Makhanda festival city
The city is renowned for its educational institutions, for being the national seat of the judiciary and for its cultural events
AMBASSADOR FOR ROBBEN ISLAND MUSEUM
PJ Olivier High School grade 11 pupil Tukela Seyisi has been appointed an ambassador for the Robben Island Museum in Table Bay, Cape Town.
Seyisi, whose interests include literature, art and politics, said his journey to becoming an ambassador began with his participation in the International Museum Day (IMD) competition in the Sarah Baartman district in conjunction with the Eastern Cape province.
In the IMD provincial competition, Seyisi finished in second place, behind an entrant from Gqeberha, with the top three winning trips to the annual Robben Island spring school.
Seyisi, from Makhanda, said, “I found it so exhilarating and felt elated to have been one of the few people to undergo this experience.”
After making various presentations on Robben Island, Seyisi received the best male speaker award.
“And so, my journey led me to become an ambassador for the Robben Island Museum it is a privilege and comes with responsibility,” he said.
Following his visit to Robben Island, Seyisi was requested to deliver a praise speech to Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi SC at the annual Human Rights Day lecture, and also sat in a meeting with other ambassadors.
The PJ Olivier pupil said: “From the IMD competition in the province to the hallowed halls of Robben Island, my journey has been one of transformation.
“As we navigate the present and shape the future, let us remember the lessons of the past.”
FIFTY YEARS OF AMAZING
This year the National Arts Festival marks 50 amazing years of providing a platform for experimentation, protest, collaboration, celebration and expression. The 2024 festival takes place from Thursday June 20 to Sunday June 30, while the programme will be released shortly and bookings open on May 2.
TENDERS CALLED FOR
In an advertisement in The Herald newspaper of Wednesday April 17, Makana Municipality invited “suitable service providers” to render certain services. These include the operation and management of the Makhanda landfill site; the supply and delivery of a tracker system for the municipal fleet of vehicles; and the supply and delivery of office furniture.
CONFUSION AS ROAD IS CLOSED
Without warning, it would seem, a heavyduty excavator and workers moved on site at the top of George Street near the N2 last Friday, setting up bollards and danger tape. They then proceeded to dig a really wide and deep trench across the road, as well as a massive hole at the side of the street.
Busy George Street was totally blocked off to vehicular traffic for more than a day, and incoming and outgoing traffic was required to drive along Thackeray Street and Watson Street. All of a sudden, these usually quiet streets were buzzing with traffic.
This included sedans and LDVs, plus large inter-city buses, trucks and fuel tankers. However, large low-hanging branches in upper Watson Street saw many trucks and buses having to head for the Grey Street entry to and exit from town.
Fortunately the situation had returned to normality by Sunday.
RUGBY DERBY SATURDAY
St Andrew’s College hosts Graeme College in senior derby rugby matches on its campus this Saturday, ranging from U14 level through to the first XVs.
On the same day, Kingswood College’s senior rugby teams travel to East London to play Stirling High School.
MORE POTHOLES ON HILL
This column has, on several occasions, carried stories dealing with the potholes outside the Drill Hall in Hill Street. So, what is so special, one may well ask, about these potholes that began as one, and then multiplied?
What makes these obstacles in the road much different to all the other potholes in Makhanda?
About four years ago, four CBD streets were stripped of their upper layers and totally resurfaced.
Problem is, about a year or so later, one pothole appeared in the newly-laid tar outside the Drill Hall. Eventually, after many months, it was repaired but started breaking up again.
The situation at the moment is that there are now several more potholes in the street outside the hall, plus crumbling tar.
The question arises — is it up to the original contractor to effect repairs or is it up to the municipality?
MUCH ON OFFER
The ‘Bargain Bonanza’ market at Grahamstown Bowling Club at the corner of African and Cawood Streets from 9am to 1pm on Saturday, April 27 will have plenty on offer — household goods, clothing, linen, books, plants, meat, cakes, tea, coffee and boerewors rolls.
FUN AND FOOD ON PROSPECT
Proceeds from the fun day on Rhodes University’s Prospect field from 10am to 5pm on Saturday, April 27 will go to SPCA Grahamstown and Makana Vet Clinic.
In addition to food stalls there will be a colour run, five-a-side soccer, jumping castles, basketball shootout, mini basketball, sack races, egg races, relay sprint, tug-of-war, aerobics and an obstacle course. Entry is R10.
COLOUR ON THE RUN
As part of the fun day at Prospect field on the Rhodes campus on Saturday, April 27, a colour run will be held over 5km or 8km that carries an entry fee of R20 for adults and R10 for those in the U16 category. Proceeds will go to Grahamstown SPCA and Makana Vet Clinic.
Registration is from 7.30am and the run gets underway at 9am.
Organisers say washable colour powder will be “splashed” throughout the race. Contact Vuyi at 083-261-0074.
CAKES IN THE GARDEN
Being held in conjunction with its open day on Wednesday May 1, Brookshaw Home in Donkin Street will host a cake sale in its gardens from 10am to midday.
