Gugu Phandle
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Past articles by Gugu:
Eastern Cape counting the cost after floods
Two community halls in Mdantsane have become home to a number of people who lost their houses during the killer floods which hit Buffalo City Metro and other parts of the Eastern Cape at the weekend. → Read More
Tributes pour in for heroic East London policeman killed while saving lives during floods
Heartfelt tributes have poured in for Capt Pierre Marx of the East London’s K9 Search and Rescue division, who died in the line of duty during the heavy floods on Saturday. → Read More
Last chance to enter SPAR Daily Dispatch Virtual Fun Run for Disability
Entries for the The SPAR Daily Dispatch Virtual Fun Run for Disability will close at midnight on Saturday. → Read More
Man accused of killing varsity student goes to trial
The case involving the death of Nosicelo Mtebeni, whose dismembered body was found in a suitcase in East London earlier this year is ready for trial. → Read More
Eastern Cape matrics forced to juggle studying, exams with load-shedding timetables
Final exam season is in full swing and pupils are faced with the burden of juggling two timetables at once — one for their exams and the other for load-shedding. → Read More
Race to rent 1,142 axed schools
A school textbook lies on the classroom floor splattered with cow dung and filthy with dust. → Read More
Only 14% of BCM daycare centres compliant with health regulations
Desperate parents continue to use the services of non-compliant daycare centres across Buffalo City Metro. → Read More
Spiking Eastern Cape teen pregnancies blamed on adult ‘predators’
Schoolgirls are being lured by older men into sex in the hope of a better life of money, gadgets and baseless love. The endgame, said experts, was impregnation. Sexual grooming, statutory rape and rape are the leading drivers of teenage pregnancy, which has reached a shocking level in the Eastern Cape, experts said. → Read More
Emotions run deep at funeral for slain detective
Sgt Phumlani Dastile was a gallant fighter against organised crime and a present and loving father. → Read More
Eastern Cape awaits data on new Covid-19 variant
The new Covid-19 variant called C.1.2 has been detected in the Eastern Cape. → Read More
Scores of BCM schools to close due to dwindling pupil numbers
Almost 90 schools will be permanently closed in Buffalo City Metro by the provincial department of education. → Read More
Outrage spreads over UFH student’s gruesome killing
The gruesome murder of University of Fort Hare student Nosicelo Mtebeni has sparked widespread outrage. → Read More
All out effort to get EC matrics of 2021 to finish line
The matric class of 2021 has had to struggle but the education department is designing stopgap programmes to get them to the finish line in even greater numbers. The matrics’ grade 11 year was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic which saw a severe loss in the number of learning days. Grade 11 is a crucial year that sets the academic foundation for grade 12. → Read More
Postponement of schools reopening welcomed
Education unions in the Eastern Cape welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s directive to push back the reopening of schools by a week. However, there are concerns about all pupils returning to the traditional timetable come July 26 when schools open. They were meant to reopen on July 19. Since the declaration of a national disaster due to Covid-19 in March 2020, pupils have attended on a… → Read More
Rhodes vice-chancellor Mabizela rewarded for excellent leadership in volatile times
Dr Sizwe Mabizela’s contract as vice-chancellor of Rhodes University has been renewed for a further seven years. Mabizela was appointed in 2014 when he became the sixth principal of the 117-year-old university. His inauguration was historic as he was the university’s first black African vice-chancellor. → Read More
Concerns rise over Covid-19 outbreak in BCM schools
Covid-19 infections are on the rise in Buffalo City Metro (BCM) schools. Infections have broken out in 16 schools. Nineteen teachers, 14 pupils and two non-teaching staff members have tested positive. The provincial department of education said no fatalities had been reported. The total number of schools which have closed in the province, due to Covid-19, is not clear. → Read More
BREAKING | WSU student's body found outside tavern
A Walter Sisulu University student was found dead outside a Butterworth tavern on Saturday. The first-year civil engineering student’s body was identified by a fellow student. The deceased's friends said that they had looked for her at about 10pm, after she failed to return from the bathroom. “The University condemns acts of violence of any nature on and off campus. → Read More
BACKWARD SLIDE: The number of mud schools in the Eastern Cape has increased since 2018
The Eastern Cape department of education is using cheap and inferior material to build schools and as a result is unable to meet set targets. In an education portfolio committee report tabled at the legislature last week, the committee also revealed the number of infrastructure development projects undertaken in the 2021/2022 financial year was too high. → Read More
Third wave expected to hit Eastern Cape next week, warns premier
The Eastern Cape is expected to be hit by the third wave of the coronavirus next week. → Read More
More than 1,500 Eastern Cape schools are overcrowded
More than 1,500 schools in the Eastern Cape are considered to be overcrowded. → Read More