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THURSDAY May 19, 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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SIMBONGILE MDLEDLE

T

HE people of the Mnquma

Local Municipality are

mourning the tragic death

of activist, hero and former

Mnquma mayor William Mabone

Duna (66),whodiedwhenhisvehicle

was swept away as he tried to cross

the Nxaxho River in Centane after

heavy rains recently.

Police spokesperson Captain

Jackson Manatha said Duna had

beenonhiswayhomewhen the acci-

dent took place.

He was driving in his bakkie with

an unknown woman, apparently a

neighbour. The woman died on the

scene.

Pan Africanist Congress (PAC)

deputypresidentMzweneleNyontso

who worked with Duna in the

council of Mnquma for a long time

described him as a leader who was

always cool, calm and collected and

very clear on how to monitor other

political parties in the council.

He said he had learnt a lot from

him because they had usually spent

time together, even after work, as

they lived in the same area.

He said Duna had been amanwho

did not hesitate to share his knowl-

edge, irrespective of which party a

person represented.

Nyotso said that during his time

in the municipality Duna had been

a good listener and had been politi-

cally mature.

He liked to engage other leaders

before taking a final decision, he

said.

Current mayor Baba Ganjana

said: It iswithutter shockandgreat

sadness that we receive the news

about the passing of the formermay-

or.

The municipality would like to

convey its deepest and heartfelt con-

dolences to his family, friends and

loved ones.

We give his family strength dur-

ing this trying time.

He expressed his gratitude for the

role played by Duna during his ten-

ure as the first citizen of Mnquma.

Akuhlanga lungehliyo, he said.

He is expected to be buried this

coming Saturday (May 21) at his

home in Gaqa location in Centane.

) Duna was a political prisoner

on Robben Island from 1981 to 1987.

He served as a member of parlia-

mentunder formerpresidentNelson

Mandela after the elections in 1994.

After thathewasdeployedasmay-

or of Mnquma, until he resigned in

2010 to join the Congress of the Peo-

ple (COPE).

In 2011 he was deployed by COPE

as a councillor in the Amathole Dis-

trict Municipality.

After Duna left COPE, he joined

the United Congress party, led by

Mluleki George.

Exmayor

dies in

freak

accident

Sweet potatoes! That IS a big sweet potato

Sweet potatoes! That IS a big sweet potato

It might not be the biggest sweet potato ever found, but it came as a huge shock and surprise for Gladys

Mambingwa from Ngqeleni. She couldnt believe her eyes when she found the huge, 6kg vegetable in her

garden. She said she had just been digging for sweet potatoes in her garden when this one in particular

grabbed her attention. She said she would give half of the sweet potato to her relatives. PHOTO: BUNTU GOTYWA

BUNTU GOTYWA

CALM has been restored in Duty-

wa, but Mbhashe ratepayers and

residents say they cannot prom-

ise for how long.

Dutywa was chaotic last week

as residents vented their anger

on the streets after themunicipal-

ity failed to meet its deadline for

a petition served last month.

Dutywa residents and ratepay-

ers closed the town, burning tyr-

es, throwing stones and dumping

rubbish in the streets.

They demanded the municipal-

ity address their grievances im-

mediately.

The intervention of Coopera-

tive Governance and Traditional

Affairs MEC Fikile Xasa man-

aged to restore calm.

A meeting of the MEC, mayor

Nonceba Mfecane and residents

representatives lasted until the

early hours of the morning.

The resolution after the meet-

ing was that the municipality

would have seven days to act on

the demands presented in the pe-

tition.

At the time of printing, the sev-

en days given to the municipality

had lapsed.

When asked what would hap-

pen after the seven days, resi-

dents leader Xolani Rhulumeni

said they had to wait until then,

but did not rule out another dem-

onstration.

Speaking about the mayhem

last week, he said he was grateful

for the intervention of the MEC

as the mayor had no idea how

to handle the situation in her

own municipality.

Top of the demands in the peti-

tion is the housing issue.

