Author: Grocott's Mail Reporters

NguCHRIS TOTOBELA Iqela leSophia Stars labadlali abangaphantsi kweminyaka elishumi elinesixhenxe, limaxhaphetshu lilungiselela ukuya eBhayi, nalapho liyakumela lengingqi kukhuphiswano labakwa Engen. Aye athelekiswa amaqela aphuma kwiindawo ngeendawo azakungquzulana kolukhuphiswano. Lamaqela alishumi elinesithandathu xa ewonke, kwaye ohlulwe angamacandelo amane. ISophia Stars yalapha eMakhanda izobe ijongene nqo neMotherwell Academy, iRising Stars FC neFairview Rovers kwimidlalo yokuqala nalapho amaqela amabini aphezulu ayakudlulela kwisigaba esilandelayo. Lemidlalo ihlehliselwe umhla wamashumi amabini anesibhozo kule imiyo. Umphathi weSophia Stars uLindisipho “Teko” Swaartbooi uthe “ukuhlehliswa kwalemidlalo kusinika ithuba elithe chatha lokuzilungiselela kwaye nangona kuzoba nzima nje pha, kodwa ke ndiwathembile amakhwenkwe ethu”.

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By KATHRYN CLEARY AND SUE MACLENNAN “If I could rewrite that part I would definitely have toned it down a lot.” These were the words of Kasouga resident Andrew Bowker, whom Facebook has banned for 30 days after he used that platform to vent his outrage about the proposed Monument name change. The Grahamstown Foundation, which manages the building, has meanwhile reinforced its commitment to free speech. It has called for citizens to continue engaging in discussions about the name change, but expressed concern over the tone and content of some of its critics. A Settler descendant, Bowker is the…

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NguCHRIS TOTOBELA Iqhubile njengesiqhelo imidlalo yeMakana LFA kulempela veki esisuka kuyo, nalapho abathandi bebhola ekhatywayo bebehlangene khona beyokuxhasa amaqela abo ahlukeneyo. NgoMgqibelo kwimidlalo yabangaphantsi kweminyaka elishumi elinesixhenxe, iMkana PIllars itsalele iJacaranda Aces, logama yona iGolden Brothers ibethe iAfrican Spears ngamanqaku amabini kwelinye. Kwimidlalo yooxholovane iJacaranda Aces itsalele iYoung Killers, yaze yona iLove and Peace yabhaxabula iCameroon ngamanqaku amathandathu kwelinye. Kumdlalo obunzima kakhulu nobuthande usinda kusompempe, iJoza Callies ibethe iNewtown City ngamanqaku amabini kwelinye. IMakana Pillars ibhulele oogqirha nezicaka iRiebeck City kowayo ngamanqaku amahlanu kwelinye, logama iSophia Stars ibambene ngenqaku elinye macala neNewseekers. NgeCawa,  iMighty Chiefs itsalele iGolden Brothers, yaze yona…

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By SUE MACLENNAN and KATHRYN CLEARY DWS, Makana respond to Gift of the Givers uproar The Department of Water and Sanitation says it will continue to support Makana in ensuring water security, as well as other areas such as the operation and maintenance of its water treatment works. This comes as humanitarian relief organisation Gift of the Givers announced their immediate withdrawal from the municipality, along with the Jojo tanks, filtration systems and water tankers they brought in to relieve the municipality’s water crisis. A message from Giver’s Project Manager Ali Sablay shortly before midday on Wednesday 15 May had…

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Kamvelihle Netjies spoke to voters from Fingo and Vukani. The voting stations at Vukani and Fingo locations opened in time, despite the weather and residents were already queueing long before the voting station opened at 7am. Party agent Noluthando Nkani was welcoming ANC voters at a table outside the voting tent. “Yes the weather is disturbing our operation – the wind is giving us problems,” she said. “But what else can I say because we have been excitedly waiting for this day. Now it is here, all we want is victory so we can maintain our authority and keep providing…

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It was a long, muddy road to the polls for Makana Municipality’s small towns, as voters braved rain and cool temperatures. Asikelelwe Pezisa, Zethu Hlubi, Kathryn Cleary and Sue Maclennan report. In Alicedale the mood in town was calm and people wearing ANC, EFF and DA T-shirts greeted each other on the long road from Transriviere and KwaNonzwakazi townships to Alicedale Town Hall, or even walked it together. Two community halls have remained unuseable after being burnt and vandalised and both the DA and ANC provided transport to the voting station at the opposite end of the main road. Around 400…

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When the Grocott’s Mail team reached Joza and Extension 10, it was colder, wetter and even muddier than any of the farm roads we’d just come off. Asikelelwe Pezisa, Zethu Hlubi and Sue Maclennan report. Around 3pm, Samuel Ntlebi Primary School in Joza was abuzz with voters and IEC staff said it had been like that all day. “We didn’t even get a 10-minute break,” one official said. Of a possible 1809 votes, 565 had been cast. Outside, on the pavement opposite the school’s entrance, tables draped with party paraphernalia stood abandoned and…

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Rain, mud and temperatures that dropped to 12C late Wednesday afternoon saw the determined queueing from 7am at voting stations in Makana wearing coats, scarves and beanies. Voting stations throughout South Africa began closing their doors at 9pm on voting day, Wednesday 8 May, and switching their focus to the critical process of counting votes. The first preliminary results were available on the IEC website around midnight. By this morning, in #Makana the only votes counted were from Assumption Clinic Tent where there was a voter turnout of 60.12%. So far within this municipality, the #ANC has 73.13% of votes; the…

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NguCHRIS TOTOBELA Kukhangeleka ingathi ingazalisekiswa iminqweno yabathandi bebhola elikhulu balapha eMakhanda yokubona elinye lamaqela alapha ekhaya liphakamisa indebe yeSAB League. Amaqela amabini amele iMakhanda kukhuphiswano lweSAB kulengingqi yeSarah Baartman, aqale kakuhle kulo unyaka nangona iCity Pirates ibonakala ngathi iya inyuka umnqantsa, ikwabonakala iphelelwa ngamandla ngelona xesha kanye afuneka ngawo. Ukuquthiswa kwayo ngeCawa edlulileyo yiUnited Eleven ngamanqaku amathathu eqandeni, kongeze kwiinzingo zabo. IMaru yona kukhangeleka ngathi ingabuya nayo lendebe nanjengoko isathe ngcu phezulu enkcochoyini kumanqwanqwa ale ndebe. Emva kwemidlalo nje elishumi elinesihlanu, iMaru inkqenkqeza phambili ngamanqaku angamashumi amabini anesithoba. Kwindawo yesibini yiManchester yaseMnyameni enamanqaku angamashumi amabini anane, kodwa ke bona badlale…

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By SOVASH CHETTY Rhodes University’s Girls Basketball coach, Xolisa ‘X’ Kula was recently promoted from Assistant Coach to Coach of the Eastern Cape Windbreakers, the Provincial Basketball side. Kula has brought success and prominence to the Girls Basketball team and hopes to translate that into a winning cycle for the EC Windbreakers. The Rhodes basketball coach does not wish to enforce any radical changes but rather hopes to capitalise on the talent in Eastern Cape. “It’s just matter of getting them [the players] to play as a unit,” said Kula. He believes his careful planning and research will allow him…

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