sports Ground at 8.45 am on Saturday, 26 November, featuring ’10s’ rugby and netball teams from nine community areas in the city. Excited team representatives accepted rugby and netball kit from a sponsor Gold Rush’s manager Xola Goba at a joyful ceremony on Thursday night. The tournament is hosted by the Grahamstown Brumbies Rugby Club, part of the South Eastern Districts Rugby sub-Union (SEDRU). The event, first held in 2013, is designed to bring Makhanda’s communities closer together, encourage youth to play sports in…
Access Music Project’s (AMP) end-of-year concert at Amazwi on Saturday, 19 November, was a marvel. AMP thanked the AMP learners for all their hard work this year. “A huge thanks to the following institutions and individuals for making the concert and logistics happen: Amazwi (South African Museum of Literature), Elijah Moleseng Madiba, Yandisa Fihlane Ntleki, Jobst Bodenstein (for the beautiful photos we are posting here), Richard Gush, Anelisa Calu, and Sisipho Mangete. “Last but not least, thank you to our AMP staff and teachers – for everything they did on the day and for preparing learners for the concert!” Scenes…
By Prof SIOUX MCKENNA, director of the Centre for Postgraduate Studies at Rhodes University Many universities expend vast sums of money to improve their place on the rankings. And they make strategic decisions that favour rankings placement over transformation. Yale and Harvard have both announced that they are withdrawing from the US News & World Report university rankings. Harvard Law School Dean, John Manning, said it had become “impossible to reconcile our principles and commitments with the methodology and incentives”. “[The rankings provide] perverse incentives that influence schools’ decisions in ways that undercut student choice and harm the interests of…
By ROD AMNER and LINDA MKAZA, Grocott’s Mail co-editors Last month, the eight Postgraduate Diploma students who reported for Grocott’s Mail from February-October this year submitted their bulging portfolios and reflective essays, took their bows, and left the building. It was hard to say goodbye. Not simply because they worked steadfastly to bring Makhandans stories of interest and import for an almost unbroken run of over 35 weeks (including their ‘vacation’ during the National Arts Festival). But, because they proved to be a group of curious, thoughtful, diligent, proud, kind and funny young Southern Africans who had built strong connections…