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THURSDAY May 12, 2016 |0 047 050 4430 | www.isoexpress.co.za | Facebook: Mthatha Express | Twitter: @MthathaExpress | elizabethg@media24.com or express@media24.com EDITOR: BETTIE GILIOMEE

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BUNTU GOTYWA

RESIDENTSofDutywavillages say theyhave lost all hope in their municipalityand relying on it for assistance will on-ly bring more headaches for them.

These are the views of residents of Njemaniand Machibi whose houses were destroyedwhen a tornado ripped through their villagestwo months ago.

Manyhousesweredestroyedwith familiesbe-ing left seeking housing from neighbours, whilesomewere luckytohaveat leastoneroomorhutstill standing.

They say there was talk of providing themwith temporary housing after the disaster, butnowordhassurfaced fromtheMnqumaMunici-pality.

The say the only help they received from themunicipalitywasone-timefoodparcelsrightaft-er the disaster struck. And since then there hasbeenno formofhelp.GcinikhayaNelani’shousewasdestroyedandhehasbeenlivingwithneigh-bours as he struggles to rebuild his house.

Nelani said his already difficult life had takena turn for the worse when the storm hit hishouse, destroying everything he owned.

He said he has no idea how he would buildhimself anotherhomeashe struggled to supporthis family.

“There were people from the municipality

who came after the tornado who told us to waitas they were going to give us temporary hous-es,” he said.

“They didn’t say when they were going tocome. We were just told to wait for them, theywould come.

“Life is very difficult now because I am strug-gling to make ends meet and now I also don’thave a place to stay. I don’t know where to gofrom here,” Nemani said.

Nogcinile Vunathi of Njemani village sharesasinglerondavelwithhertwochildrenandsaysshe cannot afford to build herself another houseas she survives only on a child grant.

Nothembile Mabofu said even the food par-cels theyreceivedwerenevergoingtoease theirpain. “When they gave us food, where did theythink we were going to eat it – outside?

“Even the few houses that were left standingdo not have electricity, and we are told to payR1 800 for new electricity boxes from Eskom asif this was our fault,” said an angry Mabofu.

Mbhashe municipality spokesperson, Mzi-masi Dyomfana, could only confirm that themunicipality distributed food parcels and thatthey did assessment of the damage. He said thedamage was then later reported to Amatholedistrict municipality’s department of housing.At the time of going to print, he could not com-mentonthepromiseof temporaryhousing.Am-athole’s spokesperson could not be reached forcomment.

Municipality ‘abandoned’Dutywastorm­hit residents

Gcinikhaya Nelani stands on what used to be his home. PHOTOS: BUNTU GOTYWA

Nothembile Mabofu stands in the ruins of her house, destroyed by a tornado two months ago.

2 NewsMay 12, 2016Isolomzi Express

Mahlubi MafongasiSALES EXECUTIVE

82 Blakeway Street, Mthatha

Office: (047) 050 4430

Fax: 086 298 3443

Cell: 079 744 8099

E-mail:

mahlubi.mafongasi@media24.com

X1RBLG7E-120516-IE-tvaunc-mahlubi

BUNTU GOTYWA

WHEN robbers stormed through the Thuso fu-neral parlour, area manager Sizeka Thinga tookit as a joke and had no idea that she was staringdeath in the face.

She said a man with a gun in his possessionhad come into the office pretending to be a pro-spective client, but had soon demanded money.

Two more robbers entered the office andlocked everyone inside.

She had been busy counting the money at thetime and she told them they were not going toget it and tried to hide it.

Thinga said the robbers had threatened to killher as she seemed to be stubborn and not takingthem seriously.

“I was not shaken at all and that was why theythreatened to shoot me.

“They demanded money and I tried to slowly

hide it underneath the table, but they saw meand took it.

“As he demanded the money the man was hit-ting the table with the gun to show me he wasserious.

“They then tied up me and my colleague andthe clients who were inside the store at thetime.”

She said it was the first time they had beenrobbed, but she had not been worried about therobbers threatening her life.

No one was hurt in the incident.A couple of minutes after the robbers had es-

caped with an unknown sum of money, it wasbusiness asusualat theparlouruntil thenormalclosing time.

Butterworth police spokesperson CaptainJackson Manatha confirmed that a case of rob-bery had been opened at the Dutywa police sta-tion. He appealed to members of the communityto assist in tracking down the perpetrators.

Funeral parlour hit by robbersREPORTER

THE police are offering a reward of up toR30 000 for informa-tion which leads to therearrest, prosecutionand successful convic-tion of two suspectswho were allegedly in-volved in a fatal attackon tourists in Elliot-dale in 2014.

The two suspects,Sicelo Sigagayi andMkanyise Qalingoma,escaped on their wayback from court last month.

The police said the men were believed to

be in or around Mthatha and appealed tothe community to assist them with any in-formation that could lead to the rearrest

and conviction of themen.

Anyone with infor-mation can contactBrigadier McLaren at082 779 7228 or investi-gating officer Detect-ive Constable Kwene-ne at 079 408 9104 orCrime Stop at08600 10111 or CrimeLine 32211.

Information ca0nalso be reported to

any police station, and will be treated asconfidential.

Reward offered after prisoners escape

Sicelo SigagayiMkhanyiseliQalingoma

BUNTU GOTYWA

FIVE ATM bombing suspects will formallyapply for bail in the Butterworth Magis-trate’s Court this week.

