Eastern Cape Department of Transport and SANRAL take career expo to Cofimvaba Caption: Learners in attendance at the Career Expo in Intsika Yethu 31 July 2024 – Investment in education was highlighted as one of the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited’s (SANRAL) strategic considerations during a career expo that took place at the Cofimvaba Senior Secondary School yesterday (Tuesday Attended by more than 1 500 Grade 7 to 12 learners from schools from around the Intsika Yethu Local Municipality the career expo was a joint initiative between the Eastern Cape Department of Transport and SANRAL to expose learners in rural and remote schools to careers in the transport sector “SANRAL is cognisant that access to information remains a major challenge in our rural and township schools therefore platforms such as these are an instrumental solution,” said Welekazi Ndika Ndika also spoke of SANRAL’s scholarship and bursary programmes which are intended to offer financial assistance to academically deserving and financially constrained learners applications for which will be open until the end of September The career expo was used to encourage learners to pursue science engineering and mathematics (STEM) related careers as the country continues to have a major skills gap in these fields Giving words of encouragement to the learners You need to commit yourself in life because you are Acting Circuit Manager from the Department of Education was full of praise for the science programme introduced to schools “We have scores of learners from Cofimvaba who excelled in Maths and Science and have taken part in expos We are excited when our children get exposed to careers as future leaders because if you don’t get the right skills others will snatch this country and run it Exhibitors opened their stalls to sell their organisations on how learners can access information to help them mould their future Almost all exhibitors stressed the importance of getting high entry marks for acceptance at tertiary level Walter Sisulu University Marketing and Communications Officer Mandlakazi Kekezwa says this year learners know a lot about career choices “I suppose they get more information from the radio career expos and in August we have an Open Day where we will invite learners to our campuses,” said Kekezwa Learners participated in a quiz competition and won individual prizes and prize money for their schools “It is always fun to test the learners’ general knowledge but to also rewarding and a confidence booster for them to win prizes for their schools,” said Ndika Participating schools included Cofimvaba Senior Secondary School Wodehouse Primary School and Mahlubini Primary School 0861 99 00 44    Studio@smile904.fm Khayelitsha’s ‘most feared’ resident, Yanga “Bara” Nyalara, who has been evading the law for several years as witnesses are too scared to testify against him, has reportedly been killed in a shoot-out with police in the Eastern Cape Nyalara has been in and out of the court system with charges never sticking as the state struggles to link him to crimes ALSO READ: Notorious Khayelitsha accused Yanga “Bara” Nyalara freed According to Eastern Cape police spokesperson Siphokazi Mawisa officers attached to the National Intervention Unit had received information about two vehicles filled with firearms driving on the N2 from Cofimvaba None of the officers involved sustained injuries during the incident © Smile904.fm hosted and supported by ImmediaTerms of Use | General Contest Guidelines|Archive|Advertise with us|Privacy Policy|Contact Us When Nobuntu Nose from Mthimbini in Cofimvaba Eastern Cape embarked on her farming journey From failed harvests and land politics to balancing farming while working as a full-time teacher But she did not take it lying down and turned every challenge into a lesson Nose always knew she wanted to pursue agricultural studies The passion was sparked during her high school with agriculture as one of her subjects she attended Fort Hare University from 2008 to 2012 and earned a BSc in agricultural economics While working as a sales intern at Dicla Trainings and Projects in Queenstown Nose discovered the real potential for earning from farming “That’s how the drive to start a business began,” she explains realising she needed capital to start farming Nose decided to pursue a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) at Walter Sisulu University in Queenstown in 2016 Teachers were in high demand in the Eastern Cape at that time and she thought it would be a good way for her to earn money and save towards her agricultural dream she secured a position as a high school teacher where she taught agricultural management practices at Arthur Mfebe Agricultural School in Cofimvaba Nose started her farming business by leasing one hectare of land in Qamata she switched to planting green maize on half a hectare She explains that she sent the maize to Cape Town where she had many customers who bought it to resell and send them by long-distance taxis to our clients in Cape Town.” Nose decided to plant cabbage and moved to a new location due to communal politics She leased another patch of land in one of the Qamata areas and set up an irrigation system One of the workers forgot to close the tap during a three-day rainstorm “After three days of rain and continuous irrigation the cabbage was essentially swimming in water.” She already had a market lined up and the cabbage was almost ready for