Author: Mzwamadoda Makalima

Siyanda Futhufuthu’s stage name is Siyanda Kwaito and the 33-year-old kwaito superstar, is a multi-skilled individual emerging from Grahamstown. He has been into music from his childhood, starting off with friends at high school in 1997. He is a recognised multi-award-winning kwaito artist. He recorded his first debut single, Lomntana, in 2004 and got airplay on national radio station, Umhlobo Wenene as well as local stations Radio Grahamstown and Rhodes Music Radio. Born on 10 of March 1984, emerging from the harsdships of the streets had an impact on his life journey. Growing up was a struggle, disturbing his studies…

Keeping your hopes high for Bafana Bafana is heart-breaking, as the team is full of surprises. Just when all hope is gone, boom! Bafana win with flying colours. It’s so unbelievable it even feels like match-fixing. The speculation was that Bafana Bafana had to win at least two and draw one on their three remaining games, with the other teams having to draw or lose. The boys duly won on Saturday 7 October, restoring some faith in the squad. However, not everything went as hoped for, as Senegal also won over the weekend, making it difficult to rely on a…

Missing child found A mother’s nightmare ended when a 7-year-old boy who went missing during a hunting expedition last weekend was found unharmed. Around 8pm last Saturday night 16 September, a ward councillor told the Peddie police that a child who had gone out hunting with friends earlier that day was missing. Members of the South African Police Service along with community members immediately got together and started searching for the 7-year-old boy. Women from the community braved the rainy weather and sat on the mountain praying and anxiously waiting for news of the missing child. Police spokesperson Captain Mali…

Nestled in the Amathole mountains near Hogsback in the Eastern Cape, Terra-Khaya backpackers is once again partnering with Greenpop and gearing up to host this year’s Festival of Trees, aimed at rebuilding the local ecosystem, one sapling at a time. From 22 to 25 September 2017, the festival will celebrate one of South Africa’s natural gems and actively involve participants in preserving it from threats of deforestation and invader species. A week of workshops, talks and tree-planting followed by two days of local music and celebration, the annual festival has become a landmark events on the South African green community…

Gender activist, researcher, analyst and freelance writer on gender, political and cultural issues, Professor Nomboniso Gasa will present the 45th Daantjie Oosthuizen Memorial Lecture, one of the most prestigious annual lectures at Rhodes University today, Tuesday 19 September 2017 at 6pm, at Eden Grove Blue Lecture Theatre. Her lecture is titled ‘Sexual and Gender Based Violence: Holding up a mirror to the South African Society’. Today, gender based violence is arguably the most important and topical social pandemic facing the country. Gasa, an Adjunct Professor at the School of Public Law, University of Cape Town, is an esteemed scholar and activist who has been involved…

Whether you are looking to start a business or have already established one, the ENGEN Pitch & Polish entrepreneurial workshop and competition programme is where you want to be on Saturday 21 October 2017 in Mthatha, or on 4 November in Port Elizabeth. Now in its 8th year, ENGEN Pitch & Polish has helped approximately 10 000 entrepreneurs to improve the way they present their business to potential funders. Having a polished pitch is the key to growing your business. During the first part of the day, all delegates will be taken through unique, experience-based entrepreneurial training, developed by Raizcorp – described…

Rhodes University alumnus Simphiwe ‘Sim’ Tshabalala has been appointed as Standard Bank’s sole Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Standard Bank, Africa’s largest bank by assets, appointed Tshabalala after he shared the role for four years with Ben Kruger as joint CEO. South Africa’s financial sector, the economy’s largest, is often criticised for lack of transformation and remains dominated by white executives 23 years after the end of apartheid. Tshabalala is the first Standard Bank black CEO. “The board is satisfied that the structure, which was necessary in 2013, has met and in many respects exceeded expectations. Accordingly, Ben Kruger steps down from the…

Financial services company IntelliMali has reimbursed Walter Sisulu University the R818 000 spent by a student who in June erroneously received R14 million instead of the R1 400 monthly food allowance allocated by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). Following a meeting on Friday 8 September between NSFAS, Walter Sisulu University (WSU) and Intellimali the three parties issued a joint statement to the South African public as follows: No public funds were lost in the unfortunate process that led to the R14 million error and the R818 000 that was subsequently misappropriated by the student. Preliminary investigations by the service…

Police seized drugs worth over R165 000 on the N2 opposite the Monument yesterday. Members  of the Grahamstown Highway Patrol were on duty Sunday 3 September when around 10am they stopped and searched a black VW Polo, spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said. The officers arrested a 37-year-old man for  possession of drugs, and seiized his vehicle, after they found a branded black plastic packet behind the car seat containing 668g of tik and 300 boss mandrax tablets. The drugs were valued at R165 300. The man will appear in the Grahamstown Magistrate’s Court this week.