Author: Sibabalwe Tame

By Sibabalwe Tame Eluxolweni Child Youth Care Centre (CYCC) celebrated Heritage Month in style on 25 September with young and very talented children showcasing the meaning of heritage through Marimba, Singing, Drama, and Gumboot Dance performances. The young learners, who also included learners from DCC St Mary’s and Fikizolo Primary stunned the audience with their talent. Eluxolweni CYCC houses boys aged between eight and 18 years. According to Eluxolweni CYCC manager Linda Mpiyane, the institution is “basically a children’s home” for children from Makhanda, Alicedale, Gqeberha, Kenton-On-Sea, and Port Alfred. She added that what they do is take care of…

By Sibabalwe Tame Community members from Makhanda’s Wards Four and Eight, ward councillors, the South African Police Service (SAPS), and the Community Police Forum (CPF), gathered in the Makhanda City Hall on 20 September to highlight crime problems and hotspots and look for ways to deal with with the crime that is currently spiralling out of control in Makhanda. “The message is clear: Makana is nearing a security crisis and a ‘war time’ mode is necessary, whereby members of the public should step up and volunteer for CPF duty to protect the infrastructure” said Ward Eight councillor Cary Clark and…

By Linathi Nomntsetse C.M. Vellem Primary School organised a sports tournament on 6 September for 10 of Makhanda’s schools to play soccer, netball, and chess. Kicking off the Soccer tournament were Tantyi Primary, C.M. Vellem Primary, Samuel Ntsiko Primary, D.D Siwisa Primary, Samuel Ntlebi and Ntaba Maria. The sports tournament had a good turnout, and Emergency Medical Services were on standby for safety purposes. C.M. Vellem school principal, Khululikhaya Mfecane said the tournament aimed to revive school children’s love of sports. The ten-school sports tournament was the first of its kind, and Mfecane said he hopes to grow the tournament…

By Sibabalwe Tame The Singamadoda Men Empowerment Spaces held an anti-Gender-Based Violence programme on 30 August at the Indoor Sports Centre, in Joza, Makhanda. As an organisation founded in 2017 with a vision to develop care for men for better lives, better futures, and positive communities, the founder of Singamadoda Men Empowerment Spaces, Simo “Mawawa” Ndyoko, said, “We wanted to equip the community, especially grown men because most of the time it is them who are usually involved in GBV”. Ndyoko added that “We are not going to stop, because each and every day there is always GBV happening, and…

By Sibabalwe Tame The Makhanda Women’s Chess Tournament kicked off on 12 August at the Gymnasium Hall, Victoria Girls High School, with nine Makhanda schools participating in the tournament. Victoria Primary School, N.V. Cewu Primary School, Makana Primary School, Khutliso Daniels Secondary School, Victoria Girls High, Ntsika Senior Secondary School, George Dickerson Primary School, St Mary’s Primary and Seventh Day Primary took part, with learners playing six rounds each in a junior and senior section. Winners of the Tournament In Section A (the Senior Section), Sarah Moller from Victoria Girls Primary, Iyolakha Dondashe and Zenande Skere, both from Ntsika Secondary…

By Sibabalwe Tame The “Grahamstown Donkey Outreach” project kicked off on 3 August at an open field next to the Joza Post Office. The project has a trained donkey officer and aims to provide education, practical help, outreach days, castrations, and medical care to donkeys in the town. The Grahamstown Veterinary Clinic with Animal Aid Abroad Inc. and Blind Love started off the project by sterilising 10 donkeys. “Today we are trying to focus on sterilisation and to get those naughty male donkeys that are causing problems in the streets, getting other donkeys pregnant, eating the rubbish,” veterinarian Dr. Annie…

By Sibabalwe Tame Makhandans stepped up to support the SPCA for 67 minutes of Mandela Day this week, with many donations and funds raised. As an organisation that gets no support from the Municipality, fundraising is what keeps the SPCA going. “Most of our income comes from the SPCA charity shop in town,” says Benita Tarr, a member of the SPCA fundraising committee. The organisation hopes to raise R300 000 for a bakkie and is getting closer to its target, thanks to the community. “And without volunteers, we cannot continue to make this happen,” she added. Tarr said that the…

By Sibabalwe Tame Lulonke Bakery is a small Makhanda business owned by former Eastcape Midlands student, Phiwokuhle Mbiko. She started her business back in early 2020 and decided to name it after her child, Lulonke. “2020 was a horrible year, and I was sitting at home doing nothing”, Mbiko told Grocott’s Mail. With Covid-19 hitting hard, creating more poverty, especially for unemployed people, she sat down and thought of a way to make money. A chocolate drip cake made with coffee and chocolate chips. Photo: Supplied. Her initial business plan was to sell muffins for R10 each. “People bought my…

By Sibabalwe Tame Action SA has launched its second and third branches in the Sarah Baartman district at a meeting at Extension Nine Hall, Ncede, on 13 May. Action SA members from Wards Five and 13 in Makana, along with members from Ndlambe (Port Alfred) came together to elect a chairperson and appoint the branch committee. The party was launched in August 2020 by Herman Mashaba, former DA mayor of Johannesburg, and now the president of Action SA. Athol Trollip, also a former DA leader and now the provincial chairperson of Action SA, said his party would launch another branch…

By Sibabalwe Tame Khazini Sneaker is a small and upcoming sneaker cleaning and colour restoration business owned by Aphelele Percy Ngemntu. He started his business in March 2022 and it has been running ever since. When he was asked by Grocott’s Mail why he started a business, he responded “it is because of NSFAS”. As an N6 Management student at East Cape Midlands, he was not getting financial aid from NSFAS. So, Ngemntu asked himself, “What can I do to make a living?” leading him to create a business plan. In the early days, Ngemntu charged customers R25 for cleaning…