Talk 30 December 2021

Ta l k

nT

Tow OF THE

h u rsd ay, 30 December 202 1

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SAPS responds to claims

against Kenton police

Forum members allege

racism, corruption, lack

of leadership incidents

BEACH VIEW

TK MTIKI

The SAPS has rejected accusations of racism

at the Kenton police station following a

complaint by a group called the

Ekuphumleni Development Forum.

Representatives of the forum, Zache Ngxingo

and Mziwanele Wopa, visited Talk of the Town’s

offices a few weeks ago to air their complaint.

They did not mince words, labelling the police

station as defunct, lacking leadership, with corrupt

police officers, and citing alleged racism at the

station.

They presented TotT with a letter outlining all

their allegations.

“The number of officers per shift is a clear

indication of a non-functional station,” Wo p a

wrote.

“You always find only two officers doing night

shifts, one attending complaints and one at the

station, meaning that there can be no way to

attend to complaints and combat crime.

“By law, a minimum of two officers have to be

in the vehicle, let alone the fact that the vehicle

has to service a large area, ie Kenton

[Ekuphumleni and Merry Hill], Bushman’s

[Marselle, Klipfontein] and 43 surrounding farms.

“This definitely exceeds the required ratio per

officer and compromises health and safety of the

two officers on the shift,” Wopa wrote.

On the issue of alleged racism, he wrote: “Th e

forum has evidence of racism in the station where

white folks spotted [making] drunken noise are

rightfully assisted home, while blacks are arrested,

locked in the cells and released the following day.

“In addition to that, a coloured armed police

officer assaulted a black unarmed clerk at work.

“No consequence management was ever

taken, instead the police officer was allowed to

counter charge the black lady. This coloured

officer went to [the] extent of pointing a firearm at

the cleaner when he was trying to intervene.”

Wopa also alleged racism in policing

priorities.

“Though the crime threat analysis and crime

patterns indicate to focus in the townships, the

station focuses on white suburbs.”

Referring to an alleged lack of leadership, he

wrote: “Captain Parkinson [the station

commander] did not show leadership in enforcing

GATEWAY TO PARADISE: Local photographer Nicole Enslin captured this idyllic picture of driftwood arched over dune vegetation and a

view of the sea from Port Alfred’s West Beach

Covid-19 regulations in January this year, despite

being alerted by the members of the forum about

the youth in Ekuphumleni who were playing

football and white holidaymakers converging at

Bushman’s and Kariega River.”

Continuing, he said: “There are cases reported

to the captain which he does nothing about, such

as a case of patrollers who reported a case of

being defrauded by a municipal worker. This

captain confirmed and assured the forum in a

meeting that he would take necessary action.”

He also accused the station commander of

lending SAPS road cones to a private doctor for

her private parking.

“It is easy to get complaints from several

community members who are willing to come

forward [about] corrupt police officers who even

manipulate statements and dockets.”

He cited specific examples: “To mention but a

few, a case of Mr Khathazile Klaas from Marselle –

his son was sentenced on a statement that was

written on his behalf with fingerprints that are not

his; a case of Mr N Tobi – firearm discharged but

the case regarded as common assault; and a case

of Mr X Mxube – a statement was altered.

Wopa said the above allegations were the tip

of the iceberg.

In response, SAPS spokesperson Sergeant

Majola Nkohli rejected the claims of racism

outright, saying they were “unfounded, as the

SAPS is treating everyone fairly and equally”.

On the accusation about the dispute between

a clerk and police officer, he said: “The matters

relating to a relationship between an employer

and an employee are confidential and will not be

discussed in the media, however, disciplinary

actions can be instituted against any police official

who is in contravention of the Police Conduct and

Code of Ethics.”

He said any manpower challenges at the

Kenton police station were timeously addressed

and contingency plans were implemented to

ensure service delivery was not affected.

Anyone who was not happy with the SAPS’s

service or was aware of any activity of crime or

corruption was urged to lodge a formal complaint.

Contact the district commissioner or provincial

coordinator on 082-301-8275 or 040- 608-7078.

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2 Advertising & Newsdesk: (046) 624-4356 Find us on Facebook 30 December 2021 TALK OF THE TOW N

YEAR IN REVIEW

JA N UA RY

● In our first edition of

the year, the lead story

was about Port Alfred

detectives recovering

more than R2m in

jewellery that had been

taken at knifepoint

from an elderly

resident just a few days

e a r l i e r.

The incident had

happened late the

previous year, but

information only came

to light during the

December holidays.

Informants helped the

police and two men

were arrested.

● Bathurst hit Day

Zero of its municipal

water supply on the

very last day of 2020

when Golden Ridge

Dam ran dry, and

residents voiced their

frustrations on social

media as well as

contacting Talk of the

Tow n .

Posting on TotT’s

Facebook group on

January 1, Gavin Came

wrote: “The quaint

hamlet of Bathurst

slipped quietly into

NO water yesterday.

“No municipal

boreholes, RO

machines or

emergency raintanks.

“Not even a

condolences message

from our municipality

and fellow

Ndlambians. Any

suggestions?”

● A couple in their 20s

were robbed by men

armed with a firearm

and knives while

fishing in Centenary

Park in Port Alfred.

The couple were

from Makhanda

(Grahamstown) and

did not know that

Centenary Park was a

dangerous area.

● The latest cell tower

controversy in Port

Alfred was over a

“telecommunications

t ow e r ” erected on

private property in

Tamarisk Road as early

as April last year

without any

consultation or

approval by council.

The owner applied

to the municipality to

formalise use of the

internet tower after the

fact.

F E B R UA RY

● Locals enjoyed their

regained freedom

¿

29 Miles St, Port Alfred

PO Box 2871, Port Alfred, 6170

046 624 4356 / Fax: 046 624 2293

Chiara Carter, chiarac@dispatch.co.za

Jon Houzet, houzetj@talkofthetown.co.za

Anneli Hanstein, hansteina@arena.africa

Chris van Heerden, vanheerdenc@arena.africa

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VIEW FROM THE TOP: Mamlambo

Construction is the contractor responsible for

building this 25m-high tower on top of which

would later be cast a 2.5ML concrete reservoir

to gravity-feed Thornhill and Nemato

residents with potable water. However,

concerns were raised over where the water

would come from

when the booze and

beach bans were lifted

by government,

enjoying a cold one at

the pub, or a walk

along the beach.

● But chaos soon

ensued. Port Alfred

police, who had been

zealous in enforcing

the beach ban, were

slammed by residents

for failing to enforce

the public drinking

laws once the beach

ban ended, resulting in

lawless revelry at West

Beach and Kelly’s Blue

Flag Beach.

Local WhatsApp

security and crime

reporting groups were

flooded with

comments by residents

reporting drunken

behaviour in the beach

parking lots, where

motorists had brought

their own booze and

were drinking in sight

of patrolling police

va n s .

● Emotions ran high

among striking health

care community

workers who vowed to

keep clinics in Port

Alfred and Bathurst

closed when they met

with labour relations

official Bongani Lose at

Titi Jonas Hall in

Th o r n h i l l .

● Despite a very

difficult year, with

terms shortened due to

ĂůŬŽĨŚĞŽŶ

ΛĂůŬŽŌŚĞŽŶĞĐ

ĂůŬŽĨŚĞŽŶŶĚůĂŵďĞ

Talk of the Town subscribes to the Code of Ethics and Conduct for South African Print

and Online Media that prescribes news that is truthful, accurate, fair and balanced.

If we don’t live up to the Code, within 20 days of the date of publication of the material,

please contact the Public Advocate at 011 484 3612, fax: 011 4843619. You can also

¿khanyim@ombudsman.org.za or lodge a complaint on our

website: www.presscouncil.org.za

Covid-19 lockdown

restrictions and pupils

having to depend on

online learning, several

local schools reported

excellent matric results

for 2020.

MARCH

● The appointed

contractor for Port

Alfred’s new reverse

osmosis plant could

have been forking out

as much as R12,800 a

day in penalties for

delays, but was let off

the hook by Ndlambe

M u n i c i p a l i t y.

The municipality

announced the

appointment of a

contractor, Quality

Filtration Systems

(QFS), in a statement

on November 25, and

said “work will

commence on the

installation of the plant

as soon as possible. It is

anticipated that the

plant will be in

production by end

January 2020.”

However, in the

final full council

meeting of 2020 on

December 10, the date

for completion of the

plant was pushed to

the end of February

2021, something

which escaped most

people’s notice.

● The new R33m

water tower being built

at Thornhill had no

water source to fill it.

Talk of the Town

looked into the issue

after receiving a tip-off

that the tower was

being built based on a

NO

C O N S E N T:

Concerns were

raised by

re s i d e n t s

about the

construction of

this cellphone/

internet tower

in Tamarisk

Road in May

last year, for

which an

application was

only received in

January, seven

months later

contract for a water

source that was

cancelled, pre-dating

the new seawater

reverse osmosis plant

(SWRO) presently

under construction,

and even pre-dating

the Amatola Water

Quick Wins projects.

● Concerned locals

gathered in Wharf

Street and at the Putt

Bridge one morning in

March to witness the

scene of a tragic

accident where a

bakkie, travelling

toward town, had run

off the road and into

the Kowie River, killing

the driver.

The body of a

second occupant was

only recovered days

l a t e r.

● Accused of stealing

a cellphone, 20-yearold

Ncumisa Mpalala

was allegedly beaten

by a Nemato police

officer, leaving her with

eye injuries and bruises

on her face.

Police said a case of

assault had been

opened against the

member, and was

being investigated by

the Independent Police

I nve s t i g a t ive

D i r e c t o ra t e .

The incident also

raised the ire of the

South African National

Civic Organisation

(Sanco), which led a

community protest to

Nemato Police Station.

APRIL

● Ndlambe

Municipality obtained

an interdict in the high

court in Makhanda

preventing Herotel

from continuing with

its internet fibre project

in Port Alfred.

The municipality

was granted the

temporary interdict

pending a review

application, claiming

that Herotel was given

“u n l aw f u l ” a p p r ova l

for a wayleave to lay

fibre and erect poles by

a deputy director who

had no authority to do

so.

● Neighbours were up

in arms about two

pitbull dogs allegedly

kept chained 24/7 on a

property in Halstead

Road and the nuisance

they cause by barking

all hours of the day and

night.

