Author: Grocott's Mail Reporters

By NOMVELO MASANGO Claire Nye-Hunter was 17 when she had her first profound spiritual encounter. The senior assistant priest, PhD graduate, mother and friend, Reverend Canon Doctor Claire Nye-Hunter is seated on an antique chair in her lounge as she talks about her history. Born in Pretoria soon after the Sharpeville Massacre, her father was in solitary confinement and Nye-Hunter was born prematurely as a result of her mother’s stress. She talks about her early childhood years spent with her (effectively) single mother and two brothers. Her life’s journey has been a “joyride” which started in Pretoria and went around Pietersburg…

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By BOITUMELO NTE In anticipation of National Women’s Day on Friday 9 August, Grocotts Mail met with Somila (Women’s) Stokvel at the Assumption Development Centre (ADC), to highlight the role stokvels play in improving the lives of township women. ‘Somila’ is a 20-member savings stokvel which started in 2015. The stokvel is part of a network of savings clubs affiliated with the Joza-based ADC, a non-profit organisation tasked with entrepreneurship and business skills education in Makhanda’s township communities. Somila, and the 38 other stokvel groups in the network, lend their existence to ADC’s SaveACT programme, which promotes the formation of…

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By GEMMA RITCHIE It’s not only school children learning the ins and outs of computers at Awarenet. Teachers are learning a thing or two, too! Civil society organisation Awarenet, based at the Joza Youth Centre, has rolled out a weekly programme where it trains teachers in computer literacy. The programme started in April this year with funding from KPMG SA’s public interest fund. Awarenet’s project coordinator Daksha Naran and intern Zintle Vambe are heading the pilot programme to train teachers from Nombulelo High School and Archie Mbolekwa Primary School. The course involves teaching teachers how to use Information Communications Technology…

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By CHRIS TOTOBELA The whole country will be celebrating Women’s month soon and Makhanda (Grahamstown) will not be left out. On the weekend of the 9-11 August, footballers in Makhanda will be joining the country in celebrating the great work of our women. There will be a football feast as under 15s, seniors and women will be competing for honours. There is only eight spots available for the under 15’s competition and only 16 spots for the senior teams. All the three finals will be played on 11 August. Registration for this competition will be on a first come first…

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By GEMMA RITCHIE Makhanda (Grahamstown) is without power for a third time in the last two weeks. Heavy winds on Tuesday and Wednesday blew down power lines on Mountain Drive causing outages on Hill 60, Industrial Area and Stones Hill, the Makana municipality said. Last Monday, much of the town was without power after a transformer caught fire but power was quickly restored and the fire put out. Over the weekend, the transformer was repaired – resulting in sporadic power outages as technicians worked on the transformer.

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By SUE MACLENNAN AND KATHRYN CLEARY Health union Hospersa has accused the Eastern Cape Department of Health of siding with a group of employees demanding the removal of a senior manager at Fort England Hospital. They say they will use all legal means at their disposal to protect against the intimidation and unfair treatment they allege their members are being subjected to. The group has toyi-toyiied several times outside the hospital’s main administration building since 18 June this year. Both protesters and the National Health and Allied Workers Union’s (Nehawu’s) regional office confirmed Nehawu’s involvement in the 18 June protest…

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By KATHRYN CLEARY AND SUE MACLENNAN Makana announced this morning that a planned shutdown of James Kleynhans will take place tomorrow for eight hours, this comes as leadership have assured Grocott’s Mail that provided residents reduce their use to 25 litres per person per day, no day zero is imminent for Makhanda (Grahamstown). Meticulous management of the water storage reticulation and systems means that despite zero output from Settlers and Howieson’s Poort dams, there is water in residents’ taps, although at lower pressure.  The two dams supplying Waainek Water Treatment Works supplying west Makhanda reached minimum levels last week Thursday,…

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By KAMVELIHLE NETJIES From the first to the fifth of July 2019, Xolile Madinda the curator and founderof Fingo Festival together with the locals of Makanda, local artists and his visitors from University of Virginia celebrated the 10th annual Fingo Festival at Fingo Square. The event was successful despite poor weather and scant funding and rejections which he was going through on this year’s festival. Madinda said, “Much as it didn’t go according to the dialogue, Nomalanga Mkhize ensured the children’s programme proceeded, and all thanks to the students from Virginia and to the Sarah Bartmaan District for assisting in…

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Grim discovery highlights residents’ fears and frustrations about a sewage and rubbish-filled ditch in Extension 5, reports Kamvelihle Netjies An inquest docket has been opened for investigation at the Joza Police Station after the body of a young man was found in a sewage-filled ditch in Extension 5 last Sunday. Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said an inquest docket had been opened for investigation at the Joza Police Station after a report was received soon after midday on Sunday 7 July. “Half his body was in the water,” Govender said. “He had no visible injuries. The victim has been identified…

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NguCHRIS TOTOBELA Iqela lesizwe lo Mzantsi Afrika lebhola ekhatywayo elaziwa njenga Bafana bafana, lijongene nomnqantsa kwindebe yamazwe alapha eAfrika ebanjelwe eYiphutha. Kumdlalo wokuqala iBafana ibethwe ngenqaku elinye eqandeni yiIvory Coast, kumdlalo obulula ngeyona ndlela nalapho iqela lethu libonakele lingakwazi ukudlala ibhola le elidume ngayo, kwaye kunzima ukugqobhoza kudonga lwangasemva lweIvory Coast. IBafana ifane babhungca nje ngezika Sibi kumdlalo wabo olandelayo neAngola ngenqaku elinye eqandeni. Kumdlalo wokugqibela iBafana ikhangeleke ingenawo tu umdla wokuhlasela iqela laseMorroco ngethuba bebefumbe emva, nto leyo ebangele ukuba iMorroco izenzele esazulwini sebala. Akothusanga tu kwaphela ukubona iMorroco ifumana inqaku sekusele nje umzuzu omnye uphele umdlalo. Lento ibangele…

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