TWO EMPLOYEES OF AN EC FUNERAL HOME PERISHED IN AN ACCIDENT CLOSE TO BURGERSDORP.
On 10 December 2022, a car belonging to a funeral parlour carrying two employees crashed and caught fire on the R391 between Burgersdorp and Steynsburg on Saturday.
According to the Provincial Transport Department, one person who was allegedly picked up while hitchhiking and transported to the Burgersdorp Provincial Hospital suffered serious injuries.
Unathi Binqose, the spokesperson, claimed that a Toyota vehicle was leaving Steynsburg when the driver lost control while carrying the three men.
He claimed that there is speculation that drinking may have contributed to the accident.
A culpable homicide is being looked into by the police.
LIMANI GALLERY LAUNCH.
East London- A very blissful evening for the arts community in East London as a brand-new gallery was launched in a prestigious and very beautiful event. Limani (meaning plough) Gallery was launched on the 10th of December 2022, at 85 Old Transkei Road, Nahoon, East London.
While speaking to one of the organizers, Busi Nodada, mentioned to us that this project has been coming for the past 5 years and it has not been an easy journey. Ms. Nodada said that they had been doing pop-up galleries in East London with various artists and with the help of many other stakeholders such as Volvo, the Department of Arts and Culture, and other individuals who saw the need to assist. “This was halted when covid hit in 2020, artists could not put food on their tables, and it was a very sad time for arts” remembered Ms. Nodada.
Artists were featured in the launch, Andrew Mogridge had a few pieces there, Tandokazi Qomfo also had her work present with others such as Claudine Hauke, Mziwoxolo Makalima, Ennock Mlangeni, Dr. Amitabh Mitra, Ukho Peyi, Sibusiso Nxokweni, and Thandazani Nofingxana
Among those present at the Limani Gallery launch was Masana Chikeka who is an official at the Department of Arts and Culture, she shared with us the journey from 5 years ago when the gallery was established through pop-ups. Chikeka told OurNews that when they first started, the focus was on the fashion market. She shared how it has been amazing to watch this grow as they started incorporating other aspects such as visuals, photography, and all other aspects that are there in a bid to be inclusive for all artists. Masana also said, “this is a project that will put food on the artists’ tables, a project where no one is excluded in any way”.
We asked Chikeka how the department is planning to educate the broad public in arts as we are in the Eastern Cape where creatives choose to leave because of the lack of opportunities, she told us that this is being done through different talks and engagements with the public as it is very vital for communities to be aware of arts and that it is not only for a certain class.
Speaking to some of the designers, Thandazani Nofingxana who is a textile and insecurities to identity.
We asked Thandazani why he chose art, and he said that it started with music and as time went, he was more interested in how they dressed that the actual music. Then he went to school for graphic design and decided that he didn’t like and when a certain lecturer did a presentation on textiles, and he related more as he had worked at a t-shirt printing business before. He decided to change his course. Furthermore, when we asked Thandazani about his future plans, he told us that he would like to keep Eastern Cape as his production base, however, he would like to sell outside of the province as his target market may be out of the Eastern Cape because of the kind of material he uses.
So, if you feel arty on any day, do pop by Limani Gallery at 85 Old Transkei Road, Nahoon, East London, and have the time of your life with great artwork to see and buy too.
A fashion designer from Mthatha said that his fashion is inspired by his culture as an African, “I try to tell Eastern Cape stories and the nuances of being a Xhosa boy in Mthatha” said Thandazani. He also said that his work ranges from personality, insecurities and identity.
MACLEAR UNLOCKED THE FESTIVE SEASON WITH A PICNIC.
10 December was a jolly day for residents of Nqanqarhu Village (Maclear) as they were hosted for their first Annual Maclear All-White Picnic.
The event comes after a long drought of social and entertainment gatherings in the province, probably even nationally, and this was due to the recent pandemic of COVID-19 that the entire world has experienced in the period of 2019 to 2021.
The pandemic closed doors for many people in terms of productivity and progress, the nation faced restricted operations and limited movements, people lost lives, lost loved ones, employment and businesses shut down, resulting in frustrations, broken homes, and poverty.
