By Ruvesen Naidoo Residents of Sun City informal settlement in Makhanda are terrified after dark because they have not one working street light, they told Grocott’s Mail. The problem also affects residents of Ghost Town, next to Sun City, and Hooggenoeg just up the hill as the areas are connected by a path of a few hundred metres that runs through an overgrown, bushy area. Grocott’s Mail reported last week that, because of a long-term sewage leak running down the hill, many of the bushes have grown to a huge size. Workers have no option but to walk through the…
Author: Ruvesen Naidoo
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By Ruvesen Naidoo The residents of First Avenue in Hoggenoeg, Makhanda are fed up with a huge flood of sewage that they say is 20 years old, and affects their health and livelihoods. A once-empty piece of land between First Avenue and Sun City informal settlement is now overgrown with bushes that have flourished as a result of the sewage leak. This makes the path across this land very dangerous for pedestrians who walk through it on their way to different workplaces in town. Resident Roy Sauls, who lives one street away in Second Avenue, Hooggenoeg says “We have made…
By Ruvesen Naidoo With a heavy heart, the owners of the 124-year-old Grahamstown Laundry and Dry Cleaners in High Street are closing down because of their poor state of health, and the impact of load shedding and water cuts. Navin Narshai, one of the owners of Grahamstown Laundry and Dry Cleaners, manages the business alongside his wife, Maya Narshai, and younger brother Ashwin Narshai. He told Grocott’s Mail that the laundry was an enduring link between generations, having been handed down through four generations. Describing the laundry’s establishment in Makhanda, Narshai recalls stories that were shared by his grandparents and…
By Ruvesen Naidoo Peppergrove Mall has a new healthcare service facility that will be open for 13 hours a day, seven days a week. The Meta Clinic has been open for nine days now, with branches in Gqeberha and Elardus Park, Pretoria. Experienced local doctors Dr. Fred Oosthuizen and Dr. Unine Odendaal will be leading the practice, which offers regular primary health care services, including basic cardiac screening, abscess drainage, sutures, family planning, ECG analysis, sprain management, sutures, family planning, and women’s health services. One of three doctor’s rooms at Meta Clinic Makhanda. Photo Supplied. Jullian Britz, one of the…
By Ruvesen Naidoo A new event known as ‘Play With Your Food’ wants families who do not know each other to host meals where the children and parents play together as they eat. ‘Play With Your Food’ was launched recently by OpenSeat in collaboration with ChangeX and the Lego Foundation and aims to make mealtime a more enjoyable activity for kids and parents through the use of games and play. OpenSeat is an interesting web platform that allows hosts to warmly invite unfamiliar faces into their homes for dinner, at a fee, with at least one Makhandan signing up to…
By Ruvesen Naidoo Recently, the community of Makhanda has been grappling with a series of pressing water-related challenges. Amongst the recurring water cuts and shortages, a glaring concern arises as the Makana Municipality appears to be overlooking the issue of burst pipes, displaying a deep lack of urgency in addressing and restoring these critical infrastructure failures. Ayanda Kota, Makana Citizens’ Front Secretary and an activist in the Unemployed People’s Movement, told Grocott’s Mail that “40 % of water is wasted in this country due to leaks. Our municipality must be one of the worst and no attempt is made to…
By Ruvesen Naidoo South Africa faces an unavoidable reality with the surge in load shedding affecting the lives of its citizens. Addressing this crisis, Matshela Koko, Eskom’s former interim group CEO, emphasised crucial solutions during a recent teach-in organised by Rhodes University’s Politics department on 10 July. Building a skilled workforce, efficient maintenance management, improved operations, and customer-centric practices are essential steps towards ending load shedding in the country, he said. Koko, who is currently the managing director of Matshela Energy, has worked in the energy industry for over 25 years. But he is not without a cloud hanging over…
By Ruvesen Naidoo Voodoo Coffee Shop, located next to Gino’s Restaurant, Hill Street in Makhanda, offers a wide selection of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods that seem to be taking the people of Makhanda by storm. Opened in April 2023, its grungy atmosphere and friendly customer service are suitable for all those with a sweet tooth or just an acquired taste for different types of coffee. Owner of Voodoo Coffee, 20-year-old John Zacharellis, shares some interesting facts about his culinary journey with Grocott’s Mail. Zacharellis says that he was inspired to open Voodoo Cafe as “there wasn’t much in…
By Ruvesen Naidoo The highly anticipated National Arts Festival (NAF) will be taking place in Makhanda from 22 June to 2 July this year. The festival, which explores both artistic and cultural offerings, is expected to bring in big groups of people, both locally and internationally. Although Makana Tourism put out a call for homeowners to register as homestay hosts for festival goers, it seems that fans of the arts are choosing to stay with long-established formal guesthouses. Guesthouses and NAF accommodation providers shared their thoughts with Grocott’s Mail about accommodation for this year’s festival. Tony King, a Grahamstown Accommodation…
By Ruvesen Naidoo On 1 June, Crystal Warren, manager of the Curatorial Division at Amazwi Museum of Literature, launched her new book, ‘The Best Nest,’ a book about two birds on a quest to find a new nest. The book features illustrations by Megan Vermaak, design by Ashlyn Atkinson, and is free to download in all 11 official languages. Warren published the book on Book Dash, an amazing website that gathers together creative professionals who volunteer to create new, African storybooks that anyone can freely translate, print and distribute. Book Dash believes that every child should own one hundred books…