GLOWINGLY BRIGHT
Humans of all shapes, sizes and ages, and canines of all shapes, sizes and ages took to local streets on
Tuesday evening last week for the “Glow Fun Run/Walk” held to raise funds for SPCA Grahamstown.
The start and finish were at Grahamstown Bowling Club, and many in the field wore bright clothing and lit up the streets with torches and headlamps. An organiser said afterwards, “We loved the effort and enthusiasm.”
NOT NAMED AFTER TOWNS
No, Wolseley Street up there above the Kingswood College campus and the historic City Lords rugby ground is not named after the town of Wolseley in the Western Cape, some 115km north of Cape Town.
And no, Worcester Street running between Milner Street and the former Grahamstown Potteries factory adjacent to Jacques Street is not named after the town of Worcester, situated on the N1 about 110 km north of Cape Town.
In fact, the two towns are just 44km from each other.
Truth is, Wolseley Street is named after the high commissioner in 1879 and 1880 (no initials or first names given in the official listing of local streets).
Worcester Street has a “possible Somerset connection, as one of the titles of Duke of Beaufort”, according to the same listing of streets.
HOCKEY ASTROS COME ALIVE
Hockey players from the Western Cape and Eastern Cape converged on the City Lords astro at Kingswood College and the Prospect astro at Rhodes University at the weekend for the Kingswood hockey festival for boys’ and girls’ teams at first team level.
Among the participating schools were Merrifield College from East London, Somerset College from Somerset West, Glenwood House School and York High from George, Oakhill School from Knysna, and St Dominic’s Priory School and Framesby High from Gqeberha.
Victoria Girls’ High School, Graeme College and hosts Kingswood were the Makhanda schools taking part.
A total of 44 matches were played over the weekend at the two venues.
COMFORTABLE WIN FOR GRAEME
Playing in Makhanda last Saturday, Graeme College defeated Hudson Park High from East London by 50 points to 13 in their first XV rugby clash.
In other matches between the schools, Graeme U16A beat Hudson Park U16A 15-10, Graeme U15A beat Hudson Park U15A 38-10 and Graeme U14A beat Hudson Park U14A 40-10.
MIXED FORTUNES ON THE HILL
De Vos Malan High School from Qonce (formerly King William ’ s Town) beat PJ Olivier High School by 26 points to 14 in their first team rugby match in Makhanda on Saturday. PJ Olivier won the U15 match by the narrow margin of 20-19 and also won the U14 match, this by 26 points to 14.
BRUMBIES NAMED FOR TOP LEAGUE
The Grahamstown Brumbies Rugby Club ’ s first team is one of 12 sides in line to make the Eastern Province Rugby Union’s Grand Challenge league, the union’s premier annual competition.
The Trying Stars club from Alexandria has also been short-listed.
Other teams set to make the top league are Progress and Gardens from Kariega, Harlequins, Park and NMU Madibaz from Gqeberha, Oostelikes from Despatch, and Central from GraaffReinet.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Kingswood College squash player Gemma Clarke has been ranked second in the girls’ U14 division in SA following the SA Schools’ squash tournament in Johannesburg earlier this month.
Other Kingswood players to receive national rankings at the competition were Erin Taggart (20th in girls’ U16), Aeryn Putzier (23rd in girls’ U16) and Luke Goldschmidt (25th in boys’ U16).
YOUNGSTERS IN THE BOTS
The weather conditions were ideal for the 105 runners and walkers taking part in parkrun in Makana botanical gardens (‘The Bots’) on Saturday, a day when Cathy Meiklejohn completed her 100th parkrun.
What is perhaps pleasing to officials is the number of teenagers and younger children taking part each week.
Last Saturday saw no less than 13 under-14s taking part, six of whom were aged 10 and 11.
They are, with the number of parkruns completed in brackets: Chulumanco Gxekwa (12), Christian Grove (3), Achuma Gxekwa (18), Khumbulani Koffi (3), Ludwe Koffi (20), Lili Matsalo (15), Emma Muirhead (16), Jessica Muirhead (11), Nelson Odei-Addo (24), Olivia Smit (1), Chulumanco Tom (18), Mandilakhe Tom (10) and Rain Wanyuku (6).
Parkruns are held at 8am each Saturday from the entrance to the botanical gardens in Lucas Avenue.
AWARDS’ON THE WATER
St Andrew s College colours for rowing have been awarded to Max Estcourt, Joshua Herring, Joe Kroon, Callum McMurray, Connor Moorcroft, James Stapylton-Smith, Nicholaas Swart, Joshua van Renen and Aidan Wood.
WATERY COLOURS
St Andrew’s College Colours for water polo have been awarded to Nicholas Franklin, Jonathan Mackenzie and Drew Stockill.
TYRES, GLASS AND HAIR
A recent item in this column dealt with the former Phoenix Roller Mills building in Dundas Street, now housing Tyremart Grahamstown. A drive past the premises at the weekend revealed that two other tenants are trading on the same property
Glasfit and First Joyce Hair Salon.