Author: Stephen Kisbey-Green

In the midst of a water crisis in Makhanda (Grahamstown), a group of enterprising young students at Mary Waters Secondary School have taken it upon themselves to provide their school with a rainwater tank. On the morning of Tuesday 12 February, students, along with Enke Make Your Mark, a youth development organisation based in Johannesburg, and Ikamva Youth, handed over a 2500-litre water tank at the school. Mary Waters is one of the many schools in and around Makhanda that have been suffering as a result of prolonged water shortages in the Eastern Cape. The lack of water at the…

Reporting by Kathryn Cleary and Stephen Kisbey-Green In the light of the Eastern Cape’s ongoing water crisis, Grocott’s Mail visited a local farm to see the effects of the drought. With empty dams, dry veld and high food prices, farmers are feeling the drought deep in their hearts and their pockets. 

Despite no longer being the popular railway junction that it used to be, Alicedale is still an important and thriving town, around 50km outside of Makhanda (Grahamstown). The lack of trade due to the loss of the railway junction and the deteriorating road into town has hurt the town economically; however this has not dampened the spirits of the residents, as evident by the thriving karate project. East Cape Shotokan-Ryu (ECSR) introduced the Alicedale Karate Project in 2015, as a way to promote healthy living, discipline and a balanced lifestyle among the struggling town, and it has been well met…

PJ Oliver Höerskool hosted their annual athletics meeting on Friday 18 January, in front of a packed school grand stand. Athletes from all age groups ranging from grade three to matrix took to the fields to showcase their abilities in the 100m, 200m, 400m, shot-put, javelin, long jump and high jump events. Photos: Stephen Kisbey-Green

In their first match back on South African soil in 2019, the Isuzu Southern Kings suffered a heartbreaking defeat to the Toyota Cheetahs, after the visitors managed to score in the 85th minute of the match. The 17-24 defeat was felt even more deeply by Kings supporters, as their charges had fought back well in the second half to remain level at the end of 80 minutes. The Cheetahs started off strong, scoring the only try of the first half, but failed to capitalize on the pressure that they had built up throughout the game. After the halftime break, the…

The Guinness Pro14 returned to South African shores on Friday 18 January, when the Isuzu Southern Kings hosted the Toyota Cheetahs in a massive derby clash. Both sides were looking for a much-needed victory, with both sides languishing in the bottom sections of their respective logs. The Kings came into the match on the back of a disappointing first outing in 2019 against Edinburgh, which they lost 38-0. They came into the match hoping that home ground advantage would stem the tied of the Cheetahs, who were buoyed by their 12-27 victory over Zebre in Italy. The Cheetahs threatened the…

Throw used tissues in the bin (instead of the toilet). Defrost food in the fridge. Reuse towels as much as possible. Reduce the frequency of washing clothes. Only wash full loads. Do not play with water (i.e water balloons, water toys, etc.). Do not use water for cooking where possible. Sweep floors and driveways instead of washing. Do not leave taps running. Turn off the shower when not rinsing. Fix any leaking or dripping taps. Make use of water-saving low flow taps. Do not boil more water than you need. Fill the cistern on your toilet with a brick or…

The third edition of the New Year’s Cup will take place from 16-31 December at the JD Dlepu Stadium in Makhanda (Grahamstown), in celebration of the holiday season and the fight against drugs. Several Makhanda teams will be taking part in this year’s New Year’s Cup, namely the Santos, Newseekers, City Pirates, Grahamstown United, Jacaranda Aces, Sakhulutsha, Mighty Chiefs and Maru. The winners of the tournament will receive a grand prize of R100 000 as well as a full set of new kit, along with their trophy and medals. Second- and third-place teams will receive R50 000 and R25 000 respectively,…

A number of St Andrew’s College and Diocesan School for Girls swimmers qualified to participate in the Nelson Mandela Bay Aquatics Championships over the weekend of 1-2 December. The St Andrew’s swimmers to take part were Joss Hempel, Oliva Lange, Scott Ritchie, Cameron Rafferty (College) and Chase Repinz (Prep). The swimmers came back with many accolades and Qualification times. Junior National qualification times were swum by Joss Hempel and Oliva Lange (St Andrew’s). Lange won Gold in the 200m Breaststroke, as well as Bronze in the 50m and 100m Breaststroke. Cameron Rafferty won Bronze in the 50m Breaststroke, while Scott…

All roads led to the Oval on Saturday 24 November, when the Brumbies Rugby club hosted the sixth annual Fabian Juries Community Fun Day. The day was packed with activities and matches, with teams from all over Makhanda (Grahamstown) taking part in rugby and netball tournaments for bragging rights and the winners’ trophy. Teams from Joza, Fingo, Currie Park, Scott’s Farm, Vergenoeg, Hooggenoeg, Ghost Town, Tyantyi, Vukani and even the Six SAI Military Base competed. Additionally, each team partnered with a charity or NGO and all prize money earned by the winning teams would go towards improving the communities involved.…