Linda Clur and

Marie Dickie came to

see Talk of the Town

about the problem after

they said their and

other neighbours’

attempts to converse

with the dogs’ ow n e r

had met with hostile

response and their

complaints to the SPCA

and Ndlambe

Municipality had

achieved nothing.

● A Port Alfred man

who was a director of a

charity set up to collect

money for food parcels

during lockdown

appeared in the

m a g i s t ra t e ’s court on

charges of fraud

amounting to

R300,000.

Christopher

Stylianou, 58, came

under suspicion from

fellow members of the

Ndlambe Lockdown

Support Group when

he could not account

for the majority of the

funds deposited in the

non-profit company’s

bank account.

● Port Alfred residents

who had been without

water for months

would have to wait

even longer, as the

emergency two

megalitre (ML)

seawater reverse

osmosis (SWRO) plant

was now anticipated to

only become

operational in June.

This was in spite of

Ndlambe Municipality

informing residents the

SWRO plant being

constructed by Quality

Filtration Systems

(QFS) would be ready

in April, after earlier

d e l ay s .

● There was more the

following week: Even

with delays, the 2ML

SWRO plant and 3ML

wa s t e wa t e r

reclamation plant

under construction to

address Port Alfred’s

water crisis

commenced without

e nv i r o n m e n t a l

authorisation or an

emergency waiver, Talk

of the Town learnt.

An EIA was

required for the site of

the SWRO and

wastewater plant after

a decision was made to

move the site from

Wharf Street – where a

previous temporary

desalination plant had

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AND CRIME FREE FESTIVE SEASON!

TAKING NO

ACTION: A resident

photographed this

police van at West

Beach in early

February, in the midst

of people who were

drinking alcohol in

public in defiance of

the Eastern Cape

Liquor Act and local

bylaws. TotT also

witnessed a police

van driving past

people drinking in

public

TRAGIC: A

bakkie plunged

into the Kowie

River at Wharf

Street early one

morning in

March, killing the

driver. SAPS

divers were

called from East

London to

recover the body

while an accident

recovery team

managed to pull

the bakkie from

the river several

hours later

been placed – next to

the Port Alfred

sewerage plant in

Centenary Park.

M AY

● After months of

complaints by beach

users that the carparks

at East Beach and West

Beach have been

obstructed by

windswept sand,

Ndlambe Municipality

said it would finally

address the issue.

The ‘dunes’ carpark

at East Beach is worst

affected, as after

months of

encroachment by the

surrounding dunes,

and few parking bays

accessible, the parking

lot is now completely

covered and unusable.

Some dog walkers

have taken to parking

on the grass verge in

Dove Lane and along

Miles Bowker Drive.

● There was a

dramatic increase in

housebreaking and

theft in Port Alfred over

a few weeks, with

burglars targeting

private residences,

churches, the

municipality and even

a pre-school.

According to

reports received from

Multi Security, criminal

activity in the area had

become endemic.

Local security

companies were being

kept on their toes to

respond to suspicious

activity as well as

actual crime.

Residents were

warned to be

particularly vigilant

and make sure alarms

are set even when at

home.

● The latest water

analysis results across

all areas of Ndlambe

Turn to PAGE 3

TALK OF THE TOWN 30 December 2021 Advertising & Newsdesk: (046) 624-4356 Find us on Facebook 3

YEAR IN REVIEW

Continued from PAGE 2

were missing

numerous test results

for concentration of

heavy metals like

cadmium, iron and

aluminium in the

wa t e r.

Kleinemonde

resident Pamela

Johnson brought the

test results to TotT’s

attention and

expressed concern

about the missing

data.

● A prime piece of

municipal land, erf

361 in Pascoe

Crescent, had

become a slum with

vagrants living in the

abandoned buildings

and mounds of

rubbish scattered over

the property.

Talk of the Town

visited the property

after seeing growing

piles of rubbish next

to the adjacent

wetland and a tent

and makeshift fence

erected at the end of

the row of buildings.

JUNE

● Trucks arriving at

emergency water

points throughout the

area and extracting

water intended for

residents had become

a big problem in

Ndlambe, and TotT

exposed several

companies abusing

the water situation in

the area.

Angry Bathurst

residents who had

been without water

for months alerted

TotT to their situation.

For some time

trucks had been

extracting water from

a fire hydrant in

Bathurst late at night

or during the early

hours of the morning.

● Concerns were

raised that a charity

car show and music

fest featuring DJs

alongside the Kowie

River might turn out

to be a Covid

superspreader as it

appeared that far

more than 250

people attended the

event, and other

Covid protocols were

not being observed.

● ANC ward 9

candidate hopeful

Bonani Ketiso

survived a brutal

attack from an axewielding

assailant

who cracked his skull

on June 5, requiring

18 stitches and a fourday

stay in

Livingstone Hospital.

● A patient at the

Port Alfred Hospital

expressed her dismay

at the abysmal state of

the public toilets at

the hospital, which

she said completely

negate other health

precautions being

taken for Covid-19.

J U LY

● Seven days after

Ndlambe

Municipality and

Quality Filtration

Systems (QFS), the

contractor on the new

2ML seawater reverse

osmosis (SWRO)

plant, celebrated the

handing over of the

commissioned plant

with a water tasting,

Port Alfred residents

had still not received

a single drop.

● Panga attack

victim Andre Adriaan

was both shocked

and disappointed

when he received a

message from SAPS

that the case he had

opened had been

closed after “all leads

were followed up”.

Adriaan was

fishing with three

friends at Cob Hole

on the Kowie River in

September last year

when they were

attacked by six men

wielding pangas and

knopkieries.

● Delivery of

municipal water to

private households –

at a price – continued

even as most Port

Alfred residents were

receiving little to no

water from the

reticulation network.

Since the new

2ML seawater reverse

osmosis (SWRO)

plant went online,

replacing the

exhausted supply at

the Sarel Hayward

Dam and other

sources like the

central belt boreholes

and East Beach dune

wells, residents were

getting far less water

than before.

● Locally, Mandela

Day activities seemed

fewer than in

previous years, but

several businesses

chose to get involved

by volunteering in

Turn to PAGE 4

FRAUD ACCUSED: Christopher Stylianou, a director of the Ndlambe

Lockdown Support Group which was set up to collect money for food

parcels during the lockdown, appeared in the magistrate’s court in April

on charges of fraud amounting to R300,000

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YEAR IN REVIEW


existing service programmes to

supply food to the needy, or the

new national initiative called

the Chefs with Compassion

67,000 litres Challenge.

● A Port Alfred resident who

had been observing a troop of

vervet monkeys for the past five

years was distraught to find the

alpha female had been

poisoned earlier in the month.

He asked the vet to do a

post-mortem and they found

granules in her gut, which

“appear to be those of

carbamate or organophosphate

poison – which coincides with

the clinical signs seen”.

AU G U S T

● Albeit 30 years after the

incident, local man Neal Shaw

was recently awarded a Bronze

Bravery Award by the NSRI for

his courage as the cruise ship

Oceanos began to sink in 1991.

● The residents’ group called

Panic (Port Alfred and Nemato

Infrastructure Concerns) gave

Ndlambe Municipality an

ultimatum to provide adequate

water supply or face legal

action.

This came after most of the

town had seen little to no benefit

from the new seawater reverse

osmosis (SWRO) plant which

went online in June.

Residents of the high-lying

areas had not had a municipal

water supply for seven months

or longer, while other areas

which used to receive an

intermittent supply were also

not getting any water.

● Later in August, after more

weeks of erratic water supply or

none at all, even in low lying

areas, there were still

unanswered questions about

Port Alfred’s new SWRO plant.

SEPTEMBER

● Alexandria residents were

shocked by the jarring scene of a

newborn baby found dead at the

Alexandria dumpsite.

Police spokesperson Captain

Bradley Rawlinson said the

mother of the child could not be

traced but an inquest docket had

been opened for investigation.

● The absence of “seasonal

data” was one of the reasons

offered by the contractor for Port

Alfred’s new seawater reverse

osmosis (SWRO) plant, for not

knowing the extent of e.coli,

faecal coliforms and algae in the

Kowie River which had affected

the running of the plant.

● Ndlambe Municipality

claimed it had been meeting the

legislative requirement of

mininum standards for basic

MORE DELAYS: One of the photos Quality Filtration Systems

put on its Facebook page in April showing trench work to lay

pipes and cables for the emergency two megalitre seawater

reverse osmosis plant

water supply to Port Alfred

residents, in a response to the

legal demands of the Port Alfred

and Nemato Infrastructure

Concerns (Panic) group.

● Five university students were

robbed at knifepoint while

watching the Universities Boat

Race from Centenary Park.

O C TO B E R

● Local man Johan Nortier told

us the story of his passion for

collecting ties. At that stage he

owned nearly 21,000 ties and is

aiming to beat the Guinness

World Record.

● Port Alfred’s water woes

looked to be alleviated at least

partially as a new 1ML owneroperated

reverse osmosis (RO)

plant was approved by the

Ndlambe council – at no capital

cost to the municipality.

● The EFF in Ndlambe called

on the municipality to terminate

its contract with RO plant

supplier Quality Filtration

Systems (QFS) because of the

c o m p a ny ’s failure to meet

contractual obligations in

providing water to residents.

● EFF PR councillor Xolisa

Runeli described the poor

turnout of local businesses,

members of the Panic group,

Sunshine Coast Tourism, the

Port Alfred Residents and

Ratepayers Association (Parra)

and other local stakeholders as a

missed opportunity to air their

concerns about the party at their

meeting.

N OV E M B E R

● Though losing two seats in

council, including the Ward 6

seat, the ANC in Ndlambe held

onto its majority in the local

government elections.

The tally was 11 seats to the

ANC, with 52.61% of the vote;

the DA retaining six seats, with

30.28% of the vote, and the EFF

gaining two proportional

representation (PR) seats, with

14.69% of the vote.

● Both Ndlambe municipality

and a borehole water provider

dismissed rumours that he was

no longer supplying water to the

municipality because of nonp

ay m e n t .

● Another high court judgment

was handed down on the issue

of stray cattle on Ndlambe’s

roads and the municipality’s

mismanagement of its

commonages.