The five accused appeared briefly lastweek and their case was postponed for for-mal bail proceedings.

Abel Sabelo Taole (57), Phillip Nkosi (32),Zilindile Tabata (34), Moshe Maniki (30) and

Vusumzi Moses Kraai (48) all face charges ofpossession of explosives and ATM bombing.

The police said the men had allegedly usedexplosives last month to blast open an ATMmachine in Ngqamakhwe and escaped withan undisclosed amount of cash.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant AnelisaFeni said they believed the suspects werepossibly part of a syndicate and could belinked to similar crimes in the Eastern Capeand other parts of the country.

A tipoff led to the arrest of the five accusedin East London.

A Toyota Fortuner and VW Polo foundwith the suspects were confiscated by theHawks.

The police said cash, a cord used to deto-nate explosives and one round of ammuni-tion had been found in the possession of thesuspects.

Feni said the Hawks were further investi-gating the matter.

ATMbombingsuspectsarrested

Send your news to express@media24.com or contact 047 050 4430Send your news to express@media24.com or contact 047 050 4430

In accordance with the editorial policy of the Isolomzi Express, we invite readers to comment on mistakes in the news-paper and shall correct significant errors as soon as possible. Send info to the Ombudsman of Media24’s Local Press,

George Claassen, at george.claassen@media24.com or call him at 0 021 851 3232.Readers can also contact the SA Press Ombudsman at 0 011 484 3612/8 or e-mail ombudsman@presscouncil.org.za.

BUNTU GOTYWA

CHAOS erupted in Dutywa on Monday whenresidents demonstrated their anger at theMbhashe Municipality by closing the town’sstreets and burning tyres.

Police were deployed to calm the situationas both exits of the town were blocked withburning tyres by protesters.

The unhappy residents took to the streetsafter the municipal council failed to meet adeadline to adhere to a list of service deliverydemands set up by residents.

Mbhashe representatives were also notaround to address the protesters after missingthe deadline, which led to the violent protests.

Police spokesperson, capt. Jackson Ma-natha, said 10 people had been arrested duringthe protests. A police vehicle has also beendamaged. The suspects were later released.

Protesters vowed to cause more damage ifthe 10 people were not released.

Capt. Manatha said the police were workingtirelessly to control the situation in town andadded that no damage has been witnessed to

shops around town.“All the businesses in town had to be closed

during the protests,” Manatha said.Protest leader, Xolani Rhulumeni, said the

protest is a result of the municipality not re-sponding to the petition sent on April 4.

“The situation is still bad here, the policeare shooting (rubber bullets) at us.

“But we will keep demonstrating until weget a response from the municipality,” Rhulu-meni said.

At the time of going to print, Mbhashe Exec-utive Mayor, Nonceba Mfecane and MEC forCooperative governance, Fikile Xasa werescheduled to meet at the municipal offices inDutywa.

Rhulumeni threatened that the MEC andthe mayor will not be allowed to leave “untila resolution was reached and our demands inthe petition are addressed”.

Burning issues on the petition include by-laws and housing problems – problems theprotesters accuse the municipality of avoid-ing, according to Rhulumeni.

The protest was still ongoing at the time Isol-omzi Express was printed.

ResidentsblockDutywaexitsduringongoingprotest

Police keep a close watch where protesters are burning tyres and blocking roads with stones andrubbish. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

3NewsMay 12, 2016Isolomzi Express

Picture for illustrative purposes only.

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BUNTU GOTYWA

THE desire to speed up sport de-velopment in rural areas has in-fluenced the Department ofSports, Arts and Recreation tolaunch a rural sports develop-ment programme.

Minister Fikile Mbalula wasin Mthatha recently for the offi-cial launch of the programme,which aims to revive sport andunearth talent in rural areas.Mbalula said the government

had long been talking about de-veloping rural areas and now

the time had come to walk thetalk.He said the programme would

intensify the already existing in-itiative in rural areas of playingfor prizes such as sheep, but nowit would have the department’sbacking.

“No Port Elizabeth, East Lon-don or Johannesburg will bene-fit from the programme. We aretalking strictly rural,” Mbalulasaid.The 10month programmewill

be rolled out nationally, withthe focus solely on rural towns,townships and villages.THE programme’s national

championships will be back inMthatha in March next year,and prizes such as equipmentfor villages will be won by theparticipating teams.The programme will focus on

football, rugby, netball, cricketand athletics.Mbalula said winners in any

of these sporting codes wouldwalk away with a R1.2-millionmulti-sport facility for their vil-lage.

“We must invest in the devel-opment of talent in rural com-munities and equip the young-sters with sport facilities,”Mbalula said.The minister said the pro-

gramme would work closelywith the House of TraditionalLeaders who happened to havethis kind of programme in differ-ent parts of the rural areas butwith not many facilities or priz-es.Children from the age of 13

will be part of the programme,he said. Mbalula added that thisdevelopment was giving mean-ing to rural communities and noone would be left out, as youngpeople from rural parts also de-served to play.Traditional leaders who were

part of the launch, welcomed theminister’s strategy of evolvingsport in rural areas and prom-ised to be fully part of the pro-gramme.Sport stars were also on hand

during the launch to give talksand inspiration to up-and-com-ing sports stars.

Sports ministry develops rural sports

Minister Fikile Mbalula (left) and his deputy Gert Oosthuizen at thelaunch of the rural sport development initiative. PHOTO: BUNTU GOTYWA

Mandy Grobler (left) receives heraward for Outstanding performanceROP Advertising from Rushda Scott,Media 24 Human Resources Practi-tioner.

