By ROD AMNER The dead oaks on Henry Street may need trimming or felling, but local twitchers warn that this will need to be done sensitively at this time of the year as a number of the trees are home to hole-nesting birds, including hoopoes and wood hoopoes. According to Afrifreak, once paired with a mating partner, the male African hoopoe finds a suitable nest once paired with a mating partner. The female lays between 4-7 eggs over successive days, often taking a day’s break between the first and second egg. The female remains on the eggs, incubating them for…
Author: Rod Amner
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By CHRISTI VAN DER WESTHUIZEN, Associate Professor, Centre for the Advancement of Non-Racialism and Democracy (CANRAD), Nelson Mandela University South Africa’s 2021 local government elections are set to go down in history as a watershed moment in the country’s politics. Electoral support for the African National Congress (ANC) dropped below 50% for the first time since the party ascended to government 27 years ago. Although it won 161 of the 213 contested municipalities, the number of councils without a clear majority of any party nearly quadrupled from 18 to 70. A significant portion of voters stayed away from voting stations. Most were former ANC…
By LUCAS NOWICKI Phase 2 of the upgrade to the James Kleynhans Water Treatment Works (JKWTW) will be complete by the end of March 2022, according to Amatola Water, the implementing agent for the upgrade. And there will be an “increased water supply in December 2021” from JKWTW for Makana’s December holiday season, said Amatola Water spokesperson Nosisa Sogayise. Meanwhile, run-off from the recent soaking rains is entering Howieson’s Poort Dam and being pumped back to Makhanda from the west. According to Makana Municipality spokesperson Anele Mjekula, the plant is operational despite being unused for some time. “It needed six hours to…
By CASEY LUDICK In this year’s election’s most closely contested ward, Ward 12, the African National Congress (ANC), narrowly retained the seat it won in an upset by-election in 2019 with just 22.84% of a vote split between nine candidates. Voter turnout in Ward 12 – which is dominated by Rhodes University – was a shockingly low 18.5%, down from 39.84% in 2016. Just 470 voters turned up. Why? Local politicians have their theories. Democratic Alliance (DA), Frontier Constituency Leader for Makana, Kevin Mileham, said the challenge in Ward 12 is the transitional nature of its population. Many are registered…
By RYAN JARVIS Stress affects everyone in multiple aspects of their lives. But, exams are especially stressful. For most of the Rhodes students Grocott’s spoke to, stress came from a fear of failing, not achieving their goals, or disappointing their families and the people they look up to. Some quotes from the students: “I’m afraid of what my parents might think if I don’t do well.” “If I fail the exam, then I won’t have a future.” “I don’t want to be a failure.” Stress often manifests in physical symptoms. Some students said they felt panicked and had difficulty breathing before…
By ANDREW KIRK, Makanaskop Shellhole The annual Remembrance Day Parade is on Sunday, 14th November 2021, at 10.30 am in Church Square. Each year, the Parade is held to pay tribute to the men and women of the Grahamstown District who served in the armed forces on various battlefields both at home and abroad who gave their lives for freedom. Serving members of 1st City Regiment, 6 SA Infantry, the Police Services, representatives of Makana Municipality, members of the ex-servicemen’s and women’s associations, and local schools have been invited to participate in this ceremony. Members of the public are most…
By ROBYN APOLLUS Makhanda is alive with creativity all year round, long before and after hosting the annual Nationals Arts Festival. The Makhanda Project is amply demonstrating this by exhibiting six filmed works about the artists living and working in Makhanda. The creatives who have produced these works have all had deeply personal relationships with the town and many of them currently live in it. You can watch for free online until Monday 15 November. With funding from the National Arts Council, the six pieces give insight into the city’s talent and diversity. Presented by the NAF with funding from the…
By JESSICA FELDTMAN “Buchule, how was your birthday?” “It was good, Teacher. There was cake, and my friends came to my house, and I drank champagne.” Naturally, I am taken aback by the words that had just exited this nine-year-old boy’s mouth. He notices my look of disbelief as he says with a chuckle: “It was non-alcoholic, Teacher. How do you spell non-alcoholic?” Since April, when I became his Project Read tutor, I’ve become aware that this is who Buchule is. When he hears a new word, he refuses to move on with his life until he knows what it…
By ROD AMNER With 50.5% of the popular vote in the local government elections and control over 14 of the 27 seats on the new Council, the African National Congress (ANC) believes it has an unequivocal mandate to lead the Makana Municipality. However, ANC Makana sub-region communication officer Linda Yako said the party’s focus was on “serving the people and leaving individual egos and party differences at the door – there is no party politics in Council”. “Our role will be about serving the needs and interests of our people, and we shall continue on that path of improving people’s lives.”…
By ROD AMNER Independent candidates do not, as a rule, win ward elections in South Africa. But, Vuyani Nesi did – in Makana’s Ward 14. Nesi was the ANC councillor for Ward 14 after a by-election was held last year. But, after the process of nominating a candidate for this year’s election, Nesi said the ANC kicked him out and brought someone else in. They did not follow “the right procedure for nominating a candidate” (which is through the Branch Executive Committee). This upset the community, and they felt he should stand as an independent. They promised to support him.…