But the Vuthela family, their foundation together with various stakeholders brought relief to the community of Nqanqarhu. Business people and local artists saw themselves taking part in an activity that promised to bring back hope and financial relief to them with this event.
Mr. Butho Vuthela said he was excited about the event, and it showed that people in the community were hungry for this because they came out in numbers to support the event, and others were there for the business opportunity and that made his heart very warm to see people making business that will bring relief to their finances.
“I’m happy that today people’s lives changed, people were selling which means there are making a profit. This area is known for being poor, people are struggling financially, but with this event, some went home with something on the table. We’ve managed to change the lives of some SMMEs, we’ve managed to create jobs and employment for unemployed youth”.
“We have 51 poor families that we’ve identified as the Vuthela foundation, together with various stakeholders, and we donated groceries (food packs/combos) to them, with the intention to help them enjoy the day of the Christmas like most families. Some within the 51 families, there are child headed-households, households where grandparents are looking after more than 10 grandchildren, we targeted people living with disabilities. This means that we have really done something to help, and we are happy as the foundation,” said Mr. Vuthela.
The event was packed with performances from artists all over the province, to national artists, from Cape Town, Free State, and KwaZulu-Natal. Special performances from Zakwe, Bethusile Mcinga, and Duncan, to name a few.
The event organizer, Butho Vuthela in association with various stakeholders were very pleased with the attendance and people came out in numbers in support of the picnic to socialize, make business, and enjoy the event.
Bethusile Mcinga also said shared the same sentiments as that of Mr. Vuthela, and that he was happy to be part of the event, especially since it’s in the rural areas because these kinds of events have the power of changing people’s lives.
“I’m very happy to have been part of this event, which is the first of its kind here in Maclear. If you see there at the gate, there are people who put up stalls there to sell, which means they will be able to put on the table for their families, there are marshalls, security guards and car guards, and they will go home happy.”
The event was indeed a success, we will definitely see Maclear same time, same place in 2023 as this is an annual event.
MEN WERE SHOT AND KILLED WHILE DRIVING ON MDANTSANE ACCESS ROAD.
After an early-morning shooting incident on the Mdantsane Access Road, Eastern Cape police are looking into a double murder and an attempted murder.
When police arrived at the murder scene, according to police spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli, they discovered the bodies of two men inside a silver VW Polo that also had an injured woman in the back.
The woman, according to him, was taken to a hospital.
The specifics, according to Nkohli, are a little hazy at the moment, but police believe a white Ford Bakkie and Polo were used in the shooting.
He claims that one of the deceased had a gun discovered by police, and it has since been determined that the gun was stolen in Beacon Bay three years prior.
Investigations are being conducted into a murder and attempted murder case.
Only after notifying the surviving family members will the names of the deceased be made public.
A MINISTER HELPS SEX WORKERS IN EAST LONDON HAVE A CONVERSATION.
Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, the deputy minister of social development, led a discussion about sex workers on Thursday in East London.
This discussion takes place after the Criminal Law Sexual Offenses and Related Matters Amendment Bill of 2022 was approved and published for public comment on November 30.
The Department of Social Development thought it was appropriate to facilitate this discussion with sex workers, civil society, and religious groups as part of the ongoing campaign to decriminalize sex work in order to better understand the struggles and lived experiences of sex workers.
On this exciting occasion, sexual service providers overcame their fear of being recognized to speak out about how clients and law enforcement terrorize them, the trauma of being robbed by thieves, and how communities shun them because of their occupations.
Social workers occasionally take “neglected” children without leaving any instructions on how the parents can get their children back, and sexual workers have cried out for assistance.
The intervention has been started, according to the Deputy Minister, to address these difficulties.
The Deputy Minister concluded by promising that expunging criminal records associated with sex-work offenses will be the next item on the agenda after they win the decriminalization of the sex work war.
From December 9 through January 30 of the following year, this Bill will formally be made available for public comment by Ronald Lamola, Minister of Justice and Correctional Services.
ARTICLE BY SIYAKHOLWA VUSO // EDITED BY CWAYITA ZWENI