Three years after obtaining a

court order against the

municipality, and five years after

litigation began, AgriEC and the

Alexandria Agricultural

Association returned to court,

along with four farmers who

NO PARKING AVAILABLE: Covered by sand from encroaching dunes, the ‘dunes’ carpark at

East Beach has become unusable

have been personally affected

by issues of commonage

mismanagement, stock theft,

broken fences and straying and

diseased cattle on their land.

● There was an immediate

power play in the newly

inaugurated Ndlambe council

as the ANC caucus took the

executive committee portfolio

positions it wanted and voted

with the EFF to force the DA into

the finance portfolio.

DECEMBER

● The leaseholder of the indoor

pool centre said in the time he

had been paying rates,

Ndlambe Municipality had

done no maintenance on the

car park which is now in a

dilapidated state.

● After significant rain fell in

the Kowie River’s catchment

area in Makhanda last

weekend, Port Alfred residents

were overjoyed to hear the

water was finally flowing over

the weir at Waters Meeting for

the first time in months.

FILLING UP: A photo posted by Quality Filtration Systems on its Facebook page on June 29 of

one of the water trucks used by the municipality filling up at the RO plant

SLUM STATE: When TotT visited a prime piece of municipal land, erf 361

in Pascoe Crescent, in May, the entire area was strewn with all kinds of

refuse, from behind the former Lounge (market building) to the

makeshift tent that has been set up beyond the last building


HAPPINESS

SPECIAL VISIT: Happy Hours visited Damant Lodge earlier this month to perform their

Christmas nativity concert for the grannies and grandpas. Rachel Louwrens says hello to her

maternal great-grandparents, Jim and Pauline Reynolds

FEELS LIKE CHRISTMAS: Happy Hours hosted a ‘Holly Jolly Jump and Jive’ morning for their

Junior Group class to celebrate the year and to visit their new class for next year. Past pupil

Andrew Elliott is pictured with his son Jordan, left, and classmate Melissa de Klerk exploring the

Christmas sensory tuff tray


EDITORIAL

OPINION

Hoping for

a better

year

CHEERS

Ayear ago, I wrote in this column

about what an exceptionally difficult

year 2020 had been.

Well, the same goes for this year.

We often feel we are stuck in our own

Groundhog Day at Talk of the Town, as we

encounter the same problems year after

year. Sewage spills, water shortages, illegal

dumping and misspent funds are just a few

of the issues that come up again and again.

On top of this was the global Covid-19

pandemic and the devastating economic

effects of the lockdown.

It is hard to keep a positive outlook

when bad things keep happening.

It is not like we go out of our way to find

the negative – it is all around us.

Often when someone walks in with a

complaint about something going on in

their street or neighbourhood, we groan

inwardly and think, here we go again.

But we do not stop caring. We continue

to listen to the concerns of residents and

take up these issues with the powers-thatbe.

We press for answers and hold our local

government accountable.

That is not to say we always get the

desired outcome.

Sometimes TotT’s probing sees results

and people are happy. But often nothing is

resolved and the problem keeps repeating.

At times like this, we have to be content

that our duty is accomplished in the asking,

and that we have informed the community.

If we stopped caring, we’d just pack it in

and bury our heads in the sand and pretend

everything is wonderful.

Good things are also happening, and we

report on those too. We reflect the whole

scope of what is happening in our

c o m m u n i t y.

Often the good is everyday and

expected, while the bad is magnified in

people’s perceptions because it is unsettling

and contravenes the norms of a civilised,

functional society.

If the municipality or the police are

doing their jobs, for example, is it a “good

thing” or is it just to be expected?

Why should we wonder and marvel

when speed bumps are painted or parks are

kept neat, or when criminals are arrested

and justice is served?

We want to live in a society where order

and justice are normal and any deviances

are uncommon aberrations.

So we enter another new year hoping

for an end to the pandemic, an end to the

never-ending lockdown and a return to

n o r m a l i t y.

And we hope our government at all

levels will be driven by a will to serve with

all the resources at its disposal, and not by

the self-interest of party politics.

We hope 2022 is a better year for

e ve r yo n e .

Jon Houzet

❝We want to live in a

society where order

and justice are normal

Man turns tragedy into triumph

ANDY HOFMEYR

New Port Alfred resident

Brendan O’Sullivan has a

story to tell – and a gift to give.

In November last year, O’S u l l iva n ’s

life changed in a moment, when he

broke his back in a freak accident in

Gqeberha.

His career as a film production

manager and adventure safari guide

ended abruptly. After a series of

complicated surgeries at Livingstone

Hospital, doctors told him that

recovery would be slow and he may

never have the use of one of his legs

again. O’Sullivan set out to prove

them wrong, motivated in part by the

huge number of Covid patients

around him.

Six days later, O’Sullivan checked

himself out of hospital in a wheelchair

and got a lift to a friend’s home, where

he mastered driving with his

“wo r k i n g ” foot and recovered to the

point where he felt it was time to

move on.

Unable to find pet-friendly

accommodation he drove off in his

unreliable Peugeot, in which he lived

for the next four months.

“Sleeping in a car with a broken

back isn’t really possible so I slept on a

thin mattress next to the car with my

dog Einstein keeping guard at my

s i d e ,” he said.

The “friendly city” proved less

friendly than he’d hoped so he headed

east, arriving in Port Alfred in

September this year, checking in as a

“c a r- c a m p e r ” at Medolino. New

owners, Susan and Johnny,

immediately set up a tent for him to

live in, a stretcher to sleep on and

other camping equipment.

In Port Alfred O’Sullivan realised

that he had finally discovered the

“friendly city”!

Disabled as he now was,

O’Sullivan turned to the other field in

which he was qualified; as a massage

t h e ra p i s t .

“I’d done massage therapy in the

past, dealing with stress, muscle

spasms, etc but, given my own

experience, I was driven to specialise

in injury-related therapy,” he said.

“I’d experienced a tragic accident,

felt the pain and experienced the

value of injury-specific massage. I

simply had to return the gift, so I

enrolled in a course on manual

lymphatic drainage massage,

specifically for its technique which

helps so many different ailments,

anything from migraines to cancer

p a t i e n t s .”

Embracing his disability,

O’Sullivan pivoted his existing skills

into a new career, helping people with

severe injuries and post-surgery and,

once he can afford it, plans to study an

intense course in lymphedema

massage, so he can also work in a

hospital alongside doctors treating

patients undergoing chemo or

ra d i a t i o n .

O’S u l l iva n ’s philosophy is to give

wherever he can.

While he needs to make a living,

where injured patients cannot afford

it, his healing hands work for free –

and, slowly but surely, O’Sullivan is

creating a new career in his new

home; a garden cottage with disability

access where he is treating several

patients, including a car accident

patient, a patient with a neck injury

and cluster headaches, two patients

with sciatica, others with migraines as

well as those simply in need of stressrelief.

“I know it sounds crazy but in a

way I’m grateful for my accident

inasmuch as it has given me new

insights, a new career and a new,

friendly home.

“In addition to my massage

services, I can also help anyone

needing general management or

book-keeping assistance,” he said.

● O’Sullivan can be contacted on

061-417-2255 or search “Br endan

O’Sullivan Chirapsia Massage” on

Fa c e b o o k .

FOR A FRIEND: Friends of Victor

Coetzee recently held a pool

competition and raffle fundraiser for

the young biker who was badly injured

in an accident on Southwell Road hill

month. Corne Odendaal, left, came

first in the pool competition and

received his prize from Nicole Enslin.

The fundraiser was hailed a success.

The majority of the raffle winners wish

to remain anonymous as some redonated

their prizes to others and one

of the food vouchers will be presented

to Coetzee’s family. Sponsors included

Outdoor Focus, Kowie Bunga, Royal

St Andrews Hotel, Robin Hyde, Craig

and Lesley Theunissen, Guido’s and

Guido’s Beach Bar

INSPIRED TO HELP OTHERS: After an accident which left him

disabled, Brendan O’Sullivan found a new life and vocation in Port

A l f re d

Em e rge n cy N u m b e rs

TideGuide courtesy of the South African Navy

Da t e High Lo w Da t e High Lo w

Port Alfred hospital........... (046) 604-4000

Police station..................... (046) 604-2001/2

De c 30 13 : 04 01:35 06:36 01:35

3 04 : 03 16 : 17 10 : 06 22:31 Multi-Security ................... (046) 624-2508

31 13 : 59 02 : 00 07: 37 20 : 18

4 04:46 16 : 58 10 : 50 23:12 Chubb Security ................. (046) 624-4810

Jan 1 ---- ---- ---- ----

5 05:29 17: 39 11:33 23:51 Sky Alarms ........................ (046) 624-2806

2 03 : 17 15:34 09 : 20 21:49

6 06 : 10 18:19 12:15 00:31 NSRI ................................... 082 - 990 - 5971

Electricity .......................... (046) 624-1111 (a / h )

Gardmed ............................ 0 8 2 -759 - 2 13 4

EMS (Emergency

Medical Services) ........... 10 17 7

Holistic EMS ...................... 063-460-0042

Fire Department................ (046) 624-1111


YEAR IN REVIEW — c u l t u re

JA N UA RY

● In our first edition of the year, Talk of

the Town featured photographs from an

exhibition by local artist Bob

McKenzie, celebrating 60 years of his

wo r k .

● One of Port Alfred’s most wellknown,

loved and eccentric residents,

Beverly Young, passed away on January

11, at the age of 74. Young was an avid

history buff, a raconteur who could

spin a story from her vast knowledge of

the area and its history, even if she

could on occasion blend in a little of

her own imagination to make the story

b e t t e r.

● Responses, comments and feedback

from readers of her poems motivated

Nompumelelo Sandlana, also known

as Mary-Anne, to share her poetry with

the broader audience through Talk of

the Town.

Discussing the motives behind each

poem, Sandlana said she liked writing

when the mood was right, adding that

she was writing based on her personal

experience and observations.

● Despite the lockdown, Bathurst

Farmers Market continued to flourish

with lots of stallholders and supportive

customers. We featured photos of them

in the newspaper.

F E B R UA RY

● Locals enjoyed their regained

freedom when the booze and beach

bans were lifted by government,

enjoying a cold one at the pub, or walk

on the beach.

● Dealing in the field of visual art on

canvas and cloth, matriculant

Siphenathi Dike began designing T-

shirt decals but was having problems

keeping up with demand, until the

Nemato Foundation procured a hot

press for him.

