BY Daily Kasi News Reporter

As per the official update, the matric results for learners in public schools are scheduled to be announced on 19 January 2023 and distributed by schools and exam centres on January 20.

Matric candidates will have until 3 February 2023 to request remarking or rechecking. A matriculation rewrite or improvement is available for those who wish to improve their scores in May/June 2023, according to the department.

To have your paper remarked, you would need to have failed 1 or more subjects in the National Senior Certificate/ABET Level 4 Examinations. However, if you passed, you may qualify after writing a letter of motivation.

Applications for remarking or rechecking close on 3 February 2023 for manual and online applications. No late applications will be accepted, and the applications MUST be done online at http://www.eservices.gov.zaThe cost for remarking is R110 a subject, re-checking is R27 a subject.

The fee for viewing is R212. Viewing of scripts may only be done after a re-mark or re-check of results. The closing date for applications is 7 days after release of re-mark or re-check results.

The Class of 2022 has clearly demonstrated that with all requisite support and intervention programmes, we can make it,” said Motshekga, adding that “we must prioritise our interventions on teaching and learning losses”.

In celebrating the great achievements of the class of 2022, Motshekga said it’s imperative to thank the principals, teachers, support staff, and parents.

“Schools are at the coalface of basic education delivery … what you do at the school level, is what matters the most … the future of our learners, and the prosperity of our nation, is in your hands … we applaud you for the great work you continue to do on a daily basis,” she said.

Exam watchdog Umalusi on Monday announced it has approved the release of the 2022 matric results, but was concerned over cheating allegations that emerged from some of the exam centres.

“Umalusi remains seriously concerned with reported cases of irregularities during the writing of the examinations. Different forms of cheating were uncovered in some centres during the examinations,” said Umalusi chief executive, Mafu Rakometsi.

“Based on the magnitude of the offences, different sanctions have been meted against the candidates involved such as the nullification of the results, barring the candidates from writing the examination for either 1 or 2 examination cycles,” said Rakometsi.In the meantime it was announced that the unsolvable question on the Grade 12 maths paper 2 exam was omitted from the marking process.

Department of Basic Education (DBE) spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the question paper was therefore marked out of 143. The mark was then upscaled to 150.

The Independent Examinations Board (IEB), which administered private school exams, released its national results on Wednesday.

BY NOMALUNGELO BOOI

It seems ‘Gqeberha: The Empire’ was a miss on Monday with some viewers saying there’s overacting and they are not sure yet. Thoughts?

First episode on the 16 January, was the season premiere of Mzansi Magic’s long awaited telenovela Gqeberha: The Empire and it seems the show did not enjoy great reviews from the viewers on Twitter.

Viewers are saying the show looks like an amateur production and the acting is not up to standard but some have disputed this and said that the show will definitely get better, it was only the first episode.

Gqeberha: The Empire premiered on Monday 16 January on Mzansi Magic, channel 161 at 21:00 and viewerswere treated to a one-hour special.

The show opened up with a beautiful ocean view of Gqeberha, the man that stirs the ship Luzuko Mxenge (played by Mbulelo Grootboom) is immediately introduced and from the onset viewers can tell that the men surrounding Luzuko must be heavily loaded, judging from the fleet of cars that were shown.Luzuko called his friends and right hand son Thulani to announce his latest business venture and that is, he has bought a ship and will be in business with the Chinese.

Just as they toast to the good news, two boats are approaching the lighthouse they are in from a distance and Thulani spots them while he is sight seeing with his binoculars. Guns are cocked and the action starts. Gunshots and kicks are everywhere and from the looks of things, the 11 men in black are after Luzuko as he was the only one shot.Luzuko is rushed to the hospital and his three wives, Bulelwa (Zikhona Sodlaka), Zimkhita (Zandile Msutwana) and Nozuko (Kamvelihle Bikitsha) are then introduced. The second and third wives are not best friends with the obvious quarelling and the first wife is the one who calls them to order.Back at the hospital, Luzoko asks to see Thulani and yes, they want to get to the bottom of the shooting. Who could want to kill him when he has done so much for the City of Gqeberha, well, that’s according to Luzuko.