The protesters claim the mu-

nicipality failed to deliver on the

promised 99 RDP houses in Wil-

lowvale and say the state of RDP

houses in Elliotdale is insulting.

Also high on their list is the is-

sue of drop toilets in Willowvale.

Rhulumeni said with the extra

seven days given to the munici-

pality, they needed to see action

in their respective areas.

Streets of Dutywa calm again for now

The town of Dutywa was chaotic last week during a service delivery protest. PHOTO: BUNTU GOTYWA

2News

May 19, 2016

Isolomzi Express

Mahlubi Mafongasi

SALES EXECUTIVE

82 Blakeway Street, Mthatha

Office: (047) 050 4430

Fax: 086 298 3443

Cell: 079 744 8099

E-mail:

mahlubi.mafongasi@media24.com

X1RBLG7F-190516-IE-tvaunc-mahlubi

SIMBONGILE MDLEDLE

YINDODA enamashumi amabini ananye (21)

ubudala ethe yaswelekela kufutshane nje em-

veni kokuba ifikile kwisikhululo samapolisa

eLady Frere, emveni kokoqhanywa kanobom

ngabahlali. Ngokwengxelo kuvakala ukuba

amadoda amathathu athe abanjwa ngabahla-

li belali yaseBengu esoyanyaniswa noku-

qhekeza, ukuxhwila kwakunye nokuzama

ukubulala. Emveni kokuba esi sithathu sithe

sabanjwa ngabahlali, sihanjwe kano-bom

ngentonga emveni koko sanikezelwa emapol-

isa sesivuza ligazi.Enyeyalamadodakuvaka-

la ukuba itheukufikakwayokwisikhululo sa-

mapolisa yawa ze yasweleka ngelixa omnye

ugxa wayo ethe waswelekela esibhedlele.

Ngokwesithethi samapolisa ala ngingqi

u-Lieutenant Namhla Mdleleni owesithathu

kula madoda ukwimeko engaginyisimathe

esibhedlele. Lo kaMdleleni udize ukuba

amapolisa kungoku nje aphanda amatyala

amabini okubulala. Lo kaMdleleni uqhube

wathi abafi aba bebengekafaniswa nanjengo-

ko zingekaziwa izizalwane zabo.

Inkumanda kwindawo yaseQueestown,

uBrigadier Pumla Mavuka usigxibhe kabu-

khali isenzo sokuhlaselwa ze kubethwa abat-

yholwa. Ubhenele kumalungu oluntu ukuba

angathatheli umthetho ezindleni, bona bafan-

ele basebenzisane namapolisa ngolwazi

ukuze bancediseke ukulwa nolwaphulo-

mthetho kwiindawo zabo.

Ubhubhelekwisikhululo

samapolisaumtyholwa

SIMBONGILE MDLEDLE

THE police in Ugie have arrested two of

five suspects in an armed robbery at Mor-

ven farm in Ugie recently.

The two men (aged 37 and 47) were ar-

rested on May 10 and four firearms and a

Mahindra SUV were recovered in the Da-

lasile administrative area outside Engco-

bo.

They are facing charges of armed rob-

bery, possession of unlicensed firearms

and ammunition and theft of a motor vehi-

cle. They are expected to appear in theMa-

clear Magistrates Court soon.

The arrests were made after police re-

ceived information about the robbery.

It is alleged that the suspects approached

48-year-oldRayBrownonhis farmMorven

in the Ugie area pretending to be there to

buy cattle from him.

After he took them to the field and they

spoke about the purchase of the cattle, they

allegedly forced him into a vehicle and

went back to his home, where they de-

manded money and firearms from him.

He was forced to open the safe and they

took fireaarms and anundisclosed amount

of money. The suspects then left the scene

in his Mahindra SUV.

Acting Elliot cluster commander Lieu-

tenant-ColonelDaryl Billson expressedhis

gratitude to the members for following the

information which led to the arrest of the

suspects.