YOUNG AT HEART: Beverly Young, who

passed away in early January, will always be

remembered by her friends and associates as

a caring and generous person and a great

storyteller. As tourism director she marketed

the area endlessly and did a great job in

placing Port Alfred on the map

MARCH

● With level 1 lockdown restrictions in

place, the Kowie Museum trustees

looked forward to re-opening the

museum at the station in March, on

Fridays and Saturdays.

The museum is completely funded

by entrance fees and donations, and the

past year had been a hard one without

any income since March 2020.

● Members of the Khoi-San

community filled the Station Hill

community hall to permitted capacity

to welcome news of the Traditional and

Khoi-San Leadership Act, 2019, which

would become effective on April 1.

The legislation recognises Khoi-San

leaders and communities.

● The Great Kenton Wine Festival was

a highlight on the calendar, with tickets

selling like hotcakes to attend tastings at

the Kenton Bowls and Diaz Angling

clubs. Eleven wine producers

participated with more than 70 of SA’s

finest wines available to taste and

purchase at cellar prices.

APRIL

● With hope and anticipation that

things would go back to normality later

in the year, Upperego Experience made

plans far in advance for the Kenton-on-

Sea Spring Picnic Festival from October

1 to 3. The three-day weekend event

Turn to PAGE 8

A RT I S T I C

EXPRESSION: Local

artist, Siphenathi

Dike, right, had a plan

to get his artwork

available to the public

on printed t-shirts,

and with the

assistance of the

Nemato Foundation

and its treasurer

Gunther Johannsen,

is leaving his mark in

the area

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was to be divided into three sections with day

one dedicated to a comedy show, day two being

a fashion show with participants dressed to kill,

and day three a music show.

● It was “move over US and Britain and their

talent” when residents of Damant Lodge showed

how talented they are at an Easter Function on

Wednesday April 7.

● Another successful Talk of the Town/Stenden

South African Quiz raised more than R5,000 for

the Port Alfred Soup Kitchen.

M AY

● Port Alfred model Jennita Gongotha said she

had gained so much more confidence in herself

after having taken part in and subsequently

winning two titles in the Empress SA 2021

competition.

● Locals were looking forward to the Weekend

Diversion at the Bathurst Showgrounds, in lieu of

the Bathurst Agricultural Show, which could not

be held this year because of the lockdown over

Easter. There was live music, pop-up auctions,

classic cars, ride-on lawnmower races and a

number of stalls to see.

JUNE

● It was a red-carpet affair at the Port Alfred

municipal library when friends and family of

Myrtle Gray gathered for the launch of her book,

The Fatherless Daughter.

Members of the Klipfontein community

celebrated her success at the book launch, as

well as voicing their appreciation for her courage

and candour to write and speak about a pervasive

social problem.

● A fiercely-contested potjiekos competition was

hosted by the Port Alfred River and Ski-boat Club

to raise money for their jetty repair fund.

Eleven teams entered the competition,

including a children’s team. There was an array of

meats and flavours, with beef, lamb, chicken and

game among the potjies to sample.

● After 14 years of Classic at the Castle, the 50th

and final concert was performed at Richmond

House on June 20. It featured David Bester on the

violin and JF Viljoen on the piano.

● A new art gallery, Paulette’s Place, opened next

to The Courtyard in Van der Riet Street, with a

view to bringing other artists and crafts people

t o g e t h e r.

J U LY

● Port Alfred music fanatic Ziyanda Bans caught

local residents by surprise when she was one of

the Idols South Africa participants on Mzansi

Magic (DStv 161) with her golden voice singing

Inde le ndlelaendiyihambileyo (this is a long way I

have travelled).

AU G U S T

● Upper Ego Experience was pleased to

announce its online audition results for Mr and

Miss Kenton-on-Sea Spring Picnic Festival.

When gatherings were banned under the

lockdown level 4 last month, Upper Ego

Experience resorted to conducting auditions for

its top 20 finalists on its Facebook page.

● With a variety of stalls and lots of

entertainment, the Van der Riet Street Spring

Festival promised to be a day of fun and great

food for all the family.

SEPTEMBER

● In honour of Madiba month, Sunshine Coast

Tourism Port Alfred and Sunshine Coast Tourism

Turn to PAGE 9

READY AND WAITING: Kowie Museum curator Marilyn Pattenden, left, and museum secretary

Heather Howard, flank one of the new banners at the museum’s entrance that provides an

overview of the early history of the area; from the Settlers’ arrival to the building of the harbour

and the establishment of Port Alfred

2022 — A new beginning

It is a long time since we have

recorded so much rain in

November and December.

We have the perfect growing

weather for our gardens.

After the long drought the

gardens seem to be

spontaneously bursting into

flower and leaf.

I can almost hear the lawn

g r ow i n g !

This does mean a lot of

work, cutting the lawn,

removing the weeds, pruning

and shaping beds.

What I enjoy most is that the

reward for the effort is almost

immediate.

There is more colour, more

defined shapes and a real sense

of satisfaction.

Covid has been with us for

two years.

Whether one agrees or not

with the action that

MY HOME

Simon Oliver

governments have taken to try

and restrict the impact of this

virus, it has had a very

detrimental impact on all of us.

We miss seeing our friends

and family, especially those

who travel from overseas.

We don’t like worrying

about the threats we think the

virus exerts on our lives.

I think that as we see the

virus is not as dangerous as it

was first thought, we can start

socialising a little more

n a t u ra l l y.

We can go on holiday, wear

brighter colours, redecorate our

homes or even buy something

new. It is a little like my garden –

after the drought (Covid) we are

blossoming.

Slowly at first, but I think it

will pick up speed as our

confidence increases during the

ye a r.

It won’t be the same as pre-

Covid. We have learnt to work

remotely, set new priorities and

are more demanding at to how

we use our time.

These changes should be

good for the property market as

new property owners look for

homes that suit their new

lifestyle.

If you are thinking of moving

to the Kenton-on-Sea, Port

Alfred or Boesmansriviermond

area please give me a call on

082-653-5643 or contact me on

s i m o n . o l ive r. s e e f f . c o m .

I look forward to hearing

from you.

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GLITZ AND GLAMOUR: John

Dacombe and Jade Pauls dressed

for the occasion when attending the

Great Gatsby themed evening at

The Thistle restaurant at Royal St

Andrews Hotel in September. They

were delighted to win the prize as

best dressed couple. The prize was

a magnum of Simonsig Kaapse

Vonkel and a one-night stay at Royal

St Andrews Hotel, which included

dinner and breakfast




the history of Bathurst.

Kenton invited people to take

part in their 67 Photos of the

Sunshine Coast by submitting

their favourite tourism

p h o t o g ra p h s .

The chosen photographs

were published on the newlylaunched

Instagram page

@portalfredgtourism, as well as

on the Kenton Instagram Page

@kentonbushmanstourism.

● Coinciding with Heritage

Month, Eastern Cape

Cooperative Governance and

Traditional Affairs officials

advocate Nangamso Mngoma

and NokuzolaTsoko held

fruitful consultation sessions on

the amendment of the Eastern

Cape Traditional Leadership Act

2017.

The amendments and

insertion of certain definitions

make provision for the

recognition of Khoi-San

communities, the establishment

of Khoi-San councils, senior

Khoi-San leaders and branch

heads and also provide for the

withdrawal of recognition of

Khoi-San communities.

● Journalist Rob Knowles

presented a talk on protest songs

at the latest Probus Club

meeting, singing several of

them.

● The first real weekend of

Spring was the time for Music at

the Mill at Bradshaw’s Mill in

Bathurst, a fundraiser for

Historic Bathurst, a Non-Profit

Organisation (NGO), the

objective of which is to maintain

O C TO B E R

● We started promoting the

Port Alfred’s Got Talent

auditions at Medolino Caravan

Pa r k .

● Van der Riet Street businesses

were gearing up for a

Halloween Street Festival, with

food stalls, live music and a

haunted house.

N OV E M B E R

● The Township Art Experience

hosted by two cousins, both

named Khanyisa Mabece, at

Royal St Andrews Hotel, saw

emerging entrepreneurs coming

together to display their arts and

crafts, network, and be inspired.

● The Mr and Ms Stenden SA

2021 pageant was hosted at the

Royal St Andrews Hotel. Neville

Murengwa was chosen as Mr

Stenden SA 2021 and Qhayiya

Dywili was crowned Ms

Stenden SA 2021.

DECEMBER

● Local farmer and cancer

survivor Malcolm Cock

embarked on a walk of about

100km to celebrate the

bicentennial of the arrival of the

1820 Settlers and to raise

money for children with cancer.

● With high anticipation of an

eventful season, free from

lockdown restrictions, tourism

stakeholders gathered for the

official opening of season

hosted by the Eastern Parks and

Tourism Agency (ECPTA) at

Guido’s in Port Alfred.

AWESOME FOURSOME: In April, the winners of the Talk of

the Town/Stenden South African fundraising quiz for the Port

Alfred Soup Kitchen were the Wishful Thinkers, Marius and

Terri Goosen, seated, with Dave and Mandy Purdon, behind

WELL-DESERVED: Team Ubuntu, Tanderai and Samantha

Mawopa, winners of the prize for best presentation at the Port

Alfred River and Ski-boat Club potjiekos competition

BEAUTY AND BRAINS: Elated local model Jennita Gongotha

after winning the Warrior Princess and Royal Princess titles in

the Empress SA 2021 competition that took place at the

Menlyn Mall Barnyard Theatre in Pretoria in May

TELLING HER STORY: Author Myrtle Gray launches her book,

‘The Fatherless Daughter’, at the Port Alfred municipal library

in late May

FINE MUSICIANS: Performing at the 50th and final Classics at

the Castle in June, pianist JF Viljoen, left, and violinist David

Bester, gave the audience their best, playing a series of pieces

by Grieg, Pärt, Feder and Piazzolla

happy new year!

Wishing all Visitors, Clients,

Friends and Families a

Happy and Prosperous 2022!

Contact us today for great vehicle specials! s!

29 Main Street | Port Alfred 046 624 1125

079 746 5993 | clint.roesstorff@ecmpa.co.zaa

With you all the way.

