In today’s edition we are running the beginning of a two-part series based on Human Rights Day on 21 March. In Grahamstown, as is the case all over South Africa, there are many unsung struggle heroes who, together with Nelson Mandela and other well known struggle veterans fought for the liberation of all South Africans from apartheid.
Author: Busisiwe Hoho
The St Andrew’s College fi rst cricket team started the year with great expectations to carry on from a good 2009 under captain Ryan Dugmore. Dugmore along with James Price and Ian Herold represented the Warriors Franchise U18 team at the Cubs Week in Paarl at the start of the year while St Andrews hosted the annual Grahamstown Schools Cricket Festival.
Forget overpaid footballers with colossal egos and ridiculous hairstyles. A week ago, Victoria Primary School showcased some of Grahamstown’s rising football stars in their own world cup and they sure could teach the pros what the game is all about.
The Eastern Cape is at the heart of the newly-established South East African Climate Consortium (SEACC)’s programme.
Xola Mali can barely hide his excitement for the 2010 Fifa World Cup. The spokesperson for the Unemployed People’s Movement (UPM) says there is a better chance of South Africa winning the tournament then there is of him, or any of his comrades, securing tickets to a game.
At 8.30pm on 27 March, the greatest show on earth for action on climate change will take place in homes, office buildings, town halls and public spaces across the globe as lights go out for Earth Hour.
Lizo Zakhe sits in a worn-out armchair in his small house in Joza. He wears a green and gold t-shirt and a pair of sandals rest alongside him. A scar beneath his right eye marks his face. On the other side of town, Terence Beard sits in an armchair in his modest house in central Grahamstown.
Lana Pretorius’s passion is teaching children. After living in Grahamstown for only two months, she has already set up a playschool. Shooting Stars with the motto: where everyone is a star is a unique and innovative approach to engaging with and educating children.
In 1965, while visiting his 60-year-old mother, Khawulezile Sandi was detained by the police and subsequently beaten while his mother looked on helplessly. Sandi was an active member of the Black People’s Convention, which was formed when the African National Congress was banned.
South African matric pass rates have been declining over the past three years. The matric pass rate for 2009 was 60.7%, down from 62.5% in 2008 and 65.2% in 2007 which means that four out of every 10 students fail their final matric exams.