Two arrested for farm robbery

A 33-YEAR-OLD man was sentenced to life

imprisonment by the Mqanduli Regional

Court on Thursday last week for raping his

11-year-old daughter last year.

The incident occurred on the night of Oc-

tober 24 atNewRest Location in the district

of Mqanduli.

The perpetrator cannot be named, to pro-

tect the identity of his daughter.

The man took the girl from the house he

sharedwithhiswife and twoother children

to an unfinished RDP house in their neigh-

bourhood.

His wife, who is the girls stepmother, de-

cided to look for them when they did not

return after a long while.

When she got to the house she found her

husband with his trousers on his ankles

and the young girl lying on her back. The

man had already raped the girl twice.

The followingday, thewifewent to report

the rape to the girls biological mother and

theywent to report thematter to the police.

Pleading guilty only after evidence was

given by the victim and her step-mother,

the man claimed to be drunk, but prosecu-

tor Melikhaya Dyakophu convinced the

court that punishment must fit the crime,

particularly in this case where the person

who was supposed to protect the child, be-

came her violator of the worst kind.

TheNational Prosecuting Authority wel-

comed the sentence, saying it hoped that it

will deter otherwould-be rapists fromprey-

ing on vulnerable children.

SIMBONGILE MDLEDLE

Life sentence for rapinghisowndaughter

Amapolisa aseGcuwa awakawufumani umkhon-

do emva kokufunyanwa kwesidumbu sendoda

eneminyaka engama 60. Umzimba walo mfi sele

uneveki ezimbini ufunyenwe ngamapolisa kwi-

sitrato iGrubb eGcuwa. Amapolisa ebesenza ug-

qogqo ngethuba efumana ingxelo yomfi ongazi-

wayo. Athi umzimba ufunyenwe namanxeba

amabinikumhlabawangasentla.Ukanti amapoli-

sa abongoze uluntu ukuba luncedise ukufumana

abenzi besisehlo. Umzimbausagcinwekwindawo

yezidumbu yoburhulumente. BUNTU GOTYWA

Akukabikhomkhondo

ngesidumbu

esingaziwayo eGcuwa

AYANDA MILLISA MADIKIZELA

A 12-YEAR-OLD boy from Monti Location

in Bizana, suffering from cerebral palsy,

is in dire need of a wheelchair for him to

be able to move around and mostly to go

to school.

Simamkele Mantshongo was born with

this condition, which causes damage to his

central nervous system with symptoms

such as difficulty with balance, impaired

coordination of legs or arms and slurred

speech.

The boys mother works in Durban and

his grandmother is left to look after him.

Grandmother Maqadi Mantshongo (76)

said that if her grandchild can get a wheel-

chair, their lives will change for the bet-

ter.

He came to live with me a few months

after hewas born and I thought hewas just

late in his development, but as the years

went on, I realised that he was disabled.

He could not talk ormove and thatworried

me a lot, said the grandmother.

She said that she took him to the local

hospitals to get help, but nothing helped.

She added that taking him to these places

is a struggle as they hire a bakkie for about

R300 for every visit, because he is getting

too heavy for her to carry him on her back.

Getting a wheelchair will help me a lot

because I will simply push him to themain

road and catch a taxi there and he will also

be able to be admitted to the special

schools because they wont accept him

there without it, she said.

She said that they have been to several

schools around Bizana but he has been

turned away as he has no wheelchair.

Ward 19 councillor, Hopewell Nonqabe,

said that there is a number of disabled chil-

dren and adults who are in need of wheel-

chairs in his ward and added that he is cer-

tain that Simamkele is among those in wait-

ing.

These are some of the challenges that we

face in our areas and we hope that with Op-

eration Masiphathisane being launched

here in our ward last week, all these challen-

ges will be on the priority list to be ad-

dressed, said Nonqabe.

Operation Masiphathisane was launched

last Wednesday at Monti location by Pre-

mier Phumulo Masualle alongside the MEC

from all the government departments and

ward 19 was identified as the pilot ward for

the established war rooms to fast track ser-

vice delivery.