Thulani reassures his father that he will find the culprits. On the other side of the town, the culprits are quarrelling and telling each other off because “the mission was not supposed to go like this. Sifiso is dead, Luzuko is alive and will be looking for us,”, within seconds of this conversation, the leader of the gang kills all of them.Well, plot twist, the second wife Zimkhitha is the one who ordered the hit on her husband Luzuko and Thulani who is the son of the first wife, Bulelwa. Of course she was not working alone, she is in cahoots with Luzuko’s best friend and they are also having an affair.

More drama, it seems Thulani and his father have been taken by the beauty of one lady, Lunathi, from the villages who is trying to make ends meet and is working at a restaurant as a chef.Thulani is clearly interested in her but so is his father who did nothing but throw money at her. It seems, Luzuko will want to take her as the fourth wife but what is Thulani going to do?

Watch Gqeberha: The Empire on Mzansi Magic (DStv Channel 161), Monday – Friday at 21:00

BY PHUMLANI SAUL

The Real Housewives of Gqeberha is the fifth instalment of the global franchise in South Africa and joins Real Housewives of Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria.

“Since its debut in 2017, the local Real Housewives universe has been a hit with our audiences, bringing drama, wit and glamour to our screens,” says Shirley Adonisi, Director of Local Entertainment Channels at M-Net.

In addition to the five housewives below, the channel says more cast members will be announced in due course.

Meet the cast:

UNATHI FAKU

Self-proclaimed Gqeberha royalty, Unathi is no shrinking violet. As a successful salon owner and the wife of the city’s former mayor, she is comfortable in the public eye and having her every move watched. A gym lover whose social media pages are peppered with fitness snaps, she’s also a dedicated and doting mother.

Norma Nicol

Buli G Ngomane

Ashleigh Mather

Liz

BY ANDILE ANDRIES

KwaNobuhle was rocked by another fatal shooting on Sunday.

Siyabulela Dwane, 40, sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene in Laurence Vinqi Road.

Dwane lived a few blocks away on Gxiya Street and had headed out into the area during the day.

Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge said residents

flagged down a police patrol unit in the area at about 6.30pm.

When the officers arrived at the scene of the shooting, they cordoned off the area and began combing the scene for evidence.

“He was shot numerous times in a parking area near Kulati tavern,” Beetge said.

“There is no evidence which suggests the killing emanated from a fight inside the tavern.”

He said it was the latest deadly shooting to rock the community.

Mamiya Ntshanyana, 20, was shot dead inside a taxi in Laurence Vinqi Road on March 12 2019, with numerous other incidents reported over the past year.

Beetge said the identity of the shooter was still unknown.

BY NOMALUNGELO BOOI

Commuters were left stranded at the weekend as a confrontation between Integrated Public Transport System (IPTS) drivers and the Spectrum Alert board reached boiling point, leading to armed security closing down the depot in Cleary Park on Friday.

On Monday, drivers protested outside the depot while burning tyres after the board allegedly tried to get new drivers in to have the system up and running for the week.

The fight between the directors and the employees emanates from December bonuses which are yet to be paid out.

According to the drivers, talks collapsed when they were told last week that the bonuses would no longer be paid despite a commitment to do so earlier in the month.

“What must we do now?

“We come to work but at the end of the month there is no payment,” one of the drivers, Tyran Markman, said.

We have no money for school fees, shoes, and our families are suffering.

“I do not understand what they want us to do.

“Must we come here and burn buses or kill someone?

“Really, they need to tell us what we must do.”

The workers were adamant the depot would remain shut and no new drivers would be allowed in.

“They must be grateful for us as workers,” another worker, Jerome Stuurman, said.As things stand, they are forcing us to do this.

“We just want them to give us what belongs to us.”

Numsa shop steward Jerome Krisjans said talks broke down after the board members reneged on commitments made by the previous board.

“At the beginning of the year, we had a meeting with HR and management and they committed to the bonuses being paid on January 4.

