Author: Grocott's Mail Contributors

Smallpox in Natal Tucked away at the bottom of the second page of the Grocott’s Mail of 10 November 1926 was the following small paragraph: “The smallpox menace, which, it was thought, had been more or less definitely banished, has been brought nearer the European population by a case of an Indian in Mayville, a suburb of Durban, which is on the fringe of the Berea, Durban’s most aristocratic residential district.” There had been 11 deaths so far, but the article doesn’t note how many people were affected overall. The phrasing of the article is typical for that era’s newspaper reports…

Grocott’s Mail recently published an article by Lungile Penxa, a local government researcher at the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM), entitled “Councillor and Community – A Partnership of Equals.” In the article, Penxa wrote that Ward Councillors are “citizens’ politically elected representatives” who are “the link between the public and the municipal council and owe their primary loyalty to their public.”  Citizens for their part, he wrote, “have a responsibility to hold councillors accountable on their duties of serving the interests of the electorates or citizens.” He continued that citizens have a responsibility to attend municipal council meetings and also…

Not all bad news It is often tempting to only report bad news. Broadcasters like Sky News specialise in this with their endless reports covering ‘studies’ that have been carried out on obscure and negative ‘issues’. The conclusion is almost always that something ‘needs to be banned’ following publication of these depressing results: evidence of a state of paranoia, if ever there was one. So let’s take a light-hearted look at the state of the environment in and around Grahamstown, and see if we have a better sense of humour than the Brits. Rain, or lack of it Have you…

Earlier this month, Thothy Thokozani Dladla, host of Rhodes Music Radio Monday Bottom Line show managed to sign up Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor, Dr Sizwe Mabizela for an up-close-and-personal interview. Watch this video showing Dr Mabizela dancing to his favourite jam, advising the youth, trying out being a talk show host, reacting to the surprise that Thothy Thokozani prepared for him and responding directly to callers’ questions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk9MWx7_Rzg&t=348s

The slogan, “A better life for all” has evaporated into thin air. Bridging the gap between the haves and have-nots is no longer in the political vocabulary. The African renaissance has gathered dust in the library and intellectually stimulating discourse has become alien to the political theatre. It seems the political mandarins have run out of creative and innovative ideas. The OR Tambo memorial lectures do not even resemble his intellectual prowess. Let me admit, creativity has taken place within a very strange context. Factions have evolved marketing strategies by branding them into OM17, PM17 (provincial), CR17 and NDZ (national). They are…

By Lindelwa Nxele With an estimated population of 82 060, Grahamstown is well known for being home  to Rhodes University and the famous National Arts Festival. Regardless of the many successes the town enjoys with the Festival and education institutions, the municipality has been struggling with serious administrative challenges. Makana was placed under administration in 2015, following its inability to pay staff salaries and a huge debt. The nine-month intervention did not yield the expected outcome as Makana still suffers from debt, and poor service delivery. Water outages are consistent and almost every road in town has potholes due to lack…

Grahamstown Residents Association Weekly Update Update on Grahamstown Water Supply 22 October 2017 Settlers (low – unknown)      Howieson’s Poort 51% Yes, Howieson’s Poort has recovered from 18% in September to 51% on 22 October thanks to recent rains. This is good news, but only part of the story. Settlers Dam is our main store of water. It is fed from two streams that are not flowing and also from overflow when Howieson’s Poort Dam is full. We are still in a very serious position because Settlers Dam is lower than ever. Below about 25% the gauge doesn’t work…

Tastes change over time.  Just as in popular music, or clothes, vehicles and smartphones, there are fashions in poetry. Very often, whatever it was we admired so fervently yesterday can seem quaintly outdated today. I thought about this on hearing of the death last week of the American poet Richard Wilbur. Born in 1921, his career as a poet and teacher encompassed much of the 20th Century. His contemporaries and influences included Robert Frost and TS Eliot and, somewhat like them, his poetry is typified by close observation of ordinary, otherwise unremarkable, things both in nature and society. As with…

Name: Pachycarpus concolor E.Mey.                   Family: Apocynaceae Common names: Engl. Astral Pachycarpus/Thick-fruit Xho. Itshongwe Description A low growing, stout rather straggling herb. Leaves: Shape variable, margins flat to wavy, harshly hairy. Flowers: Large, 11-25 mm, lobes, oval, spreading-erect, purplish brown, green, yellowish or with spots (October-April).  Fruit: Oval, semi-inflated, ± 5 fleshy ridges. Conservation status According to the SANBI (South African National Biodiversity Institute) Red list of South African Plants, Pachycarpus concolor was not selected in any one of four screening processes for highlighting the potential taxa of conservation concerns for a detailed assessment and was, hence, given an…

A democratic space is a new site of the struggle that requires innovative modi operandi. Here, one needs to offload old ways of doing things. The strategies and tactics used in the past are irrelevant to the present situation. The tripartite alliance should have redefined its role within the present context in order to make an impact in society. It should have also re-visited its structural architecture in order to avoid the unnecessary schisms that have made it dormant. These schisms may appear as if they are political and ideological in nature. However, when you place these schisms under the…