Disabled boy in dire need of awheelchair

Simamkele Mantshon-

go (12) is struggling

to walk and is in

need of a whellchair

to be able to go to

school. PHOTO:AYANDA

MILLISA MADIKIZELA

Isolomzi Express is a member of the Audit Bureau

of Circulations of South Africa and is managed,

printed and distributed by Media24 Newspapers,

on behalf of the owner, Media24 Limited, 40

Heerengracht, Cape Town. In terms of Art. 12(7)

of the Copyright Act, 1978 no report, article or

photo may be reproduced without the

permission of the owner.

Copyright

3News

May 19, 2016

Isolomzi Express

Ngexesha Lasebusika

Buza ku-Gqirha wakho ngencukacha zolwaluko

olukhusele-kileyo kwisibhedlela

sase Shelly Beach Day Hospital

okanye usifonele ngqo kule mfono-mfono:

039 315 6430

email: admin@shellybeachhospital.co.za

UULLWWAALLUUKKOO

SMS THE WORD CIRCUMCISION TO 063 579 8917 and we will call you

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BUNTU GOTYWA

THE Outsourcing must fall movement at

Walter Sisulu University says the struggle

will continue even thoughworkers have been

told to go back to their daily duties.

Workers at WSUs Nelson Mandela Drive

campus continue to show their displeasure

about how their grievances have been dealt

with by the institution.

Last week the movement protested outside

the institution, demanding the university

management act swiftly on their demands.

Outsourcing committee member Lubabalo

Bango said going back to work did not mean

they had given up on their fight to be in-

sourced.

He said they had consented to going back

to their positions, but were unhappy about

the treatment of the protesters.

He said the conditions the protesters were

being forced to endure upon returning to

work were unfair, while some were without

employment because of their involvement in

the campaign.

The protesters claimed they were either

not being paid or sometimes only received a

portion of their salaries.

What doesnt sit well with us is allowing

the company to do as it pleases to those who

have joined the outsourcing movement,

Bango said.

They keep saying the strike is illegal, but

the strike cannot be legal because we cant

follow all the processes.

Theprotesters said theyhadgivenXhobani

Security Services until May 1 to reinstate the

workers in their previous posts.

They also said having the National Educa-

tion, Health and AlliedWorkers Union in the

discussions had not assisted them.

They claimed the workers union was only

keen on ending the strike instead of helping

with their grievances.

They dont even mention outsourcing in

their discussions, Bango said.

The institution could notmeet the outsour-

cing movement last week as it was busy with

graduation ceremonies.

WSUoutsourcing staff told togetback towork

Outsourcing demonstrators outside Walter Sisulu university. PHOTO: BUNTU GOTYWA

SIMBONGILE MDLEDLE

SMALL, Medium and Micro-sized Enter-

prises (SMMEs) have appealed to Pre-

mier Pumullo Masuale and his MECs to

address their concern about a lack of sup-

port for SMMEs by the province.

In a letter they said: We as SMMEs op-

erate under the impression that more

SMMEs would create and sustain more

jobs and (thus) the more poverty will be

eradicated in this province.

We operate under the impression that

our Eastern Cape provincial government

wants to promote SMMEs to create much-

needed jobs.

They stressed that all departments

must distribute fairly to SMMEs, with

specific targets for how many SMMEs

they wanted to create in the province

and howmany jobs theywanted to create

each financial year.

They called on the premier and his

cabinet to ensure that SMMEs benefited

from tenders like distribution of station-

ery, textbooks, school furniture, securi-

ty services, cleaning services, social fa-

cilitation, hotel accommodation and so

forth.

Speaking on behalf of the SMMEs, An-

dile Nontso said: We partner with uni-

versities faculties of commerce to assist

with research on howmany unemployed

we have in the province, how many

SMMEs we must create each financial

year and how many employees each

SMMEs can employ. This could lead to

annual targets, he said.

Nontso said they wanted to meet soon

and come up with a plan of how to force

departments and municipalities to pay

within 30 days and punish those who did

not comply.

