TRIBUTE Mzwandile Poswa Ewe, le nto kakde yinto yaloo nto. Thina, nto zaziyo, asothukanga nto; Sibona kamhlope, sithi bekumelwe, Sitheth’ engqondweni, sithi kufanelwe; Xa bekungenjalo bekungayi kulunga. Ngoko ke, Sotase! Kwaqal’ ukulunga! Le nqanaw’ umendi, namhla yendisile, Nal’ igazi lethu lisikhonzisile! On the occasion of the wreck of the troopship SS Mendi on 21 February 1917, which carried African servicemen who sailed to Europe to assist Allied Forces in their struggle against Central Powers, SEK Mqhayi penned a soul stirring poem Ukuzika kuka Mendi. The majority of the men on board were from Grahamstown area and their single-minded resolve was…
Author: Staff Reporter
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By KEVIN MILEHAM Should leave to appeal in the United Peoples’ Movement case against Makana Municipality not be granted, or should the appeal be lost, the Eastern Cape Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) would have no alternative but to dissolve the council in terms of section 139 of the Constitution of South Africa. Such a dissolution would immediately trigger fresh elections, to be held within 90 days of the dissolution, to elect new councillors. The Democratic Alliance stands firmly behind the judgement ordering the dissolution of council. But a few facts need to be put on the table: 1. The judge…
The 2020 National Arts Festival will go down in history as its first ever virtual edition, the organisation announced this afternoon. Staging a virtual Festival is the organisers’ response to Covid-19. In South Africa, like a growing number of countries around the world, Covid-19 has been declared a national disaster. We share here the statement from National Arts Festival CEO Monica Newton. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT We at the National Arts Festival have been worrying, thinking, worrying, arguing and thinking some more about what we do about the Coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe in relation to our very special annual festival.…
The recent rains have prompted the re-emergence of toads in town. The area around Gowie Dam west of Graeme College is a favourite haunt of the Eastern Leopard Toad and that vocal lover of swimming pools, the Raucous Toad. In an effort to cultivate awareness of these important local residents, herpetologist Chad Keates and designer Ariana Watkins prepared a sign which was sponsored by generous donors and the local branch of WESSA. This sign was put in place at the corner of Wincanton and Taunton Roads by Victor Tulwana. During the warmer months, from September to January, frogs from all…
I was out birding one morning at the Mayfield Waste Water Treatment facility just north of Grahamstown when I had a rather remarkable sighting. I was standing at one end of a long meadow watching some swallows looping over the grass, when I glimpsed movement at ground level out of the corner of my eye. When I got my binoculars trained in, I saw that it was a large Cape clawless otter! I quickly switched to my camera and hastily snapped away as the otter ambled through the flowers, only to realize that he was heading straight in my direction.…
Since its inception in 1996, Scifest Africa has been educating and enlightening its audiences with a feast of discovery. Offering a diverse and exciting festival programme, the National Science Festival is a crucial doorway to the world of Science, Technology, Innovation, Engineering and Mathematics. Scifest Africa has hosted hundreds of international speakers and workshop leaders, and hosted well over a million attendees of all ages, becoming the largest science festival on the African continent. With continued support from the Department of Science and Innovation, the festival makes science accessible to the public, encouraging parents and schools from across the country…
Hoerskool PJ Olivier once again hosted a highly successful Frans Erasmus Sports Tournament at the school’s sport grounds in Makhanda last weekend. The 22nd edition of the event was even better, bigger and more exciting. In contrast to the rain that usually graces this event, both Friday and Saturday were extremely hot. But supporters of this even don’t stay away from rain, and thousands of spectators watched primary schools across the Eastern Cape test their skills in under-13 rugby and netball games on Friday and Saturday. Running rugby and competitive netball brought out the best in under-13 sporting talent. Fort…
The start of the South African Rugby Union (SARU) Gold Cup Knockout Tournament last weekend saw a lot of surprises and a few upsets, as mistakes led to unexpected losses. The Oval Ground in Makhanda was the venue for the Sedru teams competing. Old Collegians (OC) opened the day’s proceedings against St Mark’s from Alicedale in a thrilling encounter. The game was scrappy to begin with, as both teams made too many enforced errors. OC, who are known for their running rugby, took the game to the visitors, throwing the ball around and keeping it away from the St Mark’s…
Port Elizabeth Central residents Andrew Etokwudo (47) and Princejeo Kpoe (49) appeared in the Port Alfred Magistrates court on Wednesday 11 March. They were arrested by Port Alfred’s K9 unit on the R72, following a high-speed chase. “On Monday 9 March at about 11.45pm a high speed chase ensued between Port Alfred K9 Unit members and a blue VW Polo,” Provincial police spokesperson Colonel SIbongile Soci said. Soci said the chase resulted in the confiscation of R780 000 worth of mandrax tablets and the arrest of Etokwudo and Kpoe. The Polo had been travelling from the direction of East London towards…
Smashing 10 records at his school gala may be the perfect preparation for Graeme College learner Joshua Pamphilon, who in the same week qualified to compete against South Africa’s top swimmers in the Senior Nationals. Joshua and under-12 swimmer Christopher Maclean dominated the school’s inter-house gala recently. Joshua won all 12 individual Open events in this year’s inter-house gala, and also received the trophy for most advanced senior swimmer. He broke the record in 10 of those events this year (including breaking his own record in five of them). The two records he did not break this year (Open 100m backstroke and…