Author: Busisiwe Hoho

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) Governor, Gill Marcus, has announced a repo rate cut of 0.5%. This means good news for consumers who can look forward to reduced rates on their bond and loan repayments, and all those struggling under debt may find relief in the reduced cost of credit as all interest rates will go down.

There have been many questions about the quality of the drinking water in Grahamstown due to e-coli scares and other questionable components that have been found in our water. Hydration specialist, George Poulos has been investigating water quality in the USA and educating people on what you can do to ensure you drink pure, clean water.

Questions are still lingering around the problem of unfilled vacancies at the municipality’s Finance department. The issue cropped up last month at the Budget, Treasury and IDP Portfolio (BTI ) committee meeting where Chief Financial Officer, Jackson Ngcelwane said they have been running their department with skeleton staff which has led to the late processing of payments and reports.

Makana Municipality has recently identified 57 Grahamstown East households that operate as businesses but are registered as indigent. At a credit control meeting last month, the Assistant Director of Revenues Collection, Luvuyo Sizani said that the programme in identifying these houses is still in process and the areas which are yet to be verified are Joza and Extension 9.

Van Schaik Bookstore, South Africa’s leading academic bookstore has reached an agreement with Irene Ellis, the owner of UPB Booksellers & Stationers in Grahamstown, to acquire the bookstore. The store will be placed under new management and be rebranded as a Van Schaik Bookstore.

Makana Amateur Boxing Organisation (Makabo) junior boxers took part in the Eastern Cape Amateur Boxing Organisation (Ecabo) provincial boxing trials in Port St Johns recently. Ten Makabo boxers who had been selected from Cacadu district trials in Port Alfred, took to Port St Johns and along with selected boxers from Ndlambe, they made up the Cacadu team that went head on with other teamsfrom the nine districts of the province.