How do we ensure that all projects

awarded in this province have compul-

sory 30%-and-above local beneficiation,

stipulated in all terms and conditions?

He said they wanted to know how to

ensure that black locals went back to re-

tail in their shops by promoting a cen-

tral buying system to cut costs by pro-

moting existing programnes fully.

How do we ensure that SMMEs are

deeply involved in the Mzimvubu

project, the Coffee Bay project, the Mag-

wa tea corporation, new industries in

Mthatha and the Port St Johns habour?

How do we ensure SMMEs through their

chamber of business are represented on

all boards of government entities in the

province, for example Coega, the ECDC,

IDT, IDZ, liquor and tourism boards, uni-

versities, TVET colleges, councils and

hospital boards?

How do we use grants and food parcels

to promote SMMEs and create jobs in this

province?

How do we ensure that locally pro-

duced products are bought by govern-

ment agencies without compromising

procurement laws?

How do we push national companies

trading in our towns to source some of

their products from local manufacturers

and locally produced goods?

Which areas of economy in this prov-

ince do not have black representatives to

ensure that our SMMEs venture into all

areas of our provincial economy? Nont-

so said.

To come up with answers to what Nont-

so was asking, a provincial business sum-

mit is expected to take place soon to dis-

cuss these and set up a task team to deal

with the implementation of the resolu-

tions.

At the time of going to print, the office

of the premier had not yet received the

letter from the SMMEs.

SMMEs appeal formore support fromprovince

Mthatha business guru Andile Nontso addresses SMMEs in Mthatha recently. PHOTO: SIM MDLEDLE

SIMBONGILE MDLEDLE

A MULTIBILLION-RAND Mzimvubu water

project in the Eastern Cape is on track and

three districtmunicipalities will benefit aft-

er its completion.

These districts are among the Eastern

Cape municipalities faced with water short-

ages.

The scheme includes bulk distribution

and water treatment infrastructure for the

benefit of 540 000 indigent domestic users in

the OR Tambo, Alfred Nzo and Joe Gqabi

district municipalities, as well as a 2 800-

hectare irrigation development around Tso-

lo.

The government has allocated about R11-

billion for the project, comprising two dams

a large one at Ntabelanga and a smaller

one combined with a hydro-power facility

at Laleni location.

Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula

Mokonyane said the completion of detailed

designs would enable the commencement of

construction, which is scheduled to take

place during the second quarter of the

2016/17 financial year.

EasternCapedistricts set tobenefit frommegawaterproject

In accordance with the editorial

policy of the Isolomzi Express, we

invite readers to comment on

mistakes in the newspaper and

shall correct significant errors as

soon as possible. Send info to the

Ombudsman of Media24s 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

011 484 3612/8 or e-mail om-

budsman@presscouncil.org.za.

OMBUDSMAN

4News

May 19, 2016

Isolomzi Express

Tel: 039 251 0834

Cell: 071 990 1540

Fax: 086 457 6245

Nelly Nonjovu

Accounts Manager

Email:

Nelisa.nonjovu@media24.com

X1RBLGDQ-190516-IE-tvnnon-NELInew

DUE to the drastic increase in

the number of needy people who

need help in South Africa, espe-

cially in winter, the Salvation

Army is appealing to the public

to donate blankets, clothing and

food for those in need.

The Salvation Army said the

increase had created a problem

because they did not have

enough clothes or food to donate

to the poor and this is of great

concern especially with winter

fast approaching.

Major Carin Holmes of the Sal-

vation Army said: Every year

we see more and more people

coming for help to our doors.

With unemployment at such

high levels in our country, peo-

ple are finding it ever more diffi-

cult to make ends meet. Your

generous donations really go a

long way towards helping us ful-

fil their needs, Holmes said.

The Salvation Army assists

people by providing shelter,

food, clothing and blankets to

help them through the cold win-

ter months.

Giving help can be as simple

and easy as sending an SMS mes-

sage to our helpline, 42290, with

the word Winterhelp in the

SMS.

