Please check your email and enter your one time pin below: Open in Gmail Sorry there was an error loading the audio On north-bound journeys from our home town of Cradock my wife and I enjoy passing through the little Eastern Cape Karoo town of Burgersdorp because it’s like arriving at some kind of traveller’s fork in the road: “Do we go left to the Karoo Riviera (Gariep Dam) or do we veer right to the snowy peaks of the southern Drakensberg?”advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads I always remember a certain Mrs Anderson when passing through Burgersdorp One night in the middle of a particularly bitter winter followed by an amiable fireside round of sherry the scene became something out of Disney’s Fantasia The poker and tongs leapt off their stand and did the Victorian-era version of the Macarena dance Everyone scattered to the four corners of the sitting room She calmly hauled out the family bible and began to read from the Scriptures addressing the errant fire irons in a firm manner They took the hint and returned to their places this was not the old Scottish woman’s first rodeo with the Ghost Zombies of Fireplaces Past you might think I’ve snuck off and sucked on a dodgy hookah pipe before writing this account Except that it comes directly from one of my storyteller-heroes had actually been one of those briefly horrified guests in Anderson’s lounge on that distant winter’s night The Hunting Room and its residents in the Burgersdorp Museum Family donations to the Burgersdorp Museum watched over by mannequins in period dress On our last jaunt to Burgersdorp some years ago, we paid a long-promised visit to the town museum, housed in what was initially the local parsonage, then an old-age home and now a repository for all manner of cultural memorabilia.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads an old-time display of Colonial-era clothing a pioneer kitchen full of gadgets that have never needed Eskom and an attendant bunch of shop-window mannequins that were probably retired from urban retail duty sometime in the 1960s Read in Daily Maverick: Karoo museums 1 — discovering big skulls, giant clock-faces and war trinkets there’s a Stuffed Beast Room (more formally labelled The Hunting Room) where a scrawny lion keeps guard over a moth-eaten caracal (busy having his lunch) a trio of European buck with massive antlers There is also a flying duck and a fearsome tooth mounted on the wall Some folk may cringe at this eerie animal display — it’s just the kind of yesterday-crazy that floats this author’s boat Burgersdorp has a lot more memories to offer the visitor but let’s head on over the gorgeous old Hennie Steyn road-and-rail bridge and into Bethulie in the so-called Lake Gariep district of the southern Free State The great Hennie Steyn road-and-rail bridge outside Bethulie One can’t just waltz into the Pelissier House Keys to the place are with local guide Trudie Venter and it’s worth engaging her services for a couple of hours to take you through the house and possibly out to the concentration camp memorial site outside Bethulie The Anglo-Boer War stories from this area are many and gut-wrenching to a final detail (Ask Trudie to tell you the Bethulie Sparrows story Boer fighter pictured here on display in the Pelissier House Museum One of the poignant displays at the Bethulie concentration camp memorial site outside town Smithfield is nearly 70km to the north-east of Bethulie It was founded in 1848 and then moved 24km closer to the Caledon River for easier access to water In the mid-1800s, Smithfield was the central town from which Boer forces marched on various Basotho strongholds to the east. In the local museum stands Ou Grietjie, a six-pounder gun used extensively during the Boer-Basotho Wars.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads Dutch military officers were in the habit of calling their artillery piece Ou Grietjie, which apparently means ‘angry woman’ in that language. However, Smithfield’s Ou Grietjie is said to be named after Margaret (Grietjie) Finlay, wife of the local gunner, Robert Finlay.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads we also heard a totally unsubstantiated story about when Two retired gunners peered down its barrel to see what the problem was That was when Ou Grietjie decided to discharge and legendary six-pounder cannon in the Caledon River Museum again under the watchful eye of a mannequin But I emphasise: put no credence to that story. It might be a pile of old Free State codswallop. Also, don’t be confused with the four-pounder simply called Grietjie, that one lives in the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria and was used during the Battle of Blood River in 1838.