“That did not materialise and instead the new board members came to the depot and told the workers there would be no bonuses,” Krisjans said.

After the stalemate on Thursday, Krisjans said private security was brought in to shut the depot down on Friday.

In addition to the bonus woes, workers alleged that there were also repeated problems with late salary payments and failure to pay provident fund contributions despite monthly deductions.

On Monday, safety and security political head Lawrence Troon called a stakeholder meeting at the City Hall at which both the new and old board members, along with the employees, were supposed to discuss all the issues.

The meeting, however, failed to materialise when none of the board members showed up.

The IPTS Cleary Park route is operated by Spectrum Alert, founded by the Northern Areas Taxi Operators’ Association (Natoa) and Algoa Taxi Association (Ata) in 2017An impasse at an annual general meeting in October led to a battle over who is in charge of the board.

Songezo Mpanda, chair of the new board, declined to comment, saying they were in talks with the municipality about the matter.

BY PHUMLANI SAUL

Despatch Police are seeking the public’s assistance in tracing two wanted suspects.

Dumisa Christian Blouw (21), also known as Kweylar, was arrested after being positively linked to several cases of housebreaking and theft.

According to Captain Gerda Swart Cell, Blouw appeared in the Kariega Magistrates Court on 13 June and was released on bail.

“The case was postponed to 19 August, but Blouw failed to attend court. A warrant for his arrest was issued,” Cell said in a statement.She added that cops had also launched a manhunt for Thabiso Smith, who was arrested on 31 March on a charge of possession of suspected stolen property (copper cables) and was later linked to a theft case in Despatch.The 24-year-old appeared in the Kariega Magistrates Court on 4 April, and the case was postponed to 23 May.

“Smith failed to attend court and has been on the run ever since. A warrant for his arrest was also issued,” Cell added.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the suspects is urged to contact Detective Warrant Officer Mario Jonck on 084 810 9078 or Despatch SAPS on 041 933 8000

BY LOLWETHU LEEU

NO rain will stop groovists from having fun this December.

While those who didn’t budget for festive are happy that this rain is contributing to events being postponed, others said they won’t let rain ruin their plans for this December.

To prove this, photo of groovists who were spotted this past weekend taking their cooler boxes and heading to groove while the rain poured down were trending on social media.

Kholekile Maliza (34) told Daily Kasi News “No rain would stop me from having fun.”

He said he had plans this past weekend and no rain would have stopped him from going out.

“My mum said alcohol and stubbornness won’t take me anywhere and I told her that I’m not trying to go anywhere as I left with my cooler box,” said Kholekile.

Miranda Mangedi (44) said these muddy groove pictures made her happy because they showed how determined Makana people were when they put their minds in something.

“I have no choice but to admire their determination. They should put these on their CVs,” said Miranda.

Calistus Sebenza said no rain should stop anyone from doing anything and no one should judge these groovists for their determination.

“As long as rain water is not hot then let’s groove on!” said Calistus.

Sisanda Ndoni said if she saw her boyfriend getting muddy in the name of “rain is temporary and groove is forever”, she’d be dumping him. “We can’t be dealing with toddlers who want to go jump up and down inn the rain and then deal with grown men who play in the mud. It’s ridiculous,” said Sisanda.

BY PHUMLANI SAUL

THE residents are being terrorised by an electric pole!

Residents of Khayelitsha near Kariega, Nelson Mandela Bay, said the electric pole had been hanging over their houses for weeks.

And while the wild wind the area is famous for keeps blowing hard, the residents believe tragedy can strike at any time if the pole on Makapa Street is not fixed soon.

Phindiwe Billy (46) told Daily Kasi News there was strong wind and rain on 6 October.

The blew the pole around. We reported it immediately to the municipality and the ward councillor. Municipal workers came later on the same day and promised to come back,” she said.

“But we haven’t seen them since. They never came to fix it.

“It is a ticking time bomb. We are worried about the safety of our kids and our houses.”

Her neighbour Monwabisi Nkone (47), said: “We don’t know what else we need to do for the municipality to fix the pole.

“I’ve switched off my fridge because I’m scared. When this pole falls down it is going to cause a lot of damage,” she said.