Jeanette Kleyngeld (left) received heraward for Outstanding Performance:Classifieds from Rene Olivier, Head ofClassifieds: EP Media and Die BurgerOos.

Tanya van Zyl (left), received theEditorial Award from Bettie Giliomee,EP Media regional editor. PHOTOS:WERNER HILLS AND THEO JEPTHA

PE Express Advertising Representativeof the Year, Adri van Der Walt (left)received her award from TasmiaIsmail, General Manager of EP Mediaand Die Burger Oos.

Andries Thiersen (right) was awardedby his fellow staff members as Starof the Year. He received the awardfrom Rene Olivier, Head of Classi-fieds: EP Media and Die Burger Oos.

The Mthatha Express was named EP Media’s Publication of the Year on Friday night at EP Media’s annual awardsfunction. With the trophy are, from left, Ayanda Millisa Madikizela (Reporter), Nelisa Nonjovu (Advertising), SimbongileMdledle (Reporter), Kennedy Mwange (Advertising) and Buntu Gotywa (Reporter).

From left are Nelisa Nonjovu(UvoLwethu Express Rep of the Year),Simbongile Mdledle (Mthatha ExpressReporter with the Publication of theYear trophy) and Kennedy Mwange(Mthatha Express Rep of the Year).

Express staff awardedat EPMediaAwardsEP MEDIA, which publishes Isolom-zi Express, honoured staff who haveexcelled in the past financial year ata glittering function at the Summer-strand Hotel in Port Elizabeth lastFriday, May 6.

EP Media publishes 8 free weeklylocal newspapers across the EasternCape. The Publication of the YearAward went to Mthatha Express.“We are exceptionally proud to

handover thePublicationof theYearAward 2015/16 to Mthatha Express.The team has been outstanding andtheir results are evidence of disci-pline, hardwork and commitment toMedia24.“They have been a valuable con-

tributor to EP Media’s year-end re-sults and we value their efforts. Welldone Team Mthatha Express,” said

Tasmia Ismail, General Manager:Die Burger and EP Media.The Mthatha Express Advertising

Representative of the Year Awardwent to Kennedy Mwange.The UvoLwethu Express (sister

publication of the Mthatha Express)Advertising Representative of theYear Awardwent to Nelisa Nonjovu.

Other awards:Outstanding performance ROP advertis-ing: Mandy GroblerOutstanding performance Classifieds:Jeanette KleyngeldNewcomer of the Year: Terri AnnKingDTP department: Elton BaartmanThe Admin Award: Gertjie BouwerEditorial Award: Tanya van Zyl,formerly social media and onlineeditor for EP Media and currently

regional assistant editor: EP Media.ADS24 Award: Kathy CummingsService Excellence Award: BraamKeyser of Paarl ColdsetStar of the Year (nominated and votedfor by staff): Andries ThiersenDie Burger Oos-Kaap AdvertisingRepresentative of the Year: MaroSwanepoelPE Express Runner-up AdvertisingRepresentative of the Year:Anna-Marie KleinhansPE Express Advertising Representative ofthe Year: Adri Van Der WaltKouga Express Advertising Representativeof the Year: Estoretha StrydomMthatha Express Advertising Representa-tive of the Year: Kennedy MwangeUvo Lwethu Express Advertising Repre-sentative of the Year: Nelly NonjovuEP Media Publication ofthe Year award: Mthatha Express

4 NewsMay 12, 2016Isolomzi Express

Tel: 039 251 0834

Cell: 071 990 1540

Fax: 086 457 6245

Nelly NonjovuAccounts Manager

Email:Nelisa.nonjovu@media24.com

X1RBLGDP-120516-IE-tvnnon-NELInew

REPORTER

SOUTH Africa’s National DevelopmentPlan (NDP) has indicated that around 90%of employment opportunities in the coun-try will be created by SMMEs by the year2030.

While the public and private sector havenumerous programmes and incentiveschemes in place to assist and mentor en-trepreneurs and SMMEs, there remains along road to travel for each SMME beforeit is able to become a sustainable entity.“In South Africa, SMMEs currently

comprise 91% of formal business entitiesand, according to StatsSA, they contributebetween 52% and 57% of the country’sGDP,” said Puseletso Nkopane, eventsmanager of the SMME Opportunity Road-show.

The roadshow is supported by the De-partment of Small Business Development,

which was created by President Jacob Zu-ma to offer support to small businesses.Events such as the SMME Opportunity

Roadshow offer smaller businesses inval-uable networking opportunities and thechance to learn from experiencedmentorsand speakers.

“The current opportunities that areavailable for SMMEs inAfrica are in areassuch as the digital economy, where busi-nesses are offering products and servicesusing technology and ICT,” AlesimoMwanga of SEA Africa said.“If I was an SMME now I would look into

starting a business online as it’s easier toexpand your market access, while operat-ing costs are reduced drastically,” Mwan-ga said.

Writer and businesswoman Zipho Si-khakhane said: “SMMEs should focus onindustries that will drive growth and em-ployment in the country – there is no valuein starting a business in a sector with low

growth prospects.“Technologies designed especially for

developing markets also present an excit-ing opportunity to eradicate poverty at alow cost.”

Despite the potential that exists for digi-tal startups, traditional opportunities willalways offer small businesses the opportu-nity to build a sustainable business.

