Newly-appointed Action SA Eastern Cape chairperson Athol Trollip was scouting for members in Makhanda last week. Trollip says his new party is opening new branches to target the transformation of local government before making a bid for power on the national political stage. SIYAMTHANDA PONGCO spoke to him. Athol Trollip has over three decades of experience in the South African political landscape. He is a former Democratic Alliance (DA) Federal Chairperson and Executive Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro. But he is starting all over again by building his new party – Action SA – from the grassroots. Action…
Author: Rod Amner
By CHESLEY DANIELS Chesley Daniels Trying Stars 1st XV kick off their Eastern Province Rugby Union (EPRU) Grand Challenge Group C fixture campaign with a comprehensive 39-7 bonus-point win over Kwaru from Gheberha on Saturday at the Wetzel Park Sports Ground in Alexandria. Stars came from a Super 14 Competition where they failed to make it to the playoffs, while Kwaru were also involved in preseason fixtures and events. Both teams were hungry, but with almost half-capacity rugby, they battled in front of the large crowd in Alexandria. Stars dominated the line outs and used their speedy backline to crack…
Fourteen picnickers entered the unlocked gate at Jamieson Dam on Human Rights Day on Monday, 21 March. Some of them caught bass. All of them had fun. The gate to the area had been locked with a thick cable since 2017. A sign prohibiting entrance and recreational activity of any kind was also erected at the time. It’s gone. The lock barring access to the Jamieson and Milner dams (pictured in February 2022) has been opened. Photo: Rod Amner The Jamieson and Milner dams and surrounding area are on municipally-owned commonage and were for decades a beloved recreational spot for…
By CHESLEY DANIELS Chesley Daniels The much anticipated Alicedale Rugby Derby between Rosebuds and St Mark’s took place last weekend, with St Mark’s getting the first punch in with a dominant 26-3 bonus-point win over its arch rivals at the Alicedale Sports Ground. St Mark’s took a comfortable 19-3 lead at halftime. The hot and warm, humid weather conditions didn’t stop the rugby enthusiasts from rocking up at a packed ground. The Alicedale Derby is one of the biggest in the Eastern Cape. On Saturday, it was no different, with spectators coming from Makhanda, Alicedale, Paterson, Addo and surrounding areas.…
Dear editor, The Makana Residents’ Association wishes to record its thanks to the Executive Mayor, Councillor Yandiswa Vara, for arranging a meeting about Makana water services, chaired by Councillor Mthuthuzeli Matyumza. The meeting took place at the Council Chambers on Thursday afternoon. MRA, supported by a few water engineers, raised several concerns on behalf of Makana residents. It was accepted that the water supply since December 2021 has been intermittent and chaotic, although it has improved during the past fortnight. It was agreed that further dialogue is necessary to move as swiftly as possible to a situation where water is…
Thanks to Nita’s Makhanda Events WhatsApp group for these listings. Friday 25 March Politics Friday Seminar – Shifting Power Dynamics: Hashtag Feminisms in South Africa@ Ruth Mompati Seminar Room, Rhodes Politics Department1-2 pmAll welcome Charity Variety ConcertEastcape Midlands TVET College Charity Variety Concert 2022with special guest artist: Bulelani Koyo@ Church Square, outside the Makhanda Town Hall5 pmAdmission: food parcels, sanitary towels, school shoes and toiletries Moonlit MarketShopping, food, bar, and activities@ City Lords Field/ The Wyvern, Kingswood College5 pm Zim vs SA Basketball ShowdownBring your friends and your own drinks@ Alec Mullins, Rhodes University6 pmEntrance: free Live: Julie BakerCocktail specials@ The Pothole…
By OVAYO MILISA NOVUKELA The Eastern Cape schools’ rugby season blasted into orbit at the annual Graeme Day Rugby Festival on Saturday, featuring some of the province’s most dominant and popular teams. The three local schools – St Andrew’s College (SAC), Kingswood College and the host Graeme College – were in the mix with Teams from Hudson Park High School, Selbourne College, Dale College, Queens College, Cambridge High School, Grey College and many more. St Andrew’s College vs Framesby Electrifying, goosebump-inducing war cries emanated from these St Andrew’s College supporters. Photo: Ovayo Milisa Novukela The first of the matches involving…
By OVAYO MILISA NOVUKELA and SIVE FAITH GINYA Rhodes PhD student Dinah Mukhari has won first prize in the 2022 #IAMMAKANA photographic competition. Her prize is a safari getaway for two at Mansfield Private Reserve outside Port Alfred, a guided game drive and a couple’s full body massage at River Spa. She also gets online photo editing tutorials and a cash prize of R1 000. First Prize Winner Dinah Mukhari. Photo: Ovayo Milisa Novukela Makana Tourism announced the results on Wednesday, 23 March at the 1820 Settlers Monument. Mukhari said photography is her hobby. Although she is used to taking…
By SAMANTHA BABAYA The Addams Family is a gothic musical comedy that has something for everyone. The witty script is carried off by quirky characters played with passion and confidence by pupils of St Andrew’s College and the Diocesan School for Girls. It is a story of traditional family values and love masked in dark humour and complete absurdity. It will have you laughing till your stomach hurts. “The dark parts are dark, but the light parts are even darker,” explained a thrilled audience member and parent. The main cast of the DSG-St Andrew’s College production of The Addams Family.…
Dear editor, In the Grocott’s Mail of 18 March 2022, Makana Municipality Speaker Councillor Mthuthuzeli Matyumza is quoted as giving reasons for the auditor-general’s third consecutive disclaimer of Makana Municipality financial accounts. In a single source interview with your reporter, Councillor Matyumza suggests that the disclaimer was caused by the “accounting officer fighting with the previous mayor”. For the sake of the institution’s (and thus the community’s) future, this misleading version cannot be left unchallenged. Makana Municipality Speaker Councillor Mthuthuzeli ‘Mabhuti’ Matyumza. Photo: Rod Amner Councillor Matyumza was present when in May 2021, the chairperson of Parliament’s Standing Committee on…