Latest news with #Schauderville
The Herald
12-07-2025
- The Herald
Kidnapped Gqeberha businessman back home
Nelson Mandela Bay resident, Chris Kaldelis, who was kidnapped earlier this week, has been found and reunited with his family. The 61-year-old owner of S&D Appliance Warehouse , was abducted in Schauderville on Monday afternoon and released five days later. His partner, Cheryl Booysen, confirmed the news to The Herald. Further details were not immediately available. Police sources said he was dropped off in the vicinity of the Kwazakhele police station. Police spokesperson Captain André Beetge said the case had been handed over to the Hawks. Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana was not immediately available for comment. The Herald
The Herald
08-07-2025
- The Herald
Another kidnapping in Gqeberha
An investigation is under way after a 61-year-old man was kidnapped in Schauderville on Monday afternoon. Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge said the man was abducted at about 5pm. 'An investigation into the kidnapping is under way,' he said on Tuesday morning. Further details surrounding the kidnapping have not been made public. Police have urged anyone with information that may assist in the investigation to contact Crime Stop at 08600-10111. This is a developing story. The incident follows the kidnapping of Ebenese 'Ebbie' Williams, 30, who was kidnapped outside her boyfriend's home in Cleary Estate on Thursday evening, shortly after 7pm. The Herald
The Herald
17-06-2025
- General
- The Herald
Reading Champions shine a little light in tough Nelson Mandela Bay neighbourhood
At Dietrich Primary School in Schauderville, where cultures and languages from across Africa converge, teachers aren't just fighting to teach, they are fighting to be heard. Overcrowded classrooms, outdated resources and a curriculum bloated with administrative demands are pushing educators to the brink. Despite their dedication and creative efforts, teachers at the school in Nelson Mandela Bay's northern areas say they are stretched too thin and that their hands are tied by systemic neglect. Dietrich Primary's principal, Chantel Milborrow said she believed the curriculum for children and teachers was overloaded. 'It is filled with a lot of administration work, which prevents teachers from doing what they are supposed to do to the best of their abilities, or the way they would like to do.' A report by the 2030 Reading Panel, chaired by former deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, found that about 80% of SA's grade 3 pupils are unable to read for meaning in any language. Just 20% of grade 3 pupils are performing at grade level or above for reading in their home language. This is something teachers at Dietrich Primary have experienced first-hand. Grade 6 teacher Shanice Simons said the basic education department's annual teaching plan made no provision for pupils who were struggling. 'It doesn't make provision for the child that cannot but only focuses on the child that can do everything. 'The child who does read with comprehension, who can answer specific types of questions, different levels of understanding can be accommodated, but the ones who cannot are not accommodated for.' 'While some the level of reading of some learners might sound as if they are really good, they are not able to answer those questions related to what they've just read. ' That then spills over into the assessments. Our assessments are not differentiated as yet. ' That then spills over into our pass rate b ecause then we are classified as underperforming, and it is basically because our learners cannot read with comprehension, and it is also not their first language.' Ethnicities and cultures from all over Africa collide in Schauderville, which borders the Korsten trading hub, and Dietrich Primary's pupil population includes black and coloured South Africans, Zimbabweans, Somalis and Ethiopians. This has contributed to some of the language challenges at the school. Grade 4 teacher Wonique Gamieldien said the community in which the school was located contributed to the generally low reading level of its pupils. ' Another influence is the location because there's a lot of gangsterism in the area and children are misbehaving and talk to us with a lack of respect. 'I think we spend about 30 minutes each lesson disciplining children and it takes away from the teaching time.' she said. Gamieldien said lack of parental supervision posed another challenge. 'If we send children with homework, it doesn't get done because there's no supervision at home at all. 'So, our hands are tied because we have overcrowded classrooms, so we can't assist everyone individually like we would like to. 'I think that's also stressful for us because we really want to help these children, but we can't because there's so many of them.' Milborrow said in the face of these challenges, the school launched a project, Reading Champions, to encourage a love of books among its pupils. 'Teachers identify the strongest readers in the classroom through spelling tests, to see how good they spell and also if they're able to comprehend what they're reading. 'We call them Reading Champions. 'They're given a badge, and their role is to assist the ones that are struggling to read, assist those who are not confident when it comes to reading and also those who are a little bit shy. 'We find that is a very effective way to encourage reading. 'In the foundation phase, learners are given high-frequency words, spelling tests once a week and parents are sent the words learners are preparing for. 'We need a lot of more parental involvement, but we found Reading Champions is a nice way to encourage learners to read because everyone wants a badge,' Milborrow said. Eastern Cape education spokesperson Vuyiseka Mboxela said the department did not believe the curriculum was overloaded 'because kids have an unmatched opportunity when they are still young'. This special report into the state of literacy, a collaborative effort by The Herald, Sowetan and Daily Dispatch, was made possible by the Henry Nxumalo Foundation The Herald
The Herald
23-05-2025
- The Herald
Maintenance of city's public swimming pools should be a priority
For many in Nelson Mandela Bay's northern areas and townships in particular, public swimming pools offer the only entertainment and relief from the heat during our blistering summers. Yet many of the facilities in these areas have been vandalised and left to deteriorate, some to a point where they are now beyond repair. Take for instance the derelict pool in Schauderville which has been out of commission for years. During a recent site visit, public works & infrastructure minister Dean Macpherson called on Eastern Cape MEC Siphokazi Lusithi to relocate the pool to a new site, citing the facility's vandalised and irreparable state. Stripped of infrastructure and left derelict since the Covid-19 lockdown, the facility posed a direct threat to residents, particularly children, according to DA northern areas constituency head Yusuf Cassim, who formally requested the relocation in a letter to Macpherson's office. 'There is an urgent need to relocate the long-abandoned pool, which has become a hotspot for criminal activity, illegal dumping and gang violence,' he said. A new site — on land opposite the Moore Dyke sports precinct and owned by the provincial public works department — has already been identified. And now it is up to the relevant officials and authorities to act to ensure a suitable facility is erected for those in this area and its surrounds, those who cannot afford transport to and entry fees at more expensive facilities or the Bay's many beaches. Because our public pools provide a safe space — in the areas where they live — for our children and teens to play, stay active and avoid negative influences such as drugs and crime which are rife in these communities. In addition, in a country where nearly 30% of drownings occur in children under the age of 14, these pools offer a space in which to host swimming lessons, a much-needed life skill. So it is imperative that municipalities, working with the other necessary arms of government, prioritise building and maintaining public swimming pools in disadvantaged communities and that they do so in partnership with NGOs, private sponsors, schools and surrounding communities — all of whom will then have a vested interest in ensuring the safekeeping of these facilities. The Herald