“People will always need to have theirbasic needs met, regardless of the econom-ic conditions, so any venture that focuseson supplying water and food could provesustainable,” Sikhakhane said.

Ndzavi Derrick, an entrepreneurologistand social media strategist, agreed thatthe food industry was the way to go.“People eat, even during a recession. I

also strongly believe that the retail sectorstill has a gap for entrepreneurs to fill bydeveloping products that can be soldthrough retail chains.

“Recently I met a ladywho used a simple

formula to develop a product to solve askin condition that will take the industryby storm. The world is full of possibilitiesnowadays,” said Derrick.The state of the economy has certainly

created an environment that is increas-ingly challenging for SMMEs, but thereremains plenty of support through work-shops, roadshows and more formalisedstructures.“The benefit of the current economic en-

vironment is that there are even morepublic and private sector programmes andincentives being introduced to supportSMMEs, because SMMEs have an increas-ingly important role to play in reignitinggrowth and employment in South Africa,”Sikhakhane said.Nkopane added: “SMMEs currently pro-

vide 61% of employment opportunities inSouth Africa and, as big companies shedjobs, it is up to SMMEs to safeguard theeco-nomy.”

Valuable advice for SMMEs

THE DR Mafuya Great Fast 5km race is backwith a bang this weekend and several athletesfromMnquma,Mbhashe and surrounds are ex-pected to take part in the event.

Dutywa runner Yanga Malusi (18) won theevent last year.

Theeventwill takeplace inButterworthnearthe DR Mafuya Surgery, and the 5km fun runwill start at 8am on Saturday.

FunrunorganiserLulamaTaseurgedallath-letes who were interested in taking part in therace to come and register until Saturdaymorn-

ing.He also emphasised that they have even bet-

terprizesthanlastyearandtheracewillbecele-brating its 15th anniversary in Butterworth.The event caters for all age groups and in-

cludes a fun walk. – ANELE RAZIYA

DRMafuyaGreat Fast race isback thisweekend

THE love of words and education is theone gift that South Africa can offer herchildren in a fast-changing world.

Through words we can raise confidentchildren with the power to dream, create,break boundaries and explore the world.The idea that we can turn the tide on

the educational crisis is not a mere pipedream but a reality as thousands of chil-dren around Africa take on the challengeto improve their ability and talent to spell.Thousands of pupils aged nine to 14 are

taking part in theMzansi SpellingBee andproving that all is not lost with educationin South Africa.

Eight-year-old 2015Mzansi Spelling Bee

Junior Champ Mayuri Govender provedthat if you are determined enough you canbreak boundaries and do whatever youset your mind to, no matter how old youare.

The Kimberley native is home-schooledby her mother and is the youngest spellerand winner of the national spelling bee.

This month she will meet Queen Eliza-beth II of England, and publish her firstbook.

Slight and unassuming Kate Jones (14)won the 2012 and 2013Mzansi Spelling Beefinals.

Mzansi Spelling Bee spellers demon-strate that your history and background

do not have to define you.Mxolisi Magwaza calls the crowded Jo-

hannesburg inner city home, but his faithand the support of his grandmother gavehim the courage to challenge himself.

Hiswinning theMzansi Spelling Bee fortwo consecutive years shows that whereyou come from does not determine whereyou will end up.

Applications for the 2016 Mzansi Spell-ing Bee are open to all pupils in gradesfour to 11 in private and public schools inall nine provinces.Applications forms are available at

www.mzansispellingbee.org or send an e-mail toinfo@mzansispellingbee.org. – REPORTER

Learners can now enterMzansi Spelling Bee

REPORTER

WALTER Sisulu University’s education fac-ulty will celebrate the conferring of fivePhD’s upon its students during the Mthathaleg of proceedings on Friday, May 13.

The faculty will be the only one conferringPhD’s during the upcoming May graduationceremony set to take place across the Univer-sity’s campuses inButterworth, Buffalo City,Queenstown and Mthatha from May 5 to 13.Another 23 Masters graduands in WSU’s

faculties of natural sciences, health sciencesand education will exemplify with great gus-to the University’s tireless efforts to confrontthe multitude of problems facing the EasternCape using scientific-based solutions whenthey receive their qualifications.The theses and dissertations of the five

PhDs and 23 Masters graduands are prem-ised largely on Eastern Cape-based issuesand cover varied disciplines such as psychol-ogy, physiology, pathology, microbiology,education, chemistry, social work and geog-raphy.

Some of the research looked at pertinentissues such as: challenges faced by teachers

in applying reading strategies when teach-ing English reading in the foundation phasein Mthatha; an investigation whether sec-tion 21 school funds are directed towardsachieving their intended purpose in selectedschools – Libode Mega District; Social fac-tors influencing adolescent drug abuse: Acase study of selected junior secondaryschools in Butterworth District of EC; termi-nation of pregnancy: The Cecelia MakiwaneHospital experience and understandingpregnant women’s perspective of late book-ing for antenatal care services in Mthatha.WSU Spokesperson, Yonela Tukwayo, was

quick to highlight the pertinence of the re-search being conducted by the graduands.“As a largely rural-based institutionwork-

ing within this context, it’s absolutely criti-cal that WSU, through its teaching, learningand research, produces graduates that pos-sess the necessary skills and expertise to cre-ate workable solutions in varied arenas,”said Tukwayo.A total of 4 787 students will be capped,

with amajority of these being females (2 824).Over 100 postgraduate degrees are set to

be awarded; 74 Honours, 23 Masters, and 5PhD’s.

