Author: Sue Maclennan

Makana Fire Chief William Welkom thanked the Makhanda (Grahamstown) community for their support in tackling a fire on Tuesday 18 December that could have seen a dozen houses above Grey Street damaged or even destroyed, and brought back the spectre of February 2012 when a fire destroyed millions of rands worth of IT equipment and infrastructure at PJ Olivier High School. In baking temperatures and strong winds, a fire that began opposite Makana Resort in west Makhanda (Grahamstown) on 18 December soon threatened a number of houses between Grey Street and Somerset Street, as well as PJ Olivier High School.…

Political scientist and  government adviser Mzukisi Mpahlwa was on Monday 17 December announced Makana Municipality’s new Mayor. Click here for the full story and interview. Below Grocott’s Mail summarises some of the challenges he is taking on. With a crippling debt of R169.8 million, fruitless and wasteful expenditure in the form of ballooning interest payments, continues to blot Makana’s books. (Source: FAME portfolio meeting, 20 November 2018) The upgrade of the James Kleynhans Water Treatment Works allowing an output of 30ML a day is well under way. Along with other infrastructure upgrades and repairs, this is intended to meet the…

Makana Municipality’s new Mayor Mzukisi Mpahlwa has called for support in dealing with the serious challenges he faces in the position. His deployment was announced by the ANC’s Regional Executive Committee (REC) on Monday 17 December. There have been mixed reactions from Makhanda (Grahamstown) civil society organisations and politicians to the reshuffle of the Council’s top leadership – which the REC insists was not in response to mounting calls for the Council’s dissolution. The ANC’s Sarah Baartman Region has removed Nomhle Gaga from the position, replacing her with Mpahlwa. Ward 5 councillor Luyanda Nase replaces Mabhuti Matyumza as Chief Whip…

A number of Joza B&Bs have listed with online booking startup, KasiAccom. At the recent launch at the Graham Hotel, entrepreneurs John Rammutla and Chellens Makondo told B&B owners that they could list on KasiAccom for free. KasiAccom would take 7% commission on bookings and the site’s developer was working on a secure online payment system, Rammutla said. Extension 6 B&B owner Notyolo Bungane said she would try out the listing. Her three-star accommodation is a favourite with company employees seconded to Makhanda (Grahamstown) from larger centres. Kwam eMakana-affiliated B&B owner Buyiswa Dywili said, “I think it is a good idea because…

Let the sunshine in: Zapiro Annual 2018 Jacana Media (November 2018) R175 Reviewer: Sue Maclennan In case you didn’t get how catastrophic State Capture, Trump, US gun laws, the drought, the ANC’s internal politics, listeriosis, Life Esidimeni, sanitation at rural schools (and rural schools in general), the witch hunt against Olympic gold medallist Caster Semenya and Malusi Gigaba’s tourism-stopping visa requirements were, Zapiro is keen to remind you. Frankly, the political analyst and cartoonist’s annual gift to the nation this year feels like a knife in the gut, as he makes sure you feel the enormity of the Guptas’ role…

Cabinet has called on South Africans to ensure they have their green bar-coded ID book, smart ID card or temporary identity certificate in preparation for the 2019 elections. In a statement on Thursday, Cabinet appealed to voters to verify their voting district and details at the Electoral Commission’s voter registration weekend on 26 and 27 January 2019, when all the country’s 22 932 voting stations will open from 8am to 5pm. Citizens can also verify their registration information online at https://www.elections.org.za/regweekend/. Electoral Commission (IEC) chairperson Glen Mashinini said the 2019 general elections would likely be held in May. President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected…

A parade of 27 donkey carts with their owners and families, followed by a day of treatment and care, was the colourful finale to a fortnight of festive cheer for Makhanda’s (Grahamstown’s) animals. The handover of a collection of pet food and care products to the Grahamstown SPCA by Santa Cause for Paws started the season on a good note and a farm day at Radway Green saw 21 animals treated by community service vets with support from the adjoining Buffalo Kloof reserve, among others. Equine dental technician Donovan Lamerton assisted by his son Joash (8) had a queue of…

Staff from the Health Department’s Makana Subdistrict spent the day at the Extension 9 hall in Makana recently as part of the provincial department’s Mandela-Castro Thuma Mina Community Wellness Programme. Taking an array of healthcare services into communities, the outreach programme aims to improve maternal and child outcomes, improve access to quality healthcare in the district, upscale HIV testing and treatment, develop systems to manage the knowledge and use of traditional medicines, prevent lifestyle diseases and encourage healthy lifestyles. Spokesperson Lwandile Sicwetsha said the programme would continue across seven locations in the Sarah Baartman district. Among the health professionals conducting…

If you’re thinking about something active to do as a family these holidays, why not try surfing? Shaka Surf School offers surf lessons for all ages and stages –5 years old to 65 and more, beginner to advanced – and encourages family groups. It’s a family business run by Dave McGregor and his sons Cuan and Kye. All have national surfing titles behind their names – two SA Longboard Champs titles each for Dave and Kye and one for Cuan. A veteran journalist, two years ago Dave made the move from the keyboard to the surfboard. Although he’s still called…

Fish farmer Nick James has appealed to the SPCA’s Farm Animal Protection Unit to intervene after he found thousands of rare fish dead in his facility this week. James believes the disaster is linked to Eskom loadshedding and says it has cost him close to R100 000 in loss of income. James has four tunnels and three indoor hatcheries on a farm outside Makhanda (Grahamstown), where he breeds food-quality tilapia and Lake Malawi cichlids for sale to retailers and restaurants. He is the Tilapia Sector Representative in the Aquaculture Association of Southern Africa. On Tuesday 4 December he woke up to find…