“We are living in fear of being killed by this pole.”

Nelson Mandela Bay municipal spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said: “Residents should report the pole at 0800 2050 50 and get a reference number. As soon as they provide us with it we can investigate what happened.”

BY LOLWETHU LEEU

SA’s creme de la creme of music will take to the Dlepu Stadium Joza (Grahamstown) when the 1st annual Makana Music Festival will take place on 17th December.

Although This music festival’s main aim, economic development, job creation and local talent development are also top priorities.

Siyabulela Ivy Madyo festival Organiser told Daily Kasi News ” it was hoped the festival would generate more than 100 jobs. Vacancies for bartenders, electricians, cleaners, decorators, ushers, promoters, designers, and sound engineers will be advertised.”

“Madyo said this will also boost the local taxi industry because people living outside Makhanda in places such as Alicedale, Riebeeck East and Salem will need transportation to and from the stadium.”

“The events committee included a safety officer who would oversee disaster, traffic, and waste management plans. Madyo said organisers would work closely with Hi-Tec and all Makana safety structures, including the ambulance service, disaster management, the fire department, and the SAPS.

The music festival is supported by Castle Lite, the Makana Municipality, and the Sarah Baartmarn District.”

Artists include Big Zulu, DJ Lamiez, Mr Thela , Boohle, Butho Vuthela, And Nhunhuza.

The popular festival’s organisers and patrons will also usher in to the 24th December in style when Nomfundo Mho,Bethusile Mncinga, NaakMusqi, Zahara, Master KG, and Daliwonga take to the stage at Mamatyi Gidana stadium Port Alfred.

This festival bringing some of SA’s most-loved music stars to the shores of Port Alfred, giving the city’s tourism sector a boost and creating employment for the youth and local service providers.

The Organiser Madyo told DK news: ” “The festival attracts festinos from all over the country.”

” The Cawa music Festival forms part of the Ndlambe municipality’s annual summer season programme and is the only long-standing annual cultural flagship event in Ndlambe Municipality “

Tickets for the festival on December 17 cost R100 and VIP 350 for the Makana Music Festival.

Tickets can be bought on Webtickets or from Pick n Pay and Boxer stores. Protickt

BY PHUMLANI SAUL

WHENEVER residents leave money at their loved ones’ graves, it disappears after some time.

And residents of Khayamndi near Despatch, are accusing amapharaphara who hide in graveyards of stealing the money.

Zanele Solomon (47) from Khayamnandi said they have to burn impepho and then hide their money under the ashes.

“They take it if you leave it in the open. These boys have no respect at all,” she said.Speaking about the significance of leaving money at a grave, Zanele said it is a way of giving back to the ancestors.

“We burn impepho, pour umqombothi and leave some coins at the graveyard when we are giving back to our ancestors,” said Zanele.

“Our communication with our ancestors is a two-way street, we ask them to walk with us in everything we do. In return, we must also give them money, umqombothi and burn imphepo just to appreciate and connect with them,” said Zanele.

Another resident, Sakhumzi Jiyose (44), said his family left R35 in coins at their grandfather’s grave on 30 April, but it was gone when they went back on Sunday, 8 May.

“This is not the first time and we don’t know what to do because amapharaphara seem to know that families leave some money when they burn imphepo and do other rituals.

“They follow up and steal the money.“We are left with no option but to hide the money from amapharaphara, but it really feels like they are robbing our ancestors,” said Sakhumzi.

He said they have now devised new ways to hide the money in the tombstone.

Residents who run car washes along the graveyard said amaphara are always loitering around the graveyard.

“They take anything they see as valuable at the graveyard so when people say they take money we don’t doubt them,” said a car wash owner.

Sangoma Lonwabo Mqungwana (58) from Kwanobuhle outside Kariega said: “When When people perform traditional rituals at graveyards, they are communicating with their ancestors and they give them something as a way to thank them for what they are doing to them.“But these boys take what is meant for the ancestors, they bring curses on their lives because what they are doing amounts to robbery. You cannot do that.