FivePhD’s for education facultyofWSU

Walter Sisulu University will confer five Phd's for the Faculty of Education this coming FridayPHOTO:SUPPLIED

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5NewsMay 12, 2016Isolomzi Express

REPORTER

NELSONMandela Metropolitan Uni-versity’s first completely blind gradu-ate, Xolisa Yekani (37) is hoping otherblind students will be inspired to fol-low his example.

“I am proud to be NMMU’s firstblind graduate. I advocate for otherblind people because I want to bringaboutchange,”saidYekani,whograd-uatedwithhisBAhonours in journal-ism.“Thank you, NMMU, for opening

your doors to us and catering for ustotally blind students.”Sadly, Yekani was not always blind

but lost his sight at the age of eight.“I was a normal boy playing by the

river with my friends, then suddenlyI couldn’t see.”It was later revealed that Yekani

had lost his sight due to cataracts and,because they had been left untreated,his corneas were permanently dam-aged.“I come froma disadvantaged fami-

ly and my parents could not afford to

get propermedical care,” saidYekani,who is from the village of Dutywa inthe Eastern Cape.From 2011 to last year, Yekani was

the provincial chairperson of theSouth African National Council forthe Blind and led a team that encour-

agedmoreuniversities to accept total-lyblindstudentstostudyattheirinsti-tutions.In 2014, he started studying at

NMMU and decided that he would bea “living example” to help the blindstudents who would follow after him.Yekani required all his readingma-

terial tobe inelectronic format.Heus-es a laptop calledBookSenseandade-

First blindgraduatehopesotherswill followsuit

INSPIRING OTHERS: Xolisa Yekani is the first completely blind student tograduate from NMMU. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

‘I come from adisadvantagedfamily andmyparents could notafford to getpropermedicalcare.’ – XOLISA YEKANI

SIMBONGILE MDLEDLE

THE Portfolio Committee on HigherEducation and Training has calledon South Africans to make writtensubmissions to the Commission ofInquiry into Higher Education andTraining, otherwise referred to asthe Fees Commission.The commission was established

by President Jacob Zuma followingthe Fees Must Fall protests through-out the country last year and ischarged with determining the feasi-bility of free education in institu-tions of higher learning.Committee chairperson Yvonne

Phosasaid itwascrucial forall stake-holders to make an input to the com-missionas thiswasanationalmatter

that had the potential for a long-termimpact on higher education and thefiscus.“This is a legislated process where

the voices of people should be heardon what kind of higher educationthey want and what funding methodis feasible,” she said.“This is really about expanding

andmaking higher education afford-

able to benefit all South Africans.”She said the committee believed

this process would allow differentvoices to raise issues on free higher-quality education in a coordinated,structured and reasonable manner.Members of the commission in-

cluderetiredJudgeJonathanArthurHeher (chairperson), GregoryAlly, apractising advocate, and Leah Thab-

isile Khumalo, a practising attorney.Submissions can be sent to magis-

trates’ offices countrywide. Thedeadline for submissions is May 31.The commission is expected to fi-

nalise its work in September, afterwhich a report will be submitted toZuma within three months.Phosa called on all stakeholders to

make use of this opportunity.

Call for submissions on free education

vice called Job Access With Speech(Jaws), a pocket-sized device convert-ing all the letters to speech.He applauded all his lecturers for

being accommodating to his needs.“Fortunately I am very social, so I

spoke to all my fellow students andthey assisted me to get around – myclassmates understood me well andhelped me.“Peoplewill try to lookdownonyou

for being disabled, but you must beconfident, work hard and be deter-mined to prove them wrong, showthem you can do it. Education is keyespecially when you are disabled.”As the eldest of five siblings,Yekani

is also the first tograduate inhis fami-ly.“I brought my sister and my wife

Bongiwetomygraduationso theycanbe encouraged and motivated to gettheir education too.”He works as a current affairs pro-

ducer for the SABC’s isiXhosa radiostationUmhloboWenene, inPortEliz-abeth.Heisalsothechairpersonof theNkosinathi Foundation of and forBlind and Partially-Sighted People.

6 NewsMay 12, 2016Isolomzi Express

Kenny MwangeSALES EXECUTIVE

82 Blakeway Street, Mthatha

Office: (047) 050 4430

Fax: (041) 503 6256

E-mail:

kennedy.mwange@media24.com

X1RBMF3B-120516-IE-mfkmwa-ken

REPORTER

IN a bid to curb water pollution,Walter Sisulu University, in part-nership with the Department of En-vironmental Affairs (DEA), willchampion water pollution researchthrough a partnership aimed at col-lecting and analysing water qualityand sediment and biota samplesalong the country’s coastline.

Delegates from both the DEA andWSU were on hand to pen a three-year R40 million agreement thatwill see the DEA establish a labora-tory within the institution aimed atcollectingandanalysingwaterqual-

ity samples.The lab will be charged with pro-

viding baseline water quality infor-mation that will support long-termassessment of accumulative im-pacts associated with ocean econo-my; providing baseline data on wa-ter quality of the natural receivingenvironment (ecosystem function-ing) near land-based sources of pol-lution; supporting recreationalcoastal water quality monitoring atmunicipalities and to also build ca-pacity in the field of marine waterquality, sediment and mussel sam-ples analysis.

