The Herald

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 some of his successes and failures, from a promise to fill all the metro’s potholes to the first-class flight to China controversy. As for p...

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 have contributed to the accidents, including drivin...

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 part. But questions have been raised if there are enough...

“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 a speculative survey along the Agulhas Banks, and if...

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 immediate removal of colonial heritage sites, statues and portraits of apartheid mayors across the metro. Apart from Queen Victor...

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 searches. Weekend Post recently reported that two wo...

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 vote. Speaking on Behind The Herald Headlines with Daron Mann this week, Eastern Cape IEC...

“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 to the bleak reality of their gang-ridden areas, where child-headed households, infrastructure issues and dru...

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 Rugby, asking it to reconsider. The tour started in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Soweto — conclu...

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 talks us through her race — including “the toughest and wors...

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 whistle “and then it's business as usual and everybody returns to the legacy from where the Springbok de...

“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 9pm on Saturday. On Friday night, it will be a battle of the southern hemisphere as Argentina and New Zealand fight f...

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 in the price of chicken and eggs due to avian flu sweeping across the country. The shock waves in the poultry industry coi...

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 who lost his appeal to overturn a two-year ban for contravening the South African Rugby Union (Saru) constitution and its c...

'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 a parallel structure of the party linked to Japie Jansen.  Jansen and Van Niekerk both...

In this latest episode of That Weekend Feeling, Daron Mann speaks with Bruce Young, the director of Blood Lions, a documentary that follows a quest by environmentalists to learn the truth about South Africa's multimillion-dollar businesses of predator breeding and canned lion hunting. Policies, laws, and practices relating to the management, breeding, hunting, and commerce of lions have been chang...

Dams are filling up nicely, but it will be up to the department of water & sanitation to officially declare the Nelson Mandela Bay drought over. So says the regional spokesperson for the SA Weather Service, Garth Sampson, in Behind The Herald Headlines with Daron Mann this week, after torrential rain at the weekend broke the Bay’s “meteorological drought”. Sampson — who explains the difference bet...

Thousands of South Africans have visited South African National Parks (SANParks) around the country this week as part of the annual South African National Parks Week. The initiative — including Nelson Mandela Bay's closest park, Addo Elephant National Park — has been running for 18 years with more than 700,000 taking advantage of the opportunity to explore most of the country's national parks for...

South Africa, a land with a rich heritage, and a diverse cultural landscape where twelve official languages weave tales of history, resistance, celebration, and hope. Today we explore the rich traditions, histories, and stories that shape who we are. We chat to Luchae Williams and Riaan Marais on what heritage means to them. The Herald

There are no holy cows when it comes to whether mayors or municipal managers who underspend their budgets are suitable to hold the positions they do, co-operative governance MEC Zolile Williams says.  “It’s either people shape up or ship out,” he says, as continuous underspending will result in poor service delivery to communities.  “I will not accept any excuses when municipalities fail to spend...

Absolutely amazing. That is how Proteas Women rookie Mieke de Ridder describes her international debut, joining the squad on their tour to Pakistan that ended this week. In That Weekend Feeling with Daron Mann this week, De Ridder, who encourages young women to pursuit cricket if it's their passion, tells us about her experience in Karachi. The Herald

Whether you're seeking knowledge for yourself, a loved one, or just to be better informed, you're in the right place. Today on S'wana Know we're delving deep into the realm of gynecological cancers, shining a light on a topic that, for too long, has remained in the shadows. We chat to Dr Melissa Pietersen a registrar in Radiation Oncology at Livingstone Hospital in Gqeberha. The Herald

Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Gary van Niekerk has vowed to engage with the relevant municipal officials over the shoddy state of roads in Rocklands. Fed up farmers plan to protest, saying the crumbling roads and a lack of signage pose a risk to pedestrians and road users.  In Behind The Herald Headlines with Daron Mann this week, Van Niekerk appeals to residents to give him two weeks to address their...

As a young boy he saw little prospect of doing more beyond helping his grandmother raise several of his family members in a township in Dikeni. Fast forward and the now mathematical statistician and PhD recipient Dr Sisa Pazi has managed to do exactly that and a lot more. The 32-year-old made history at Nelson Mandela University by becoming one of the youngest holders of the degree in the institut...

The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality has launched a load curtailment pilot project that allows participating users to keep their lights and security alarms on during load-shedding. The success of the project will be determined over the next three months and, if everything goes according to plan, it will be gradually introduced to other areas around the metro. The pilot project area, comprising 125...