The cost of the SMS is only

R30, the vast majority of which

we receive and which goes to-

wards assisting the needy,

Holmes said. REPORTER

SalvationArmy appeals to public for donations during cold season

REPORTER

THE Nelson Mandela museum,

which is an epitome of the late Presi-

dent Nelson Mandelas values in

Mthatha, were once again among

tourism institutions featuring at the

2016TourismIndaba,andshowcasing

its offerings in Durban recently.

This years participation afforded

NelsonMandelamuseumanopportu-

nity to communicate the anticipated

re-launch and reopening of theBhun-

ga building site in Mthatha.

TherenovatedNelsonMandelamu-

seum Bhunga Building site features

an exhibition booth narrating Nelson

Mandelas story, gifts donated to Nel-

sonMandela,areference library,mul-

timedia centre, childrens room, am-

phitheatre, exhibition halls, orienta-

tion centre and an administration

block.

Ever since its inception on Februa-

ry 11, 2000 the Nelson Mandela Muse-

um has seen a growing trend of both

local, national and international tour-

ists following in the visible footprints

of Nelson Mandela within the King

Sabata Dalindyebo municipality.

The annual tourism indaba has

been providing Nelson Mandela mu-

seum an opportunity to interact with

tourism operators within South Afri-

ca, the SADEC region and the world

at large.

NelsonMandelamuseumunpacks

itsBhungabuildings readiness

Senior Manager Marketing and

Communication, Nokuzola Tetani,

engaging with Tour operators during

the 2016 Tourism Indaba in Durban.

PHOTO:SUPPLIED

REPORTER

THE Financial Services

Board (FSB) has received a

tip-off that a certain Mr Mat-

shaya is operating as a trac-

ing agent in theMdantsane ar-

ea in the Eastern Cape.

He claims to be an agent for

beneficiaries of unclaimed

benefits.

In particular it has been re-

ported to the FSB that:

. He charges a consultation

fee of R250 to any person who

seeks his help in claiming a

benefit;

. He uses forms with the

FSB logo on themwithout FSB

permission to do so; and

. He requires his clients to

sign power of attorney doc-

uments in terms of which they

authorise him to accept pay-

ment of their benefits on their

behalf.

The FSB warns members of

the public in the area to be

cautious when dealing with

him.

While a personwho believes

that he or she is entitled to an

unclaimed benefit or un-

claimed surplus may ask an-

other person to assist him or

her to claim it, the only people

who can legitimately charge

for providing such assistance

are authorised financial ser-

vices providers and attor-

neys. Matshaya is not an au-

thorised financial services

provider.

The FSB again reminds con-

sumers that the Registrar of

Pension Funds office assists

members or beneficiaries in

tracing unclaimed benefits

and unclaimed shares of sur-

plus by liaising with the appli-

cable funds and/or their ad-

ministrators.

The FSB does not charge a

fee for this service.

Pension funds and provi-

dent funds may not charge a

fee for assisting their mem-

bers to claim the amounts due

to them.

A member of the public who

would like FSB to assist him

or her to claim a benefit may

contact them directly. If he or

she has access to the internet,

he or she may visit the FSB

website at www.fsb.co.za,

download and complete the

form, then email it to

FSB.PensionsUn-

claimed@fsb.co.za.You can al-

so contact the FSB call centre

at 080-020 2087 or 080-011 0443.

FSBwarns public against so-called tracing agent in EC

BUNTU GOTYWA

THE Mthatha Hospital Complex

celebrated International Nursing

Week by rendering free health ser-

vices to the people.

International Nursing Week is

celebrated in honour of Florence

Nightingale, who is recognised as

the founder of modern-day nurs-

ing.

Nelson Mandela Academic Hos-

pital nursing service manager

Ayanda Mjali said the nurses had

decided to take their services to the

community to help those who

struggled to make it to hospitals.

We just wanted to remind peo-

ple that the nursing profession is

still only here to help them.

