Author: Sue Maclennan

Ten young people from Grahamstown are running a pop-up restaurant at the Joza Youth Hub during the National Arts Festival. The young entrepreneurs are part of Oasis Bridge the Gap, a yearlong program empowering young unemployed people between 18 and 25 to be change agents, passionate about their own change and transformation in our community through lifeskills, computer training and community service. Visitors to the Oasis resto will get some township flavors and nutritious festival snacks at affordable prices and served with a smile. With free WiFi vouchers, an outside terrace and the secret homegrown recipes the resto will be a…

Sue Maclennan, the current editor of Grocott’s Mail, interviews former Grocottt’s editor Jonathan Ancer on the eve of his visit to Grahamstown to launch his book, SPY, at *Thinkfest during the National Arts Festival. For a small town, Grahamstown has unearthed (and itself created) some of the most extraordinary stories. As a journalist (and former Grocott’s Mail editor) what have the most memorable been, and how did you come across them? There have been extraordinary stories from Grahamstown and I used to really enjoy going through the old Grocott’s papers from the turn of the century (the other century). While…

Motorists planning on travelling to Grahamstown along the N2 through the eastern half of the Eastern Cape should note that controlled blasting is scheduled to take place between Dutywa and Mthatha on Tuesday, 4 July and Thursday, 6 July, at approximately midday on both days.

Over 80 additional police officers from within the Eastern Cape Province including the K9 unit have been deployed to police the National Arts Festival. This is to ensure that locals as well as guests from all over the globe feel safe while enjoying the internationally recognised festival. Several measures have been put in place to make access to the SAPS easier should any need arise. The following 7 mobile points will be accessible as reporting points. Monument; Village Green; High Street; Church Square; Fiddlers Green; Fingo Square at the Fingo Festival; and Noluthando Hall at the Joza hub. As in…

Sue Maclennan @SusanMaclennan2 A councillor says while he’s sympathetic to the plight of hundreds of people who since Sunday have gathered on open land east of Grahamstown to be allocated plots, he fears they are being misled with false hope. Simultaneous service delivery protests Monday in which the R343 at Salem and the R67 to Port Alfred opposite Manley Flats were blockaded meant municipal officials were stretched and, with no intervention, residents Tuesday continued to prepare sites they believe are theirs for construction. Around 300 people had gathered Monday on vacant land opposite the Mayfield Extension 10 housing development. Most…

The National Arts Festival is an example of the role the arts can play in the reconstruction of our economy, the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture (DSRAC) said in a statement today. The Department  has invested more than R3.6 million in this year’s 43rd National Arts Festival (NAF), taking place in Grahamstown from 28 June 2017 to 9 July 2017. “The Festival is a cornerstone of our Province’s economy, contributing R377m annually to our GDP. That translates into jobs, tourist spend and visitors buying the work of our crafters, a myriad of activities that help our people enhance their…

Drama for Life Creative Research Hub goes mobile at the National Arts Festival 2017 Nompumulelo Hall and Nombulelo Hall, in Joza, NELM, in Worcester Street and the newly renovated Hill Street public library are venues for several family oriented shows, as well as discussions and short courses by the Drama for Life Creative Research Hub during the National Arts Festival, which starts this Thursday in Grahamstown. Drama for Life in partnership with the Festival, will premiere a variety of original, new performances for children, families and older youth, experiential workshops for artists and community-practitioners; and the highly competitive REMIX Laboratory programme for…

The power of language comes under the spotlight in a four-day conference starting in Grahamstown tomorrow, hosted by Rhodes University’s African Language Studies Section in the School of Languages and Literatures. The School holds the prestigious NRF South African Research Chair Initiative (SARChI) on Intellectualisation of African Languages, Multilingualism and Education, and this conference focuses on its mission to undertake scientific and innovative research on African languages. Professor Russell Kaschula leads the project, which promotes multilingualism in fostering meaningful participation by citizens in all spheres of society – starting with education. The promotion of indigenous languages, the use of language…

Under African Skies by Samantha Carolus This year one of the new items on the Spiritfest programme will be a Choral Multi-Media service ‘Under African Skies’, featuring choral music and hymns from South African composers and those beyond our borders sung by the Grahamstown Cathedral Choir in a darkened church with powerfully gripping images of the African continent and skies projected onto a huge screen. The choir will be directed by Kutlwano Kepadisa, and the music and images were compiled by Ronald and Jenny Gill from Johannesburg, some of the music being Ron’s own compositions. Jenny and Ronald Gill started…

Leading the Vision LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT By SUE MACLENNAN @SusanMaclennan2 An internship at Grahamstown’s Makana Brick has provided Akhona Ntlanjeni with a once in a lifetime opportunity. “You know, there are so many people who have skills, but are sitting in the location. I feel very fortunate that I have the chance to use mine,” Ntlanjeni said. Ntlanjeni finished at Mary Waters Secondary School in 2010. In 2014, he was enrolled at the Gadra Matric School, intending to improve his marks, when he heard through the Assumption Development Centre about internship opportunities at Makana Brick. He applied, and made it…