harvest the deep slope of the farm made it difficult to drain the excess water the cabbage roots were saturated and began to rot,” she explains with a deep sigh Nose planted green maize and cabbage again “The advantage was that I was farming near the road Her clientele extended as far as people from Gqeberha coming to Cofimvaba green maize and cabbage are profitable and not as labour-intensive as spinach she planted cabbage again but had to go to Pretoria to mark exams and people from the local community allowed their livestock to graze on her crops I was demotivated and decided to take a break.” leasing a different property where she planted cabbages “I always ensure that I have cabbage available She maintains a continuous planting schedule for cabbage to ensure a steady supply and consistent cash flow Her customer base extends across Cofimvaba supplying to street vendors and local shops as well as larger retailers like Spar in Cacadu and small businesses in the surrounding villages Although she faced many challenges and briefly considered giving up farming Nose says financial difficulties in 2022 made her reconsider I remembered that farming wasn’t a bad idea after all She took these lessons to heart and used them as motivation to continue Nose emphasises that effective farm management is essential Hiring someone knowledgeable in farm management is crucial; otherwise READ NEXT: Erratic summer weather put crop farmers on the back foot Sign up for Mzansi Today: Your daily take on the news and happenings from the agriculture value chain Shocking footage from Daybreak Foods’ farms reveals thousands of starving chickens turn cannibalistic as feed runs out With 21 global awards in the first six years of its existence Food For Mzansi is much more than an agriculture publication unashamedly saluting the unsung heroes of South African agriculture We believe in the power of agriculture to promote nation building and social cohesion by telling stories that are often overlooked by broader society Contact usOffice: +27 21 879 1824News: info@foodformzansi.co.zaAdvertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za Dr Blade Nzimande and Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane will today launch and unveil an Innovation Science Facility in Cofimvaba The state-of-the-art science centre equipped with advanced green technologies is located in Cofimvaba under the Chris Hani District Municipality the Eastern Cape Provincial Government said that the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and its partners has collaborated with the Department of Basic Education as well as the Eastern Cape Department of Education in the establishment of the Science Centre “The facility will cater for and promote science awareness among the youth and the broader community in the Chris Hani District Municipality including school-going learners and teachers Science and Technology activities with training venues and permanent Science exhibitions,” the provincial government said The centre is also aimed at hosting teacher development programmes initiated by and in close cooperation with the Queenstown Provincial Teacher Development Institute as well as provide laboratory services to surrounding schools. – SAnews.gov.za  General Enquiries newsfiles@gcis.gov.za Tel: 012 473 0213Editor Roze Britz roze@gcis.gov.za News Editor Janine Arcangeli janine@gcis.gov.zaEditor-in-Chief Zanele Mngadizanelemngadi@gcis.gov.za  Please check your email and enter your one time pin below:   Open in Gmail Sorry there was an error loading the audio Protesters from villages near Cofimvaba in the Eastern Cape closed the R61 on Monday with rocks and burning tyres Police used rubber bullets to disperse the protest.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads The protesters said the Intsika Yethu Local Municipality had built a gravel road in 2013 but left it unfinished They said for the past eight years they had been begging the municipality to fix it with no luck Community leader Mzikhona Mtini said when residents threatened not to vote in the upcoming local government elections the municipality had sent a tractor-loader-backhoe (TLB) vehicle to fix the road but the vehicle broke water pipes installed by residents Mtini said the residents stopped the work and called the municipality to fix the broken pipes but no one came leaving us with no water and that angered residents,” said Mtini “Those pipes we bought ourselves after they failed to provide us with clean water People volunteered their time to dig trenches from the mountain to the village so we can have water we are not going to allow that,” said Mtini Intsika Yethu Municipality Speaker Khanyiswa Mdleleni was addressing residents She told residents that the municipality can only help if they know what residents’ grievances are “Since the year 2000 we asked for clean water Intsika Yethu together with Chris Hani [District Municipality] failed to provide us with water We worked hard to install our taps — those that are dry now because of your TLB you only provided us with cement and a door We had to dig our holes to build our own toilets People who could not do it for themselves had to pay people to build them People are now relieving themselves in open fields,” said Mzinani “For years we have been asking for electricity and in 2016 you did provide us with electricity but for the past five years we have been telling you that this electricity is useless to us because we are always without it Almost every day here we have electricity cuts and they last for hours When it is raining we must forget about having electricity,” he said Your contractor left big rocks there claiming to be building a road The bridge you promised to build in 2017 — the material is still there,” he said “Residents had to donate money to buy cement so our cars can cross the river to another village,” he said Mzinani told municipal officials that in 2013 people had been promised houses. Some residents were forced to destroy their mud houses to make way for RDP houses, but the housing contractor has not returned.