By CHRIS TOTOBELA The Makana LFA Premier League got under way last weekend with mouth-watering encounters taking place at the home of local football, JD Dlepu stadium. On Saturday, newly promoted Makana Tigers held last season’s title contenders Young Eagles to a thrilling 2-2 draw. In another exciting clash, 6 Sai Army saw off Makana Celtics 4-2. It was a baptism of fire for the sleeping giants of Makhanda football, Pioneers FC, as they lost both of their games on the weekend. They were welcomed back into the top flight by old enemies City Pirates and Joza Callies and lost…
Author: Rod Amner
By LOYISO DYONGMAN After two years online, this year’s National Arts Festival (NAF) will be live – and local artists are ready. Last year live performances at the NAF were suspended after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Level 4 lockdown just three days before the start. Mzwamadoda Azlan Makalima is a rapper, producer, and founder of an independent record label, Multimedia Makenik, in Hlalani. He said he was relieved. “The NAF is our hub as local artists; we don’t have a specific direction without NAF. I have been struggling for the past two years that the festival live performances were suspended.…
EDITOR’S NOTE: Rhodes University’s mandatory Covid-19 vaccine policy is being challenged in the high court by a group of Rhodes University staff and students named Makhanda Against Mandates (MAM). The interdict will be argued in the high court on March 1. The Rhodes University Council approved the vaccination mandate in October 2021. In an email earlier this month, the University’s Communication and Advancement Division stated that anyone who wished to access campus “should either provide proof of vaccination with a South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) approved vaccine, or an exemption from vaccination issued by the University”. MAM wants…
Riana Meiring, who served as Makana Municipality’s Director of Local Economic Development since 2008, died suddenly on Friday, 11 February. We publish some tributes to this long-serving and widely-admired public servant. Tribute from the Makana Municipality Makana Local Municipality has learned with great shock and sadness of the passing of Riana Meiring, one of the longest-serving senior managers of the Makana Local Municipality. Riana will be sorely missed by everyone in Makana Local Municipality, particularly those who worked closely with her over the years. The news of her passing has not only devastated us, but scores of people whom she…
One of the many unfortunate side-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated prolonged lock-downs has been the time it now takes the Master’s Office to expedite applications. The Master’s Office is a division of the Department of Justice. Among other responsibilities, officers in the Master’s division supervise the administration of deceased estates, the estates of persons under curatorship and the estates of insolvent persons. What do a few extra months of processing time at the Master’s Office mean for the ordinary person? The appointment of an executor by the Master of the High Court can take anything from three weeks…
Six armed men invaded a game lodge on Saturday night and held a family and guests at gunpoint close to the N2 outside Committees Drift, about 30km east of Makhanda. Police spokesperson Sergeant Majola Nkohli said three of the six men brandished firearms and ushered the lodge owner into his bedroom at about 8.55 pm. “The suspects stole an undisclosed amount of cash and his firearm with ammunition. During the incident, a guest’s firearm was also robbed,” Nkohli said. The lodge owner alleged that he and his family were sitting on the patio when the men stormed into the premises…
Nge GEOFF EMBLING, Democratic Alliance (DA), Ward 4 Geoff Embling, DA councillor, Ward 4. Isiphithiphithi sabahlali sisondela kwinqanaba elibi kakhulu, kwaye ngamanye amaxesha umsindo wabo ujika ube kukucela amanzi. Eminye imizi ineeveki ezininzi engenamanzi. Iziseko ezingundoqo zamanzi, iivalvu ngokukodwa, azikhange zilungiswe kule minyaka idlulileyo, kwaye kutyholwa ngokuba imibhobho esanda kufakwa ayicinezelwa okanye “ayinyanzelwa “ngokufanelekileyo ziikontraka ezithile. Imibhobho yamanzi isesichengeni soxinzelelo olukhulu, kwaye ucinezelo lubandakanya ukucudisa umhlaba phezu kwemibhobho esanda kubekwa okanye elungiswayo kunokuphosa umhlaba ovuthulukileyo emva emingxunyeni. Ingxaki ethe yachaphazela isiseko samanzi iminyaka yenzeka emva “kokuchithwa kwamanzi” xa imibhobho yonikezelo lwamanzi luvulwa ngokukhawuleza okukhulu. Utshintsho oluqhubekayo olukhawulezayo kuxinzelelo kutyholwa ukuba…
By CHRIS TOTOBELA A huge crowd braved the scorching sun and made their way to JD Dlepu stadium on Saturday.On show was the SAB regional league encounter between local debutants Jacaranda Aces and former ABC Motsepe League Alexandria-based Manchester United. The game started at a well-managed, pedestrian pace, with both teams being very cautious. The heat also played an influential role in this game, but the visitors began picking up the pace and strung together a couple of passes and seemed to be in control of the proceedings. The first chance of the game fell on Manchester’s central forward, who…
By GEOFF EMBLING, Democratic Alliance (DA) Ward 4 councillor Geoff Embling, DA councillor for Ward 4. Below are responses from local water experts and other citizens to the answers given by the Director and Manager of Water at the Infrastructure Portfolio Meeting on 12 February 2022. The water crisis in Makhanda, which worsened considerably at the end of December 2021, has not abated and is deteriorating as of 12 February 2022. A resident has compiled complaints from various WhatsApp community groups, showing lists of water outages in various roads and indicating the number of days without water. The town has…
By PHILIP MACHANICK, Makana Citizens Front PR councillor Makana Citizens Front (MCF) PR councillor Philip Machanick addresses the Makana Residents Association (MRA) in this file photo. Photo: Steven Lang On 25 January 2022, the parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation conducted an oversight visit to the James Kleynhans project. After being elected, MCF has been trying to organise oversight visits to water plants as one of our first priorities. We have made no progress with getting access to sites. So, we were surprised that we only heard about this visit through the media and were not invited. We sent…