Author: Lindani Donyeli

Khunjulwa Noni Mangi is a mother who enjoy planting – she’s been doing it for the past three years. Mangi is unemployed and she feeds herself and her family with the vegetables that she plants. “The cost of living is too high,” said Mangi. She has planted mielies, cabbages, spinach, carrots and pumpkin. As she is unemployed with no income, she would love to continue planting and would appreciate any good Samaritan providing her with seeds. The rain in the past few days has made her very happy, as there has been no water in Makanda and she hopes…

Just before the December holidays,Community Work Programme participants went to Raglan Road Clinic to reap the rewards of their planting. They have planted cabbages, carrots, beetroot and pumpkin for the clinic’s elderly patients. They also provide vegetables to the Multipurpose Centre Old Age home in Raglan Road. ‘The giving hand is the blessed one,’ said supervisor Nobathembu Peter. – Story and photo by Lindani Donyeli

The Lily White Rugby Football Club (RFC) will be celebrating their illustrious history of rugby in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown), with their 125 year anniversary celebrations in Easter 2019. For Msitheli Michael Pinini, the Honorary Life President of Lily White RFC, his birthplace of “Q” Street in Tyantyi Location is where the spirit of the game caught him at the age of nine. Pinini was born and bred in the ”City of saints”, Makhanda (Formerly Grahamstown), at “Q” Street, in the heart of Tantyi Location. He attended the Junior primary education at the Methodist church School (Wisile, now as Samuel Ntsiko), where he…

Community members attended an event at BB Zondani Hall to mark 16 days of Activism for no violence against Women and Children on Wednesday 28 November alongside NGOs and government departments including SASSA, Eastern Cape Social Development, Legal Aid South Africa, Hope, Health Department, SAPS, SANCO, Correctional Services, the Department of Education, the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa, Makana Rape Survivors Support Group, Rhodes University and Makana Municipality. Nomaxabiso Maqungo, Sector Manager at SAPS, guided discussions about gender based violence, with group discussions on the challenges in reporting and tracking the cases; the root causes of gender based violence and its…

When Mr Hare meets the late former president Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela, you can expect things to be very interesting. The delightful story by Chris van Wyk was the basis for a colourful and entertaining bilingual production by the children of Holy Cross Primary School in St George’s Hall  in High Street last Friday. The two-day run meant more parents and supporters had the chance to see the children performing. Basil Mills of NELM adapted the story, translated and worked into an amusing stage production by Holy Cross staff. The 57 children of the school were involved and performed enthusiastically. The bilingual…

Noma-Italy Mbalo is the garden lover. She has been planting from when she was young, and started planting in Vukani in 2006. Mbalo has planted spinach, cabbages, turnips and carrots. She believes that planting is a career, as sometimes employment is nowhere to be found. Her garden becomes vital when there is no work. To save money, Mbalo picks veggies from the garden and mixes them with what she has to cook in the house. She believes it is also healthy and fresh. Mbalo would appreciate assistance with seeds.

More than 300 people from all corners of Makhanda queued outside the Recreation Hall in Albany Road from as early as 3am last Tuesday morning, hoping for one of the 1 600 seasonal jobs on offer at Carara Agri Processing. The Currie Street factory processes and packs for export peppers grown on farms in the district. Grocott’s was there at 6.30am and spoke the women, desperate for work, some of whom had been there since 3am. Zukiswa Hani, from Hlalani, has two children to care for and says there is no work in Makhanda (Grahamstown). She admitted she’d taken a…

Nosakhele Mbema was the winner of the August Garden of the Month competition. Mbema says this is the best thing because she hasn’t yet planted for the new season and is looking forward to choosing new plants to grow from seed. Mbema thanked Sunnyside Garden Centre for giving her the seeds to plant, as well as Grocott’s Mail. The winner gets to choose which seeds they receive.

Holy Cross teachers, pupils and their families joined together for a Heritage Day celebration at the school on 23 September. Rhodes student teacher Lwandisi Mantla led the children in imixhentso dancing. The children played indigenous games such as itoti, upuca and ugqabsi and sang U yalila ubhabha, Dadobawo sicelamandla, kubuhlungu ukugula, and Inzonzobile. Wanderers Rugby Football Club member and parent Peter Evan taught the children basic rugby skills. Of course there was delicious food and drink: umqusho, isigwamba, umqa, braai meat, sauerkraut, stews and ginger beer.