The Herald

Award-winning artist Ntsika Ngxanga invites fans to join his spiritual journey kicking off his national tour, “A Place Called Ngoma” in Gqeberha. The former member of acclaimed a cappella group The Soil will be performing at the Little Theatre on August 1, alongside The Soil, Zawani and Gqeberha’s Thandikhaya “Joliza” Magiyiyana, who will be travelling with Ngxanga for his performances in East London, Johannesburg and Cape Town. The Herald Reporter, Simtembile Mgidi, sat down in studio with Ngxanga and Magiyiyana, and discussed their national tour. The Herald

A recent report tabled at a public health committee meeting showed that four rivers in Nelson Mandela Bay had elevated levels of bacterial pollutants. The report was compiled from 359 samples taken between September and December. In this week’s Behind The Herald Headlines with Daron Mann, we chat with DA councillor Mthokozisi Nkosi after the party called on the SA Human Rights Commission to investigate the municipality over the pollution. The Herald

Nearly 3,000 riders participated in The Herald Cycle Tour this year, split over two events — the mountain bike and road races. Recognised as one of the heavyweight cycling events of SA, the tour is rated by many as one of the top classics on the sporting calendar, among other well-renowned events in the country. The 39th edition also saw about 10,000 spectators attend the two-weekend event held at Addo and Summerstrand. In Behind The Herald Headlines with Daron Mann this week, we catch up with podium finishers Kelsey van Schoor and Brad Gouveris. The Herald

Pressure to be the best and secure top honours in school sport has led to poaching. In Behind The Herald Headlines with Daron Mann this week, he chats to Hannes Nienaber, who is responsible for written content at SuperSport Schools. Under discussion is the latest incident at top public schools in the Eastern Cape that have cut sporting and cultural ties with prestigious Makhanda private school Kingswood College because of what one school termed its aggressive poaching of their most talented pupils. “You have a right to go to the school that you want to go to, so if the parent wants to move his child to another school, he’s allowed to,” Nienaber said. “What I do believe is that there should be a system between headmasters that if we take this child from you, that you have invested money into, that we pay the previous school a development fee for having brought the child to the level we brought him to.” The Herald

The EP rugby team have been hard at work on the training field and will have a camp this weekend in preparation for their opening game. In Behind The Herald Headlines with Daron Mann this week, he chats to new EP Elephants rugby coach Allister Coetzee who says he is happy with how his team’s preparations are going ahead of the new season and that there is a good vibe in the side for of their opening SA Cup match against the Falcons in Kempton Park on March 8. The Herald

The conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo which claimed the lives of SA soldiers is likely to escalate. That’s political analyst Ntsikelelo Breakfast speaking in the wake of the death of 13 soldiers killed in fighting with M23 rebels in the DRC. The SA troops are in Congo as part of UN and Southern African missions. In Behind The Herald Headlines with Daron Mann this week, we unpack the devastating conflict with Breakfast. The Herald

The Sunrisers Eastern Cape are finally starting to prove why they are the Betway SA20 defending champions after a dismal start to the championship this season. The home side whipped the Pretoria Capitals by 52 runs in their clash at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on Wednesday night, making it three back-to-back victories after three opening defeats — their three worst defeats in the tournament’s short history. In Behind The Herald Headlines with Daron Mann this week, we speak to Sunrisers coach Adrian Birrell as the team prepare for their match against the Joburg Super Kings at St George’s Park on Friday. The Herald

The Eastern Cape achieved a record 84.89% matric pass rate in 2024 and among those who contributed to this increase are two Nelson Mandela Bay pupils who were also the top achievers in the province. Diya Gajjar and Chris Joubert, both from Pearson High School in Gqeberha, finished first and second in the province, respectively. Pearson was also among the eight schools in the Bay to achieve a 100% pass rate for the class of 2024. In Behind the Herald Headlines with Daron Mann this week, we speak to Diya and Chris who both highlight the role support systems — at home and at school — played in their remarkable achievements, some of the challenges they faced in the exams and their plans for this year. We also speak to principal Haldane Pienaar who lauded Diya and Chris for achieving what was a “first in our history” and thanked school staff and parents for their support. HeraldLIVE

The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) is investigating the brutal battering of at least 20 seagull chicks by a handful of young holidaymakers camping near the Gamtoos River mouth. Speaking on Behind The Herald Headlines with Daron Mann this week, NSPCA spokesperson Jacques Peacock described the incident as tragic and said they hoped to get to the bottom of the situation soon. The chicks were beaten to death with sticks. The senseless killing has led to widespread outrage on social media. “The fact that it was at the hands of youngsters makes it even more abhorrent,” Peacock said. He said they hoped to hand over a docket with all the necessary information to the police once the investigation was completed. HeraldLIVE

Human behaviour is behind many of the road accidents on Eastern Cape roads so far this festive season. That is the opinion of Eastern Cape transport department spokesperson Unathi Binqose, speaking after a bloody weekend on the province’s roads in which more than 18 people died and 20 were injured. In an accident near Graaff-Reinet on Monday morning, 14 people died in a head-on collision between a minibus taxi and an SUV on the N9. A few hours earlier, on Sunday night, another head-on collision on the R61 near Bizana claimed the lives of three people. Speaking on Behind The Herald Headlines with Daron Mann this week, Binqose says fatigue, reckless and negligent driving and driving under the influence of alcohol were factors in road deaths. HeraldLIVE

