Author: Grocott's Mail Contributors

Woineshet Bischoff Children matter hugely and need nurturing. It doesn’t matter whether you have lots of money or very little money, or no money at all – love your children. The love of a parent is important for a growing child. This year the National Arts Festival kindly made Grahamstown Child Welfare one of its focal points as we celebrate our 100 years of existence. The organisation appreciates the commitment it has towards our children in Grahamstown. The Festival itself had various arts and culture in the form of plays, songs and dance and visual arts for children, and this…

The Rhodes University Master’s Directing students, curated by Janet Buckland will present three dynamic new South African works spanning very different genres and styles at the annual Grahamstown National Arts Festival. Mike da Silva presents ‘Ant’, a bizzaro adaptation of the unusual short story ‘Ant Colony’. Da Silva’s boundless imagination is perfectly suited to this weird and wonderful rendering of a desperate woman’s dally with a nefarious doctor. Da Silva was the rehearsal coach for the award-winning production of ‘Waterline’ in 2016. Thembela Madliki, winner of the 2016 Best Student Production and Most Promising Director will present ‘Bayephi?’, a work…

INCISIVE VIEW By CHRIS MBEKELA In order to take the country forward, the old liberation struggle posture should be transcended and be replaced with new paradigms. As South Africans, we cannot be locked in the past forever. We have the responsibility to explore workable solutions to deeply entrenched colonial and apartheid legacies. Seasoned thinkers in all spheres of our society are required to urgently assist in the reconfiguration of the South African landscape. No single political entity has the ability to undo the gigantic past legacies, with the resolution of South Africa’s challenges requiring maximum participation of all key stakeholders…

National Child Protection Week is marked from 27 May to 2 June this year. Child Welfare Grahamstown offers the following advice and information: If you are a victim of child abuse, whether it is physical, emotional, sexual abuse or neglect, you have the right to be protected and seek help from someone who can help you. What is child abuse? Physical abuse  Non-accidental injury or physical harm of a child, for example, hitting, slapping, burning, or the administration of drugs and alcohol to a child. Emotional abuse Any act that denies a child the experience of feeling loved, wanted and…

For the first time in history, there are more children overweight and obese compared to those who are under-nourished or stunted, and less than 20% of children and youth are meeting recommendations for physical activity. The 2016 Healthy Active Kids South Africa (HAKSA) Report Card was launched nationally this week – a combined effort of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa and Discovery Vitality. Two Rhodes University academics, Professor Candice Christie (Department of Human Kinetics and Ergonomics) and Professor Harry Dugmore (Journalism and Media Studies), have been involved in the project for the past few years. They contributed to the…

Friday 2 June – SING and BEYOND THE RIVER Saturday 3 June – MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN and JACK REACHER With the evenings getting cooler, Cinema under the Stars has moved indoors. Take your families to the Monument on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 June from 6pm to enjoy a night out at the movies. No alcohol may be brought into the Monument, say the organisers, but the Shakespeare Pub will be open and selling Featherstones beer and a variety of wine. The Café will sell hotdogs, pies and soup, plus cold drinks, sweets, chocolates and crisps. Movies will be screened in…

Compiled by Nikki Köhly RU Green Fund One of Rhodes University’s Annual Fund projects is the Green Fund (RUGF). This fund promotes initiatives and measures that result in efficient management of water and energy resources, reduced waste production, biodiversity conservation, sustainable travelling and procurement, and sustainable planning and building. The RU Environmental Committee assists and advises on implementing the Environmental Sustainability Policy (see www.ru.ac.za/environment/policy/about). It also holds the annual RU Environmental Awards, to recognise consistent and innovative efforts to promote sustainability. Join us in sustaining our beautiful surroundings, and inspire others to adopt practical green initiatives that improve the health…

The University Sports South Africa national trials 2017 were held in Secunda, Mpumalanga from 28 April to 2 May. The Rhodes University soccer coach, Khayalethu Ngangqu, chose me (as goalkeeper) and four other players to attend the trials. The first day of the trials was tense for most of the players including me. The goalkeeper coach was quite strict and he expected a hundred percent effort from all of us, which made it a daunting task for me. After day one, I contemplated my performance and I knew I had to improve. The quality of the players was high and I…

By Megan Hobson Ten local women, under the banner of the Sole Sisters, have completed a three-day 105km run from Blanco to Bedford – and in the process raised more than R60 000 towards empowering and supporting other women. More than that, they have provided a powerful example of community building around a purpose, and realised the possibility of stretching personal limits when working as a team. This event was the culmination of a year of planning and preparation. The run itself took place last weekend, over three days – 38km, 37km and 30km respectively. The journey started at Blanco Guest Farm…

By James Connan A 10-person team from the Rhodes University Rifle Club participated in the South African Target Rifle (SATRA) Championships held in Bloemfontein from 10-13 April. The competition took place in five classes, with Rhodes having representatives in four of these. Classes A, B, C and D are shot according to International Sport Shooting Federation prone rules, with athletes divided into classes based on ability. F class is an open class, shot under SATRA rules. Competitors in this class are allowed to use target rifles fitted with telescopes and bipods. The Rhodes team consisted of Graeme Schmeldt and Mart-Mari…