DEA deputy director-general, DrMonde Mayekiso said the National

Coastal Management Programmedeveloped under the IntegratedCoastal Management Act called forthe development of dedicated, co-or-dinated and integrated coastal mon-itoring and reporting systems tomeasure progress in coastal man-agement and reporting on variabili-ty and trends in biophysical, socialand economic characteristics andprocesses in the coastal zone.

“Monitoring and reporting is oneof the measures that can be used inthe realisationof the environmentalright as enshrined in the constitu-tion,” Mayekiso said.

He said the monitoring of waterquality in marine and coastal water

on South African coastlines wascurrently fragmented, uncoordinat-ed and non-uniform, while contem-porary monitoring initiatives didnot use standardised analyticalmethodologies and protocols, lead-ing to a number of challenges.

“Inaddition, details of theanalyti-cal methods used in many pro-grammes aren’t readily made avail-able.

“It is thus impossible to get a clearpicture of the water quality statusof South African coastal and marineenvironments at any given time, ordiscern any possible trends,” addedMayekiso.

In response, the lab would pro-

duce reliable data and informationon the quality of the receiving coast-al waters to support environmentalmanagement.

The lab is scheduled to be opera-tional shortly after the formalagreementhasbeen signed,with thefirst water quality samples ana-lysed for the Eastern Cape.

It is expected that the lab will op-erate beyond the three-year projectterm, byprovidingwater quality da-ta and information for the DEA andother coastal water uses.

It is also expected to build compe-tence in the field of water qualitymonitoring and pollution and act asa reference lab.

EnvironmentalAffairs fundsWSUresearchprogramme

SIMBONGILE MDLEDLE

THE world-renowned musician,rhumba king Papa Wemba, fromthe Democratic Republic of Congohas died.

Wemba (66) whose real name wasJules Shungu Webadio, performedin the Eastern Cape in 2014 whenthe Buyel’Ekhaya Pan African Mu-sic Festival brought him to EastLondon.

The influential Congolese musicstar died after collapsing on thestage in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, re-cently.

While he was performing in EastLondon, Wemba left his music fa-

natics begging for more of his sou-kus rock music.

Festival producer NomahlubiMazwai expressed her pain overthe loss of this icon.

She said his death had left fansand supporters around the worldshocked.

“Those who got the rare opportu-nity to watch, in awe, the rhythmicand tantalising music of this fineartist will forever reminisce about

the magic that was Papa Wemba,”Mzwai said.

She described Wemba as trulyone of the greats of Africa and saidhe had left an indelible mark on thehistory of music.

“We mourn the loss of this icon,and fondly remember his electrify-ing performance given for his fansat Buyel’Ekhaya in 2014, as well ashis humility and grace off stage,”Mazwai said.

Music lovers shocked over PapaWemba’s death

Papa Wemba during his performancein East London. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

SIMBONGILE MDLEDLE

AGXULUmusicianwhospent timeinexile during the apartheid years hascome back home and implementedwhathe sawduringhis timeoutof thecountry.

Snoux Phoswa has established aworld-class music studio in his homelocation of Gxulu in Libode in an en-deavour toaccommodateemerging lo-cal musicians.

Phoswasaidhehaddecided to erectthe studio in his home location toshow that even in the rural areas any-thing was possible.

He said he had used to go aroundsinging and dancing in various Euro-pean countries while he was in exileandwhathesawhadmadehimdecidethat when he was back home he mustdo something that would benefit andbe the mouthpiece of the Africanyouth.

“Itwasmyvision to emancipate theblack African youth irrespective ofwhere theystay. ItwasalsomyvisionwhenIwasbackathometobuildAfri-

ca by initiating centres like this stu-dio that would empower the ruralyouth and be exposed globally,” hesaid.

The studio, launched on June 16last year, is called theCaveof theLeg-ends and focuses on recording of mu-sic, voice-overs, music videos andphotography.

The studio has already produced anumber of local artists, particularlyfrom the rural areas.

“We are really doing good musicandwehaveproduceda lotofartists,”he said.

He emphasised that local artistscould come forward because thedoors of the studio were open to em-power and produce excellence.

Phoswahasworkedwith respectedmusicians since he arrived back inSouth Africa, including Bushy Duba-zana, and he has played a cardinalrole in organising big events inMthatha.

World­classmusic studio in rural location

Snoux Phoswa hard at work in hisstudio in Gxulu. PHOTO: SIM MDLEDLE

SIMBONGILE MDLEDLE

EASTERN Cape kings, traditional lead-ers and their royal families under thebanner of Contralesa recently attendedthe provincial policy conference inMthatha.

The conference was attended by tradi-tional leaders from areas of jurisdictionincluding the Ingquza Hill, Port St Johns,Nyandeni, Mhlontlo, Engcobo, Mbhasheand Mzimvubu municipalities.

The issue of upgrading Jongilizwe Col-lege in Tsolo topped the agenda at the con-ference.

Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana, provincialchairman, said that to this end the Pro-vincial General Council (PGC) had re-solved to mandate the provincial leader-ship to engage with the government to up-grade Jongilizwe College to be an in-service training college for traditional

leaders, councillors and their staff.He said many issues had been dis-

cussed on the day, including strengthen-ing of the organisation and capacitatingall traditional leaders and their institu-tions.

“Contralesa has been mandated tostrengthen and spread the influence ofthe organisation from traditional councilto national level and to establish a com-mission composed of experts on tradi-tional issues to compile a procedure man-ual to capacitate traditional leaders ingovernance,” he said.

