Author: Kathryn Cleary

A Fort England patient and their family have laid a charge of assault against the psychiatric hospital’s nursing and security staff. It comes as a confidential source within the institution warns that deteriorating conditions and faltering management at the institution are creating an environment where incidents such as the one alleged are more likely to occur. The case, opened on 2 May at the Grahamstown Police Station follows allegations of multiple assaults on the patient since their admission in 2014. “What I’m hoping for is [for] the people of Fort England to treat people with humanity, not inhumane,” the…

CHURCHES OF GRAHAMSTOWN: Grahamstown Baptist Church By Matthew Jennings Founded in 1820, the Grahamstown Baptist Church has been “built on the Foundation of the work of God”, as described by student pastor Brian Marx, who has faithfully been serving at the church since 2013. Marx, along with Pastor Dirk Coetzee, lead services on Sundays, which take place at 9.30am and 6.30pm. Being in a student town, the majority of the congregation are young people coming from various schools in and around the town. The age groups differs from young people to old, with groups of students and families joining in for…

Local gardening service, Bloomin’ Good, celebrates its one year birthday this year. Avid business owner Ursula van den Burg’s green thumb definitely shows in the work that her and 10 staff members do. “I’m very hands on”, she said. “I like the outdoors and love plants, [it has] always interested me”. From grass cutting, tree felling and hedge trimming to garden refuse removal, Bloomin’ Good does it all. Van den Burg took over the business last year. “It’s been picking up,” she said, “but started slow.” Currently they service about 150 gardens in Grahamstown per month. The business has…

Two men facing charges in connection with the abduction of Rhodes University students will appear in the Grahamstown Regional Court on 23 April for a bail hearing, according to police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender. Meanwhile, police have revealed alarming details of the modus operandi of the drug-related alleged kidnappings. Govender confirmed to Grocott’s Mail that the men had been in custody since their arrest on Friday 13 April. They were briefly in court on Monday 16 April on kidnapping and extortion charges. It is not known whether they will be asked to plead on Monday. “Since February 2018 three incidents have been…

The shock resignation of a highly experienced staff member from Cecilia Makiwane’s psychiatric unit, and a warning by the Democratic Nurses Association (Denosa) that staff shortages in Eastern Cape hospitals are putting both staff and patients at risk, have again thrown a spotlight on the crisis in mental healthcare in the province. The revelations come as a case in which a former psychiatric patient is seeking compensation for an alleged assault in hospital was postponed in the East London Regional Court last week. On 26 March, South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) President Bernard Janse van Rensburg told Grocott’s Mail…

A young couple escaped with pets, cellphones and engagement ring when a fire destroyed their home on Tuesday 17 April. The couple, who were recently engaged, awoke to find their wooden cottage filled with smoke and quickly evacuated, taking only their pets, cellphones and engagement ring. The couple and their animals were safe. Emergency services responded quickly, rushing to the scene in McGowan Street in west Grahamstown, several streets above Graeme College. The couple were leasing the cottage. Makana fire fighters, Hi-Tec Security, the South African Police Service and Makana Traffic Department attended to the fire, as well as concerned family and…

Public violence ended with vehicles being damaged, Colchester According to Police Spokesperson Captain Mali Govender, 13 April 2018, an IDP meeting at Colchester Community Hall was disrupted the night of 12 April with burning of objects at the entrance gates and stone throwing. “The meeting started at 18:00 and just before 19:00, a group of about 200 local communities barricaded the hall entrances at its gates with burning objects. Seven (7) vehicles were damaged with stones and rocks thrown at them. One Metro vehicle, a Nissan NP200 bakkie also had a flammable object thrown inside the cab causing fire damages…

Thirty-four Nombulelo Secondary School pupils hospitalised for symptoms of food poisoning Wednesday 11 April were treated and released the same day, according to principal Nicci Hayes. While a social media post speculated that listeriosis might be the cause, Hayes said there was no indication this was the case. “The 34 Nombulelo choir members who had food poisoning were treated immediately and released from hospital this morning,” Hayes told Grocott’s Mail on Wednesday night. “The hospital has confirmed that all the children are in a stable condition and that there is no sign of Listeriosis. The school would like to thank…

The evening of 30 March, local residents were ankle deep in mud as they worked together to save an exhausted cow that had fallen deep inside a water-filled trench on the Worcester Street extension road. Just a few hours later a car narrowly missed the same fate, placing passengers and the driver of the vehicle in danger. The gaping trench is a result of municipal pipe repair work that began at the end of 2017. The burst pipe was repaired within a week, and the hole filled in two weeks later. However, the pipe burst again less than 10 days…

CLARIFICATION: The article “Lean coffee for new startups” (Grocott’s Mail 23 March 20, page 9) announced the appointment of tech transfer manager Suzanne Wolhuter at Rhodes University. For clarification, the mandate of the Tech Transfer office at Rhodes University is transferring the ability to commercialise IP that is generated within the university. Because Rhodes is a government subsidised institution, the IP will remain the full property of the government, Wolhuter clarified this week. The goal of the Tech Transfer office is to direct income back to the university as a way to supplement student fees and other subsidies. Newly appointed Rhodes…