Author: Sue Maclennan

Most residents know Zwelethemba Yaka from the roads of Makhanda, where he can be seen almost any given day putting in the miles for his next marathon. Grocott’s Mail found him in the Newtown Cemetery on Women’s Day, Sunday 9 August, cutting back overgrown areas that locals say are a haven for muggers and rapists. The area is a convenient route for pedestrians coming from Joza who cut across above Fikozolo Primary School to get to Newtown, or beyond through Fingo Village to Sunnyside. Vukani residents also use the cemetery as a convenient shortcut. “Criminals were hiding in the bushes. I…

Police in Makhanda have urged the public to support legal crime fighting initiatives such as street patrols, neighbourhood watch or community police forums. This comes as residents frustrated with increasing crime in their neighbourhoods continue to exercise mob justice. Sue Maclennan reports An elderly couple were among half a dozen residents who were taken to hospital to have injuries treated after police used rubber bullets to disperse an angry crowd in Vukani recently. They say they were caught in the crossfire between police and a group of residents who, sick of daily theft in the area, have decided to act…

Grocott’s Mail asked the Public Service Accountability Monitor to suggest who should be stepping in to stem the tide of mob justice that has grown in Makhanda over the past few weeks. PSAM Director Jay Kruuse speaks below about the role of the community’s elected representatives – councillors – in addition to the statutory roles of the police and the courts. Mayor Mzukisi Mpahlwa’s response follows. Self help thrives in current climate The lockdown’s diverse effects include job losses; a steep decline in casual labour; the closure of schools; difficulty or delay in accessing grants; anxiety over contracting Covid-19; prohibition…

Police have warned community members against taking the law into their own hands after a recent spate of vigilante attacks in Makhanda, some allegedly organised via social media. Provincial spokesperson for the South African Police Service Captain Khaya Tonjeni confirmed the following incidents: 17 July 2020, 5pm, Extension 10 Residents from Joza, Extension 10, Extension 8, Extension 9 and eNkanini gathered outside an Extension 10 home they believed was being used to store stolen property. When one of the group called the owner and told him they were looking for him, he told them he was out of town. They…

“You can advertise for 5000 nurses and you won’t even get 1000,” says Denosa Provincial Secretary Khaya Sodidi. “Or if you do get 1000, that will just be leaving a gap of 1000 nurses somewhere else in the country.” Sodidi was speaking to Grocott’s Mail after nurses, cleaners and porters at Settlers Hospital in Makhanda demonstrated in front of the hospital’s casualty section on Monday 20 July. Last weekend, as the growing number of Covid-19 cases put additional pressure on the hospital, a section of the 32-bed former private Netcare ward was prepared and opened for patients. CALL TO RE-OPEN…

Thursday’s 23 July announcement of a R1.6 billion boost to the Eastern Cape Department of Health has come not a moment to soon, as pressure on a dwindling pool of nurses has left some ward staff at Settlers Hospital in Makhanda fearful and exhausted.  THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH HAS PROVIDED A DETAILED RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS SENT BY GROCOTT’S MAIL. THIS IS INCLUDED IN FULL AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE Grocott’s Mail has spoken to staff at Settlers Hospital who are almost incapacitated by fear; but also to some who are pragmatic or simply stoic. “I’m so afraid that I…

Cyclists and motorists are urged to be alert following the discovery of a wire “puncture trap” laid across the road in an isolated part of the R350 from Makhanda to Bedford.  The discovery yesterday morning of barbed wire laid down across the R350 to Bedford around 35km from Makhanda has alarmed cyclists and other road users. Construction company owner Matthys Bosch, who lives on a farm in the area, said he was driving towards Bedford around 9am on Monday 20 July, when the strand caught his eye. “I’ve seen plenty of snares,” Bosch said. “This definitely wasn’t a snare.” It…

Lulama Maseti usually feeds around 200 people a day thanks to donations from local businesses and individuals. She cooks on a three-plate gas stove that has been donated.On Saturday 18 July, Mandela Day, Maseti and her team cooked for 500 people from Extensions 4, 6, 8 and 9 as well as adjacent transit Camp and eNkanini. Lulama Maseti cooks meals for community members Monday through Saturday and dishes up at 9.30am. If you would like to know more, or assist, please call her at 076 922 2411.

Comedian Rob van Vuuren and former National Arts festival CEO Tony Lankester were co-hosts to a Zoom party of 50 people who wouldn’t for anything have missed the chance to celebrate well loved friend and respected colleague Kate Davies’s 25-year milestone at the organisation. Live and recorded interactions included a performance buy guitarist Guy Buttery, and many tributes and heartfelt thanks. Integrity, courage, patience, kindness, efficiency and getting the job done properly were descriptions that came up repeatedly, with milk tart and empathy also featuring strongly. “A rock-solid foundation for artists” is how Van Vuuren described Davies’s role at the…

We are in the midst of a pandemic – now if ever, is the time to work together to find solutions to serious healthcare threats facing residents of this area. Two weeks after Grocott’s Mail reported on the call by doctors to open up an additional 32 beds at Settlers Hospital, Nalithemba Hospitals have confirmed that their former private facility is now in the control of the Department of Health. However, the former Netcare wards and offices remain firmly locked and as this region experiences a sharp spike in Covid-19 cases, public service watchdog PSAM has called for speedy action…