“The PGC has mandated the leadershipto make sure that all traditional leadersmake all their great places, traditionalcouncils and houses of traditional lead-ers accessible to the aged and people withdisabilities.”

Nonkonyana said there was a need toestablish a commission on traditional

leadership and governance as well as par-ticipation of traditional leaders in poli-tics.

“The provincial leadership has beenmandated to engage the government aswell as the ANC to address the concernof traditional leaders with a view to tradi-tional leaders being able to govern fromtheir areas of jurisdiction and to partici-pate in all spheres of government.

“These include restoration of powersand functions of traditional leaders, pro-vision of modern infrastructure to ser-vice communities and proper remunera-tion of traditional leaders, their council-lors and staff,” he said.

He stressed that all the houses of tradi-tional leaders must be provided withtheir budgets in consultation with tradi-tional leaders with a view to being ableto exercise the powers and functions vest-ed in them in terms of the legislation.

Provincial policy conference held inMthatha

7EntertainmentMay 12, 2016Isolomzi Express

There must be no sacrificesI wonder what these silly boys are going tosay. Don’t worry but what we are sure of,what we are going to say will mould you dearreader and show you a good direction in life.Okay ke, tells us the news.Come closer and read this part of umgosi

column attentively, then you will get whatwe promised you.Bafethu when things are still sweet like a

honey in your intimate relationship, don’tcommit unnecessary fouls and decisionswhich may eventually cause repentance.You must always be original and take deci-sions coming from the bottom of your heartnot based or forced by the relationship thatyou are in at that particular time.There must be no termination of existing

relationships if you have thembecause of thenew relationship. Theremust also be no stop-ping of your things or habit that you weredoing in life because of this relationship, be-cause nalo mntu awukamazi nokuba yenaunjani qha wenza nje kuba ubethwa lut-hando.Lifemust continue until you get a good and

mutual understanding with a new partner.Perhaps he/she can be the right person foryou because nobody knows where the suc-cess lies. There are guys who made these

blunders leaving their ‘straight’ girlfriends’(if not wives) unaware that they put them-selves in a hive of bees.Even our buddywho is in trouble nowwith

his new girlfriend, we cannot help him outbecause he took decisions based on a new af-fair, now things are bitter and he wants togo back to the old girlfriend, but wamshiyakabuhlungu embonakalisela ukuba seyajolaand akanandaba naye.Engakamazi u-new girlfriend ukuba is a

devil uqobo lwakhe. So guys be careful. Uk-wenza i-decision ngathi wenzela omnyeumntu kuba ufumene izandla ocinga ukubazishushu kanti? So ke ungalahli imbo yakhongoPhoyiyana. Mfethu zicubhele udakalwakho nguwe owawuzifakile isakubanguwe oyakuzikhupha.

This is strong advice guysWhy do you follow her if both ended the

affair? This goes straight to the men of thesoil who continue abusing if not followingtheir former girlfriends after their relation-ship ended. This is not the right way to dothings.If your girlfriend decided to leave you be-

cause of some circumstances she was unableto endure in the relationship, there is noneed to follow her. It was disgusting what we

experienced in Frere (KwaBhaca), when wesaw a former boyfriend who attacked hisformer girlfriend in front of a pub becauseshe was with another man.OW! He is silly. Boetie, she is no longer

your girlfriend – she moved on why ngokuyou are after her. And even by the time shewas telling you, you never disputed that. Ku-phinde kwathin ngoku xa umbona nenye in-doda?Makungadlalwa ngoosisi bethu apha. The

boyfriend was so cool but if it was me Geshebezodibana with a very hot clap ibiyokum-enza angaphinde ahluphane neentombi zab-anye abantu amacherrie engaka apha em-nyango. Stop it ke bro kungenjalo uzakuli-mala.Ngula mfana qha onganyamezela la nto

ubuyenza amanye amadoda ayakuvunywayila ntombazana soze ayinyamezele le ubuy-enza.I wonder if that lady can meet you going

with your girlfriend lona kufanele lithiningawe? Hoping that you do have an answerfor this question. But I don’t think she wouldbehave like the way you did. Come on sishu-mani sakuthi.

I wonder if they come to church to preachor to ask forgiveness?

We are not fighting against the pastors andreverends in the Express land, but we arefighting with the fake and corrupt pastorsand reverends who mislead our people in aholy place of God like churches.There are some who get a chance to pro-

pose or rob love from our sisters, hiding un-der the umbrella of God. Some go there mas-querading as envoys of Godwhereas they arefrom dark roads of criminality and now theyare there to ask forgiveness. Ziyathetha keezi ntwana zomgosi xa sezisukile.Ja, because our Heavenly Father sent us

to this beautiful lady South Africa to conveygood news to His people. The story of KZNpastor who confessed he raped and killed aninnocent young woman in cold blood, butnow asks for forgiveness from the family ofthe woman. So it came to ourmind that thesepastors are in church for spreading the wordof God or to ask forgiveness?That’s why some are acting as pastors in

churchwhilst at the same time they are sexu-ally abusing the young girls and our sistersif not kotis of our brothers behind the churchbuilding and doors if not in the B&Bs.Uyakubabetha uBawo because that place

is holy and it needs holy people who spreadHis word to his sheep. Nivile moss. Masikesihambe thina till next time, God bless.