We wanted people to come and

test for whatever illness theywant-

ed to test without the trouble of

having to go to the hospital, Mjali

said.

The nurses set up stands at three

malls in Mthatha (BT Ngebs, Cir-

cus Triangle and Plaza). People

were tested for diabetes, sugar lev-

els and dental hygiene.

We know there might be people

who have lots of questions about

nurses, but what we can say is that

we are here for them.

Even though we might face

challenges and having people com-

plain about nurses, our main aim

is to be the profession that cares

for people and we take the calling

to serve people seriously, she

said.

Mjali said the celebration was

also a way of reminding nurses of

their role in communities.

She said Florence Nightingale

had been about giving people hope

and this needed to be carried on by

the current nurses in the country.

We give people hope and, more

than themedicines, we provide for

people needing to be healed psy-

chologically, she said.

The hospital complex ended the

celebration by lighting candles to

send a message saying they were

the light of the world.

Mthathahospitals take services to the streets

Mthatha complex nurses at work at Plaza Mall. PHOTO: BUNTU GOTYWA

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

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

5News

May 19, 2016

Isolomzi Express

SIMBONGILE MDLEDLE

ST Johns College, an Eastern Cape school

known for producing good results every

year, will take part in the 2016 SA Institution

of Civil Engineering (SAICE) bridge-build-

ing competition in Gauteng on August 26.

A teamof three pupils from this school beat

teams of five other high schools fromMthat-

ha in a competition held recently.

Each team was given a set of 25 wooden

sticks and some glue.

After a brief explanation of the basic prin-

ciples of construction, they began work on

their model bridges, applying great concen-

tration, dedication and ingenuity to come up

with outstanding bridges.

These were then judged on aesthetic value,

mass and load-bearing capacity.

The aim was for something elegant, sim-

ple, light and strong as is the case in real-

life bridges.

Sive Mbulali, Siyanda Cebisa and Sikhan-

gele Cwayi from St Johns College produced

thewinning bridge, able to bear a load of 71kg

before it buckled and snapped.

Their science teacher, Zolisa Dlamini, was

thrilled about his pupils achievement.

The team will be sent to the SAICE nation-

als in Gauteng, pitting themselves against

the best young engineers in the country.

Tamba Gungu, vice-chair of Mthatha

SAICE, said the aim of the competition was

to stimulate a love of engineering in pupils

and give them a taste of science in action.

Many civil engineers of today acquired

their first taste of civil engineering through

this competition, which has been held in oth-

er branches for more than 25 years, but had

not been held in Mthatha for at least 12

years, he said. As civil engineering is one

of our countrys scarce skills, thiswas a great

opportunity to encourage youngsters to join

the ranks of this exciting profession.

Mthathaschool to compete inbridge-building competition

Asavela Ngesi, Mfundo Mtwa and Anele Kwinana show off their bridge during the competition

held in Mthatha recently. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

BUNTU GOTYWA

WITNESSING the hardship faced by

many children from his village and

former school, Lusanda Gexa made a

promise to himself to change the lives of

as many of them as possible.

He founded Ezakuthi Life Skills and

Sports Development, a company whose

sole mission is to work with underprivi-

leged children.

The company is focused on life skills

and intervention projects for pupils and

finding bursaries for prospective stu-

dents.

The five-year-old company recently do-

nated school shoes to needy pupils at the

Ncedana Junior Secondary School inWil-

lowvale.

Gexa said he planned to go back to the

school with more shoes before the end of

the year to give to those he had not been

able to reach this time around.

Children in grade R were the first bene-

ficiaries of the gesture from the company

and he said the plan was to give back to

each and every grade at his former school

before spreading his wings further.

The situation here is not very nice,

he said. Many parents are struggling to

make ends meet and after witnessing

that I had a conversation with my wife

and we decided we needed to do some-

thing.

We decided to tackle this class by

class to make it more affordable.

He said he hoped many businesses

would come forward with funding in sup-

port of the mission he had taken on.

So far the funds come straight from

our pockets, but I am hopeful that we will

get the support, he said.