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads Crossing the rowdy N1 Highway now, off we go to the bustling little village of Philippolis. It is a popular semigration spot for city types and there is a constant flow of new energy and ideas coming into town Apart from the regular donations of timepiece goods and chattels from local residents the museum in Philippolis pays homage to London Missionary Dr J Philip Two of the rooms in the museum are dedicated to replicating Emily’s spinning and weaving school Bust of and pictorial tribute to activist Emily Hobhouse in the Trans-Gariep Museum A bust of Adam Kok III in the Trans-Gariep Museum In the back of the building is the centrepiece of the town’s annual Witblits Festival in April: a large distilling kettle used to produce very strong spirits out of selected fruits It is also at this time that the two naval cannons (on the hill in town) are fired with no incidents or accidents reported so far Visiting hours: by appointment. Contact Trudie Venter (guide). Tel: 083 630 8849 For an insider’s view on life in the Karoo, get the Three-Book Special of Karoo Roads I, Karoo Roads II and Karoo Roads III by Julienne du Toit and Chris Marais for only R800, including courier costs in South Africa. For more details, contact Julie at [email protected] var d=document,w="https://tally.so/widgets/embed.js",v=function(){"undefined"!=typeof Tally?Tally.loadEmbeds():d.querySelectorAll("iframe[data-tally-src]:not([src])").forEach((function(e){e.src=e.dataset.tallySrc}))};if("undefined"!=typeof Tally)v();else if(d.querySelector('script[src="'+w+'"]')==null){var s=d.createElement("script");s.src=w,s.onload=v,s.onerror=v,d.body.appendChild(s);} ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " South Africa (24 May 2023) – It was a red-letter day for Burgersdorp High when the school won the East London Inland leg of the SPAR Eastern Cape Schoolgirls Hockey Challenge in Komani on Sunday Despite the players having to deal with cold and windy conditions tournament director Bev Forword said they had risen to the challenge to produce hockey of a very high standard Burgersdorp were rewarded with their maiden title Breidbach Secondary from the hosting town made their debut at the tournament – a testament to how it has grown over the years with the pool winners advancing to the semi-finals pool C saw Queenstown Girls’ High School (GHS) on top and Burgersdrop took pool D Both semis were closely contested and decided in penalty shootouts Hangklip got the better of Aliwal North to reach their first final while Burgersdorp eliminated two-time defending champions GHS It was Burgersdorp’s second visit to the Challenge decider after contesting the inaugural final against Kingsridge in 2016 but this time they made no mistakes in defeating their Komani opponents 2-0 by way of a field goal and penalty corner said they were ecstatic at finally winning the title for us it was an indescribable feeling and we are actually all still on such a high It was a surreal moment when we realised we had finally done it.” but she still anticipated a tough showdown in Komani “I thought we may have a chance but really was just hoping that we could get through to the final “To get the win was a fantastic reward for the girls We all appreciated the efforts of the organisers and sponsors.” which had been attended by KwaZulu-Natal-based national director Les Galloway remained a highlight on the schools hockey calendar “She was most impressed with the level of hockey and the enthusiasm displayed by the competitors We are very grateful to SPAR for investing in our young players all over the province.” Burgersdorp became the fourth side to be crowned regional champions this year Pearson (PE Coastal) and York (Southern Cape) was postponed from May 14 due to inclement weather Tyler Leigh Vivier is a writer for Good Things Guy Her passion is to spread good news across South Africa with a big focus on environmental issues Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "a983e03b297f6da7144aae2898c8c625" );document.getElementById("d2d9e305b5").setAttribute( "id" and website in this browser for the next time I comment Would you like to receive truly phenomenal inspirational and good thing stories right to your inbox Then subscribe to our weekly GoodThingsGuy newsletter today I accept GTG’s Privacy Policy GoodThingsGuy is the home of everything good and those are the things that really matter We believe that there is good news all around us and over 1 million readers a month agree with us GoodThingsGuy was officially launched on the 1 August 2015 in order to only promote good news inspirational stories and promote only positive multi-platform media company that distills unique content across multiple media platforms We consider individual and corporate contributions through the website or mail us directly here. Your GPS did not respond. Be sure you have your GPS enabled and try again. Burgersdorp residents outside Tzaneen will have to wait a little longer to have running water in their area, as the Mopani District Municipality says it is busy refurbishing one of the boreholes there. It also says it is waiting for Eskom to energise two additional boreholes that have been drilled in the area. Municipal spokesperson Odas Ngobeni adds that they have upgraded the Tours Water Treatment Plant, but are awaiting an approval on the technical drawings for reticulation at Burgersdorp. Meanwhile, these residents have told Capricorn FM News that the challenge has been ongoing for years and say that buying water has become unaffordable. Copyright © 