Eastern Cape

Foreign minister visits EL after granting SA R140m for development E Cape to get Swiss funding
By Simpiwe Piliso MACLEANTOWN -- Shortly after signing an agreement in Pretoria that would make available R140million in grants for development projects in South Africa, Swiss Foreign Minister Joseph Deiss arrived in East London and was shocked t...

Rural clinics get R7m for electrification
By Nick Wilson EAST LONDON -- The Independent Development Trust (IDT) yesterday handed over R7million to the provincial Health Department for the electrification of rural clinics in the Eastern Cape. Provincial Health spokesman Welile Mguli said...

City Lodge could renew talks on beachfront hotel
Municipal Reporter EAST LONDON -- A national budget hotel group could renew talks with the city council about setting up one of its multi-million-rand facilities here. This follows a "confidential meeting" between the council and City Lodge Grou...

Crime Roundup
Gunmen wound sleeping gran UMTATA -- A 62-year-old woman was seriously injured when gunmen opened fire on her and her grandchildren while they were asleep in her Middle Tyira home near Qumbu on Tuesday night. Police said Mamaga Nobhadla ...

Da Gama and Spinning Mills win SA awards
By Zama Mpondwana EAST LONDON -- Two Eastern Cape companies are to be honoured with Cotton South Africa Awards in Pretoria tonight. Da Gama Textiles will receive the Weaver of the Year Award and Port Elizabeth-based Union Spinning Mills will rec...

Welfare dept denies rejecting disabled grants
BISHO -- Eastern Cape Welfare Department officials have denied that thousands of disabled people were being stripped of their grants and told to find work because of cuts to the department's budget. On Tuesday, welfare standing committee members ...

Ex-clerk convicted of exam paper theft
By Denver Donian KING WILLIAM'S TOWN -- A former temporary clerk in the Eastern Cape Education Department, Thulani Ntshobodi, 29, of Zwelitsha, was yesterday convicted in the district court here of stealing a mathematics standard grade paper from...

Swiss visit strikes raw nerve at poorer school
By Bongani Siqoko EAST LONDON -- Yesterday's visit to Masakhe Primary School in Duncan Village by Swiss Foreign Minister Joseph Deiss sparked anger from teachers of neighbouring Lujiza Primary School. The problem was that the delegation -- incl...

Europe owes big debt due to its colonialism past
BISHO -- The riches of Europe were built on the backs of countries all over the world and industrialised ones now had a task to give some wealth back to where it came from. Social Democratic Party (SDP) chief whip in Germany's Lower Saxony provin...

Affordable eye care today
EAST LONDON -- Today is the Community Day for Eyecare allowing those members of the public who are not on a medical aid and cannot afford normal medical fees an opportunity for affordable eyecare. The offer is being made by participating optometr...

German visitors impressed by self-help success story
By Adrienne Carlisle GRAHAMSTOWN -- A high-powered 70-member delegation of German politicians visiting the province described as "fantastic" the Masithandane Project here, which it has supported financially in the past. The group of Social Democ...

Mayor has torrid day in office
GRAHAMSTOWN -- Grahamstown's 23-year-old Rhodes student mayor Likhaye Ngqezana, 23, had a baptism of fire yesterday as he faced two crises within hours of each other. Ngqezana was called to intervene in an ugly dispute between two rival taxi asso...

Critical R22m needed for health
BISHO -- The Eastern Cape Health Department is due to overspend on its budget by R225 million in the current financial year. And if critical health department posts are not filled in the second half of the current financial year, the crumbling of...

Feared East Pondoland man in jail
By Stan Mzimba UMTATA -- A man who police said was feared in Eastern Pondoland is now behind bars. Former taxi-owner Vakele Mvumbi, better known as "Rasta", and his "comrade-in-crime", Lucky Mantsane of Nelspruit, are facing three counts of m...