046 624 5222 | harcourtsportalfred.co.za


N E I G H B O U R LY NOTES

E-mail Jon Houzet at h o u ze t j @ t a l kof t h e tow n .c o. za , or fax (046) 624-2293

or drop in at 29 Miles Street from 8am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday

WE wish a happy New Year to

all our readers, advertisers and

contributors. May 2022 be

filled with many amazing

memory-making moments.

May the blessings of good

health, good humour and good

sense be with you and your

family in the coming year.

HAPPY birthday greetings and

best wishes to everyone

celebrating this special

occasion in the week ahead,

especially Allan Pretorius,

Ashley Gardner, Brenton

Spence, Peter Charter, Steve

Harris, Christopher Friderichs,

Nielen Marais, Helmut

Erfacher, Kyle Jacobs, Denzil

Goosen, Peter Hains, Susan

Kok, Bonnie Blaine, Aiden

Norden, Hans Hon, Vic

Goddard, Kosta Kavagias,

Andrew Jones-Pjillipson, Flo

Fowler, John Skilbeck, Luke

Beckett, Mary McGhie, Willem

Horn, Glenda Huxtable,

Bradley van Zyl, Sophie

Bessinger, Ryan Vermaak, Chris

Shaddock, Jacques van Wyk,

Justine Hulley, Devon Coetzee,

Audrey Barnard, Averil

Oosthuizen, James Charter,

Dominicue Averbuch, Ivy

Gulliford, Jo Wilmot, Vanessa

Hilton-Barber, Russell Shelton,

Anina Blouw.

ANOTHER business

anniversary and our

congratulations and wishes for

more future success to Winston

Ve r m a a k ’s Colin’s Garden

Service, The Wharf Street Tab,

Historic Pig & Whistle.

WISHING all couples

celebrating wedding

anniversaries congratulations

and continued happiness for

many happy times ahead.

Good luck to Graeme and

Wanda Kelbrick, Dean and

Lorraine Samuel, Chris and

Cindy de Wet Steyn, Grant and

Tricia Campbell.

THOUGHT for the week:

“Approach the New Year with

resolve to find the

opportunities hidden in each

new day”.

BEST regards as always,

The Team.

LOVING THE

RAIN: A special

happy birthday to

Bevan Edwards

who turned 70 on

December 27

DIARISE THIS

PLEASE SEND YOUR DIARY ENTRIES TO: e-mail houzetj@talkofthetown.co.za,

or message the Talk of the Town Facebook page, or drop in at 29 Miles Street,

Port Alfred from 8am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.

PLEASE SEND YOUR DIARY

ENTRIES TO: email.houzetj@

t a l k o f t h e t ow n . c o . z a , or

message the Talk of the Town

Facebook page, or drop in at 29

Miles Street, Port Alfred, from

8am to 4.30pm, Monday to

Fr i d ay.

Thursday December 30 to

Friday December 31

Sunshine Coast p h o t o g ra p h e r

Charl Durand will be hosting an

exhibition of his collection titled

“Barefoot Images”, at the newly

opened Photo House Gallery in

Kenton-on-Sea. The exhibition

will run from December 5-31, and

can be seen from 9am-4pm from

Monday to Saturday, and 9am- 12

midday on Sundays. For more

information on the exhibition

contact Corlette at 071-844-2420,

or p h o t o s by c o r l e t t e @ g m a i l . c o m .


Friday December 31

Bathurst Market at Treasure Cove

in Bathurst.


Wednesday January 5

Live music at the Pig and Whistle

in Bathurst from midday until 3pm

daily. Also see the market stalls in

the village, where wonderful

hand-crafted items and more can

be found.


Sunday January 2

DJs to dance the night away at

Je r r y ’s on the Dune, Kenton.

Thursday December 30

Dot Art Workshop @ The

Workshop Galley in Bathurst. The

cost is R350. Booking essential –

Contact Ruth on 082-755-6037.

10am until 1pm.

Acrylic Pouring Workshop @ The

Workshop Gallery in Bathurst.

The cost is R450 per

person. Booking is essential.

Contact Ruth on 082-755-6037.

1.30pm until 4pm.

Friday December 31

Franky and The Misfits return to

the Royal St Andrews Hotel to

usher in the new year. A ninepiece

swing/jazz band, playing

the likes of Sinatra, Nat King Cole,

Michael Bublé, Dean Martin and

Robbie Williams. Two ticket

options available: A buffet dinner

at R420 per adult and R210 per

child under the age of 12 at The

Paper Nautilus Restaurant, or a

plated five-course fine-dining

dinner at R435 per adult at The

Thistle Restaurant. The dress code

for The Thistle is smart-casual and

no children under the age of 10

are permitted. Both New Year’s

Eve options include the two-hour

Misfits extravaganza and a glass of

bubbly. Book now on: 046-604-

5400 or r e s e r va t i o n s @ r s a h . c o . z a .

Sunday January 2

Graze by the River features Shugg

and Rod of the Silver Creek

Mountain Band – live accoustic

folk music over lunch from 12

m i d d ay until 3pm. Bookings on

063-644-3878.

Thursday January 6

Jesse Clegg live at the Pig and

Whistle, at 6.30pm, with pre-sold

tickets at R180, or R200 at the

d o o r.

Sunday January 9

Graze by the River features Shugg

and Rod of the Silver Creek

Mountain Band – live accoustic

folk music over lunch from 12

midday until 3pm. Bookings on

063-644-3878.

SUDOKU - ROSEHILL SUPERSPAR

Complete this Sudoku and be in line to win a R50 voucher from

Superspar at Rosehill Mall, Port Alfred.Please continue to

submit your entries during our annual shutdown by placing

them in our office door letter box. We will announce all the

winners in the 6th January 2022 edition. Thank you for your

enthusiastic participation and support throughout the year.

Name:...................................................................................................

WIN A VOUCHER FROM - NICHE

Tel No:...................................................................................................

SOLUTION TO LAST WEEK’S SUDOKU

Name:.........................................................................................................................

Address:....................................................Tel No:......................................................

Please continue

to submit your

entries during our

annual shutdown

by placing them

in our office door

letter box. We will

announce all the

winners in the

6th January 2022

edition.

Thank you for

your enthusiastic

participation

and support

throughout the

year.


YEAR IN REVIEW — education

Fe b r u a ry

● When schools were finally able to reopen this

year, El Shaddai Christian Academy were happy

to return.

School principal Rene Payne said: “Although

2021 still has its Covid challenges, we are

blessed to be able to have all of our pupils at

school for a full five days a week for quality

schooling, while observing Covid p r o t o c o l s .”

Payne also highlighted the school was able to

grow its numbers under Covid circumstances

and had added the subject of visual arts to their

FET Phase subject choices.

● Despite a very difficult year, with terms

shortened due to the Covid-19 lockdown

restrictions and pupils having to depend on

online learning, several local schools reported

excellent matric results for 2020.

M a rch

● A nationwide sanitary pad driven by the South

African Communist Party (SACP) and Young

Communist League of SA (YCLSA) reached

Nemato early this year when Grade 11 and 12

pupils at Nomzamo Secondary and Kuyasa

Combined schools were offered much needed

supplies.

The “Joe Slovo Right to Learn Campaign”

donated sanitary pads to 146 Nomzamo pupils

and 97 Kuyasa pupils.

Explaining the campaign, YCYSA district

chairperson Siyabonga Jam said: “Pupils should

not have to miss school because they are

menstruating and their parents cannot afford to

buy them sanitary pads.”

● The handover of R10,000 and smart phones to

two top performing 2020 matriculants at Kuyasa

Combined School was characterised by

jubilation and praises sung for the young

achievers when matric results were released in

M a rch .

Sandile Cengani achieved: English 83%,

IsiXhosa 81%, mathematics 92%, life orientation

84%, computer applications technology 72%,

life sciences 89%, and physical sciences 87%.

Siphelele Futhuse achieved: English 86%,

IsiXhosa 82%, mathematics 90%, life orientation

87%, life sciences 90% computer applications

technology 78%, and physical sciences 76%.

● In partnership with the Port Alfred Social

Development Department, the Al Imdaad

Foundation donated 60 school hampers to lessprivileged

children from Qhayiya Primary School

and Velile High School in Nolukhanyo, Bathurst,

in March. Each hamper had school shoes, a

combo mask pack and a blanket.

The handover was graced by the presence of

councillors, staff members from the social

development office in Port Alfred and

representatives of the Al Imdaad Foundation.

April

● Voting for members of school governing

bodies took place in April in public schools

throughout the country, including Port Alfred.

Port Alfred Junior Secondary School (also

known locally as Station Hill Primary) set out the

voting tables at the entrance to its car park.

It was therefore a straight run-through to pick

up the list of candidates, a ballot paper, then vote

and deposit the slip into the collection box.

Each station was manned by the volunteers

and Port Alfred High School principal Nigel

Adams acted as election officer and polls were

opened from 8am to 6pm. The process saw 12

parents being nominated after the SGB processes

SO SMART IN THEIR BLAZERS: Indiphile

Lubelwana and Scott Elliot wore their Port

Alfred High School blazers for the first

time when school reopened.

THE FUTURE’S LOOKING BRIGHTER: A total of 60 lessprivileged

children from two Bathurst schools received a school

hamper, including shoes and a blanket, as part of the Al Imdaad

Foundation’s latest back-to-school campaign

YOUR MOVE: Bushwillow pupil

Thayfur Rashid, centre, helps Lunathi

Khani, left, and Bradley Deary learn

their chess moves

Turn to PAGE 12

THE JEWELLERY SHOP

Manufacturing Jewellers

Anchorage Mall - Tel: 046 624 3748

We would

like to wish

everyone a

very Happy

New Year and

a propserous

2022!


YEAR IN REVIEW — education


were completed. The SGB required nine parents,

three teachers and one non-academic member of

staff.

M ay

● Ten disaster management students from

Stenden South Africa were conferred their

degrees at a graduation ceremony at My Pond

Hotel.

Stenden executive dean Dr Wouter Hensens

said the graduates were the fourth cohort of BBA

disaster management students to graduate from

Stenden.

“I believe your education at Stenden has put

you a step ahead of the rest. I’m proud of you and

know you will all do well.”

Delivering a keynote address, Prof Ian

Meiklejohn, head of the department of geography

at Rhodes University said: “You are entering a

world where disasters are more likely to happen.