Summer is here and water safety is a top priority during the festive season. Swimming experts and emergency responders have urged bathers to exercise caution and to never leave children unsupervised in or near the water. On Friday’s episode of Behind The Herald Headlines, Daron Mann chats to The Herald Nelson Mandela University Citizens of the Year Health and Safety category winner Natalie Ogden. She discusses practical water safety tips for whether you are swimming in the ocean, a river, dam or pool and advises to always swim at beaches where lifeguards are on duty to enjoy the festive season responsibly. HeraldLIVE

Newly elected EP Rugby president George Malgas says he will humble himself and knock on the door of his opponent for the position, Willem Oliphant — for the betterment of rugby. A relieved Malgas was crowned president after he pipped bitter rival Oliphant by the narrowest of margins — 119 to 116 — on Saturday. Speaking on Behind The Herald Headlines with Daron Mann this week, Malgas said he believed he could work with Oliphant for the betterment of rugby, adding he wanted to bring him back into the fold as he felt Oliphant had value to add to EP Rugby. “For me, the value seems to be that he can unlock some funds, nationally and otherwise,” he said. “I think his campaign was based on [being] willing to put money into the union and I’m going to be very humble in knocking on the man’s door...” HeraldLIVE

The race is on for spaza shop owners in SA to register their businesses after a call by President Cyril Ramaphosa. With 23 children having died and more than 800 fallen ill from suspected food poisoning across SA in the past three months, allegedly after ingesting food from spaza shops, Ramaphosa intervened with a directive that all spaza shops be registered. In a follow-up to this declaration, the SA Government News Agency said: “All spaza shop owners and vendors must register with their respective municipalities from November 15 to December 13 2024.” In Behind The Herald Headlines with Daron Mann this week, we speak to National African Federated Chamber of Commerce (Nafcoc) Eastern Cape deputy president Mlungisi John. HeraldLIVE

The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality will head back to the drawing board to rework its shortlisting process for jobs in the metro, after years of sharp criticism that it was sidelining some racial groups. This could result in applicants, who were previously excluded from job opportunities because they did not fit within the city’s Employment Equity Act targets, competing during the shortlisting process. In Behind The Herald Headlines with Daron Mann this week, we speak to corporate services political head Khusta Jack. HeraldLIVE

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The Christmas cheer is already in full force in stores and online but most of us are just trying to get through year-end fatigue. In this week's episode of the S’wana Know podcast, Annelisa and Kelly Kelz chat about how tiring it is to think about Christmas so soon, when they are putting their Christmas tree up and their favourite Christmas traditions. HeraldLIVE

There is an increase in the number of young adults — predominantly males — in SA who are gambling. That is according to the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation’s treatment and counselling specialist, Bongiwe Ngobese. Speaking on Behind The Herald Headlines with Daron Mann in the wake of gambling addict Liezel Badenhorst’s 15-year sentence for stealing from her employers, Ngobese says gambling is taking its toll on pathological gamblers. HeraldLIVE

In today’s episode of the S’wana Know podcast, we discuss the Mzwandile Mali Schools Rugby Tournament — an event that has become a beacon of hope and resilience in our community. Annelisa speaks to head coach Monde Tyaliti, and assistant coach Xolani Grootboom about how they have created a remarkable story of hard work, determination and passion. She also chats to two of the players from the squad about the impact the tournament has had on their lives. HeraldLIVE

Suspected underworld figure Mark Lifman was murdered by people with “desperate reasons”. That is the opinion of Andre Naude, Lifman’s co-accused in the murder of “Steroid King” Brian Wainstein. Lifman, 57, was still carrying his shopping bags when he was gunned down on Sunday, a day before he was due to appear in the Western Cape High Court, where he is charged alongside 13 others for the 2017 murder of Wainstein. He became the fourth accused in the matter to be killed. Speaking on Behind The Herald Headlines with Daron Mann this week, Naude said while he did not think Lifman’s murder was linked to the trial, he could not rule out the possibility either. HeraldLIVE

A game of musical chairs or a move to improve the city? Babalwa Lobishe was elected as Nelson Mandela Bay’s new mayor on Thursday, swapping posts with Gary van Niekerk, who takes up the deputy position. In Behind The Herald Headlines with Daron Mann this week, we speak to Nelson Mandela University academic and political analyst Ongama Mtimka about the change in leadership. HeraldLIVE

Professional MMA fighter Shadrack Nsua is well on his way to becoming a world champion. In Friday’s episode of the S’wana Know podcast, Annelisa chats to Nsua about the many challenges he had to overcome as a young refugee fleeing from the Democratic Republic of Congo, enduring abuse, living on the streets, and debilitating health issues, and how he managed to use that to fuel his fight to become a professional athlete. We are also joined by Herald reporter Riaan Marais, who wrote about Nsua’s journey. HeraldLIVE