Makhanda made it to The Times of London this week. This is an abridged version of Jane Flanagan’s story published on Wednesday 27 October: Its choppy history as a pioneering frontier town helps to explain Makhanda’s mobilisation of the most significant grassroots challenge South Africa’s ruling party has ever faced. After years of campaigning on issues such as rivers that flow with sewage, taps that run dry and mountains of rubbish that are left uncollected, a diverse group of disgruntled citizens are contesting every one of the town’s 14 wards at next Monday’s local elections. Formerly known as Grahamstown, the…
Author: Rod Amner
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By SMILINGSOUTH WHAT? In Municipal Elections, you vote for a political party and a ward councillor (a mixed system of PR and a ward constituency system) to get seats at the municipal level. Here in Makana, you’ll receive three ballots: 1 for a ward councillor for the Makana Local Council; 1 for a party for the Makana Local Council; 1 for a party for the Sarah Baartman District Council. Municipal elections are different from National and Provincial Elections, where you vote for a political party (Proportional Representative or PR electoral system) to get seats in the national or provincial legislatures.…
This coming weekend, Saturday 30 – Sunday 31 October, the Cathedral will celebrate a special annual Festival. You are warmly invited to take part in the following events: Prestige Concert, Saturday 30 October, 4 pm Come and join us for an afternoon of celebration and thanksgiving for the gift of music-making – featuring the Cathedral musicians and associated choirs. Admission will be free, retiring collection. Morning Worship on Sunday 31 October The visiting preacher at the 7.30 am and 9.30 am services on Sunday 31 October will be the Revd Canon Bill Domeris. The 9.30 am service will be a special…
By JESS FELDTMAN Inkululeko *********** COVID-19 has created an ever-evolving situation impacting lives around the world. Inkululeko has been highly affected by this pandemic; however, it has continued to find ways to carry out its mission. They have prioritized the mental, emotional, and physical health of their colleagues above all else. Colleagues worldwide have been provided mental health resources to use and have been encouraged to seek out any other resources for support. Colleagues have been encouraged to take mental health breaks when needed, too. Virtual staff meetings have increased in frequency to ensure everyone is on the same…
Next Friday, 5 November at 3 pm, join Professor Jean Greyling, and host Monica Newton for a webinar: “Unplugged Coding: Why schools do not need computers to teach coding.” Register: https://bit.ly/3Bi31kT In South Africa, 16000 out of 25000 schools do not have computer laboratories, while many existing laboratories in schools are dysfunctional. This is within the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the desperate shortage of software developers in the country, and the government’s plans to roll out Coding and Robotics as a subject in all primary schools. Furthermore, coding is not only relevant to careers in software development. It…
The National Arts Festival has opened the call for 2022! They are looking for proposals for work that can be presented live in Makhanda from 23 June – 3 July. This is a call for the curated programme; a separate call for the Fringe Festival will be announced, as will a call for online works. Applications close 12 November, so GO, GO, GO! You can find the link here https://bit.ly/3lnIp65
Six works, many stories. The Makhanda Project will go live online from 28 October to 15 November. A group exhibit of filmed works, they form a narrative about the people and creativity of our home town, Makhanda. Presented by the NAF with funding from the @nacsouthafrica, these short, compelling pieces give insight into the talent and diversity woven through the town, the deep quest for healing and a new beginning and some stories behind the scenes. You can watch these beautiful works for free on our website www.nationalartsfestival.co.za from Thursday 28 October!
Jim Cambray measured 5.5mm for the week of 21-27 October, with temperatures ranging from 10C to 33C. “So, the weather is hotting up – let’s hope it brings the thunderstorms and rain this afternoon. We need some more as the soil is still quite dry,” Jim said. Robin Stobbs reported a neat 5.0mm for Grant Street. He reports that his ‘concrete garden’ is surface damp – “but down a few centimetres down it is still solid”. Paul Maylam recorded 4.2mm in Cathcart Street.
By STAFF REPORTER The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has announced that November social grants payments will begin on Wednesday, 3 November for old age (any grants linked to these accounts) and Thursday, 4 November for disability grants age (any grants related to these accounts). Child support, foster and care dependency grants will be paid from Friday 5 November 2021. Payments at cash pay-points will begin on 8 November 2021. Special Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress R350 grant SASSA is calling upon Special COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant clients who, in the initial phase of this grant,…
By JOSIE MAKKINK As matric students work to finish the final lap of the school year, a crucial question remains unanswered for many: what next? The notion of planning has been swiftly reimagined as ‘wishful thinking’ by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the gut-punching words of writer Amy Shearn, “Talking about the future is so 2019, anyway”. We are forced to live moment-to-moment, trying to catch a breath between each improvisation. For high school students, issues falling outside of the here-and-now anxiously await attention. Choosing a career path is one of them. The Rhodes Counselling Centre recently teamed up with Vuli’ndlela,…