What you do locally has a global impact.”

WELL DONE: Alexandria Christian

Academy pupil AviweFulela did the

Independent Examination Board

syllabus online with Hatfield Christian

Online School, and was awarded 95%

for his English oral

MILESTONE ACHIEVED: Grade R children

at Happy Hours Pre-primary celebrated

100 days of being at school this year

STYLE AND GLAMOUR: El Shaddai Christian Academy

held its Matric Farewell on the Lady Biscay barge Saturday

July 31. It was a beautiful evening with a view of the

stunning sunset. The young women and men looked

fabulous. In the back row from left are, Mihlali Zitshu,

Xabiso Luzipo and Sikhanyo Mpati, and, front row,

Sinothando Khuni, deputy principal Donae Birch, Lithetha

Tana, Asemahle Macota and Rose Elcome

Ju n e

● After seven years, the Nemato Foundation was

able to launch two new academies for boys and

girls in Nemato. This was announced by Ellen

Fober, founder of the mirror organisation in

Holland, Nemato Stichting.

The Nemato Foundation Cricket academy was

formed with Thanduxolo Shotana as the coach,

while the Nemato Foundation Karate academy is

another initiative with sensei Clive Naido, who

has trained youngsters from the town and

POSITION: Reporter

PUBLICATIONS: Talk of the Town

LOCATION: Port Alfred

Position Overview

Talk of the Town require a highly motivated journalist to take up the position of

general reporter.

Main Responsibilities/Outcomes

surrounding areas.

Skills, Attributes and Attitudes

¿

Core Competencies Required

surrounding townships for many years. Both the

academies kept the children busy and

entertained. Fober was acknowledged for her

integral role of collecting donations from

overseas for the foundations.

October

● Stenden South Africa held a combined

graduation ceremony for the classes of 2019 and

2020 at the Royal St Andrews Hotel to make up

for the lack of a such a function last year.

There were 30 hospitality management

graduates for 2020 alone, in spite of Covid.

The graduates from 2019 included those

receiving hospitality management and disaster

relief management degrees. Addressing the

graduates and their family members, executive

dean Wouter Hensens said: “I’ve been looking

forward to days like this for 19 months.”

N ove m b e r

● The achievements of 13 early childhood

development (ECD) practitioners were celebrated

at a graduation ceremony held at the Diaz Deep

Sea Fishing Club of Kenton-On-Sea.

The Rotary Club of Kenton-On-Sea was

instrumental in providing the opportunity for

formal training to carers at preschools and

creches in Ekuphumleni, Marselle and

Klipfontein.

The graduates took part in a two-year course

through Early Inspiration and graduated with

certificates of competence, NQF Level 4, issued

by the Education, Training and Development

Practices SETA. Kenton Rotary applied to Rotary

International’s global grant scheme for funding.

December

● Happy Hours Pre-primary held a delightful

annual concert, Splish Splash Music Bash,

followed shortly afterwards by a nativity concert

with lots of familiar Christmas carols.

AT THE CREASE:

Shaw Park

Primary

participated in a

girls’ mini cricket

festival at St

A n d re w ’s College

in October. There

was great

excitement and it

was a fantastic

learning

afternoon for the

Shaw Park team,

made up of

Grade 1-3 pupils

HELPING A FELLOW SCHOOL: Alexandria

Christian Academy were pleased to be able to

donate books to Ukhanyo Secondary school in

Alexandria. From left are Ukhanyo principal

Mtutuzeli Jonas with pupils Mpumelelo

Kelemana and Mpambani Sinesipho, and ACA

principal Rae Emslie

CUDDLE TIME: Mikaela Nel enjoyed holding

one of the chickens that visited Bushken Preprimary

Knowledge

Skills

Please send your CV to: ecrecruitment@arena.africa

Closing date: Thursday, 20 January 2022

Wishing all our

loyal advertisers

and readers

a peaceful and

prosperous 2022!


The city is renowned for its

educational institutions, for

being the national seat of

the judiciary and for its

cultural events

makhanda

festival city

with SID PENNEY

Send your news of local events

and achievements, or of any

issues you might be having to

sidp@imaginet .co.za

or call (046) 624-4356

picture © bernard mackenzie / 123RF.com

RHODES ASTRONOMERS INVOLVED

IN DISCOVERY

A collaboration between Rhodes

University astronomers, University of

Cape Town (UCT) and Swinburne

University of Technology (SUT) based

in Melbourne, Australia, has discovered

a mysterious chain of hydrogen gas

clouds with the size of a massive galaxy

through the South African MeerKAT

radio telescope.

The international team is led by an

astronomer from the Max-Planck

Institute for Radio Astronomy and

Rhodes University visiting Prof Gyula

Jozsa, SUT’s Prof Michelle Cluver, and

Prof Thomas Jarrett from UCT.

Jozsa explained: “Only a handful of

cloud complexes with similarities to

this one are known, and our discovery

seems to differ in quite some key

aspects.

The simplest explanation would be

a tidal interaction between galaxies,

the gas being ripped out of the host

galaxies in a close encounter.”

MeerKAT is proving to be a groundbreaking

telescope, and many such

discoveries should soon follow this

“dark” cloud discovery in the exciting

days ahead.

LEAVING THE SCHOOL ON THE

HILL

For the past 10 years, Gerrie Warren has

been part of the PJ Olivier high and

primary school family, always willing to

go the extra mile, according to

principal Joubert Retief.

“She makes pupils and their parents

feel very welcome when they visit the

school office, with a caring heart and

always an ear to listen.”

Warren leaves the school at the end

of January 2022 to join her husband

Shawn Warren in the ministry.

He is pastor of the Pinkster

Protestante Kerk (PPK) in Makhanda

( G ra h a m s t ow n ).

CHURCH SQUARE NOT REALLY A

S QUA R E

Mention Church Square in Makhanda

to a current or former resident of the

city and he or she will, or should, think

Cathedral, City Hall, Standard Bank,

Clicks, Grocott & Sherry, Birch’s and

Woolworths, among others.

Of course Church Square is, and

has always been, much more than

departmental stores, banks and shops.

The square has been the gathering

place for military parades, peaceful

(and sometimes not so peaceful)

protest marches against this and that,

stopover points for motor rallies and

national cycle tours, and part of the

route for cavorting students involved in

Rhodes Rag and its entourage of

colourful floats.

In the mid-eighties a television

series was shot in and around the then

Grahamstown, and many miles of film

were shot on Church Square.

Talking of “shots”, who remembers

the sniper on the Grocott & Sherry roof

shooting someone exiting Standard

Bank which was a Supreme Court in

the series?

Anyway, I like the way author Emily

O’Meara described Church Square in

the book Grahamstown Reflected

published 25 years ago.

She wrote back then: “When is a

Church Square not a square? When it is

an eternal – traffic controllers would

say infernal – triangle. Found in

Grahamstown of course, and the

natural centre of the city from its

earliest beginnings.

“Slap in the middle of High Street,

dividing it into upper and lower

sections, a superb setting for the

Cathedral of St Michael and St

G e o r g e .”

When Colonel John Graham

selected the High Street site for his

military outpost early in 1812, the

ruined homestead of Dutch pioneer

farmer Lucas Meyer was restored as the

officers’ mess.

The officers pitched their tents on a

line parallel to their mess and facing it –

the city hall side of today’s triangle.

Their permanent housing was built in

the same position.

In 1814 surveyor J Knobel was sent

to plan the emerging settlement in an

“orderly fashion”.

And he was left with a triangular

space in the centre of what was then

known as Graham’s Town. That space

might allow a very convenient

situation for a church or any other

public building, Knobel declared at the

time.

And that is exactly what

NAME CHANGE: It was confirmed by the relevant government minister in

2021 that Grahamstown would be renamed Makhanda despite petitions

and various avenues of legal action. In the final month of 2021, the high

court sign at its upper High Street property still read ‘Grahamstown High

Court’ and it was unsure when it would be changed Picture: SID PENNEY.

GRINDING AWAY: MM Industries brought in some large and heavy

equipment from Gauteng in July at the commencement of the six-month

contract to resurface four CBD streets. Seen above in Hill Street is the large

milling machine that ripped up the ‘old’ tar and deposited it into waiting

trucks. Picture: SID PENNEY

materialised.

POTHOLES REPAIRED

I didn’t see it being done myself, but I

learnt from a normally reliable source

that a team of Makana Municipality

employees was out and about on

Sunday morning, December 12,

patching potholes.

Thank you for repairing these

horrible potholes that are found all

over Makhanda, but why on a Sunday

and not a weekday? Nevertheless, we

are thankful.

FROM THE CAR POOL

An item in the December 2 edition of

this column, under the heading

“Daimler fit for a Mayor”, dealt with

mayoral cars, and in particular the

Daimler car used by the then

Grahamstown mayor a number of

decades ago.

By the way, does anyone out there

(I’m talking former Grahamstonians)

know who the mayor was at the time of

the Daimlers?

The item in question opened with

the words, “These days it’s the norm, it

seems, for South African

municipalities, large and not so large,

to purchase or lease luxury sedans and

SUVs for use by their mayors and

executive mayors.”

Anyhow, a reader from the Western

Cape (former Grahamstonians all over

SA, from Cape Town to East London

and Durban to Johannesburg, receive

this column each week) points out,

referring to the opening paragraph in

the story on the Daimlers, that these

days no cars or other vehicles may be

purchased or leased for the exclusive

use of mayors and councillors.

They can utilise vehicles from the

relevant municipality’s general car

pool.

It appears that prior to 2014

municipalities could provide mayors

with vehicles for their exclusive official

use, but the practice was

discontinued.

ON FULL ALERT: During the peaceful protest on Church Square in mid-

June, various local protest leaders and activists were interviewed by national

television crews. The protest action was closely monitored by two SA Police

Service Nyala vehicles, one from East London. This protest gathering may

have been peaceful, but the protests two days later were far more volatile,

and the larger Nyala WP1800 was back in town with its crew. Taxi drivers

and others were protesting because of alleged service delivery failures.

Picture: SID PENNEY

Any other comments on this matter?