2022Capricorn FM.All rights reserved SuperSport Schools Plus Relive the action on SuperSport Schools – Register now – Link to the game The Gouties fought valiantly to hold Welkom Gim within range during the first half through the boot of their flyhalf Ronaldo Kiewiet added another hattrick to his exceptional try-scoring record for the black jerseys and Welkom Gim tightened the screws in the second half to storm to a 48-9 victory With 11 players in this year’s provisional Griffons Craven Week team Welkom Gimnasium has set the pace in the region this season and they will be the heavy favourites when entering the playoff stages next term Ethan Jones and Dyllan Kemp all crossed the Goutie try line to the delight of the home supporters Hoërskool Trio weathered a spirited Hentie Cilliers‘ attack to score a hard-fought 26-22 victory with their flyhalf Byron Biennas pulling the strings from the midfield but the side from Virginia showed excellent fighting spirit to outscore Trio 19-11 in the second half Xander Wiltshire and Mosa Sesedi drove Henties to a 22-18 lead with only five minutes left to play but another penalty by Biennas and a last-minute try by Jayden Windvogel grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat for the proud Kroonstad outfit the industrious winger hacked through a loose ball from his own goal line and outpaced the Henties’ defenders to score a dramatic winner for Trio Landboudal continued their impressive run of form on the farm in Jacobsdal to take down Jim Fouché The first 35 minutes was a closely contested battle but the home team surged to victory in the second half Fichardtpark also continued building on their recent good form with a second win of the week After a 36-14 triumph over HTS Louis Botha in a midweek clash the Fichies surged to a 43-22 victory over Hoërskool Burgersdorp on Saturday Duan Viviers crossed the whitewash twice for the Bloemfontein boys Welkom Gimnasium 48 (17) – Tries: Renaldo Kiewiet (3) Goudveld 9 (9) – Penalties: Ruben Crous (2) Hoërskool Trio 26 (15) – Tries: Keanu Swanepoel Hentie Cilliers 22 (3) – Tries: Ashwon Mellen Landboudal 31 (14) – Tries: Jannie de Waal (2) Jim Fouché 17 (12) – Tries: Milan Marais Fichardtpark 43 – Tries: Duan Viviers (2) Related News Junior Springboks rotate team for Australia clash SA Rugby 2025-05-05 Junior Springbok coach Kevin Foote has made several rotational changes to his starting line-up and included four players who played Hilton College captured a hard-fought 25-20 victory over their arch-rivals Glenwood fullback Joshua Kopp kicked the Durban side to a tense one-point victory over Marlow Landbou in a low-scoring thriller Die Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool se Wit Bulle is vanjaar van stoetgehalte Affies het vir Boland Landbou met 74-14 gekarnuffel The third and final day of the 2025 Absa Wildeklawer kicked off with three emphatic victories on the B-field at Junior Springbok coach Kevin Foote has made several rotational changes to his starting line-up and included four players who played We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings we will not be able to save your preferences This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again This article may contain graphic and/or adult content unsuitable for minors and sensitive readers Two funeral parlour workers were killed after the mortuary vehicle they were travelling in overturned on the R391 between Burgersdorp and Steynsburg on Saturday The Provincial Transport Department says one person believed to have been picked up while hitchhiking sustained serious injuries and was taken to the Burgersdorp Provincial Hospital. Unathi Binqose says the Toyota with the three men was travelling from Steynsburg when the driver lost control He says it is suspected that alcohol use may have played a role in the accident Police are investigating a case of culpable homicide an exclusive podcast on the life of Vicki Terblanche Dive into the expansive world of motoring with Naresh Maharaj Join Mark Marshall as he shares his extraordinary encounters with everything from bees to reptiles i “The people of the Eastern Cape made their own Level 1 before the country hit Level 1,” said the province’s Health MEC on Tuesday in response to a coronavirus outbreak at a school in Burgersdorp She detailed how an initial small outbreak of fewer than 20 pupils had now escalated to 102 people in Burgersdorp and another 60 in Middelburg.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads “The sad news of massive outbreaks of Covid-19 under learners from Ethembeni Senior Secondary School and Maletswai Primary School in Burgersdorp and Ekuphumleni High School in Middleburg came at a time when the numbers of the pandemic countrywide were reported to be decreasing daily “The Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize once alluded that we are not yet out of the woods the second surge of the virus might get us when our guards are down the Department of Health has since conducted a risk assessment where initially 20 learners in Burgersdorp were infected.” She said 750 pupils and teachers had been tested at Ethembeni High School one teacher and 26 community members tested positive for Covid-19 Eight pupils had recovered and had been discharged from the isolation site Four pupils tested positive at Emzimkhulu Primary School The results of a further 103 tests were expected soon two From Nonyaniso Primary school and 25 community members tested positive Gomba said people have been playing soccer and “going on about their chores” as usual, even before President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the country would progress to Level 1 of lockdown from Sunday.