Author: Staff Reporter

On Thursday evening 27 February 2020 Journalism alumnus and author David Bristow will be hosting a storytelling evening with dinner at The Cockhouse (10 Market Street), along with old College comrade and Lower Albany farm boy Jack McLeod, kicking off at 6pm with drinks and snacks. Bristow will do a visual presentation of his series ‘Stories from the Veld’, featuring the three books Running Wild: The Story of Zulu an African Stallion, then The Game Ranger, the Knife, the Lion and the Sheep: 20 Curious Characters from Southern Africa, and Of Hominins, Hunter-Gatherers and Heroes: Searching for 20 Amazing Places…

We share with you the next in our series on sports clubs in Makhanda that are open for members of the public to join. East Cape Shotokan-Ryu (ECSR) Karate comprises clubs in Makhanda, Port Alfred, Kenton on Sea and at Rhodes University. ECSR also holds strong links to Joza Karate Club in Makhanda and oversees the community-based Alicedale Karate Project. Membership includes children and teenagers as well as a large and diverse contingent of adult karateka of all ages. Karate is much more than another physical activity in a myriad sports and extra-mural activities offered by schools and clubs: it…

Research says that books in the home are the single biggest indicator of academic success – and it’s with that in mind that the Lebone Centre is launching an exciting literacy campaign that includes donating 20 books to each of 200 Makhanda homes in 2020. The aim of the initiative is to partner with families in creating an enabling environment that will support the literacy practices in their homes. Much research has been done that points to a strong literacy environment in the home as a critical factor in children’s literacy development, especially in the early years. A study conducted…

We share here information supplied by the Department of Health Following the outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, the South African Embassy in China has been advised by the People’s Republic of China that people currently in Wuhan will be quarantined for 14 days before exiting the country. No public transport will be allowed to exit Wuhan, those who wish to exit the city will have to make use of private transport. People in the city are advised to stay indoors and avoid public places and the use of public transport. The People’s Republic of…

Aberdeen Police have opened an Inquest after a farm worker died of injuries he substained when he was struck by lighting. Police spokseperson Captain Khaya Tonjeni said the farm worker, who has not been named because his next of kin haven'[t been informed, was repairing qa fence in the Aberdeen district around 5.30pm, when  he was struck by lighting. “Immediately after the deceased collapsed to the ground, fellow workers contacted the Aberdeen Police  and Emergency Services,” Tonjeni said. When the ambulance arrived, the man was certified dead. Outdoor safety in a lightning storm The following is a summary of tips…

Lawyers for Makhanda resident Sigudla Ndumo will Wednesday 5 February apply to appeal last year’s High Court ruling that the change of the town’s name from Grahamstown to Makhanda was legitimate. In December 2019 Judge Murray Lowe rejected the Keep Grahamstown Grahamstown (KGG) application to have set aside Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa’s decision to change the city’s name to Makhanda. On 13 January, Brin Brody of Wheeldon Rushmere and Cole, representing Ndumo, filed a notice of application for leave to appeal. This was granted and the application is set down for 5 February 2020 in the Grahamstown High…

Growing students who are critical thinkers, understand their context and are socially responsive is very important to Rhodes University. Through community engagement, the university has and continues to create engaged learning opportunities for its students and these include service learning, engaged learning through volunteerism, student sports clubs and societies, or the citywide Vuka Makana initiative. Volunteerism at Rhodes University is taken very seriously, with community partner organisations co-managing programmes. Students have a huge choice of where they wish to serve and which programmes to be involved in. The university’s Community Engagement Division offers an array of volunteer programmes – Engaged Citizen…

The South African Weather Service has advised that school sport be cancelled today, Tuesday 4 February 2020, in parts of the Eastern Cape where high temperatures and humidity are set to create conditions unsafe for strenuous physical activity. Garth Sampson, Client Liaison Officer for SAWS in the Eastern Cape says high temperatures are expected over the western half of the province with high discomfort levels along the coastal belt between Tsitsikamma and Port Edward. In Port Elizabeth, for example, the calculated discomfort index would be about 105 from midday. “It is for this reason that we highly recommend that all school sport…

The South African Weather Service has recommended that all school sport be cancelled today and tomorrow in parts of the Eastern Cape where temperatures have soared as high as 40C in places. Garth Sampson, Client Liaison Officer for SAWS in the Eastern Cape says areas over the interior west of Cradock and Fort Beaufort can expect temperatures in the high 30’s and reaching 40 C in places. “Along the coast temperatures can reach up to 33 C in places,” Sampson said. “This accompanied by high humidity’s along the coast and adjacent interior over the entire region (between Plettenberg Bay and Port St…

In a statement, the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) said grants would be available from Friday 31 January 2020, as 1 February 2020 falls on a weekend. This means that all beneficiaries can access their social grants at South African Post Office outlets, Merchants and ATMs/banks as from 31 January 2020. SASSA said payment of social grants at cash paypoints will begin on Monday 3 February 2020 across the province. Payments will continue according to payment schedules/dates communicated to them during the January 2020 payment cycle.