By CHRIS TOTOBELA Pick n Pay family store staff visited Little Flower Pre-School as part of the Mandela Day initiative this week. They spent 67 minutes with the children and donated groceries to them. Jon Campbell of Pick n Pay was happy that his business took time off to think about the less fortunate and made a difference in the community. Speaking on behalf of Little Flower Pre-School, Nomalungelo Mthwalo thanked Pick n Pay for everything they have done for the school and believed it would make a big difference.
Author: likhapha
By CHRIS TOTOBELA The Pick n Pay family store in Peppergrove Mall donated tracksuits to Sophia Young Stars ahead of the new season, which kicks off in August. John Campbell of Pick and Pay was pleased to support this up-and-coming young team. Sophia Young Stars chairperson Lindisipho Swaartbooi could not hide his excitement. “Our boys needed this boost ahead of the new season and would like to thank Pick and Pay for our long-standing relationship.”
By CHRIS TOTOBELA All roads led to Joza Indoor Sports Centre for local boxing fans last Saturday. Boxers from all the municipalities under the Sarah Baartman region were on show. A district team of cadets and juniors was selected to take part in the provincial championships in Queenstown from 5-7 August. The day’s first bout set the tone for what would follow later. The standard was high, and all the boxers looked ready and sharp. Some exciting bouts got the audience shouting and bursting into song at one stage. Some controversial bouts got the people talking. In one of the…
By LIKHAPHA THAATHAA and JOY HINYIKIWILE When you enter the Raw Spot Gallery, you are transported to a new location. You are surrounded by a river, thick, long, wet grass. There is a ritual performance. The site is sacred. You hear the musical vibrations of vocal cords. It sounds like a prayer – a summoning of spiritual beings. The air is not clear. Something is burning. The smell says the burning is purposeful. Is it a sacrifice? Is this meant to get rid of something? On the other side of the river are giant rocks. Visual artist Viwe Madinda stands…
By LIKHAPHA THAATHAA AND JOY HINYIKIWILE Seventeen-year-olds Khelan Desai and Panashe Manyengawana were crowned the 2022 English Olympiad Home Language and First-Additional Language champions, respectively, at the 2022 English Olympiad prize-giving ceremony. English HL Olympiad winner Khelan Desai. Photo: Joy Hinykiwile The ceremony was held as part of the National Arts Festival Schools Fest at Guy Butler Theater on Friday 01 July, with some of the top pupils in attendance. Desai is a matriculant at Johannesburg’s St John’s College, while Manyengawana, who was also the 2021 English Olympiad First Additional Language champion, is a Grade 11 pupil at Blue Hills…
By LIKHAPHA THAATHAA Driving around Makhanda, you may notice the friendly faces of local car guards wearing bright shweshwe vests and sashes. The Abakhuseli Skills for Life Project offers friendly safety assistance to festinos. “The project is working towards empowerment, integration, respect, and dignity for people in Makhanda,” said the project manager, Lilly Quin. People can identify the members of Abakhuseli with their unique uniforms, though some of them have name tags and sashes at present. “The Department of Traffic is aware of us,” she added. Abakhuseli is working in parallel with Food4Futures, a Makhanda-based NPO focused on hunger alleviation. They run…
By CASEY LUDICK and STEVEN LANG Wood chips and white tents cover the sports fields at Victoria Girls High, as the Village Green craft market is set up to cater for festinos shopping for goods they won’t find at home. After a two-year Covid-induced absence, the vendors are back in all their festival glory and are excited to be trading in Makhanda again. The Village Green will be a bit thinner this year, but vendors are optimistic that the journey here will be worth their while. Talent Mapfumo (right) and Moleen Mpofu preparing the merchandise at the Adam and Eve…
By JENNA KRETZMANN “Do you mind if I have a look at your menu?” “I don’t mind where we go as long as I can check out the menu online beforehand.” “Are you sure you can get something there?” These questions are likely all too familiar if you are vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or prescribed any ‘alternate’ eating lifestyle. With the rising emergence of veganism in South Africa, more restaurants have been forced to transition to a “vegan-friendly” status. Even notorious steakhouses such as Spur now include vegan schnitzels and burgers on their menu, and popular pizza chains are introducing vegan…
By SIVE FAITH GINYA Most accommodation in the heart of Makhanda is fully booked, but there are township homestays and guest houses outside town to fall back on. The Makana Tourism website lists option for those wanting to escape the festival rush in town. Kenton-On-Sea and Port Alfred are quiet beach towns where you can mix some of that Fest energy with salty sea air. For example, Sheilan House is a child-friendly bed & breakfast located in Port Alfred, 49 minutes away from Makhanda. Guests there can enjoy free breakfast and Wi-Fi. Just 40 minutes from Makhanda on the way…
By LIKHAPHA THAATHAA and ROD AMNER Visitors attending the National Arts Festival are no longer required to wear masks indoors and venues no longer need to adhere to a 50% maximum capacity rule. The lifting of restrictions applies to all 15 Rhodes University venues, according to an official Rhodes Coronavirus Response Task Team notice on Thursday, 23 June. This follows the news that South Africa has no more regulations governing the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, as per a repeal notice gazetted by Health Minister Joe Phaahla on Wednesday evening. NAF board member Dr Siphiwo Mahala and CEO Monica Newton welcomed Phaahla’s…