Every year from early June, Makhanda is transformed into the home of the National Arts Festival. Homes and res rooms become Festival rentals, restaurants extend their kitchen hours, the donkeys go into hiding, and everything from halls and passageways, to studios, church halls, schools and coffee shops become theatres, galleries, concert halls and spaces for debate and experimentation. The National Arts Festival is celebrating its 45th year in 2019. The country’s biggest multi-genre arts gathering has always been a space where freedom of speech and expression is valued. Outspoken creativity, protest and experimental forms of work were somehow left alone…
Author: Staff Reporter
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Masicule! is a celebration of our local choirs and voices which is now in its sixth year. Taking place on 24 and 25 February 2019 in the Guy Butler Theatre at the Monument, it is set, once again, to prove why it is one of the city’s cultural highlights. Featuring nearly 1000 voices from more than ten choirs and ensembles, Masicule encourages next-level collaboration that culminates in a mind-blowing evening that will amaze, invigorate, inspire and move you. This year’s featured artist will be the legendary Vusi “The Voice” Mahlasela. As one of South Africa’s top selling and most celebrated…
The Monument Movie Club offers a great family outing or an alternative to the student pub-crawl. The Club screens two movies most Saturdays – a family friendly film at 5pm and a second movie at 7.30pm geared towards a more adult audience. Members need to join the Club and can then purchase movie credits that start from as little as R30 a film. Annual membership costs just R20 for individuals or R50 for families. There’s popcorn (of course!), a mini-bar (selling beer, wine and cool drinks) and a tuckshop. Groups – birthday parties or school groups – are catered for…
St Andrew’s College last week welcomed 104 new pupils to the school in 2019. The new pupils were addressed by the Head of School, Guy Rushmere and by the Headmaster, Alan Thompson. It has been a tradition at St Andrew’s College to give a gift to the family who travelled the furthest on Newboys Day and the Landsman family is from Melbourne, Australia. “St Andrew’s College is excited to welcome Zac into Grade 9 (previously at Brighton Grammar School), and his parents Tyrone and Simone to the Andrean community,” the school said in a media release. “Other families join us from Hong Kong, Burma, Sierra Leone,…
Every single piece of plastic ever made still exists on our earth: our planet is turning into plastic before our very eyes. This fact is so overwhelming that most people don’t know which way to turn to be a part of the solution, even though they want to be. Environmental Campaigner at the Two Oceans Aquarium Hayley McLellan will be in Makhanda (Grahamstown) in the coming week to inspire and share her vision for less plastic in the world. She’ll be giving a series of presentations to schools, tertiary students and the general public, focusing on single-use plastic. McLellan trusts that humans essentially…
The three men were arrested and two saddles were seized to the value of R30 000 and R12 000 respectively outside Makhanda (Grahamstown) last weekend. Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said during the night of 16 and 17 January, robbers entered a home on a farm on the Southwell Road, which forms part of the Crown River Safari and nature reserve and stole property worth over R200 000, including the two saddles. “On Friday 25 January at 10am a local farmer who had been following social media after the unique theft had sparked interest, informed SAPS at Grahamstown that he…
Positive laboratory results have confirmed Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in cattle in the Vhembe District of Limpopo, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said on Tuesday. In a statement, the department said samples were collected during a disease investigation after reports of cattle with lameness were received. The positive location is just outside the FMD Control Zone in the Free Zone without vaccination. “A team of experts from the department and the Limpopo Veterinary Services is on the ground conducting further investigations to verify the results and determine the extent of the outbreak. The control measures will be…
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has urged parents, traditional leaders and the medical fraternity to work closely to ensure that all avenues are explored in a quest to stem the death of young men at illegal initiation schools. Mkhize made the remarks in a statement issued by the ministry on Tuesday, a day after a multi-stakeholder consultative meeting in Durban on Monday to discuss and find solutions to the issue. The meeting was attended by key stakeholders including King Zwelonke Sigcau and King Ndamase Ndamase; Eastern Cape Cogta MEC Fikile Xasa; chairperson of the National…
Conventional small ‘Bakkie’ or pick-up VS. OPEL’S NEW COMBO – which is BEST? South Africa has traditionally been ‘bakkie crazy’ – and many of us grew up with some or the other ‘bakkie’ in the driveway. Many businesses requiring a versatile workhorse or delivery vehicle, would own a sub-one tonner ‘bakkie’ or two as part of their fleet. Opel’s Corsa bakkie, later to be re-badged as the Chevrolet Utility, was for many years the best selling bakkie in its class – selling well over 1000 units per month. Go onto the roads in Europe however, and you will be hard-pressed…
When Siphokazi Pango posted a statement on Facebook expressing her concerns about the state of litter in Makhanda (Grahamstown), there was an overwhelmingly positive response from communities to get involved and start cleaning up our town. “We need all residents and businesses to do whatever they can, no matter how small, to get involved, and would like to thank Wallace’s Pharmacy who have already donated 100 pairs of sterile latex gloves for our first clean-up,” said Pango and her partner in action, Rose Grant. A small group met on 17 January, focusing on raising awareness in communities and working with Makana Municipality to bring about a…