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads Ramaphosa ordered the national lockdown in March after the first cases of coronavirus infections were reported in South Africa Restrictive measures have been lifted gradually since as the number of infections in the country dropped Gomba said she believed the province “managed to climb the mountain” We are strengthening them to keep on looking for cases Those who tested positive were taken into quarantine in state facilities in Aliwal North and Steynsburg except for an elderly person who was isolated in hospital The Health MEC urged communities to obey lockdown regulations Eastern Cape MEC for Education Fundile Gade said the outbreak had opened the government’s eyes on how to manage Covid-19 “The environment is a bit intoxicated with ill-discipline,” he said adding that they suspected taverns had not complied with lockdown regulations “Education is a microcosm of society. It is a mirror. [The outbreak] should not have happened and should have been properly managed.”advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads News of the outbreak came as core Eastern Cape Education Department staff were being called back Gade said 154 matrics had not returned to school “Some are ill, some have not returned due to the anxiety and fears of their parents and some fell pregnant during lockdown.” advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads was a concern; Gomba said his department would ask the national department to consider alternative assessments for the pupils including those living in its two townships Three smaller outbreaks in old age homes in the Joe Gqabi Municipality include 37 cases and five deaths in the Dirk Postma old age home in Burgersdorp 29 in Huis van der Horst in Aliwal North and three at the Barkley East Diens Sentrum There had also been a small outbreak at the Burgersdorp prison The district has the lowest number of tests in the province at only 9,941 (2.4% of the provincial tally of tests) but the highest positivity rate at 29.2% AVBOB celebrates a milestone by rewarding its members on a large scale JOHANNESBURG - The Walter Sisulu Municipality in the Eastern Cape admits its promise to build a state-of-the-art stadium has fallen flat Over R15m was set aside to renovate a sporting facility in Burgersdorp The Danie Craven Stadium was earmarked for completion in 2017 the community’s anger grows as the stadium lies in ruin The municipality has promised to redeem itself by fixing up the venue eNCA's Ronald Masinda has the details in the video above Home | South Africa The Eastern Cape Education Department has attributed the coronavirus outbreak in Burgersdorp to non-compliance with COVID-19 regulations This is after 102 learners at Ethembeni High School in the area tested positive for the virus in less than four days Briefing the media, MEC Fundile Gade says stringent measures have been put in place to contain the spread of the virus. A multi-disciplinary team has been deployed to the affected area to curb the spread of the virus in the school. Investigations revealed that some members in the affected areas are acting as if the virus has disappeared. These actions include staging sporting activities and other social gatherings which disregard the regulations. MEC Fundile Gade says provisions have been made for matric candidates to continue with their trial exams. “We have been able to manage that outbreak in particular to the environment that is a bit intoxicated with a bit of ill-discipline, social illnesses within the township where the school is located, and a bit on non-compliance of the taverns that are in that space.” The Eastern Cape government says despite the shocking revelation of the coronavirus outbreak at the school, indications are that the province has weathered the COVID-19 storm and that the Department of Health remains resolute. The outbreak at the school and two other schools comes at a time when infection numbers are coming down. Health MEC Sindiswa Gomba says her department has now conducted a risk assessment in the area and 750 learners and teachers have been tested. In Middleburg, 26 learners and 25 community members tested positive and have been isolated. The Department of Education says it will continue with awareness programmes as part of curbing the spread of the virus. Below are the latest coronavirus stats in SA: (function(d){var js, id="pikto-embed-js", ref=d.