Author: Sue Maclennan

Members of the public took to social media this week to praise the extraordinarily quick work that saw 15 cellphones recovered, within hours of their being stolen in Grahamstown (Makhanda). Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said a patrol had spotted a suspicious-looking vehicle in the CBD around 1.30am on Saturday 29 September. “When they attempted to pull it over, it sped off and the members chased it and managed to stop it in a residential area,” Govender said. During a search of the vehicle, the officers found 11 cellphones under the mat on the front passenger’s side, Govender said. “The…

The final judging is under way in the WESSA #CelebrateNaturalHeritage photographic competition. Nearly 70 entries in total were received in the categories of amateur, professional and schools, with the WESSA/ Grocott’s Mail Bio-Bash and Photo Walk bringing out talent the participants and their teachers never imagined. Grocott’s Mail, as one of the partners in the project, is thrilled at the response. Winners will be formally notified and the prizegiving will be announced, but meanwhile, you can see a selection of the top 10 in each category on show at two venues this weekend. One set of prints will be on…

Brookshaw Retirement Home celebrated Spring Day recently with a colourful fete that incorporated the popular Supurban Market. Buskers, crafters, bakers and gardeners plied their trade, with delicious eats on sale at the tea garden. Photos by Sue Maclennan

Many commuters walked or shared lifts to work this morning, with neither of the main taxi associations operating in Grahamstown (Makhanda) this morning. And the Post Office confirmed this morning that social grant payments scheduled for today have been postponed to Thursday 20 September 2018. The three main ranks in Grahamstown (Makhanda) were empty this morning, as taxis remained parked in their owners’ yards. The pavements were busy with pedestrians taking the long walk to town for school and work. Both Uncedo and BATA taxi associations withheld services this morning. The police reported no incidents in Grahamstown (Makhanda), or in…

A councillor has warned of a likely backlash should a proposed 7.5% salary increase for municipal staff go ahead. The salary and wage collective agreement tabled in the agenda for the special council meeting on 29 August would cost Makana an additional R1 million a month in staff costs, which currently stand at 40.6% of the total municipal budget. “We’re continuously increasing the salary cost without any way of subsidising it,” said councillor Darryn Holm. “I predict a backlash from the community. There are people who are hard-working and deserving, but we must also must look at the institution’s sustainability.”…

On Sunday 9 September, Grocott’s Mail had the extraordinary privilege of sharing the excitement and enthusiasm of 35 Grahamstown (Makhanda) school children as they discovered new ways of seeing their surroundings. We were privileged, too, to work alongside mentors from WESSA, Rhodes Journalism,  Zoology and Entomology, the South African National Institute of Biodiversity, and the children’s own amazing teachers. Everyone braved a cold and drizzly early Sunday morning start to make the most of a chance to share photographic skills, and learn how to spot small wildlife most of us would never have guessed was in the Makana Botanical Gardens.…

Residential burglaries and theft remain the dominant crimes in Grahamstown (Makhanda) according to the crime statistics released this week. ‘Crime situation in RSA twelve months 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018’ compiled by the South African Police Service and Stats SA covers crimes that were reported in that period. The crimes are ordered according to 21 categories. Of these, 17 are crimes reported by the public and four are ‘Crime detected as a result of police action’. In summary, the document reports a 4.4% drop in crimes reported by the public, nationally. The statistics do not indicate whether increases…

The 2019 national elections are expected to be held towards the middle of 2019 and to help Makana voters decide where to put their X on the big day, four local media organisations have teamed up with the Rhodes Politics Department in a series of studio panel discussion and live debates. Grocott’s Mail, Radio Grahamstown, RMR and the Rhodes School of Journalism and Media Studies and Department of Political and International Studies are partners in #TheDebate2019. With the aim of encouraging informed participation in the 2019 national elections, expert speakers will present on the big national issues of Land; Education;…

Children at the Wendy House play school were very curious about the snakes and other reptiles that recently visited the preschool. ‘If you see a snake in your garden or in the veld, though, you must stop and slowly back away,’ pet shop owner Emile Fox told them, explaining that many South African snakes are venomous. The children were fascinated to find out about the non-venomous ball pythons, corn snake and leopard geckos that Fox and Zukisa Blou brought for them to look at – and in some cases touch. The pet shop has opened next door to East Cape…

On the heels of recent uproar about construction on a historic site, Makana’s town planners and the provincial heritage authority say they’re determined to put better systems in place to navigate the conflicting values of heritage and development. Sue Maclennan reports Developers are taking advantage of gaps in communication, processes and enforcement to build and demolish structures in Grahamstown (Makhanda), to the detriment of the town’s heritage assets. However, the building works at 68 Bathurst Street are not an example of this and are being done correctly, say officials and the developer. “It’s unfortunate that this case is the one…