It’s a good weekend to be outdoors, with Saturday’s predicted sunny weather perfect for the feast of cricket and soccer on offer, as well as the Riebeeck East fete. Sunday will be much cooler and the right place to be on Sunday afternoon is the Guy Butler Theatre at the Monument, where you can hear local Classical music talent performing with a full symphony orchestra – a treat usually reserved for Festival time.
Mandisa Manentsa-Titisi from the South African Weather Service’s Eastern Cape Forecasting Desk says the weather in and around Makhanda on Saturday morning 5 October will be cloudy because of a light easterly wind, but fine and warm. In the afternoon, the easterly will pick up, particularly along the coast, where it will become strong.
Minimum and maximum temperatures for this area tomorrow are as Makhanda 9/27, Port Alfred 14/24 and Bedford 11/30.
Start your morning with breakfast at Norden’s Restaurant at the Cock House at 8.30am, where Jacqui Akhurst will speak about Walking the Camino. Your R150 helps support the plan to restore St nartholomew’s Church up the road.
Then you can do some serious fete-crawling, starting with St Patrick’s in Hill Street at 10am before heading north to Riebeeck East, where the NG Kerk is holding its farm-style fete. Along with a mouthwatering hall full of delicious home baking, you’ll find fresh farm veggies and meat, and of course crafts and other goodies. Tip: get there soon after the hall opens because that stuff sells fast! Outside in catering area, enjoy endless pancakes, or a wholesome meal. And of course, tea, coffee and cake. It’s a morning’s outing well spent. If you know you and your mountain bike are up to it and you’re self-sufficient when it comes to on-the-road repairs and have someone to take you home, join Just Pedal Cycles who are leading a group that will ride the 40km along the dirt (and some of them will ride back too!). Meet them at 8am at the cattle grate leading off the Cradock road to the Army Base (near the old golf clubhouse).
If you’re staying in town, for the day, head to Joza Karate Club’s championship event in Foley’s Multipurpose Hall in Hlalani (up Raglan Road, past Fingo Square robots, next left at Edward Street past Samuel Ntsiko Primary, right into Victoria Road and the Centre is down the hill to the left). There you can see our local world championship medallists in action alongside a squad of promising young karatekas.
Further up the road in the Indoor Sports Centre at midday is an event billed as Women’s Empowerment that will cost you R150 and features speakers, entertainment and refreshments. Jeans and Heels is the dress code.
Out on the sports fields you’ll find exciting under13 and under-15 soccer at JD Dlepu just around the corner both Saturday and Sunday (9am to 1pm). And back in town, Rhodes first cricket team plays Makana Sona at Prospect Field starting at 10. Kingswood, Graeme and St Andrew’s all have cricket scheduled for Saturday and Kingswood is hosting girls’ and boys’ water polo.
“On Sunday, a ridging high behind a low pressure system, will result in cloudy and cool conditions, with possible light rain in the Makhanda/Ndlambe area,” says Manentsa-Titisi. The wind will be fresh to strong southwesterly, but southerly in the Bedford area. Temperatures on Sunday will be Makhanda 10/20, Port Alfred 15/22 and Bedford 13/23.
The start for a Rhodes/ Willows match at Prospect Field is 10am and in Titi Jonas Hall in Port Alfred the WBF Africa Mini-Flyweight Title Fight will be fought. Starting at 2pm entry is R100 for a couple, R60 for singles and kids R30.
The highlight of the weekend, though, has to be the chance to hear Makhanda’s own musical stars in a Symphony Concert by the Free State Youth Orchestra (FSYO) at the Monument on Sunday 6 October at 3pm.
Alexander Fokkens conducts and along with local soloists Masi Mbube (voice), Garreth Robertson (piano) and Catherine Foxcroft (piano), National Arts Festival star, violinist Samson Diamond will perform. The FSYO will be flanked by students in the Rhodes Orchestra, the Rhodes Vocal Ensemble and the Rhodes Chamber Choir. The programme also presents Invictus, composed specifically for this concert by South African composer Gareth Walwyn, and Ingoma by Hendrik Hofmeyr.
The DSG/SAC String Ensemble will perform the curtain raiser, and RU BMus Hon student Emma Parlabean will perform her original compositions.
The concert is at 3pm. Tickets are R100 (adult), R50 (pensioners and students) and if you get there early, you may still be able to get them at the door.
A heads up for next weekend: be among the first to predict the next wave of musical talent expressing itself in our city with the AMP (Access Music Project) at 1.30pm on Saturday 12 October in the Nombulelo school hall. There you will hear talented young musicians in the Joza based music programme in their Big Band, String Ensemble, Vocal Ensemble and Marimba band, as well as soloists.
SA Weather’s Manentsa-Titisi says Monday could bring a small amount of rain.
“An upper air trough and the ridging high will result in cloudy and cool conditions with a better chance of light rain in the Makhanda/Ndlambe and Adelaide/Bedford area (less than 5mm expected),” she says. The wind will be moderate to fresh southwesterly but strong along the coast late morning.
Temperatures on Monday will be a cold 11/17 (Makhanda), 16/20 in Port Alfred and 10/19 in Bedford.
On Monday night Jocelyn Wortley will hold a pop-up exhibition FRAGILE and on Wednesday some very special art will be auctioned for a very special cause – Amasango Career School.
https://www.grocotts.co.za/2019/10/04/a-delicate-balance/
https://www.grocotts.co.za/2019/10/04/art-auction-for-amasango/