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];if (d.getElementById(id)) { return;}js=d.createElement("script"); js.id=id; js.async=true;js.src="https://create.piktochart.com/assets/embedding/embed.js";ref.parentNode.insertBefore(js, ref);}(document)); Eskom has disconnected and reported to the South African Police Services, houses that were illegally connected to the electricity at Mineview village in Burgersdorp. This after a four-year-old boy died after he was electrocuted by an open live wire in the village on Sunday. Eskom spokesperson in Mopani Thomas Ceko says almost 50 houses were found to be illegally connected to their nearby transformer. Ceko says they also discovered that the boy was playing next to a bush when he touched the electric wire and got electrocuted. He says this incident should serve as a painful wake up call for people all over the country to avoid illegal connections. BURGERSDORP-The Police in Maake have launched a massive manhunt for four unknown male armed suspects responsible for a robbery committed on Tuesday 07 November 2023 at Burgersdorp village outside Tzaneen in Mopani District It is alleged that on Tuesday 07 November 2023 at about 19:45 a 34-year-old female from Mhangweni village was driving in a white motor vehicle Volkswagen Polo collecting four Ethiopian male nationals from Burgersdorp she was blocked by a blue Volkswagen Polo TSI with registration number KX88NKGP with four unknown male occupants It is alleged that the suspects accosted the four male Ethiopians and robbed them at gunpoint of undisclosed amount of money and cellphones then fled the scene with the blue VW Polo The Police were summoned to the scene and upon arrival they discovered that one shot of a rifle was shot without any injuries reported Police have immediately activated a manhunt for the suspects of robbery with a firearm Anyone with information that can assist in arresting the suspects should contact the Investigating Officer Captain Jan Kekana at 082 319 9742 or Crime Stop at 08600 10111 alternatively report to the nearest Police Station Information can also be shared anonymously on the MySAPS App Emergency electrical repairs to a borehole and to infrastructure at the Chiapinnisklip Dam have been made in an effort to lift water restrictions in Burgersdorp where an outbreak of coronavirus infections since the beginning of September has seen cases rise to 229 Burgersdorp residents have had access to water for only seven hours every second day since the beginning of 2020. The municipality had refused to lift the restrictions during lockdown.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads In response to a request on 20 March by the Democratic Alliance councillor Marina van Zyl to lift water restrictions in the town “We appreciate your interest in responding to the current national disaster related to Covid-19 but it must be seen with the co-running drought disaster We need to temper Covid-19 issues with the drought disaster and operational challenges and not let one result in a crisis in the other area.” the JL de Bruin Dam and the Chiapinnisklip Dam “These are not yet deemed to be secure water sources,” Williams wrote “community members have been encouraged to store water on site.” Williams said that while the percentage of positive cases in the Eastern Cape had been dropping and now stood at 20.2% had been rising and on 20 September reached 33% In the week of 20 September, the town had a similar number of cases to those in July and August when South Africa was undergoing a surge of infections.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads The first sign of an outbreak was discovered in Burgersdorp’s Ethembeni High School where 102 pupils Williams said Burgersdorp had been the hardest hit with 229 cases or an incidence rate of 1,431/100,000 while Aliwal North had 73 cases (an incidence rate of 209/100,000) translating to an incidence rate of 520/100,000 that would add eight beds and two high care beds were now being “micromanaged” by the Eastern Cape Department of Public Works as progress was too slow Williams said the 20-bed isolation site in Aliwal North was expected to be ready only by October Alterations to the Steynsburg Hospital that will add 16 beds and two high care beds will be completed only by the end of October He said that of 65 funerals monitored by municipal officials but only 36 were found to be compliant with safety regulations Van Zyl said the pump house for the bigger of the town’s two dams had been vandalised and had not been repaired the town was reliant on eight or nine boreholes for water the municipality issued the seven state mortuaries in the area with prohibition notices for being non-compliant but 28 of the 29 private mortuaries passed safety tests A spokesperson for the Eastern Cape Department of Health said it had been agreed that the electricity supply to a borehole and the Chiapinnisklip Dam would be restored to make more water available in Burgersdorp and allow for the lifting of water restrictions He said another risk in the town was a lack of isolation facilities but there was a plan to create additional capacity in Steynsburg if needed Kupelo said the lack of space at Burgersdorp Hospital had been noted and other hospitals had been prepared for possible cases Van Zyl said there had been absolute chaos in Burgersdorp The way the municipality