By Sibabalwe Tame and Malikhanye Mankayi Joyful noise filled the 1820 Settlers Monument’s Guy Butler Theatre on the opening night of the 10th edition of Masicule, which took place on Sunday, 11 March. During this 2-day, Makhandans witnessed a harmony of high school choirs taking to the stage with special guest artist, South African singer and songwriter Palesa Nomthandazo Phumelele Modiga, professionally known as Zoe Modiga, performing choral music. Local schools left the audience in awe as they performed beautiful renditions of popular choral music. The schools performing at the event included Ntsika High School, Mary Waters, Graeme College, Nombulelo…
Author: Sibabalwe Tame
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By Sibabalwe Tame A 22-year-old talented girl from Queenstown, Eastern Cape, Lisakhanya Skitas, made a name for herself when she represented the Eastern Cape in the WorldSkills South Africa National Competition held in Durban in February 2024. Skitas grabbed the opportunity to showcase her cooking talent on a big stage with both hands. Skita’s journey to WorldSkills South Africa National Competition Skita’s journey to WorldSkills South Africa National Competition started in 2023 when she applied for a Level 2 Hospitality course at Grahamstown Eastcape Midlands TVET College. The course specialises in cooking and baking. According to Skitas, her lecturer, Sinethemba…
By Sibabalwe Tame On 3 December, Sibanye Special Day Care Centre hosted a Disability Awareness Day Christmas party at Duna Library in Joza to celebrate and appreciate people with disabilities. Attending the event were various members of the community, persons living with disabilities and Ward 2 councillor Ramie Xonxa. Slovo Dyira, the owner of the media company Slovo Dyira Media Communications, is also a person living with a disability. During the event, he encouraged young children living with disabilities and also educated people about living with disabilities. “Just because we are living with disabilities, it does not mean we will…
By Sibabalwe Tame Revelations Cafe’ at Peppergrove Mall recently hosted Burger Evening to help raise funds for Child Welfare SA in Makhanda. Debbie Labuschagne, a part-time administrative assistant at Child Welfare, said, “We decided to do this burger evening to raise funds; it is for fundraising”. She continued by saying, “We run a safe house in Joza, a preschool [The Nompumelelo Preschool], and we are social workers.” She also mentioned that they also run an after-school care programme called “Maths and Literacy Life Skills”. Labuschagne said that the idea for the Burger Evening was Childwelfare Charity Shop manager Dean Walker-Randall’s…
By Sibabalwe Tame Minister of Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams launched the Crudastar Incubator in Joza Location in Makhanda on Thursday, 2 November, to empower small businesses, especially in the townships and rural areas. Ndabeni-Abraham’s keynote address took place during the 15th Annual Stakeholder Forum (ASF) in the Eastern Cape Province, themed ‘Ecosystem Collaboration Enhanced to Accelerate the Growth of Small Enterprise’, hosted by the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA). The event included various stakeholders, the Makana Local Municipality Executive Mayor Yandiswa Vara, beneficiaries of the programme, and representatives of the five entities who partnered for the event: the Eastern…
By Sibabalwe Tame A Makhanda youth plans to adopt the ideologies of stalwarts Robert Sobukwe and Makhanda ka Nxele to coach the youth to take it upon themselves to ensure a bright future for future generations. For one, Tukela Seyisi, a grade 10 Hoerskool PJ Olivier learner, aims to visit schools in the community and encourage the youth via workshops to participate in identifying the problems in the community. He is an ambassador of Robben Island. This after he excelled in a museum sustainability and well-being contest in the Sarah Baartman district recently. On 10 May, Makhanda’s Amazwi South African…
By Sibabalwe Tame Makhanda-born artist Lubabalo Kosi owns Lubae Art, a small business he started in 2020, where he showcases his skills, which are drawing and painting subjects, people and more. The young artist says that he started his business because he knew from a young age that he could draw, and back then, he did not take it seriously. “I started drawing when I was young, but I didn’t take it seriously, then I finished Grade 12 in 2019. In 2020, I told myself that let me start taking this thing of drawing seriously because it may take me…
By Sibabalwe Tame The Eastern Cape Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture (ECSRAC) MEC Nonceba Kontsiwe handed over sports equipment and sports attire to 30 schools, 15 clubs, 13 leagues and 10 Sport Hubs in the Sarah Baartman District on 3 October 2023 at the Indoor Sports Centre in Joza. The event was to acknowledge the work done at every level by those involved in Sports and Recreation. “We are doing this handover to encourage those that are interested in sports to play sports, especially the youth; we are taking them away from committing crime in the society, abusing drugs and…
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…