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads He said residents had vowed not to vote until all their grievances are taken care of.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads Mayor Bongani Mpengesi said he had sent the TLB to fix the gravel road but residents had chased it away You should have informed me first about the broken pipes Now I’m telling you I will not fix the road,” he said Mdleleni intervened trying to calm the situation but residents told Mpengesi that he is no longer allowed in their area Mzinani said this was not the first time Mpengesi showed a lack of respect for residents Some of the protesters had come from Qitsi village Zizinene resident Nolihle Gwadiso said she had to cross a river to get to Cofimvaba Nonisoni Buntse is still waiting for the house she was promised in 2013 is one of those who was promised a house in 2013 “The officials who came here told me to destroy my house to make way for an RDP house. I begged them to use another open space next to the house but they refused,” she said.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads She demolished her mud house and now lives in a single rondavel “Here it was me and my neighbour who were promised houses. She passed away waiting. And by the look of things I will also die waiting for the RDP,” she said.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads but in this upcoming local election I’m not going to vote,” she said Eastern Cape Human Settlements spokesperson Yanga Funani said the housing project was “currently stalled” and the tender for a new contract would be advertised next month “We anticipate to unblock the project in this Financial Year (2021-22) for appointment of service providers and contractors,” he said First published by GroundUp ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " The fuel cells, which have been operating at St Marks Junior Secondary School, Arthur Mfebe Senior Secondary School, and Mvuzo Junior Secondary School since September 2014, were commissioned by Clean Energy Investments, a South African company co-owned by the DST and Anglo-American Platinum (AAP). AAP sponsored the three platinum-based fuel cell systems, including installation and ongoing maintenance and operations, while Air Products supplies the hydrogen fuel. Each of the three schools is equipped with a 5KW fuel cell system, which provides standby power for charging learning devices, namely tablets, during power outages, explained Phillip Venn, engineering manager for packaged gases at Air Products SA. The fuel cells are linked to a remote monitoring system which informs Air Products of when they need to be refilled, said Venn. Each fuel cell is refilled every three to four weeks, he estimated. "As technology is incorporated into the education environment, power stability at schools is essential," said Gavin Coetzer, CEO at Clean Energy Investments. "Fuel cell standby power solutions are efficient, reliable, safe and quiet, ensuring a non-intrusive standby and - potentially - primary power solution." As part of the TECH4RED project, the DST will later this year install two solar power systems and a biogas system, as well as provide portable rechargeable batteries to learners in the area with no electricity in their homes. The vegetable garden and irrigation tanks at Arthur Mfebe Senior Secondary School, tended in partnership with the local community. Along with clean energy solutions, TECH4RED encompasses a variety of other technological developments for improving education, such as sanitation and agricultural technology. St Marks on Friday showed off a toilet developed by the Water Research Commission (WRC) which does not need to be connected to a mainstream sewage system, but eliminates many of the problems accompanying the pit latrines used in many under-resourced areas. The toilet, which can be fitted onto sewers, leach pits or pit latrines, has a water seal pump which blocks off the bad smell pervading pit latrines, explained Stuart Woolley, research manager at the WRC. The resulting lack of smell means these toilets can be installed closer to homes and school buildings, eliminating the safety concerns accompanying many pit latrines situated far from homes or buildings. Whereas most toilets use between four and 12 litres per flush, this toilet can be flushed with one to two litres of water by means of a tap connection, manually filling the cistern, or pouring water straight down the bowl, said Woolley. The toilet can also be flushed with grey water, he added. The toilet has been successfully operating at Arthur Mfebe for one year and at Mvuso Junior Secondary for two months, Woolley said. Arthur Mfebe on Friday showed off its 500 square-metre vegetable garden, which is run in partnership with the local community. The garden is used to teach learners commercial farming techniques, including