Follow us on theseplatforms to stay up to datewith news and events in your

community:

@MthathaExpress Mthatha Express ep_media24

8 SportMay 12, 2016Isolomzi Express

X1RDDJEU-120516-TE-mfnnon-MAZDA3

X1RCJ53R-050516-TE-tvnnon-debt

York Road1 FloorOffice number 201ACity CentreMthatha

st

047 531 0129078 200 3578

076 371 6640079 573 5495

ANELE RAZIYA

EASTERN Cape ABC Motsepe League cham-pions Tornado FC wrapped up their leaguegames in style when they defeated theirneighbours, FC Buffalo, by one goal to zeroat Sisa Dukashe Stadium at the weekend.

Mdantsane outfit Tornado FC came to thelast game knowing full well that they had al-ready won the championship, because theywere leading on 67 points with a better goaldifference. Meanwhile their rivals, Lion City,were trailing behind with 64 points. Bothsides had one match remaining before theweekend.

TornadoFCended their 2015/16ABCMotse-

pe League campaign with 70 points and nowhave the opportunity of playing in the Nation-al First Division play-offs.

The NFD League promotion play-offs dateand venue will still be confirmed by Safa.

Results:Highbury 4 Mthatha City 1Zimbane Killers (2) vs Young Ideas (0), (w/o

in favour of Zimbane Killers as Young Ideasdid not attend the game)

Morning Stars 1 Swartkops Valley UnitedBrothers 0

Kokstad Liverpool 2 Emperors 1Tornado 1 FC Buffalo 0Lion City 1 Matta Milan 2Future Tigers 2 EC Bees 2

Champion teamTornadoFCwrapup in style

ABC Motsepe League champions Tornado FC. PHOTO: ANELE RAZIYA

ANELE RAZIYA

MTHATHA Bucks need three points inorder to escape the relegation zone in theNational First Division League.This comes after struggling MorokaSwallows lost 1-0 to Cape Town outfitSantos over the weekend.

This means if Bucks manage to wintheir next game against top side High-lands Park, at the Mthatha Stadium thisweekend, it would be enough for them to

survive in the NFD League for this sea-son.

Swallows are sitting in 15th positionwith 23 points, while Bucks are in 12thposition with 26 points and a better goaldifference. Both teams have two gamesremaining.

At the bottom of the league table areAfrican Warriors with 22 points and twogames remaining.

Bucks’ last fixture of the season willbe against Royal Eagles in an awaygame next week.

Bucks need three points to escape relegation

BUNTU GOTYWA

BOXER Sikho Nqothole said his Olympicdream is still very much alive and he willnot let his spirits be dampened after histicket to the Games was taken away at thelast moment.

Nqothole, a bantamweight, thought hehad qualified for the Olympics when hewon gold in the Africa Games in Moroccolast year.

Instead, devastating news came from thecountry’s Olympic committee that SouthAfrican boxers needed to qualify throughworld tournaments and not continentalchampionships.

“I felt really bad when I got the news be-cause it was always my wish to fight in theOlympics and my opportunity was thereand I watched it being taken away,” hesaid.

“It made me feel that I didn’t work hardenough, but having the support of my fami-ly motivated me not to give up on thedream.”

The Khwezi amateur boxing sensationwill get another crack at fulfilling hisOlympicdreamat the InternationalBoxingAssociation Olympic qualifications in Az-

erbaijan later this month.He said he felt rejuvenated and was rar-

ing to go.“I am prepared for the Games. I feel very

strong and I am confident that I will makeit.

The OR Tambo municipality’s depart-ment of sport, arts andculture said itwouldsupport the boxer every step of the way inhis quest for the Olympics.

Department director, Sakhiwe Sodo saidNqothole had already achieved by winninggold in Morocco and there was a need tosupport the region’s achievers.

“He needs our support more than evernowasheprepares forAzerbaijan, and thatis why the municipality decided to have afundraising event to make sure he has ev-erything he needs going to the Games.

“He needs to have money and equipmentand that support we have to give until hefinally leaves for the Olympics, because webelieve he is going to the Olympics,” Sodosaid.

Nqothole said he was thankful for themunicipality’s support and promised tolive up to their expectations.

“My fans can expect only good thingsfrom me. I am very fit and I still have timefor more preparations,” he said.

ZEKHETHELO NCAYIYANA

THE Msunduzi Disabled Club, in partner-ship with Khayelihle Funeral Services andNorman’s Driving School, has invited alldisabled sport clubs to take part in the an-nual Harry Gwala Wheels and Runnerschallenge.

The race is scheduled to take place on

May 15, with the help of the police, Msun-duzi disaster management and Msunduzitraffic officers.

The race will take place in Pietermaritz-burg at the Harry Gwala stadium.

Sandile Luvuno, Msunduzi DisabledClub chairperson, said everyone was wel-come to join.

“People living with disability do not of-

ten get these chances because most peoplethink that if you are disabled it means youare unable, which is very wrong. Disabledpeople can do a lot even though they aredisabled,” Luvuno said.

Interested athletes can contact Luvunoon 073 161 8961.

The 2km race entrance fee is R20 and the10km fee is R60.

Call fordisabled clubs to takepart inmarathon

Boxer’sOlympic dream lives on

Sikho Nqothole(middle), hiscoach MthethoDumezweni (left)and OR Tambodepartment ofsport director,Sakhiwe Sodo.PHOTO: BUNTUGOTYWA

Mthatha Bucks will host Highlands Park atMthatha Stadium this weekend.

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