Onesimo Sombhua, a Grade 11 learner at Khutliso Daniels Secondary School, shows off the laptop computer she won for coming top in a Sarah Baartman District isiXhosa Book Review Competition at the award ceremony in Joubertina. Her dad is holding her certificate (left) and on her right is her isiXhosa teacher, Mhlekwa Mkhuseli Welcome. She will go on to represent the District at a provincial competition in celebration of National Book Week.
Author: Rod Amner
The Makana Citizens’ Front aims to unite local communities, listen to their grievances and make the dysfunctional municipality in Makhanda accountable to residents. New Frame’s ANNA MAJAVU reports. A diverse group of activists tired of living with spilt sewage and without clean drinking water say the “toxic politics of the ANC” have divided them for too long. It is time to unite across races and transform the Makana Local Municipality. The Makana Citizens’ Front (MCF) plans to contest the local government elections in the Eastern Cape town of Makhanda. It recently launched its campaign plan and released a list of…
Residents’ rights to a safe and healthy environment are compromised when individual and group behaviour infringes on the general population. There are ‘public nuisance’ by-laws in place, as gazetted on the Makana Local Municipality website. Events such as the one reported by Grocott’s Mail at Makana Resort recently and also at Rustic Route should be readily resolved by invoking those by-laws. They require review, but for now, they stand. During working hours, noise complaints can be made to the Makana Manager of Environmental Health, Johann Esterhuizen, at this email address: JohanneEsterhuizen@makana.gov.za Or you can phone one of these numbers: Johann Esterhuizen:…
By LOYISO DYONGMAN The National Union of Civil Servants and Allied Sectors (Nupsaw) workers strike at Rhodes University, which began on 9 August, has been partially suspended. Nupsaw provincial organiser Lerato Thethe said Tuesday that union members would continue picketing during lunchtimes. Nupsaw, a South African Federation of Trade Unions affiliate, wants Rhodes University to recognise it as a workers union at the institution. Rhodes University said Nupsaw had not complied with the provisions of the Labour Relations Act as outlined in Section 21(2), which states that a union must supply facts relied upon to demonstrate that it is a representative…
By LOYISO DYONGMAN On Thursday, a group of women dressed in black led a protest march for Thokozile Chrisjan, the 38-year-old nurse and mother of two who was brutally murdered in her home on Friday night in Vukani location in Makhanda. The march started from Dlukulu Clinic in Extension 7 and proceeded to BB Zondani Hall. Chrisjan was fatally stabbed and her husband assaulted during an armed robbery at their Ngquawana Street home at about 10.30 pm last Friday. TV sets and cellphones were stolen and the couple’s vehicle, a Nissan SUV, was stolen and burned down on the way to…
When a pair of school shoes is far more than leather and laces… By SUE MACLENNAN “It seems such a small thing, but it makes such a big difference,” says Nomfusi Maleki. “It’s true – from a child who just keeps quiet, now you have someone who will raise their hand, ask questions, speak out,” adds Zoleka Kate. “From someone who always stayed at the back, a child will have the confidence to come to the front and lead.” Maleki teaches grades 5, 6 and 7 at Ntaba Maria Primary School, and Kate is the principal of Fikizolo Primary School.…
By SUE MACLENNAN A Sunday afternoon shattered by music so thumpingly loud that it rattled the windows of passing cars, and a sleepless night thanks to revelling that continued well after midnight are the least of Makhanda’s concerns, said people affected by a music event at Makana Resort last weekend. Everyone involved – from officials to organisers – insists they did what they could to ensure the event was compliant with bylaws and Covid regulations. But the SAPS has confirmed that a case has been opened and charges of contravention of the Disaster Management Act are being investigated. Meanwhile, community members…
This week’s editorial is a little more personal than usual. This week my uncle, Leon McLean, passed away. He was a giant of a man – in height and heart, always friendly, always joking, and always willing to give you a minute (actually, a lot more than a minute) of his time. COVID-19 has messed with the way we gather as people after someone’s passing; it is challenging to navigate being human and wanting to connect and be close to your loved ones during difficult times. What has given me some sense of connection is finding Leon’s presence online. Within…
By RYAN JARVIS Anyone who has come across master potter and artist Meshack Masuku – or, as most people call him, Uncle Meshack – would have noticed that he wears a feather in his hat or hair. Most people would assume that he has done this as a fashion statement. But it is because he is of royal descent – the feather is a symbol of royalty in Swaziland/eSwatini, and it works as a crown. For Uncle Meshack, the key to ceramics is knowing one’s history and culture. Ceramics has been an integral part of South African life for thousands…
By SIZIPHIWE YUZE, Rhodes University Law Clinic Buntu purchases a kettle from a retailer. The kettle’s element is faulty, and after a few days stops heating the water. He goes back to the retailer after a week to complain. The store tells him that this is “not their problem” as its “store policy” is that it will only consider complaints within five days of purchase. Is this legally acceptable? The answer is an emphatic “no”. The Consumer Protection Act provides consumers with a right to goods and services of fair value, good quality and safety. Buntu’s kettle is defective, meaning it…