Author: Grocott's Mail Contributors

Jesus said to His disciples, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26) Jesus at this point is drawing His disciples’ attention and our attention to the eternal worth of our souls, that part of our humanity that is immortal. What constitutes me as human is both my physical life and my spiritual life. One day my body will die and experience physical decomposition – but my soul/spirit lives on in a disembodied state and looks forward…

There have been many books and articles written on the subject of “how much is enough?” How much capital will you need to accumulate during your working years in order to have sufficient funds to enjoy your retirement years? There are a number of ways to address this question. Ideally, you should consult with an experienced certified financial planner who can make use of sophisticated financial planning tools to assist you to draw up a detailed, personalised plan. If you are looking for a ball-park estimate as to what will be required, you could use the following simple rule-of-thumb calculations.…

This old oak tree (see picture) blew down last night in front of my house in Durban Street. Thankfully it fell away from the house and landed in the road (despite it blowing in an easterly direction last night which was towards the house) without causing any damage to surrounding property. I fear there are many municipal trees around Makhanda which are not being maintained and managed which may have a lot more serious outcomes in the future. Dominic Marx

The poet is bringing out the negative side brought by Covid 19 in our households. Nowadays there’s no kindness since everyone is cautious about not to get the virus. Ubuntu is gone because of the Corona. Mawethu kunzima sesikho Khorona siyakubulisa Khorona siyakubulela Usibonisile ukuba injani le nto umntu Usibonisile ukuba ilizwe ungali qubuda Uliphothe libe nguqulukubhode Kungenjalo libe nguNonyeeee. Khorona siluvil’ulwamvila lwakho Akuna ntsim’ankosi nasidlakela nacola Ugilise abaziwayo nabathembekileyo Unguwaginiza ugidiza uguguda Ngumyinge wesibini ngoku Sixunele kumyinge wokuqala. Zifile iimveku zelakowethu Kunamhla ushiye iinkedama Intsana zimilom’ ixwebile Usibonisile mbulali ndini Ukuba kukuthini ukungabi nabuntu Intswela mbeko yintoni na leyo…

Lynette Marais passed away on Friday 28 August 2020. These tributes are from the National Arts Festival and the Cathedral. It is with deep sadness that the National Arts Festival shares the news that Lynette Marais, former Executive Director of the Festival, passed away in Makhanda on Friday, 28 August 2020 after a short illness. Lynette was the head of the Festival from 1988 to 2008 and spent much of her tenure turning the Festival into the highlight of the year for art lovers and an essential part of the arts ecosystem in South Africa. In her 2009 graduation speech…

Makana Municipality officially handed over a multi-million-rand water plant to the residents of Riebeeck East on 27 August 2020. Riebeeck East, like many surrounding rural areas, faces serious water supply challenges. This intervention by the municipality will go a long way in addressing this problem in the area. The project was funded by the Department of Water and Sanitation. About R10m was allocated to the project. The project started in March last year and was successfully completed this month. The water infrastructure in Riebeeck East before the start of the project could only produce about half a litre of water…

Scifest Africa’s quest for an engaged society, that is interested and inspired by what science and related fields have to offer, continues to grow – now in cyberspace. In a bold move, Scifest Africa 2020 is set to launch a fully fledged festival in just under a month from now – entirely online. There will be no physical event; however, a rich variety offree and paid-for digital content will include workshops, demonstrations, webinars, lecturers, interviews, competitions and shows on topics such as climate change; agriculture; recycling; water and energy conservation; indigenous knowledge systems; innovation in all fields; and space education. Scifest…

Here’s some useful information share by Makana Traffic Chief Coenraad Hanekom: If you’ve applied for a driving licence card from July 2018, you can now check the status of your application by sending an SMS. The Driving Licence Card Account (DLCA) has implemented an SMS shortcode which will allow applicants to check their status. Here it is: 33214 Send your ID number using the shortcode. You will then receive a return message via SMS with one of the following: Status Message Order not received and unknown ID DLCA does not have an application for this ID number. Order received by CPF Dear…

It is with deep regret and immense sadness that we wish to notify our clients and friends of the passing of our Managing Director/Sole Proprietor, mentor and friend, Andrew Butters. He died in hospital this week after a long illness. Andrew leaves behind his wife Thandi and four children – Vivian, Billy, Jason and Sean. Andrew started Hi-Tec Security in the then Grahamstown in 1992 with a staff complement of just two – he and Andre Wille, manager of the highly respected and regarded business. In this time Andrew has remained focused on the business. His integrity, vision and focus…

Hope is a very precious commodity: it can see you through the roughest of storms. It is a joyful awareness that your present difficulty is not how the story ends. I am not referring to positive thinking per se, although if we are honest, it is bucketloads more fun to have a positive mind set than a negative one. Hope is more about the reason why we can be positive. Hope you see, is not wishful thinking. It is a confident expectation of a beautiful future. It is a firm assurance of the security we have, despite the challenges we…