By MICHELLE BANDA The Principal of Luzuko pre-school in Victoria Road, Fingo Village, is appealing for help to fix equipment and facilities that were vandalised during the lockdown. The school serves 37 children from the Fingo community and serves as a feeder for primary schools in the area, such as Fikizolo Public Primary School. All ECD centres and partial care facilities were closed in March following the declaration of the state of national disaster by President Cyril Ramaphosa, as part of the national measures to contain the spread of Coronavirus. They were permitted to re-open following a Covid safety assessment…
Author: Student Reporter
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Car-cloning is a low- or no-contact crime that nevertheless has a huge impact on its victims, reports SAMANTHA CAROLUS Criminals are evolving and getting smarter. Car owners are overwhelmed with information about payments, and the responsibilities of maintaining and securing their vehicles and it’s hard to keep up with car crime trends. Vehicle cloning is a well used car theft technique that happens right under the noses of owners and leaves uninformed second-hand car buyers powerless and frustrated. While the theft of motor vehicles and motorbikes in the Eastern Cape has dropped by 10.4% over the past 10 years, South African Police crime…
By SINAZO ALUNGILE NOVUKELA In January this year, a very special young woman turned 21. But if it hadn’t been for a very special (then-young) man, she wouldn’t have even made it to her first birthday. The front page of Grocott’s Mail of 22 January 1999 shows Inspector Tim Hackart and his assistant, Jeffrey Jacobs, holding tiny ‘Baby Luck’. It was an experience that would change Hackart’s life… and save hers. Now a Warrant Officer based at the New Street offices of the South African Police Service, Hackart told the story at an emotional reunion organised by Grocott’s Mail. Mihlali Ncula…
Military veterans working on an environmental project managed by Earth Link Development Service in Makhanda have received no payment since the beginning of lockdown. Earth Link is subcontracted by Working for Water, a project of the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries. There are 120 veterans affected in Makhanda and they sought the support of Grocott’s Mail to highlight their plight. Team supervisor Phakamisa Vathu said, “We are having a very difficult issue. We haven’t received our payment since the beginning of lockdown. Our fixed contract with the company Earth Link started in 2019 and it ends in 2021. Before the lockdown,…
By MICHELLE BANDA Covid-19 has amplified disruption and accelerated corruption in South Africa, says politician and State Capture whistleblower Mcebisi Jonas. “Realistically, things are likely to get worse before they get better.” Jonas was speaking at the 6th Archbishop Thabo Makgoba Annual Lecture on Values Based Leadership. Since 2014, the Archbishop Thabo Makgoba Development Trust in partnership with Rhodes Business School invites notable public figures who have demonstrated that quality to speak at the University. Due to Covid-19 this year’s lecture was delivered virtually. Jonas said corruption had made people lose confidence in South Africa’s leaders, thus compromising the sustainability of future leaders. This…
By SINAZO ALUNGILE NOVUKELA A school catering for the needs of some of Makhanda’s most at-risk children faces losing half a million rands of donated funds and remains cramped up in prefab buildings on an old railway siding thanks to a 13-year bureaucratic delay. Parents feel their children are neglected by the government and have demanded action. Parents of Amasango Career School on Thursday 8 October marched to the Department of Education to hand over a petition demanding they act on a court order to build proper school facilities. The school’s classrooms are prefabricated structures placed at the end of…
By TUSANI MNYANDU Local police have distanced themselves from social media posts by a Makhanda policeman in support of a rape-accused friend and the SAPS provincial bosses say the incident will be investigated for possible misconduct. Grahamstown Station Commander, Colonel Mbulelo Pika, addressing a group of around 50 protesters outside the station on Monday 5 October, pleaded for patience. He emphasised that the South African Police Service did not support the views of the police officer and that due process would be followed. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) staged a protest outside Grahamstown police station in Makhanda Monday 5 October,…
By Michelle Banda Rhodes University student Putuma Balintulo is a semi-finalist in Miss Earth South Africa. The competition is the culmination of a five-month exchange between the participants, the programme, workshops, and campaigns, as well as the candidate’s community projects. It is aimed at empowering and educating young women between the ages of 18 to 28 on conserving and preserving the environment. This collaboration allows for participants to find unique ways to carry out community projects. These include educating, greening, climate change awareness, and community development. Different entrants join for different reasons, making the outcome vary as well. For Balintulo,…
By LILLIAN ROBERTS A resident who battled to defend his home from a veld fire last Saturday warns that poor road access, failure to maintain firebreaks on municipal land and low water pressure make a dangerous combination for residents on the edge of the municipal commonage. Jay Kruuse was speaking to Grocott’s Mail after a fire came dangerously close to houses in Hillsview Road on Saturday 26 September, forcing residents to fight flames at their back fences. And it was Déjà vu for PJ Olivier, as the fire was stopped short of the school’s garages, where the school bus was parked.…
COVID-19 FRONTLINE HEROES By USISIPHO BATYI Despite the hardships and health risks, millions of essential frontline workers have continued to do their jobs throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. These hard-working heroes are caring for those who are most vulnerable and keeping the community safe. Here, we introduce Captain Milanda Coetzer. In her own words, she shares the risks and challenges she faces, the concerns she has, and how she is coping. 1. How has the pandemic changed your approach towards your work? I have had to be more alert and adopt a fatalistic attitude because one must apply a greater…