Author: Staff Reporter

By WOINESHET BISCHOFF The national Covid-19 lockdown that President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Tuesday night was preceded by the closure of all schools the week before. The announcements have both been important and necessary to help combat the rapid spread of coronavirus. But having children out of the structured and supported environment of schools for longer than usual presents many challenges, especially for those in charge of children’s welfare in Makhanda. First and foremost is the environment for children. In neighbourhoods of high social risk, this is of huge concern. Children are hard to ‘contain’ and naturally wish to play, explore…

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World Water Day takes on a new meaning this year. We have two main defences to avoid getting sick from Covid 19, says Tally Palmer. HAND WASHING: You have all heard the messages. How do they apply in here Makhanda? Wash your hands more often than you think you need to. Here, on days when we don’t have water, leave one handbasin full the night before, or have a bowl of water ready for hand washing the next day. Washing hands in old soapy water is better than not washing. Wash your hands with soap for as long as it…

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Among the concerns during the Covid-19 lockdown are the animals in the care of the Grahamstown SPCA. * The SPCA will continue to care for the animals currently at our centre. Our staff numbers will be reduced, with only those living on the SPCA property assisting, unless we have to call on additional staff members. * No adoptions, volunteering or unnecessary visits to the SPCA will be allowed. The SPCA will be essentially closed to the public in the sense that people at the gate will have to phone and the manager on duty will assess whether they will be…

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MTN this week went live with its revised pricing for its sub-1GB 30-day prepaid data bundles. This follows the company’s announcement last month of its voluntary undertakings to address the Competition Commission Data Service Market Inquiry, MTN’s undertakings take the form of a voluntary social compact and addressing price reductions, a daily lifeline of free data to customers and free access to public benefit organisations. “We are pleased to announce details of the pricing reductions as committed to last month and we continue to engage with the Commission to also finalise an agreement in the coming days,” said MTN CEO…

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MTN Business partners with the Eastern Cape Department of Education to offer virtual education to Grade 12 pupils during lockdown Thousands of Grade 12 pupils in the Eastern Cape will now have an opportunity to catch up on their school curriculum by using online learning platforms after MTN Business provided the provincial Department of Basic Education with 72 000 SIM cards preloaded with data. This move is part of MTN’s multi-pronged intervention that seeks to mitigate the negative impact of the coronavirus outbreak on communities it operates in, particularly those that have the least resources to counter the pandemic. In addition…

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Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize has called on members of the public to wear cloth face masks when they are in public places and here in Makhanda, the Facemasks 4 Makana group is well on its way to making face masks available for as many people as possible, with dozens of people at home making masks to donate across the town. In his national briefing on 10 April, the Minister said face-masks are recommended as an addition to hand-washing and social distancing. He said, “We are satisfied that there is sufficient scientific evidence to show that the cloth face…

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Rhodes University Vice Chancellor,  Dr Sizwe Mabizela, has pledged 33% of his salary for three months to the COVID-19 Relief Fund. This is in response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call to cushion the impact of the pandemic in the country. Mabizela said his salary cut would go towards personal protective equipment for frontline workers in “the greatest health challenge in living memory”. Mabizela’s commitment follows the one-third cut to Cabinet salaries announced by the President this week and comes as Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng and his Deputy Raymond Zondo have called on their fellow judicial officers and the broader South African…

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Since the Covid 19 outbreak, the municipality, together with different government sectors, has established a Joint Operations Committee that is chaired by the Executive Mayor. The team also includes health practitioners, Army, South African Police Service, Rhodes University and the Sarah Baartman Disaster Management team and is sitting daily in the District Department of Health. All the reports from these meetings are submitted by the Mayor to the District Municipality Joint Operations Committee. The purpose of the meeting is to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic within the Makana area of jurisdiction and to report to various government platforms and structures.…

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Dear Fellow South African, One thing we have learnt about the coronavirus over the last three months is that it does not respect borders. It has spread across Asia, Europe, North, Central and South America and Africa. Distinctions of wealth, poverty, nationality, race and class have been rendered meaningless as infections grow in developed and developing countries alike. The coronavirus pandemic has served as a stark reminder that in our interconnected world, no country and no nation exists for and of itself. It has affirmed once again that realising a continent and a world free of hunger, want and disease requires the collective…

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This Friday you would not have found your Grocott’s Mail at the supermarket as usual, and here’s why. This week’s Grocott’s Mail is an extraordinary edition as Makhanda faces the local effects of an unprecedented global crisis and as South Africa operates under a state of National Disaster. It’s the first of three special #StayAtHome Lockdown issues in isiXhosa. It’s extraordinary for another reason. Friday 3 April is the day that UPM leader Ayanda Kota and Makana Mayor Mzukisi Mpahlwa would have faced each other again in court. Their legal teams are locked in a bitter battle over the January judgment…

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