E-mail me on sidp@imaginet.co.za

BYGONE BUSINESSES REMEMBERED

Which of these Grahamstown

businesses (now Makhanda) do you

remember from the mid-1970s as

contained in advertisements placed in

the September 1976 edition of the

“Coming Events” bulletin published by

the Grahamstown Publicity Association

and printed by Grocott & Sherry

Pr i n t e r s ?

The main aim of the monthly

bulletin was to highlight the month’s

films to be shown at the city’s three

cinemas – Grahamstown Drive-In, His

Majesty’s Theatre and Odeon Theatre.

None of the three is in existence

anymore, sadly.

The advertisers listed below are no

longer trading. Which of them do you

remember?

The Drostdy Shop at 131 High

Street; Digby & Francis Estate Agents

on Church Square; RET Butler Chemist

at 11 Bathurst Street; Oxford

Furnishing at 105 High Street; Krige’s

Butchery at 1 Hill Street; Paula’s Bakery

at 17 New Street; Patricia’s Florist at 21

Hill Street; Arthur Griffin Pharmacy at

84 High Street.

Dragon Pearl Chinese Restaurant

on Church Square; Cathcart Arms

Hotel at 5 West Street; Fleurette Florist

at 50 High Street; Town & Country

Hardware Supplies at 37 Bathurst

Street; Simon & Barnes Ladies’ We a r

and Haberdashery on Church Square;

Rodgerson’s Provisions and

Advertising Agents at 112A High

Street; Gladene’s Toy Shop in the

Sanlam Building on the corner of High

and Hill Streets; and Kingsley Tyre

Services at 39 High Street.

Amazingly, while the above are no

longer trading or in operation

anymore, there are several businesses

from the mid-1970s that advertised in

the September 1976 bulletin that are

still trading, albeit under new

HAPPY WASH

DAY: During

2021 Pieter

Burger, right,

and Martin van

der Walt left

held several

charity fun

wash days at

their We Wash

It vehicle

washing facility

in African Street

where the

proceeds went

the way of local

charities and

worthy causes.

Here they pose

with a mascot

on one of the

fund-raising

days. Picture: SID

PENNEY

ownership and/or different locations.

Check these out: T Birch & Co

( B i rch ’s) on the eastern side of Church

Square; Knight’s Shoes, still on Church

Square but under different ownership;

Stewart Armitage’s Estate Agency, still

on Church Square and still in the

family; Grahamstown Home

Industries, then at 6 Hill Street but now

in Pepper Grove Mall; Albany

Jewellers, still on the corner of High

and Hill Streets but under different

ownership; LL Wallace & Co Chemist

( Wa l l a c e ’s), then at 21 Bathurst Street

but now in Pepper Grove Mall and

under different ownership.

SAFE MOVES

An advertisement appeared in a local

publication in August 2001 advertising

Stuttafords Van Lines for furniture

removals across SA. Their motto was

“The safest move you can make”.

The advert made me think of the

time several decades ago when the

Grahamstown-based Beaumont & Rice

was the No 1 choice for residents

moving to other cities and towns and

needing a furniture removals firm.

Their offices were at 112 High

Street (where Delizzia Coffee Shop is

today) and their trucks were

occasionally parked next to the centre

island. Remember them? Beaumont &

Rice’s vehicle repairs and servicing

workshops were in nearby Anglo-

African Street.

These days, We Move It, That Man

With a Van and Digs to Digs Removals

attend to cartage requirements in and

around Makhanda.

FITZROY, HELLIER AND OTHERS

For this week’s item on local street

names I was planning to use the names

of the four CBD streets that have been

undergoing resurfacing in recent

months. However, their names and

origins are hardly exciting, except

possibly for Somerset Street which is

named after Governor Lord Charles

Somerset, according to the official

listing of local streets compiled in the

1960s.

The other streets being retarred are

High (“main or public road”,

according to the listing), Hill (“o bv i o u s

hill, but possibly named after

Commissioner John Hill”), and New

(“obvious name”, says the listing).

So, instead, I thought I’d use the

names of four streets I lived in after

moving to the then Grahamstown from

Cape Town in late 1962. You go along

with that?

Fitzroy Street was named after the

son and brother of Henry Somerset in

1863, and Carnarvon Street after Earl

Carnarvon, secretary of state in 1866

and 1867.

Lawrance Street acquired its name

from Joseph Lawrance, commissioner

from 1849 to 1852, while Hellier Street

was named after James Bisdee Hellier,

town councillor in 1867.

Interesting, hey?


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In the estate of the Late Trevlyn Leslie

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08 7, widower, formerly resident at

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Estate Number: 4475/2021

All persons having claims against the

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YEAR IN REVIEW — sport


announced by Ellen Fober,

founder of the mirror

organisation in Holland,

N e m a t o S t i ch t i n g .

The Nemato Foundation

Cricket academy had been

formed with Thanduxolo

Shotana as the coach, while the

Nemato Foundation Karate

academy is another initiative

with sensei Clive Naido, wh o

has trained kids from the town

and surrounding townships for

many years.

Both the academies kept the

children busy and entertained,

while also increasing their

hand-eye coordination, focus,

concentration, and cooperation.

Fober was acknowledged for

his integral role of collecting

donations from overseas for the

foundations.

● Ju ly

Ndlambe Local Municipality

and Isizwe Boxing Promotions

presented five bouts of

professional boxing

development at the Titi Jonas

Multipurpose Centre in July.

However, due to Covid-19

regulations, fans were not

allowed access.

The first fight was between

Ndabezitha Plaatjies and

Malaki Sobolo in which Sobolo

did enough to impress the

judges to win the match.

In one of the matches, Xola

Mrhabe defeated Sivenathi

Qwemesha in a sixth-round

k n o ck o u t .

● Nemato Change A Life’s

product, Buhle Ngcelwane, was

applauded by the organisation

for his career progress.

From being a hard to beat

rower at the tender age of 16 to

highly-rated chairperson of the

organisation in 2014,

Ngcelwane proceeded to being

a rugby coach of the Stanford

Lake College in Limpopo after

graduating in sports science

with three distinctions at the

University of Johannesburg.

● Au g u s t

Mzansi’s Rugby Academy was

delighted to receive a donation

of Adidas kit from the Kolisi

Foundation, established by

Springbok rugby captain Siya

Ko l i s i .

Kolisi was celebrating his

30th birthday by uplifting

aspiring rugby-loving

communities, and Mzansi’s

Rugby Academy was one of the

beneficiaries.

The Kolisi Foundation

partnered with Adidas SA in

donating generous amounts of

Adidas merchandise in an

#ImpossibleIsNothing Youth

Day competition.

● Nemato Change A Life

hosted an exciting handball

tournament in August with the

aim of introducing the sport to

youth in the Port Alfred area.

The competing teams were

from Port Alfred, the University

of Fort Hare Alice Campus and

Kempa United from Gqeberha

(Port Elizabeth), who won the

tournament. The South African

handball team coach Victor

Hlumela honoured the

tournament with his presence.

● Romans Football Club came

one step to fulfilling a promise

to sponsor Dr DM Radue

Optometrists, but had still not

been able to clinch winning the

play-offs for the ABC Motsepe

League.

In May, Dr Radue donated

20 tracksuits for the players and

six for the management of

Romans Football Club. In

response to his gesture, Romans

DECLARING THE WINNER: After a brutal encounter for mini

flyweight bragging rights, Loyiso Ngantweni (white shorts, arms

raised), beat local lad Ndikho Magadaza in the final round of the sixround

contest to retain his number two rating for the SA title. The

event took place at the Titi Jonas community centre in July

football team promised to repay

it by winning the Port Alfred

Unit League, which they did,

and the play-offs, which they

lost by narrow margin.

With determination to

honour their words, Romans FC

did everything in their power to

win a competitive Port Alfred

Unit League which allowed

them to participate in play-offs

which took place at D e r r i ck

Mbele Stadium in Alexandria.

● September

Well-known Sunshine Coast

surf school owner David

Macgregor missed out on

another South African

longboard title when he came

second at the national

championships in Jeffreys Bay.

Macgregor, owner of Shaka

Surf School, gave up a lengthy

journalism career to teach

surfing and run an upcycled

forest surf lodge.

He missed out on a third

national title when he came

second in the grandmasters.

Macgregor lost out in the

final of the 45 to 55-year-old

division to fellow EP surfer and

former Kowie local Craig Cuff.

● Nemato Gymnastic Club was

established in 2009 as part of

the youth empowerment

organisation, Nemato Change a

Life (NCAL). The Club has

participated in Junior World

Championships (called World

Age Groups) since 2013.

In 2019, NCAL had its first

gymnast participating in the

Senior World Championships.

They did not take place in

2020, but this year three of the

five SA gymnasts selected for the

championships were from

Nemato.

The gymnasts were

Siyabulela Siwa, Liyema Nxobo

and Khanyile Mbolekwa.

The 2021 Trampoline

Gymnastics World

Championships was held from

November 11 to 14 in Baku,

Azerbaijan. The NCAL was

appealing to the public to

financially support the boys to

realise their dream of taking part

on an international stage.

● October

The SA Bodyboarding Champs

returned to Port Alfred on the

first weekend of October.

The event formed part of the

Amanzi Challenge.

Gale-force winds and rough

surf on the first day made it a

challenge for competitors and

stinging sand and intermittent

rain kept spectators away.

After starting at the preferred

West Beach next to the pier,

organisers moved the

competition on the second and

third day, using East and Middle

(aka Halfway) Beaches. The

final day turned out great and

waves also to the party. Local

THANKS KOLISI AND ADIDAS: Mzansi’s Rugby Academy members with coach Barry

Scharneck, centre, wearing some the Adidas branded kit that was donated through the

Kolisi Foundation

CATCH A

WAVE: Morne

Oosthuizen on

the first day of

the

S A B o d y b o a rd i n g

Champs at

West Beach in

October

participant and organiser

Clinton Millard said a total of

121 riders entered.

The eThekwini

bodyboarding Association from

Durban were the provincial

winners, while Millard came

second in the Masters, winning

the SA Bodyboarding

Association masters tour.

● Commuters and shoppers got

an eyeful when men in purple

Speedos ran around the Port

Alfred CBD.

Joined by a few women

wearing their Speedos more

modestly, the members of the

Kowie Striders were

participating in the 2021

Hollard Daredevil Run, a

national event in which

partially-clad athletes ran to

raise support for prostate cancer

awareness. All proceeds went to

Cansa and the Prostate Cancer

Fo u n d a t i o n .