had dealt with the water issue had been “a complete and utter failure” “Many of the residents in Burgersdorp are very frustrated with the water situation. We were all waiting for something to happen. For a small town, this outbreak is a massive blow. We are heading into the week when the grants will be paid out and I am scared that this will make the outbreak even worse.”advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads Kids now have to suffer because of that,” Van Zyl said BURGERSDORP- The theft of steel gates is again on the rise in Burgersdorp village under Greater Tzaneen The nocturnal activities of the thieves have left many families in limbo as they are suddenly feeling exposed to yet more criminal acts as a result of the missing gates Sonto Tiba woke up to her front porch wide open because of the missing steel gates REWARD: There is a reward if you assist police to find suspect as none of the neighbours purported to have heard any loud noises during the robbery Maake Police have confirmed that a case has been opened and investigations are underway Sonto Tiba indicated that anyone who might have information that can assist the police to locate her gate will be rewarded If you have information please contact: 060 6473 051 or your nearest police station BURGERSDORP family of five from Burgersdorp village in Greater Tzaneen shares a dilapidated one-room shack with no electricity To add to their misery the husband and wife are unemployed they depend on their three children’s social grants for survival the family lives in abject poverty with their children Our home situation has worsened because my husband and I are not working Our shack is on the brink of collapse and I don’t think it will withstand the rainy season this year If we can get help with building materials to build a stronger structure I will be happy because the RDP house application is a lengthy process “ Malatji said that the GTM Ward 28 councillor Goodman Nkhwashu was once approached for help but to no avail Cllr Nkhwashu was not reachable on his mobile when contacted for comment BURGERSDORP – Shiluvane Circuit hosted its annual Excellence Awards Ceremony to honor the best-performing schools at the state-of-the-art Burgersdorp School This event was held in celebration of the Shiluvane Circuit’s remarkable achievement of an 86.3% pass rate in the 2024 matric exams under the leadership of Circuit Manager Dr This outstanding achievement prompted the District Director to give the circuit the blessing to host the prestigious Excellence Awards Ceremony The event was a symbol of dedication and hard work with a special acknowledgment of the efforts made by everyone involved in the academic success of Shiluvane Circuit Guests were welcomed to the event by the Maroboni Primary School drum majorettes encouraged Shiluvane Circuit to aim even higher in the upcoming year She posed a thought-provoking question to the attendees: “Imagine if schools such as Pherehla and Burgersdorp had not dropped some percentage points Modika challenged the circuit to set its sights on becoming one of the top performers in the province “I am saying this today as we celebrate; let us develop a kind of anger amongst ourselves to push harder and do better,” she emphasized She also urged everyone to go back to their respective schools and evaluate plans for improvement The speakers throughout the ceremony praised the unwavering commitment shown by teachers Special recognition was given to Myakayaka Junior School achieving a remarkable 77.4% in the 2024 matric results The ceremony also celebrated the top-performing schools in the 2024 matric exams: The achievements were celebrated with pride and the recipients were honored for their exceptional efforts The District Director also highlighted the importance of understanding how to improve further particularly for schools that saw slight drops in their performance Khathaza High led the circuit with 97.1% success The ceremony also recognized several distinguished individuals and groups for their contributions to the success of the circuit SAPS Sector Commanders (Sergeant Monakhisi and Constable Motloutsi) and the Class of 2024 Grade 12 Learners and Parents This prestigious ceremony not only celebrated the academic accomplishments of Shiluvane Circuit but also served as a platform for motivating educators and the entire community to continue striving for excellence in the coming years As the district sets its sights on even higher goals for 2025 and strategic planning is more crucial than ever South Africa (25 May 2022) – The final piece in the SPAR Eastern Cape Schoolgirls Hockey Challenge puzzle was put in place when Queenstown Girls’ High School (GHS) retained their title in the East London Inland leg on Sunday the defending champions defeated Aliwal North High in the final to qualify for the provincial playoffs in Gqeberha on August 13 and 14 GHS put in a dominant performance to beat their Aliwal rivals 3-0 in the tournament decider Aliwal North were contesting their second regional final having reached the same stage in 2017 when they were beaten 1-0 by Kingsridge who won their first regional title last year