First baby for Medicross
By Nick Wilson EAST LONDON -- When Leigh-Anne Victor went to Medicross yesterday morning for a check-up, she did not expect to leave with a bouncing baby boy -- neither did surprised staff. Victor, who was only due to give birth in about two wee...

GATHERING NO MOSS:
South African touring car racing driver Terry Moss, a Port Rex old boy, autographs a poster for Rachel van Straaten, a Grade 8 pupil at his alma mater, after giving the school a talk on motor sport. He can be seen in action this weekend at the Mer...

CLASSY CLASSIFIED:
The newly introduced classified section in the Daily Dispatch, 'Classified 2000' -- with symbols to mark different sections. Classified manager Nadine Timothy shows the revamped format, flanked by Tele-ad seller Olivia Sills (left) and Non...

Telkom upgrade for Stormberg
QUEENSTOWN -- Essential services in the fields of education, health and safety and security in the Stormberg region are expected to benefit greatly from a R450million upgrade and extension of telecommunication services by Telkom. Schools, clinics...

Marketing puts East Cape on tourist map
QUEENSTOWN -- In a drive to promote tourism in the Eastern Cape, an initiative by a Burgersdorp hunter has led to the establishment of Marketing East Cape -- a multi-media opportunity to expose the tourist attractions of the province. Marketing E...

Row at Rhodes after nepotism allegations
By Adrienne Carlisle GRAHAMSTOWN -- A confidential report alleging "cronyism, nepotism, curriculum chicanery" and the marginalisation of disadvantaged people at the East London campus of Rhodes University has sparked a row at the institution afte...

Golf day boosts Chest's coffers
EAST LONDON -- The twice postponed golf day eventually took place on September 10. The Southern Life Foundation sponsored event brought in just over R19 000, the second best ever total. It was a welcome result, considering the comparative...

'Hintsa' skull to go back to Scotland
EAST LONDON -- The skull of a middle-aged European woman, which had been claimed to be that of King Hintsa ka Phalo, is to be returned to Scotland soon. The controversial skull made international headlines when it was brought back to South Africa...

Bail in taxi war case opposed
By Wimpie Heath Court Reporter EAST LONDON -- If one of the two alleged taxi hitmen arrested by the elite police unit, the Scorpions, was released on bail, taxi violence in the Border area would flare up again, the regional court heard yesterday...

Taxi screening plan proposed
By Lucas Mati EAST LONDON -- The Eastern Cape Taxi Council (ECTC) has called on the Bisho government to provide security to leaders of taxi bodies. In a memorandum presented to the Department of Transport, it demanded ECTC members give up their ...

Forces slated over taximan's death
EAST LONDON -- The Fort Beaufort transitional local council has slated the Department of Safety, Liaison and Transport and the security forces for not giving full support to help end violence in which a taxi leader was killed at the weekend. Fort...

Anglicans choose new rector
By Phakamisa Ngani UMTATA -- Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town Njongonkulu Ndungane yesterday named Canon Livingstone Lubabalo Ngewu as the new rector for Theological College of Transfiguration in Grahamstown. Ngewu, 49, has been appointed with t...

Marathon planned to publicise Umtata
By Kerry Engelbrecht UMTATA -- Umtata mayor Edgar Mapekula yesterday gave a school principal, who has come up with an idea to initiate the Transkei's standard marathon, the thumbs up. It is hoped the marathon -- to be named the Heroes Marathon -...

Body to monitor women's rights
By Zama Mpondwana EAST LONDON -- The Women's National Coalition (WNC) intends to make sure women play a key role in trade and economic development in the country using principles learned at an international women's rights conference in Beijing in...

Tombstones to be unveiled
By Phumlani Mdolomba KING WILLIAM'S TOWN -- Traditional leaders and parliamentarians are to converge at the Imidushane Great Place in Tamara near here on Saturday to unveil the tombstones of five iMidushane chiefs and chieftainesses. Granting th...