Author: Sue Maclennan

Love songs, favourites from musicals, operatic arias, spiritual songs and crooner classics make up the programme for just under an hour of music from Grahamstown’s own Trinity Tenors – Sisa Nomana and Sibu Mkhize. Both family men with successful careers, their other passion is making beautiful music. Their name comes from the fact that they’ve made the beautiful Trinity Presbyterian Church their musical home – and the congregation there count themselves among the duo’s home crowd. They will perform three concerts in Hill Street church, with favourites such as ‘Be my love’, ‘My Lord, what a morning’, ‘Nobody knows’, ‘Music…

SASSA card holders who are still using the old SASSA card, which will be fully phased-out by 30 September this year, should go swap their old card for a new one this week at dedicated venues in Grahamstown, says the SA Post Office and the Sassa local office. The Post Office (SAPO) has advised SASSA beneficiaries to swap their cards before end of August to avoid a last-minute rush. “We have deployed resources throughout the country to ensure that as many people as possible are put onto the new SASSA cards before the end of August. As a result, people should…

Even more proud to be South African – that was the verdict of three Grahamstown karatekas who returned last week from the 7th WUKF World Karate Championships in Dundee, Scotland. The Graham Hotel on Wednesday night, 20 June, hosted a welcome-home celebration for them and their families. The United Shotokan-Ryu (USR) team members competed under the banner of the South African National Shotokan Association (SANSA) at the prestigious Championship. More than 2200 karateka representing 40 countries contested this year’s event which was held over four days. In kata (forms), Luke Claassens (Kingswood College), Thembi Kuhlane and Kayle Olivier (both Victoria…

Makana was warned six months ago of the water problems the municipality has had to urgently address in the past few weeks. This emerged in a briefing for Deputy Water and Sanitation Minister Pam Tshwete and officials from DWS and Amatola Water in the Makana Council Chamber Thursday . The briefing was delayed more than an hour as some councillors remained locked outside the main gates of the city hall, along with a group of protesters from the Unemployed People’s Movement. Tshwete described the visit as a monitoring exercise. “Our role is to ensure bulk water supply. Reticulation is the municipality’s…

By 7.30am on Midwinter’s Day, it had warmed up to nearly 6C in Grahamstown. That was the moment just over a dozen people braved Grey Dam’s icy water for the 13th annual Polar Plunge. Richard Foss was there to inspire participants with the idea of making the world a warmer place – words composed by Polar partner and co-founder George Euvrard who missed this year’s event. The swimmers, as per tradition, set off with the words, “And so we leave the longest and darkest night of the year and go into the light!” The idea is based on the fact…

Police are investigating the death of Grahamstown resident Neville Abdul. He was found having passed away, east of the Oval stadium, by people walking to work early on Monday morning. Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said an inquest docket had been opened for investigation after a member of the public reported finding Abdul, 52, below Mary Waters High School a little before 7am on Monday 18 June. Paramedics called to the scene confirmed he had passed away. “No visible injuries were noted,” said Govender. A relative at the scene had told police that Abdul suffered from high blood pressure. A…

Grahamstown’s historic postboxes are safe again, thanks to a quick-acting municipal official, and a local construction company. Sue Maclennan reports When Grocott’s Mail posted a photograph this week on social media of one of the city’s historic postboxes lying on its side, it reached more than 15 000 people within two days, was shared nearly 100 times and 120 people commented on it. With two or three exceptions, residents and people with Grahamstown connections were horrified to hear that the landmarks were being dug out and removed. Grahamstown cares about its postboxes. So does the South African Post Office, it…

Makana Mayor Nomhle Gaga, along with some of her senior managers, rolled up their sleeves and tackled the K Street dumpsite on Wednesday 13 June, as part of the City’s campaign to get its house in order. “As Mayor, I’ve joined the ‘Thuma Mina’ (send me) call of the President. “In that sense, I am representing him here in Makana, in the project to reconnect government with the people through action.” Gaga said number one was to clean up Grahamstown, targeting illegal dumping in particular. She said the cleanup was linked to a programme to create environmental awareness among communities,…

“Be the inspiration” is the theme for Rotary Club Grahamstown Sunset as it goes into its 20th year. The Club’s Induction Dinner at Kingswood College’s Wyvern Club on Monday 11 June saw Tim Dold hand over the presidency to Izak Smuts, who spoke of Rotary’s origins in fellowship and service among a small group of friends who decided they wanted to make a difference. Earlier, past president Dold had cited statistics of the 113-year-old international organisation that includes 16 million volunteer hours each year. Activities of the Grahamstown Sunset branch had over the past year included delivering three vehicles full…

Every year,  NG Kerk minister Strauss de Jager challenges his congregation to reach a fundraising target at the annual bazaar and vows to undertake an uncomfortable challenge himself if they succeed. They met the target – and now the dominee has to keep his promise: At 7.30am on Thursday 21 June, De Jager will join other brave swimmers and dive into the dam for the Polar Plunge, Grahamstown’s midwinter solstice celebration. “It was a member of the congregation who came up to me at the bazaar and said, ‘Now dominee, what is this year’s fundraising challenge?’,” De Jager told Grocott’s Mail.…