held sway in what tournament director Bev Forword described as another excellent day of schoolgirls’ hockey “It was a lovely, crisp morning in Queenstown and it was exciting to have a record 10 teams competing in this regional tournament,” she said. “This included Umtata High, who were playing in the event for the first time.” with GHS and Burgersdorp dominating pool B and Aliwal North and three-time regional winners Kingsridge being the teams to beat in pool A with Burgersdorp and GHS playing some really good hockey throughout the morning,” she said GHS produced their best hockey to beat Burgersdorp 3-1 in the pool game to give them first spot “In pool A it was a similar story as Aliwal North and Kingsridge dominated with Aliwal North winning the key match 3-0 to qualify for the final.” She added that the final got off to a slow start as the teams tried to find their rhythm in the first 10 minutes “The deadlock was broken by a very good field goal by GHS and they then quickly capitalised on their lead with a further two goals to run out 3-0 winners “Aliwal North never gave up and pushed really hard in the last few minutes but could not convert any of those chances.” The EL Inland leg completed the five regional tournaments and SPAR EC sponsorships and events manager Alan Stapleton said the whole concept had been another resounding success “After two years of disruption because of Covid it was so good to get back onto the field and we are super impressed with the level of hockey despite the time the girls have missed,” he said the spirit shown by the girls and spectators and the vibe of the occasion makes this a special tournament for us and we look forward to the final showdown in August.” The other teams who will play in the provincial finals are DSG (PE Inland) Clarendon High (EL Coastal) and Outeniqua (Southern Cape) The finals are set to be exciting as these schools come together to play it out for the top spot "a5dae695b7d7327b0d77d50ada7c23d6" );document.getElementById("d2d9e305b5").setAttribute( "id" Be sure you have your GPS enabled and try again Rouxville Boeredag is an annual community event supported by visitors from Aliwal North Lady Grey and other neighbouring towns to Rouxville The day is a fun-filled day out for the whole family It kicks off with a fun run & cycling in the morning There is a kid's play area with all kinds of activities including a jumping castle an interesting programme with activities for women a tent with farming & livestock exhibitions a large tent with live music for the afternoon a tent pegging event and the highlight of the day is the closing show with our main artists for this year: Barto and Brendan Peyper GAVAZA VILLAGE— A Body of a man was found at Local sports in Gavaza village outside Burgersdorp in Greater Tzaneen following an alleged mob justice attack on Thursday morning When Maake police responded to a call on Thursday Morning upon arrival at Two for Joy they found the body of an unknown male who sustained fatal injuries The victim was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel The motive for the attack is still to be confirmed word spread like wildfire that two suspected burglars were chased by patrollers after they were spotted in possession of stolen goods in the wee hours of Thursday It is alleged that one suspect was caught and found carrying a pig with a wheelbarrow Another suspect managed to flee into the bushes The other one was caught and dragged to Two for Joy sports ground where he was beaten by a mob and left there fighting for his life Police were investigating a case of murder and urged anyone with information to call Crime Stop on 08600 10111 NKOWANKOWA-A woman in her late 50s is currently recovering in hospital after she was beaten up and tied up in House Robbery at Mariveni (Dee Beer) outside Nkowankowa in Greater Tzaneen just after midnight at around 00:10 on Friday It is alleged that Four suspects armed with Iron rods entered the house and tied the owner and took her white Toyota club cab registration number FHY 182 L After alerting the police and private security K9 anti-hijacking secure the vehicle was later recovered at Burgersdorp’s new stand along R36 after Gavaza village According to the police the vehicle’s number plate was removed and the car was stripped a little inside No arrest has been at this stage police are searching for suspects and appealing to anyone with information to contact the nearest police station or crime stop hotline at 0800 10111 KINGSRIDGE had another successful outing when they won the Border Inland tournament in the SPAR Eastern Cape Schoolgirls Hockey Challenge for the second time in Queenstown on Sunday The King William’s Town school qualified for the provincial finals in August after defeating Aliwal North High 1-0 in the final Tournament director Bev Forword said the match was the culmination of another “wonderful day of hockey in which the players had fun and showed great sportsmanship” She said one of the highlights of the tournament was the exciting cross-pool play-off between Aliwal North and hosts Queenstown Girls’ High “Aliwal equalised with two minutes to go and forced a penalty