Ecosystems on land changed so much during the Devonian Period that it is almost impossible to imagine. At the beginning of that period, about 420 million years ago, there were few plants on the landscape. They lived close to bodies of water and most were less than ankle high. Towards the end of the period, 60 million years later, the land was covered in a huge variety of plant life, including forests of trees. Makhanda palaeontologist, Dr Rob Gess, has had the unique opportunity to study plants at both the beginning and end of this significant period. He is well…
Author: Steven Lang
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STEVEN LANG The Chief Electoral Officer of the Electoral Commission (IEC), Sy Mamabolo confirmed that his organisation is already preparing for local government elections to be held on 27 October 2021. He made the announcement at a media briefing after an IEC meeting with political party representatives and Cabinet members in the National Party Liaison Committee. The Cabinet members present were the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Dr Nkosazana Dlamini- Zuma, the Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkize, and the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Njabulo Nzuza. There were a range of voting related issues on the meeting agenda, but perhaps the most contentious matter concerned the actual date of the election…
The Chief Electoral Officer of the Electoral Commission (IEC), Sy Mamabolo confirmed that his organisation is already preparing for local government elections to be held on 27 October 2021. He made the announcement at a media briefing after an IEC meeting with political party representatives and Cabinet members in the National Party Liaison Committee. The Cabinet members present were the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkize, and the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Njabulo Nzuza. There were a range of voting related issues on the meeting agenda, but perhaps…
PJ Olivier was the venue for the Easter Market last weekend.
The names ‘Grocott’ and ‘Sherry’ interlocked with each other and with the everyday life of Grahamstown residents through most of the 20th century. The company printed books, produced rubber stamps, sold stationery and provided news on the pages of Grocott’s Mail for much of the Albany district. When we published the history of Grocott’s Mail last year to celebrate the newspaper’s 150th anniversary, we had little to say about Sherry beyond that he was an ‘enigmatic man’ who worked very hard. How was it possible that so little was known about a person who played such an institutional role in…
An astonishing discovery of baby lamprey fossils just outside Makhanda will force a major rethink of the evolutionary tree that gave rise to all vertebrates including our own species – Homo sapiens. Well-known local palaeontologist, Dr Rob Gess, found the fossils in 360-million-year-old black shale deposits from the Waterloo Farm bordering the N2 highway. The lamprey fossils were in various stages of development from hatchling to adult when they died. Remarkably, the smallest preserved individual, barely 15mm in length, still carried a yolk sac, indicating that it had only just hatched before entering the fossil record. The prestigious scientific journal,…
By STEVEN LANG The Grahamstown Residents’ Association (GRA) has decided to change its name to the Makana Residents’ Association (MRA) to include residents of the whole local municipal area. The decision was one of three motions passed at its annual general meeting held at the Amazwi auditorium on Wednesday evening 3 March 2021. Most people voted by proxy ahead of the meeting as they attended the meeting via a Zoom video link. There were altogether (present and proxies) 95 votes in favour of the name change; six against and two abstentions. Two residents from Alicedale, Eli Constant and John Bateson,…
The 2021 State of the Nation Address (SONA) was unlike any previous address even as President Cyril Ramaphosa crafted his comments with the purpose of dragging South Africa back to a new, improved normal. Let’s start with the superficial and obvious differences from other SONAs. There was far less pomp and ceremony bedazzling the dignitaries as they entered the Houses of Parliament. In fact, there were far fewer people attending the annual ceremony so that every time Ramaphosa paused for an applause, only a few dozen supporters modestly put their hands together in approval. Compared to the hearty ovations of…
Poor coordination and internal bureaucracy delayed the distribution of the CPAP ventilators by months. “I am blown away by them,” said Professor Justin Jonas about the Gift of the Givers, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) currently distributing CPAP oxygen delivery devices across the country. Jonas described his relief after meeting with the NGO’s regional manager. “I was literally in tears because of the frustration that we’ve had over nine months: working our butts off, getting these devices done – and then no uptake… was just absolutely disheartening.” Hospitals and clinics around the country were in desperate need of the Continuous Positive…
Two local enterprises, Featherstone Brewery and Entrepid Brewers, have merged to ensure that Makana has its own supply of craft beer. This is happening in spite of the tough business climate and after months of a Covid lockdown when even the sale of any alcohol products was prohibited. Many of our fellow residents were chilled to the bone when we saw that Featherstone Brewery was put up for sale last year. We were unhappy about losing the friendly hosts at Featherstone Kloof, Mark and Clare Riley, who have been brewing some of the finest craft ales since 2012. They had…