Principal Mbulelo Magoda said they

were proud of the unexpected gesture

from one of their former pupils.

This place is very disadvantaged and

many are struggling and this gesture will

make these kids feel good about them-

selves and encourage them in their stud-

ies as well, Magoda said.

Pupil gives back to his disadvantaged old school

Pupils at Ncedana JSS with the new shoes given to them by Ezakuthi Life Skills and Sports

Development. PHOTO: BUNTU GOTYWA

Mr Tamba Gungu, Vice Chairperson of Mthatha SAICE, Mr Zolisa Dlamini, Science teacher at St

Johns, Mr Simon Mqamelo, Chairperson of Mthatha SAICE, the three winners (I dont know which

one is which) and Mrs George, HOD from St Johns. PHOTO:SUPPLIED

6News

May 19, 2016

Isolomzi Express

Kenny Mwange

SALES EXECUTIVE

82 Blakeway Street, Mthatha

Office: (047) 050 4430

Fax: (041) 503 6256

E-mail:

kennedy.mwange@media24.com

X1RBMF3C-190516-IE-bhkmwa-ken

< Thabo Mdukiswa, Pumza Madolo, Nomsa Gadla, Piliswa Maqokolo and

Veliswa Madiza were photographed in Libode. PHOTOS: SIM MDLEDLE

; The traditional group called Abantwana bakaGudla received a sheep from Sizwe Kupelo after a sterling perform-

ance during Kupelos thanksgiving in Mkhankatho location.

Engcobo mayor Lamla Jiyose (far left) with members of the Methodist Church

of Southern Africa during the church convention held in Engcobo last Sunday.A teachers choir singing beautifully at a funeral in Ngqeleni last Saturday.

Absa launched its Private Bank offering

in Mthatha last Thursday, May 12,

hosting the launch at its Mthatha

Central branch. Guests from across the

spectrum of business, government, the

medical fraternity and Absas customer

base were invited to celebrate the

occasion with Absa leadership. Seen

here are Thembi Klaas (Absa provincial

head of public sector), A Nontso

(chairperson of the OR Tambo Business

Chamber), Ntandokazi Chapha

(executive member of the OR Tambo

Municipality), Tshiwela Mhlantla (Absa

managing executive, Eastern Cape),

Tumi Mbiko (Absa Private Bank

relationship banker in Mthatha) and

Khaya Mti (Absa regional manager

Absa Private Bank).

PEOPLE LIKEUS

PEOPLE LIKEUS

REPORTER

A POINT-OF-CARE rapid diagnostic test

for tuberculosis (TB) has been developed

by a multinational team of scientists led

by researchers at Stellenbosch Universi-

ty.

This low-cost screening test has the

potential to significantly speed up TB di-

agnosis in resource-limited settings,

said co-inventor Professor Gerhard

Walzl of Stellenbosch Universitys Facul-

ty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The test is conducted on blood obtained

from a finger-prick and can make a TB

diagnosis in less than an hour.

Health-care workers with minimal

training will be able use the test at grass-

roots level and get immediate access to

screening test results, Walzl said.

The diagnostic test is a hand-held, bat-

tery-operated instrument that will meas-

ure chemicals in the blood of people with

possible TB.

The device is in the developmental

phase and its accuracy and efficacy will

be tested in five African countries over

the next three years by the ScreenTB

consortium, a team of TB experts from

eight African and European partnering

institutions.

Other recent advances in TB diagnos-

tics have radically improved diagnostic

times, but high costs and the sophisticat-

ed equipment required have made this

technology inaccessible to many.

People in remote areas with high TB

incidence still do not benefit from the

newer developments and face long diag-

nostic delays and often multiple return

visits to clinics before they are diag-

nosed, Walzl said.

The new test will be able to provide

near-immediate results that will enable

a person with TB to be diagnosed and

started on treatment during a single visit

to a health care facility.

Stellenbosch scientists develop rapid TB-screening tool

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7News

May 19, 2016

Isolomzi Express

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