By CHESLEY DANIELS Chesley Daniels Grahamstown Swallows 1st XV were very unlucky to be edged at the death in injury time by hosts Bedford Crusaders on Saturday. Swallows lost 26-29 in Bedford in a friendly rugby clash. The Grahamstown side had a bad and slow start in sweltering conditions, conceding two quick tries and finding themselves 0-14 down in the first 10 minutes of the game. Swallows then made changes to the bench, introducing their more experienced players. This yielded dividends and gave them much needed momentum. They immediately scored three tries after their changes and went to the lead…
Author: Rod Amner
By CHESLEY DANIELS Chesley Daniels Kowie United 1st XV recorded their third consecutive win this season with a comprehensive 43-12 win over Young Collegians from Gheberha at the Station Hill Sports Ground on Saturday. The friendly encounter was played in hot weather conditions in front of a large local enthusiastic crowd. Despite the humid conditions, the clash was played in a good spirit as both teams were eager to run with the ball. Kowie played champagne rugby on the day, especially their explosive speedy backs. The game was very physical and played at a high intensity throughout. The bigger forwards…
By ROD AMNER On Thursday, an impressive geyser was accidentally created on the corner of Fitzroy and Marshall streets. It turns out it is but one of many examples worldwide. Perhaps, like the examples on this page, Makana Tourism could turn this into an attraction? Fly Geyser is one of the best-known examples of an accidentally created geyser. It is located in Washoe County, Nevada, in the United States. The geyser was created in 1916 during the drilling of a well. Old Perpetual is located in Lake County, Oregon, in the United States. The geyser was formed due to a…
By CHESLEY DANIELS Chesley Daniels On Saturday, Salem Cricket Club 1st XI was crowned the new Grahamstown Cricket Board’s (GCB) 1st League Champions for the 2021/2022 season – the first time for 19 years. Salem, who were the log leaders for most of the season, needed to win with a bonus point against Rhodes and rely on Cuylerville, who was in second position, to lose their encounter against Southwell. With two games in hand, Cuylerville were required to win both of their games with a bonus point and hope for Salem to lose one of its remaining two games. However,…
LETTER from HELEN HOLLEMAN, River Rescue coordinator For months, I’ve been asking, ‘Why do we even bother about Covid when Makhanda watercourses probably house cholera, dysentery, brucellosis, and a multitude of other waterborne diseases?” (Yes, I know Covid is airborne!) On Wednesday, 16 February, The Daily Maverick reported outbreaks of enteric fever (typhoid) in several provinces, including four cases in the Eastern Cape. This is a waterborne disease transmitted by faecal-oral contact. Typhoid can be a killer. It occurs in places with no adequate sanitation and a contaminated water supply – which is most places in Makhanda. I am deeply…
A festive atmosphere and scenes of jubilation and excitement characterised the return of students and staff to campus at Rhodes University as hundreds of first-year students reported for registration last weekend. Returning students are expected back this week. The campus sprang to life after all physical activity had ground to a halt for two years amid the COVID-19 outbreak. There was spontaneous singing, dancing and laughter. The university hosted a lively outdoor cocktail for Old Rhodian parents and their children. About 1800 first time entering students (FTENs) and their parents and guardians descended on Makhanda to start the University’s Orientation…
LETTER: By TIM BULL, secretary, Makana Residents’ Association Dear Makana, This letter contains some startling facts. It summarises information from the latest agenda of the Makana Municipality Finance Portfolio (FAME) agenda. Makana Municipality needs to tackle several pressing problems if we are going to get the level of service delivery we all want and need. Makana was placed under Administration in 2014, which largely failed to achieve the desired turnaround for our City. Many people, including Ministers, have concluded that the intervention was a waste of money. One helpful legacy from the period of Administration is the production of a…
By PHILIP MACHANICK, Makana Citizens Front Proportional Representation councillor For those in Makhanda in 2019, a scenario where the west side of town gets no water from the east and local dams are drying out is all too familiar. In January 2019, in a meeting in City Hall, Rhodes University threatened to send its students home if Makana could not guarantee at least 10Mlitre/day (the rated capacity of the east-side plant, James Kleynhans). The present east-west transfer line was initially used to supply the east from Waainek before James Kleynhans was complete in 1992. Converting it to supply the west…
By LOYISO DYONGMAN The Legal Resources Centre (LRC) has given the Makana Municipality until Friday, 18 February, to comply with a high court order of September last year to clean up all unofficial dumpsites in Makhanda – or face more court action. Makhanda residents (represented by the Ezihagwini community committee) and the Mary Waters High School took the municipality to court in 2020 for its failure to clean up dumpsites. The Grahamstown High Court ordered the municipality to: clean up seven unofficial dumpsites within 14 days;provide three refuse bags to each household per week within 14 days;work with communities to…
By ROD AMNER and LOYISO DYONGMAN Teaching was suspended at several public schools from Wednesday after the newly-formed Makhanda School Governing Board (SGB) Forum led a protest against the Eastern Cape Department of Education’s (DOE) failure to deliver stationery and pay for education assistants (EAs) and general school assistants (GSAs). At 11 am Wednesday, teachers at several schools, including Ntaba Maria Primary, Samuel Ntsiko Primary and Mary Waters High School, downed tools. Chair of the Makhanda Principals’ Forum Warren Schmidt said the shut down was “a mixed bag”. While some schools closed, others – including most fee-paying schools – remained…