shoot-out “It is the second year in a row that Girls’ High have lost in a shoot-out after being edged by Burgersdorp last year,” Forword said but could not contain the strong attacking play of Kingsridge Forword made special mention of tournament debutants St Christopher from King William’s Town “They have never played on astroturf before but performed with such passion and with a great spirit They ended up sixth which was highly commendable.” SPAR Eastern Cape promotions and advertising manager Alan Stapleton said they welcomed newcomers such as St Christopher as well as for schools such as Aliwal North Kingsridge join Union High of Graaff-Reinet as the first two qualifiers for the provincial finals on August 12 The Schoolgirls Challenge will continue on Sunday with the Border Coastal tournament in East London Recaptcha Change Image Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Home | Sci-tech A second wave of coronavirus infections is a point of concern for the Eastern Cape government The infection rate in some regions is rising there was a mass outbreak at a school in Burgersdorp where 102 people were infected the number of infections in this region has risen to 192 says resources will be redirected to the affected areas to curb the spread “It shall put a lot of strain on government whether its Eastern Cape or whoever if our own people can be careless at this pointing time because it only takes one match stick to light the fire secondly our structures as I say they are not dismantled for instance as I was coming here the whole IMT meeting was on which is chaired by Dr Zungu with all the districts so that our structures are still strong,” says Gomba the Department of Health confirmed the total number of cases as 671 669 The country also recorded 188 new COVID-19 related fatalities bringing the total number of deaths to 16 586 Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize stated that most of the new deaths were recorded in the Free State we report 188 more COVID-19 related deaths: “3 from the Eastern Cape 4 from the Western Cape and 178 from the Free State,” says Dr Mkhize The cumulative number of tests conducted to date is 4 152 480 The number of recoveries now stands at 604 478 #COVID19 Statistics in SA as at 28 September Use the COVID Alert SA app to protect yourself, your loved ones and your community. Start using this privacy preserving app today. Add your phone to the fight! Download the Covid Alert SA app now! https://t.co/8YKEqaiiRF pic.twitter.com/vVcB2xhsrH — Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) September 28, 2020 MEC Gomba on possibility of COVID-19 second wave: thesouthafrican.com is a division of Blue Sky Publications Ltd Reproduction without permission prohibited Home » HAIL storms expected TODAY in these parts of SA The SA Weather Services warned that HAIL storms are expected in these parts TODAY HAIL storms are expected in these parts of South Africa TODAY The SA Weather Services (SAWS) issued a level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms and hail until Monday afternoon ALSO READ: Load shedding for the WEEK – Here is the updated schedule The following parts of the country will be affected by the warning: The SAWS furthermore warned that the impact of this warning could cause localised damage to settlements over an open area. ALSO READ: AVOID beachfront activities- WARNING for damaging waves Large amounts of small hail is also expected over an open area “Do not seek shelter under trees or tall objects during storms Large hail is likely on Monday in the extreme east lighting could result in localised fire incidents(dwelling/Veld fire) Do not seek shelter under trees or tall objects as both the golf clubs and fishing rods are good conductors of electricity strong winds and heavy downpours can accompany the storms.” ALSO READ: Disruptive rain, mudslides and rockfalls expected in these parts of SA Please WhatsApp your photos to 060 011 0211. Please remember to include your name and as many details and information as you have welcome to send anonymous tips and information ALSO READ: SIX major changes for WhatsApp that you need to know about This can certainly be a traumatic experience depending on the size of the hailstones ‘prevention is better than cure – it is better to be prepared than to suffer huge damage to your car and property The following steps can be followed to minimise potential damage Follow us on Facebook for the latest breaking news, polls - and more! Gayton McKenzie has finally registered a foundation in Joslin Smith’s name days after her mom was found guilty of kidnapping and trafficking Today’s Daily Lotto jackpot stands at an estimated R520 000 If you want to win your share of the jackpot City Power Johannesburg has announced that a planned power outage will affect 8 suburbs on Tuesday Babylonstoren has announced the opening of BLOU at Keurbooms a new coastal escape on South Africa’s Garden Route Soweto giants Orlando Pirates will battle Golden Arrows in the Betway Premiership minus two clutch players After a series of public holidays in South Africa over the last month here is the next one to mark down in your calendar