By Thapelo Matlala Two of Makhanda’s finest creatives, sangoma and Amazwi museum curator Sithembele Xhegwana and poet Jeannie McKeown have won the Avbob poetry competition. “How ironic that two Makhanda creatives would scoop the Avbob Poetry Project mini-competition under the theme, ‘Water is life’! For the two, it did not rain but poured… Xhegwana came tops, and McKeown came second. Poetic justice” said Zongezile Matshoba, manager of education and public programmes at the Amazwi South African Museum of Literature. Amazwi museum research curator, Sithembele Isaac Xhegwana won first place in this year’s Avbob poetry contest with his poem, ‘Ostrich Egg…
Author: Thapelo Matlala
by Thapelo Matlala A highly spirited woman, Babalwa Budaza, caught the ball from the sky last December and kept it rolling. Budaza is the founder and manager of the New Young Aloes Netball club of Fingo. Budaza comes from a family highly committed to grassroots sports – she is the niece of the late Fundile “Jeff” Budaza, the former Makana municipality sports officer, who was instrumental in having the Joza Indoor Sports Centre built. An activist in the Unemployed People’s Movement (UPM), Budaza confidently describes that she intends to make sure that the team always thrives as a means of…
By Thapelo Matlala The National Health, Education and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) strike is set to move into its second week unless the government agrees to pay public sector workers a 10% pay increase and a R2500 housing allowance. The indefinite national strike began on 6 March despite a 5 March Labour Court interdict prohibiting the strike. Nehawu has appealed the interdict and vowed to continue the strike until the courts rule on its appeal. Striking workers have shut down many public hospitals and clinics across South Africa this week after rejecting the government’s 4.7% increase. Public sector workers are…