Author: Grocott's Mail Contributors

Dear Residents In South Africa, June is regarded as Youth Month. It is for this reason that as the municipality we intend to highlight the work we are doing to alleviate youth unemployment. Makana Municipality and the Department of Labour have joined hands in offering a learnership programme to the unemployed youth of Makana through Khunjulwa Marketing Services (KMS). KMS is the organisation appointed to implement learnership programmes by Walter Sisulu University in partnership with the Department of Labour for 2019. About 250 youth will be receiving training on four different fields, namely, Agriculture, New Venture Creation, Hot Water Installation…

By SHAUN BERGOVER Introduction Maintenance is the legal obligation to provide another person with housing, food, clothing, education, medical care etc. This legal duty to maintain is also called ‘duty to maintain’ or ‘duty to support’ and is governed by the Maintenance Act 99 of 1998 (“the Act”). Who must provide maintenance? The Act applies where a person has a legal duty to maintain another person, arising from a relationship of blood, adoption, marriage, and more. For purposes of this article, maintenance of children will be discussed. There is a legal duty for a child to be supported by his…

The Eastern Cape currently has the highest rate of young people aged 15-34 who are not in employment, education or training, a staggering 47.1%. Ryan Hancocks reports The official rate of unemployed in the latest quarterly labour force survey (q1 2019) reflects the stark reality of SA’s embattled economy with a jump of 0.5% to an official unemployed rate of 27.6%. At the outset this might not seem as significant given the country’s current battle with job creation, however, the Eastern Cape Province has been the hardest hit during 2018. With an official unemployment rate increasing a massive 6.4%, the…

By JOCK MCCONNACHIE “The Monument is looking for a new name…”, so said the advertisement in last week’s Grocott’s Mail. “The Monument” is the 1820 Settlers Monument atop Gunfire Hill, Grahamstown and although the announcement didn’t say so the intention is obviously to remove any reference to the 1820 Settlers from the Monument’s name. The reason as stated in the document motivating why the Monument needs a new name is that the building as presently named is “for many South Africans, alienating and seen by many as monument to conquest and colonisation”. The motivation goes on to say that the “ethos…

Dear Residents Despite the challenges facing our municipality, there are pockets of excellence worth noting. The national Department of Basic Education has since 2010 been recognising schools that excel in implementing the National School Nutrition Programme. Fikizolo Primary School was named the second best performing school nationally in this. Meanwhile, students from Nombulelo Secondary School will represent the Eastern Cape Province in a national music competition. Pupils from the school will participate in the duet and solo contests. National title holder Mziwoxolo Ndwayana who hails from our beautiful town successfully defended his South African welterweight belt just over a month ago.…

By TONY LANKESTER We are well aware of the sensitivity around discussions of renaming buildings, cities and roads, and the frustration and, often, anger that emerges in those discussions. In the interests of correcting some misperceptions that have crept into the debate, and hopefully relieving some of the anxiety around a name change for the Monument, I’d like to make the following response to Jock and various others who have expressed concerns: We value the power of storytelling and don’t want the building to keep telling just one story. Firstly, the decision to change the name of the building was…

By Tlamelo M. Mothudi, Health Researcher, PSAM At 7pm on the evening of October 2012, my sister called me panicked and scared. She asked that I call an ambulance; her son was having a seizure, a fever and was vomiting. The ambulance was called but only dispatched to Ngqamakhwe village 5 hours after the call due to it responding to another call elsewhere. My nephew died before the ambulance reached the hospital. -Anonymous Testimony from “People’s Stories” documented in Section 27 and Treatment Action Campaign’s report on mobile clinics in the Eastern Cape. There are countless medical emergencies that happen…

NguNTHUTHU BLOW Njengabanye abantu abaninzi abahlala kwilokishi yaseMakhanda, ulwazi endinalo malunga nokusingqongileyo luncinane. Kodwa ke, kuba mna ndiye ndaba nethamsanqa lokuvela esikolweni noko izinto azifani. Le nto ndiyithethiswa ngokuba mihla le ndibona abantu abaninzi belahla iindindi-ngeendidi zenkunkuma kwiindawo abangavumelekanga ukuba balahle inkunkuma kuzo. Ndiye ke, ndazibuza umbuzo othi, ingaba singabahlali siyawuqonda umngcipheko wesisenzo esiphekelele ukusenza mihla le? Lo ibingumbuzo ubundihleli, kodwa kungekho ndawo endinokufumana kuyo iimpendulo. Ngethamsanqa, kuthe ngenxa yomsebenzi endiwenzayo, onxulumene nokuhanjiswa kweenkonzo, ndadibana nabantu abathathu. Owokuqala ngumntu ongutata omdala noomamama ababini. Bafika kum emsebenzini bezokucela uncedo malunga nokulahlwa kwenkunkuma, ngokungekho-mthethweni phambi kwamakhaya abo. Eyona nto ibibaphethe kakubi, livumba elinganyamezelekiyo, iimpukane, iimpuku (amabuzi noocwethe) eziphela…

The Manager, staff and residents of Brookshaw Home would like to thank the public for the most generous donations at our street collection last Friday. We collected the incredible amount of R3 852. We are in the process of renovating our Frail Care Centre at the Home and this amount will go towards making our home more comfortable for our residents. Thank you very much. With kind regards, Roslyn Parker Administrator: Brookshaw Home

Dear Residents A meeting took place between all relevant government departments and the Gift of the Givers (GoG) yesterday, 23 May 2019. The stakeholder engagement meeting convened by the Eastern Cape government on the water intervention in Makana Local Municipality has agreed that a consolidated report be produced by Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and the GoG. The key stakeholders in attendance included Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency (MISA), Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), Amatola Water, Gift of the Givers (GoG), Office of the Premier (OTP), Provincial Treasury (PT), Rhodes University…