HeraldLIVE

Ronwen’s dad on son’s Bafana heroics

Bursting with pride. That is how Ronwen Williams’ father described feeling after his son’s spectacular performance at the weekend. Rodney Williams watched the challenging match in anticipation as his son led Bafana Bafana to a 2-1 victory against Cape Verde, steering them to their first Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon)…

7 Feb 10 min

What’s being done to save St George’s Park

Nelson Mandela Bay's historic St George’s Park is being given a much-needed makeover — by residents. The park has been overgrown, neglected and overtaken by vagrants in recent years. Now, what started with simply trimming overgrown bushes and trees has quickly grown into an initiative that could result in the…

31 Jan 13 min

Get the lowdown on Sunrisers’ ‘weird’ record-breaking game

“A weird game” is how batter Tristan Stubbs describes the Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s convincing nine-wicket win in their Betway SA20 clash against the Pretoria Capitals in Gqeberha on Monday. The Sunrisers dismissed the visiting side for a tournament record low of 52 runs in front of a raucous St George’s…

24 Jan 9 min

Saying the right thing at the right time

“Sometimes you just have to talk to the right person at the right time.” So says Gqeberha e-hailing driver Bartho Dick who, by simply asking “how are you?” unwittingly saved the life of a suicidal passenger four years ago. The story of how Dick reached out to Natasha Mulusa while…

18 Jan 20 min

Ramifications of attacks on paramedics

Medical emergency response times are being hampered in Nelson Mandela Bay by thugs preying on paramedics responding to emergencies. So says Eastern Cape health department spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo. This follows yet another attack in which paramedics were robbed at gunpoint while treating a patient in an ambulance in Despatch at…

10 Jan 11 min

Mayor reflects on last year and discusses plans for 2024

Taking a look back at the highs and lows of 2023, Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Gary van Niekerk reflects on the difference he has in his role as the first citizen of the city. In Behind The Herald Headlines with Daron Mann this week, we speak to Van Niekerk about…

5 Jan 16 min

Don’t become a road death statistic

Hundreds of people have already died on SA’s roads and the number is likely to increase once the post-festive season trek home starts. In the Eastern Cape, the number was approaching 80 fatalities by Wednesday morning, with several multiple-fatality crashes recorded. Provincial transport department spokesperson Unathi Binqose says several factors…

27 Dec 2023 10 min

Getting to grips with beachfront littering

Litter pickers, tasked with gathering alcohol bottles, shattered glass, and takeaway packaging scattered across the Gqeberha beachfront, have characterised the aftermath of the recent long weekend as the most challenging they’ve faced since 2019. Every morning, cleaners start work at 6am but residents and tourists are not just playing their…

20 Dec 2023 17 min

Why there is opposition to seismic testing

“A wall of moving sound” is how Wildlife and Environment Society of Southern Africa (Wessa) Eastern Cape chair Gary Koekemoer describes the proposed seismic testing along the Southern Cape coast. Earlier in November, the department of mineral resources and energy granted seismic exploration company CGG environmental authorisation to proceed with…

13 Dec 2023 16 min

Heritage artifacts: should they stay or go?

Queen Victoria might lose her position in front of the Main Library in Govan Mbeki Avenue if the EFF in Nelson Mandela Bay has its way.  EFF councillor Ndumiso Qwazi filed a motion with the office of speaker Eugene Johnson in November in which the EFF is calling for the…

6 Dec 2023 21 min

Are invasive body searches of prison visitors really necessary?

Correctional services officials and members of the public have been “caught in the act” smuggling contraband into prisons, with drugs and cellphones being particularly rife at the St Albans Correctional Centre in Nelson Mandela Bay. That is according to correctional services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo, responding to reports of invasive body…

29 Nov 2023 25 min

Crunching the registration weekend numbers

The Independent Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) in the Eastern Cape is pleased with the turnout at the weekend’s voter registration. South Africans take to the polls in the seventh democratic national and provincial elections in 2024 and, it seemed, youth were not interested in registering — or casting their…

23 Nov 2023 13 min

Get the lowdown on state of SA education

“We must and can do better.” So says teaching union Naptosa’s executive director, Basil Manuel, reflecting on the state of schools around the country. This is after a report by The Herald this week about thousands of matric pupils tackling the biggest exams of their lives — then going back…

8 Nov 2023 15 min

Why was Bay left out of Bok victory tour?

Hope is fading that the Springboks’ trophy tour now under way will make its way to Nelson Mandela Bay. This is despite pleas from several quarters, including the families of Springboks Siya Kolisi and Manie Libbok, Eastern Cape rugby bosses, organised business and local political leaders, who wrote to SA…

2 Nov 2023 16 min

Ironman World champion opens up on what it takes to win the toughest race

Preparing for Ironman World Championship is getting harder and harder, triathlete Michelle Howes says, but the flame still burns bright to compete. Competing in the 55-59 age category, Howes, formerly Enslin, recently claimed her third Ironman World Championship title in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. In That Weekend Feeling with Daron Mann, Howes…

27 Oct 2023 8 min

Suspended Cannon opens up about all things rugby

Sport, especially rugby, can serve a better purpose than it does at the moment. So says suspended EP Rugby president Maasdorp Cannon talking about serving as president on a voluntary basis because of his love of the sport. Unity among South Africans is fleeting, he says, lasting until the final…

26 Oct 2023 18 min

Shimange talks about his Rugby World Cup predictions

“Revenge 2019.” That is how former Springbok Hanyani Shimange says this weekend’s Rugby World Cup clash between SA and England is being punted. The teams, finalists in the 2019 edition of the competition which saw SA beat England 32-12, take each other on for a spot in the final at…

20 Oct 2023 9 min

Some good news on the egg situation

South African consumers may very well be able to go back to baking with the price of eggs starting to stabilise  as we head towards the end of 2023. That is the opinion of Agricultural Business Chamber of SA chief economist Wandile Sihlobo. Consumers have been hit with a spike…

19 Oct 2023 9 min

EP Rugby moving in right direction — Malgas

It took a few days to find his feet, EP Rugby acting president George Malgas admits, but payments need to be made and players need to be signed for the new season — and EP Rugby is “moving in the right direction”. Malgas has taken over from suspended president Maasdorp Cannon…

13 Oct 2023 12 min

Will the real leader of National Alliance please stand up

'Mind boggling' is how Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Gary van Niekerk describes the decision by city manager Noxolo Nqwazi to declare two vacancies in the council from his party, National Alliance, this week. Van Niekerk and Stag Mitchell’s seats were declared vacant by Nqwazi on Monday, following their expulsion by…

12 Oct 2023 17 min