● After hosting the Pineapple

Country and annual BucoKowie

Striders Smash the Pineapple

Run event for a number of years,

the Kowie Striders Running and

Walking Club were extremely

excited to welcome back the

participants and their families to

an event that was challenging

and fun.

The 27km event saw runners

and walkers racing from the big

Pineapple in Bathurst to the Port

Alfred Country Club, with most

of the climbing in the first half.

The last 5km headed into

Port Alfred where they were

greeted by the beautiful banks of

Kowie River. The 10km was a

fast course in and around Port

Alfred, with one steep hill at the

half-way mark. The top three

finishers in each category were

awarded prizes by donated by a

number of local businesses.

● N ove m b e r

The Port Alfred Bowls and

Croquet Club hosted a highly

successful South African

Croquet National Tournament

with a record 65 players from all

over the country.

Sadly one of the entrants,

Vince Atterbury, was killed in a

car accident near George on his

journey to Port Alfred and a

minute’s silence was held on the

opening evening.

The competition was stiff but

enjoyed by all, according to Port

Alfred president Roger Darkes.

The final game of the

tournament, the open singles,

was played between two players

who have represented SA in the

world cup, namely Judith

Hanekom from Somerset West

and Victor Dladla from

Jo h a n n e s b u r g .

The competition ended with

a prize-giving and the prizes

were handed out by SA Croquet

president Mike Moore and Port

Alfred croquet convenor,

N E A R LY

FULFILLED

PROMISE:

Romans Football

Club came a step

closer to fulfilling

their promise of

winning play-offs

for the ABC

Motsepe League

for Dr DM Radue

Optometrists,

who donated

football tracksuits

to the team earlier

this year

FLEET FOOTED: The Buco Smash the Pineapple races saw 230

finishers in the 27km run from the Big Pineapple in Bathurst to the

Port Alfred Country Club, and 104 finishers in the run 10km run.

From left are Marius Schmidt from sponsor Buco, with the 27km

men’s winners MelikhayaFrans (second), Luyanda Tshangana (first)

in a time of 1:27:51 and Andile Motwana (third), and Sticks

Stiglingh of the Kowie Striders host club

Noeline Kirsten.

● The foursome of Rob

Houston, Early Tsolekile,

Michael Gidana and Bresby du

Preez won the Buco Golf Day at

the Royal Port Alfred Golf Club.

They narrowly pipped

second-placed Ockie Goosen,

Gerhardt van der Walt, Christo

Beste and Gareth Voke. Both

teams were levelled on 99

points.

One of the most popular golf

days on the calendar, this year’s

event was no different, with 131

p l aye r s .

Prizes were awarded up to

10th place, along with lots of

good-natured ribbing.

● December

Despite having to cancel most

of the Ndlambe Marathon

Kenton-on-Sea races at the 11th

hour, organiser Vuyolwethu

Nkayi was happy a 5km race

was still held.

The 42km, 21km and 10km

races had to unfortunately be

cancelled. However, the 5km,

commencing and finishing at

the Kenton stadium was a great

success, and won by

Sinethemba Njingisi, who

received a medal and trophy.

The second and third place

winners also walked away with

a trophy and medal. Nkayi said

the other races were cancelled

following Eastern Province

Athletics’ instruction.

nSPORT

Ta l kTow OF THE

CONTACT US WITH SPORTS NEWS: (046) 624-4356 (Jon Houzet)

Thursday 30 De ce m b e r, 202 1

YEAR IN REVIEW — sport

● Ja n u a ry

Nemato Change A Life (NCAL)

was delighted at seeing Siyanda

Qutywa overcoming his anger

issues through activities like the

Alternatives to Violence Project

which helped him choose

differently and deal with his

a n g e r.

NCAL founder Jan Blom said

Q u t y wa ’s active involvement in

Nemato Change a Life activities

and attending sessions had, by

Q u t y wa ’s admission, made him

become a better human being.

● Fe b r u a ry

When Mzansi’s Academy coach

Barry Scharneck and partner

Alex Floyd-Douglass were

driving to town from Nemato

they noticed a young boy

running for his life.

However, as they slowed

down they saw a rugby ball

under his arms and that is when

they realised he was not under

attack. More surprisingly and

inspiring to Scharneck and

Floyd-Douglass, they realised it

was one of their youngsters,

Sesethu Jasson, running to town

to get his damaged ball fixed

and pumped with air.

It made them realise how

impactful Mzansi’s Rugby

Academy had been to the

yo u n g s t e r s .

● With many years of fitness

training under his belt, exprofessional

soccer player Jacob

Mokhasi was a huge boost when

he joined Team Sweat

bootcamp in January.

Members exercised next to

the monument at the entrance to

Nemato six days a week.

Team Sweat was formed by

Bubele Vulani in 2014 with the

determination to change his

lifestyle and diet after being

diagnosed with high cholesterol.

From Monday to Thursday,

former Bafana Bafana player

Mokhasi was conducting

training and sharing his

professional knowledge with

Team Sweat members.

Vulani took over on

Saturdays and Sundays.

● M a rch

A successful tournament for

Under 13 and U15 players, The

Bathurst Sport Festival 2021,

was held at Nolukhanyo

Township on March 13 and 14.

Nine teams from each

category competed for the top

prize and there were top

performers who won player of

the tournament in each division.

Speaking about the

tournament, co-ordinator

Vuyolwethu Sontsonga said:

“We are creating an

environment where young

people are given guidance,

along with being shown life

skills to improve their sense of

responsibility and maximise

their individual and combined

creative energies for their

personal development.”

● The Kowie United held its

AGM in March at which a new

executive was selected.

At their first meeting as the

new executive, the leadership

took a decision to become a

strong community-based rugby

club.

The club was elated to have

acquired the services of former

Springbok and Western

HARD TO BEAT: William Beatt, 12, won multiple

medals at the SA Junior National Championships

held recently in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth)

Province player Gary Pagel as a

technical advisor.

● April

Siphe Mzaidume, who has

played club cricket in various

countries, held a highly

successful cricket clinic at the

Port Alfred Country Club, which

inspired him to hold another.

“I was very pleased with how

quickly the boys learnt and how

naturally gifted they were

considering a few of them had

never played the game before,”

he said.

● Local swimmer William

Beatt, 12, came back from the

SA Junior National

Championships in Gqeberha

(Port Elizabeth) with three golds,

three silvers, a bronze and a

fourth place.

His winning of medals cover

lengths from 200m to 100m and

50m in freestyle and butterfly

(golds), 100m backstroke, 50m

WELL DONE:

The annual

Club

Championships

were held at

the Royal

Port Alfred

Golf Club in

May. Meekah

de Sousa shot

71 and 72 to

win by one

shot against

Pete

Thompson.

De Sousa also

won the club

championship

in 2020

freestyle and butterfly (silver),

200m backstroke (bronze) and

50m backstroke (4th).

In each he took seconds off

his previous personal best times

including a whopping 11.21sec

off his 100m butterfly.

● M ay

Kowie United Rugby Football

Club (RFC) formed a women’s

rugby team which soon was

tested in a game against a

Makhanda (Grahamstown)

wo m e n ’s team on May 8.

The Kowie United RFC

Ladies’ Rugby Team comprised

of players from age 16 and

above, trained from Monday to

Thursday, from 6 to 7.30pm at

the Station Hill rugby field.

Coach Abe Hendricks

explained how the idea of

forming a women’s rugby team

came about, saying SARU and

EPRU had pleaded with clubs

and unions to have women’s

STRONG CAMARADERIE: Kowie United Rugby Football Club formed a women’s rugby team which

competed against other women’s teams from Bisho, Makhanda and elsewhere. The team trained from

Monday to Thursday at the Station Hill rugby field

rugby on board for the past few

ye a r s .

● Romans Football Club

gratefully received much

needed tracksuits from DM

Radue Optometrists.

The donation was welcomed

by team manager Masixole

Shakes Zweni, senior players

and club management.

DM Radue staff members

Andrew Nell and Chumisa

Magopeni handed over the

donation of 20 tracksuits for

players and six for the

management, to Zweni.

● The Kleinemonde Mashie

Community Golf course

welcomed the Port Alfred

Development Foundation – the

first young golfers to play on the

nine-hole course.

Fifteen young golfers

between the ages of 11 and 15

came to play, with mentoring

from some mashie members as

they moved around the course.

The junior golfers were coached

by golfing veteran Colin

Mavuso, often seen at the

Rosehill Mall driving range.

Stenden executive dean

Wouter Hensens, who is also

part of Port Alfred Golf

Development Foundation,

offered transport for the players,

and mashie members provided

them with cooldrinks and

snacks after play.

There was also prize-giving,

with Onamandla Hani, 12, the

overall winner.

● Mzansi’s Rugby Academy

held eventful trials at Nomzamo

Senior Secondary School for

U11, U13 and U15 boys eager

to discover their talents.

Boys from Nemato schools

and Station Hill School

participated in trials which

intended to unearth rugby

talent. Coach Barry Scharneck

GAME FOR

CRICKET: C h i l d re n

in Nemato who

were part of the

newly-launched

Nemato Foundation

Cricket Academy.

The official launch of

the much-welcomed

academy was only in

October, but

children were

reported to be

playing cricket every

day after school, so

keen were they in

learning the sport

LOCAL

CHAMPS: The

jubilant winners

of the men’s

Eastern Areas

Tr i p s

Championship

played at the

Albany Club in

June were, from

left, Lester

Scriven, Michael

van der Sandt

and Stephen

Minnaar, with

Judy Alexander,

president of

Eastern Areas,

who presented

the trophy

said they were looking for 30

yo u n g s t e r s per age group – a

total of 90.

● Ndlambe Tigers Rugby Club

was elated to receive 23 kits

donated by Thokozani

Empowerment Fund.

The kit consisted of socks,

shorts and T-shirts. A letter from

Thokozani Empowerment Fund

CEO Ndileka Nobebe said:

“Thokozani is very excited to be

able to assist the community in

any way possible and

particularly with the support of

sports teams which ensure a

healthy, safe environment within

the community.”

● Ju n e

After seven years, the Nemato

Foundation was able to launch

two new academies for boys

and girls in Nemato. This was

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Talk 30 December 2021

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