the use of agricultural technologies such as irrigation systems, and business management skills, explained community leader David Mfebe. "I think what's been really exciting is that something that began looking at introducing technology for learning has now become an integrated response to a wide area of developmental challenges," said Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor. "What I hope is that we will out of this pilot see a much broader impact in many other communities." An initial concern with the fuel cells is the need for external monitoring and maintenance, Pandor said, adding the DST plans to organise training for local technicians to do the maintenance and repair operations required, fostering job creation and a more independent community. NATIONAL NEWS - Some two hours’ drive from East London Airport is a small village called Cofimvaba The village is said to have been named after a nearby stream which froths turbulently and resembles milk.  While this was probably the most fascinating fact about this deep rural village for a number of years something special happened that is set to change the fortunes of young people in the area The Department of Science and Innovation unveiled a high-tech state-of-the-art science centre which Minister Blade Nzimande described as “taking science to the people” as well as encouraging grass roots innovation.  “The project was aimed at improving education in rural areas by piloting technological innovation for water and sanitation “This science centre will be an educational facility that will house interactive exhibits and will use a hands-on approach to enable the people of Cofimvaba and the surrounding villages to experiment and engage with science “It is an expression of bringing science to the people so we also enhance the prospects for grassroots innovation The centre will also be an integral part of the infrastructure for science communication,” said the Minister of Science and Innovation Blade Nzimande.  The construction and associated civil works of the science centre were jointly funded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and the Eastern Cape Department of Education to the tune of R47.5 million and R13 million respectively Nzimande said the centre will serve 26 high schools in the area schools that previously relied on a mobile science unit donated by the Department of Science and Innovation and Sasol The centre is the first in South Africa to be purpose-designed technology and innovation used in the actual building The science centre has an off-grid power supply consisting of four renewable energy sources – photovoltaic panels Eskom power is available as a back-up.  The structure relies on rainwater harvesting and water recycling for its water supply the toilets are connected to a closed-loop bio-based system that recycles its own water and greywater is recycled through a constructed wetland.  Constructed using a light steel frame and insulated concrete composite the building uses solar chimneys for heating and cooling The centre offers not only science awareness activities and exhibits on various themes It is the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - an entity of the department - that designed this centre.  Its design demonstrates how extremely environmentally friendly buildings can be designed “The centre will produce the energy it needs through solar panels on the rooftop and small-scale wind turbines as energy generated on site can be fed back into the grid when the building has a surplus,” Nzimande said.  accompanied by Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane which also boasts a planetarium and a robotics exhibit.  “As you will have experienced during the site tour the science centre building was itself designed to be a science exhibit the innovative technologies used in construction and the technologies to be used for daily operations.  in which local scientists based mainly at science councils and universities were awarded grants to develop some of the exhibits.”     Nzimande said the centre will support the teaching of maths science and technology in the local schools as well as act as a teacher development centre to better equip maths and science educators.  with an equal split between science councils and universities “It is exciting that one of the scientists involved – Dr Usisipho Feleni who is attached to the Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability at UNISA “The moment she learnt about the establishment of this science centre stood up and offered to contribute to the centre’s development objectives.  this science centre is also a research project. However we do not yet have deeper knowledge of some of the technologies used in the construction of this building.” – SAnews.gov.za This article may contain graphic and/or adult content unsuitable for minors and sensitive readers One person has died while eight others sustained injuries in an accident involving a bus on the R61 between Komani and Cofimvaba The Eastern Cape Transport Department says the injured passengers were rushed to a hospital in Komani following Friday morning’s crash It’s alleged that the bus lost power while going up a hill The name of the female deceased has not yet been released said the bus ferrying people to a political event in Cofimvaba when the accident occurred A case of culpable homicide case has been opened for further investigations 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