Author: Sue Maclennan

Five men arrested on rhino poaching charges made their third appearance in the Magistrate’s Court in Makhanda (Grahamstown) Thursday 31 January. The men are in custody and Magistrate Sarel Strauss will hear the bail application of a local paramedic and four Mozambican nationals on 7 February. The men were arrested in the Free State on 30 December in possession of two rhino horns. Microchips in the horns had linked them to a black rhino in the Great Fish River reserve whose carcass was found there the next day. Representing the local man is *Declan Williamson. Charles Stamper, from Legal Aid,…

Both prosecution and defence closed their cases in the Ndlovu rhino-poaching trial in the High Court in Makhanda (Grahamstown) on Wednesday 30 January. This came after two days in which Senior Counsel for the defence, Advocate Terry Price employed the style he is best known for as he cross-questioned Captain Morne Viljoen of the Jeffreys Bay based Endangered Species Unit. Viljoen had given detailed evidence about the detective work that led to the arrests of Jabulani Ndlovu, Forget Ndlovu and Sikhumbuzo Ndlovu at Makana Resort outside Makhanda in June 2016. They are charged with counts of theft, contravening environmental laws…

On Sunday 27 January, 25 residents met outside the police station on Beaufort Street. Half the group went to the spring on the Port Alfred road where they picked up more than two four-ton truck loads of litter. The others stayed on Beaufort Street, picking up litter along the road in both directions of east and west, filling up five bakkie loads. Keep your eyes open for more community clean-ups on pages like UCKAR and the Grahamstown page as well as in Grocott’s Mail. Last Friday a local businessperson deployed a staff member to clean up a bakkie-load of bottles,…

Rock-bottom prices for dairy and pineapples, factoring in the new minimum wage and the knock-on effects of the Limpopo foot-and-mouth disease outbreak are adding to the strain that commercial operations on the farms around Makhanda (Grahamstown) are experiencing. Grocott’s Mail spoke to one of the region’s more successful commercial farmers, Justin Stirk. In the 27 years that Justin Stirk has been farming, this is the worst period the business has ever seen. Stirk is one of the region’s most successful commercial farmers, who has constantly adapted to keep his operations viable. Stirk’s Bonsmara cattle regularly fetch top prices at local…

The Zuurveld hasn’t felt the full extent of the drought yet, but farmers in this part of the Eastern Cape will be selling off masses of stock in the next few weeks unless it rains very soon. That’s the prediction of Paul Hobson, a partner in livestock sales specialists Hobson & Co. Impacting on farmers right now is ban on imports of meat from South Africa by neighbouring countries as a results of the foot and mouth outbreak in Limpopo. “That’s had a knock-on effect in that the big feedlots aren’t buying our calves,” Hobson said. The danger of local…

Makana Municipality is in the grip of a “silent strike” with Water and Sanitation workers Friday 1 February set to join the industrial action. This comes as the city is managing a serious water crisis and hundreds of first-year students arrive with their parents to register at Rhodes University. As the Minister of Water and Sanitation this week unlocked millions to speed upgrades to the city’s water infrastructure and help manage its supply, South African Municipal Workers Union shop steward Wandile Duruwe told Grocott’s Mail the city’s plumbers would from today join staff in Cleansing, Parks and Electricity  who have…

Water rationing, with water distribution points across the city and deliveries to hospitals, old age homes, clinics and schools are among the emergency measures announced by Makana Mayor Mzukisi Mpahlwa at a press conference on Monday 21 January in the Makana Council Chamber. Minister of Water and Sanitation Gugile Nkwinti, in Makhanda (Grahamstown) the next day to be briefed on the water crisis, made it clear he took seriously the impact it would have on the city should its institutions be forced to shut down because of lack of water. Monday’s briefing, broadcast on national television networks, followed a water…

Around 30 people attended a public meeting in St George’s Hall on Wednesday 23 January. ‘The 200th anniversary of the battle of Grahamstown on 22 April marks a stark reminder of some of the most painful parts of our history,’ Cathedral Dean Andrew Hunter and historian Julie Wells wrote in their invitation. ‘It is followed next year by the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the 1820 settlers. Both are fundamental, closely related events which defined the very nature and character of our town, and the nation. Anniversaries provide the occasion to reflect. How did we become so unequal as…

Damage caused by a power surge in Oatlands North and Somerset Heights on the night of Monday 28 January could come to millions, with power expected to be restored some time on Wednesday 30 January. Residents affected described the incident as “like a war” as appliances exploded, burst into flames and thick, acrid smoke filled homes. Ward 4 councillor Brian Fargher, who visited several residents after the incident, said the information he’d received was that an earthing bar in the Wincanton Road substation had been removed and cut into pieces. Earthing bars, made of copper, provide a common earthing point…

In Makana Municipality a total of 3049 people participated in the Voter Registration weekend, according to The Electoral Commission in the Eastern Cape. There were 1014 new registrations. Confirming their same voting district were 424 people and 1611 moved their voting districts, Eastern Cape Electoral Officer Kayakazi Magudumana said in reply to questions from Grocott’s Mail. The IEC was not yet able to provide a breakdown per voting district within the municipality. The Electoral Commission in the Eastern Cape said it was pleased with the outcome of the past registration weekend. “Historically Day One registration activity is usually slow and…