By STAFF REPORTER The SA Post Office (Sapo) has announced it will no longer pay the R350 social relief of distress (SRD) grant through its branches. Sapo spokesperson Johan Kruger said the move would help alleviate long queues at its branches. He said a new round of applications for the R350 SRD grant is open and includes options for beneficiaries to choose where to collect their grants. The application app includes an option for beneficiaries to receive their grants from Pick n Pay, Boxer, Shoprite, Checkers or USave. “If you have already reapplied for your SRD grant, you can still…
Author: Rod Amner
Dear editor Against the whirring sounds of old weed eaters guzzling the overgrown grass around the Joza Youth Hub, I asked Supervisor Nyoka, from the Parks and Maintenance Department, about his work. Mr Nyoka himself had been sent to the Hub by the new Makana Parks supervisor, Wandile Duruwe. Being quite used to having phone calls and emails to the municipality ignored, we were delighted to get such a timely and positive response from both these men. The Joza Youth Hub, a voluntary non-profit organisation, occupies a section of the Makana Municipality’s Housing Department and, against very many odds, runs…
By LOYISO DYONGMAN The Makhanda High Court has ordered the MEC for Education in the Eastern Cape and the Superintendent-General to appear in court after failing to provide premises for a special needs school. In 2010, the court ruled that they must implement a plan to provide premises for the Amasango Career School, which provides for children with special needs. Currently, the school operates out of six prefab classrooms provided by the provincial education department on the edge of the abandoned railway line. In a ruling on 26 April, Judge Olav Ronaasen said they had failed to carry out the 2010…
By STAFF REPORTER Police are searching for two men who robbed a jewellery store on High Street in Makhanda on Friday.SAPS spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli said the men “stormed” into the store and threatened two employees with firearms. He said they were ushered into a storeroom before the suspects fled with several cell phones, laptops, and an undisclosed amount of cash. The same story was robbed a week earlier, 28 April. After the first robbery, information led the police to a house in Joza on the same day where the stolen items were recovered, Nkohli said. “Police also seized…
By LIKHAPHA THAATAA The Makana Municipality cleared a massive pile of rubbish around the JD Dlepu football stadium in Joza last week. Executive Mayor Cllr Yandiswa Vara urged residents to ensure no one would dump refuse on that site again. “This is our town – we must be responsible for keeping it clean.” In an official statement, Makana said it was committed to cleaning over 130 illegal dumping sites around the city. “However, if we want to see real results, we also have to play our part. Illegal dumpsites are a direct result of knowingly dumping domestic refuse in areas…
By CHESLEY DANIELS Chesley Daniels Old Collegians (OC) 1st XV ended the unbeaten run of log leaders St Mark’s Alicedale with a narrow, nail-biting 31-30 bonus-point win. The EPRU Sedru Regional League clash was played at the Albany Sports Ground on Saturday. OC put up a much-improved performance against St Mark’s after losing to Klipfontein the previous Saturday. OC now moved up to second position ahead of Kowie on the log standings after Kowie lost to Rhodes. St Mark’s remains on top. The game was brutal, hard, physical and went down to the wire. It was a great game of…
By CHESLEY DANIELS Chesley Daniels Rosebuds registered their first win in the EPRU Sedru Regional League with a bonus point 38-17 win over Swallows in Alicedale on Saturday. A commanding first half saw Rosebuds enjoy a healthy 22-3 lead at halftime. Rosebuds winger Gwenton Cedras scored a hat trick of tries and was the major contributor to his side’s first win in the league. Swallows travelled to Alicedale and knew it would never be easy to beat Rosebuds in their backyard at the Alicedale Sports Ground. The atmosphere was perfect for rugby, and a large local crowd witnessed a fantastic…
By ROD AMNER Jack, niks, unothi, nada, zip, zippo, zilch, diddly squat. Sadly, there was no rain in the week from 28 April to 4 May. But, Jim Cambray reported two nights of heavy dew in Park Road, which registered 1.0mm in the pluviometer. Paul Maylam in Cathcart Street and Robin Stobbs in Grant Street confirmed the lack of rain. Temperatures for the week ranged from 8.5-27C, with some lovely autumn weather. Jim’s total for April was 46mm, which is well below the long term average of 63.7mm and the median of 51mm. The minimum for the month occurred in…
By CHESLEY DANIELS Bedford Crusaders claimed hard-fought bragging rights in their local Bedford Derby against Bedford Cranes with a humdinger 15-12 win. The derby was part of the EPRU Midlands Regional League that saw Crusaders take a 15-9 lead at halftime. On a perfect day for rugby on Saturday, 30 April 2022. It will go down in history as the day small-town Bedford showed everybody that there is majestic, raw rugby talent even in rural areas. This is one of the biggest derbies in the Eastern Cape, and it lived up to expectations. It was witnessed by thousands who were…
By STAFF REPORTER Stories of turbulence, healing and triumph thread through this year’s programme as the National Arts Festival returns to Makhanda in a live festival format from 23 June to 3 July 2022. “There’s a pull towards stories from history and explorations of other ways of seeing and being throughout this year’s programme. Uncertain times can lead us to look back, make sense of the present, and find ground,” says NAF Artistic Director Rucera Seethal. “This year, artists have bravely located themselves inside historical moments, failing ecologies, deeply personal questions, and even endings. Here, audiences can expect catharsis, drama,…