Author: Sue Maclennan

An ambitious Freedom Day event to symbolically unite Makhanda’s divided communities and bring national support to the city has been suddenly moved to Port Elizabeth. Furious and disappointed at the Department of Arts and Culture’s (DAC’s) unexplained decision, the Province’s political leadership have vowed to challenge the move at the highest level. An intergovernmental delegation left their Gauteng and Bhisho offices for the day to gather in the Makana Municipality Council Chambers on Tuesday 26 March, when local politicians and officials, alongside cultural activists and organisations, believed they would be further briefing the high flyers. But Department of Arts and…

The midst of Makhanda’s particular disaster may be the right time for a fart joke, writes Sue Maclennan OLD MAN: Wat sé jy? Molo my kind. COUNCILLOR: Sorry to disturb, but what is this place? OLD MAN: Hierdie plek is Sun City. COUNCILLOR: Seriously? Like that gambling place for rich people? Or the prison? OLD MAN: Ewe … Dis maar a gamble to live here, but actually maybe it’s more like a prison. That’s the start of the theatre piece, Ukunuka, that’s going to be performed 30 times in the next eight weeks across Makhanda (Grahamstown). Scripted by Anton Krueger,…

An urgent High Court application by Makhanda (Grahamstown) business and civil society entities to counter Eskom’s threat to cut off electricity to Makana is a last resort, says business forum chairperson Richard Gaybba. The application, warning of catastrophic effects on the town should the cuts proceed, is filed by the Grahamstown Business Forum, Grahamstown Residents Association, Beer Properties and Pinzon Traders 8. Beer Properties is the largest property owning company in Makhanda, and Pinzon owns Pick n Pay, the largest supermarket in the city. Makana Mayor Mzukisi Mpahlwa says the municipality is urgently addressing the Eskom threat, will not be opposing…

Numbingly tragic is how wildlife vet Dr William Fowlds describes what he had to recount in a long-running trial that on Friday 15 March saw three men convicted for 10 rhino-poaching incidents around Makhanda (Grahamstown) as well as Jansenville, Cradock and Graaff-Reinet. However, like Tourism and Environment MEC Oscar Mabuyane and Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism CEO Vuyani Dayimani, he believes the judgment is a victory for the sector.and sends a strong message to would-be poachers that this province is no soft target. Judge Jeremy Pickering found Jabulani Ndlovu and Sibusiso Ndlovu guilty on 55 counts in 10 rhino poaching…

This is the first in a series of weekly briefings by the Makana Mayor intended to inform residents about issues affecting them. ‘From the Mayor’s Desk’ will be published in Grocott’s Mail. Dear Residents of Makana Municipality, let me take this opportunity to greet all of you. This week’s briefing is an update on Makhanda’s water situation. We are happy to announce that the recent rains have had a positive impact on one of our supply dams; however, it wasn’t significant enough to take us out of a state of water crisis. Howieson’s Poort dam as of Wednesday morning was…

Regular rendezvous between students and their dagga supplier in the Makana Botanical Gardens, allegations of a detective’s vendetta and questions about security camera footage from Pepper Grove mall have provided colourful testimony in the case of the alleged kidnapping and robbery of a Rhodes student in April 2018. Just over two weeks ago, the court finally heard Rhodes University student Ryan Morley’s shocking testimony in which he described being abducted in the Makhanda (Grahamstown) CBD at knifepoint and taken to a house near Albany Road, where he said he was forced to smoke drugs. In his account of what happened…

The Grahamstown Residents Association has queried whether Eskom’s threat to cut the electricity supply to Makhanda (Grahamstown) is legal, following a recent court ruling, as municipal officials meet frantically in preparation for a special council meeting next week, where they’ll be proposing a solution to Makana’s snowballing Eskom debt. Eskom confirmed that they have issued a notice of their intention to interrupt Makhanda’s (Grahamstrown’s) electricity supply from the beginning of next month. Makana owes Eskom R90 million. Replying to Grocott’s Mail’s query on Thursday 14 March, Eskom Eastern Cape spokesperson Zama Mpondwana said, “Eskom confirms that Makana Local Municipality has…

Public service watchdog PSAM say they are deeply concerned that provincial and municipal administrations appear to be increasingly dependent on interventions from external actors to fulfil their constitutional mandates. The Public Service Accountability Monitor was commenting after Finance MEC Oscar Mabuyane’s 2019/20 Provincial Budget Speech this week, as the provincial Department of Co-operative Governance confirmed a pending meeting between Cogta, Makana Municipality and the Department of Water and Sanitation in connection with the water situation and as industrial action by municipal workers entered its fifth week. “Disparate planning, budgeting and implementations fosters dismal delivery,” said head of PSAM’s Monitoring and…

Police remained on high alert on Thursday 7 March 2019 after three men facing charges related to a recent shooting incident were remanded on bail in the Magistrate’s Court in Makhanda (Grahamstown). Supporters of the alleged shooting victim shouted in protest as the magistrate announced bail for the three local men at R20 000, R1 000 and R2000 respectively, with strict conditions attached. The group of around 30 supporters then left the Magistrate’s Court building and headed towards the Beaufort Street premises of a relative of the first accused, where a large police contingent intercepted them. Minutes earlier, outside the court in…

The case of the alleged kidnapping and robbery of a Rhodes student in April 2018 has taken an unexpected turn, as the defence has raised questions about procedures used to identify the suspects, and the timing. Two local men, Jamie de Jager (35) and Andre du Plessis (34), have pleaded not guilty to the charges of Kidnapping and Robbery with Aggravating Circumstances with respect to an incident on 11 April 2018. They are alleged to have kidnapped Rhodes student Ryan Morley, held him against his will and forced him to use drugs. The accuseds’ attorney Katja Offerman told the court…