Author: Sue Maclennan

Members of the community have been invited to participate in a peaceful protest outside the City Hall in Makhanda from midday to 3pm on Tuesday 15 June. GMDirect can confirm that MECs Xolile Nqatha (Co-operative Governance), Mlungisi Mvoko (Finance, Economic Affairs and Tourism) and Weziwe Tikana- Gxothiwe (Roads, Transport and Safety) are scheduled to meet with community representatives at 1pm tomorrow. They are expected to report back on a list of specific service delivery demands. Representatives of the taxi associations and civic groups who co-ordinated the protests in Makhanda two weeks ago emphasised that tomorrow is not a shutdown. “It…

Thirty six years after losing his big brother, Hein Kohl is determined to bring Alliston ‘Bully’ Kohl’s remains to rest with those of his parents. Sue Maclennan reports The five or six teenagers blockading that section of Valley Road two weeks ago may have been aware of Bully Kohl’s grave just 10 metres from their barricade of rocks, logs and burning tyres. But it’s unlikely the boys playing their part in the Makhanda shutdown on 24-26 May knew who he was, how he died, or that five or six schoolboys their age were with Bully Kohl when he was shot…

Phase 2 under way despite hitches “As long as we have vaccine, we will attend to you,” says Settlers Hospital CEO Yvonne Ngesi, responding to questions about the vaccination rollout in Makhanda. So far, 1540 people have been vaccinated in Makhanda. This excludes health care workers vaccinated out of town under the Sisonke research poroject. This week has seen mixed reports from Makhanda residents about getting vaccinated at Settlers Hospital. While many have reported a smooth, hassle-free process in receiving their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, others have arrived, only to find that there is no stock. Phase 2…

Mary Waters Secondary will re-open on Monday 7 June after parents’ three-week struggle for more teachers at the dual medium school. In a possible breakthrough for home-language teaching, MEC Fundile Gade this week said a long-term solution for the Makhanda school will provide a template for similar situations across the province. At a crisis committee meeting late on Thursday 3 June, parents resolved to re-open Mary Waters Secondary School on Monday 7 June. Parents closed the school on Friday 14 May after their children in Grade 8 and Grade 9 received reports universally failing them in four subjects: Technology, Life…

Church ministers, community representatives and BATA and Uncedo taxi associations’ leadership met on Sunday afternoon 30 May to discuss a way forward following the past week’s shutdown in Makhanda. They also discussed how to ensure the service delivery failures behind the protests are addressed. The discussions were convened by Archbishop Nkosinathi Ngesi of the Ethiopian Episcopal Church and held outside the municipal offices in Joza. The participants are expected to issue a joint statement soon. The three-day shutdown of the town initiated by taxi associations and the Unemployed People’s Movement was suspended late on Wednesday 26 May after a provincial government…

After three days of protests led by taxi associations and the Unemployed People’s Movement, the Makhanda shutdown was suspended late Wednesday 26 May; however, with some community members rejecting the decision, it’s possible some protest action will continue on Thursday. The UPM has meanwhile made a statement distancing itself from further protest action in this week’s shutdown. A meeting on Wednesday at the Monument with MECs Xolile Nqatha (Co-operative Governance), Weziwe Tikana- Gxothiwe (Roads, Transport and Safety) and Mlungisi Mvoko (Finance, Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism) included Makana’s Mayor, Mayoral Committee, Municipal Manager and directors of Infrastructure, Community Services and…

The shutdown of schools and businesses in Makhanda will continue until a delegation from the provincial government meets community members on Wednesday 26 May, organisers told GMD. Meanwhile a campaign of fear by groups in taxis, forcing schools and businesses to close, has been widely condemned. Speaking after a meeting outside the City Hall around 2pm Tuesday, the Uncedo taxi association’s Lungile Sixaba said a three-person delegation sent by Premier Oscar Mabuyane was scheduled to arrive in Makhanda around 1pm Wednesday. Following a meeting with the Mayor and officials at the city hall, they would proceed to Fingo Square on…

Vaccination Phase 2 launches in Makhanda There was universal praise for the Department of Health’s efficient and professional operation of vaccination sites in Makhanda as Phase 2 of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout began. However, shortages of vaccines and vaccinators remain a threat in the Province, the DA says. Covid-19 immunisation got a boost in Makhanda as community leaders and prominent personalities bared their arms for a first shot of the Pfizer vaccine. Settlers Hospital is one of the official sites where Phase 2 of the national vaccination rollout, targeting people over 60 and non-frontline health workers, began on Monday 17…

Taxi association and civic organisation representatives late this afternoon confirmed that the blockades Makhanda experienced today would continue from 7am Tuesday morning 25 May. Hundreds of taxis from GRATA and Uncedo taxi associations, supported by a large group of residents and Unemployed People’s Movement (UPM) members, today saw most businesses closed across the city and minimal attendance at public schools. Taxis blocked entrances to Joza’s south side, the Joza Post Office intersection, Upper Trollope Street from Hooggenoeg and kwaJackie (Fingo Square) intersection from early Monday 24 May. Taxi-operator and community protesters from across the city were mobilised around service delivery…

By Friday 21 May, more than a thousand learners at Mary Waters Secondary School will have missed a full week of classes as parents hold firm on their demand for more teachers. This comes after the shock discovery last Friday that Grade 8s and 9s have not been taught four of their subjects since the beginning of the year because of a shortage of teachers. The Department of Education has promised some additional teachers, and said it would ensure there were catch-up classes to make up for lost teaching time. Parents of Grade 8 and Grade 9 learners protested outside…