Biko village on track for bumper crop
Eastern Cape-born actors have made it to the top 10 of a national acting competition, Class Act
A group of 90 identified street traders receive business skills training
Many teens have an irresistible urge to constantly be online
Law firms cash in on bungled State surgeries
The urine samples of singer Molemo "Jub Jub" Maarohanye and Themba Tshabalala were never tampered with, a court was told at the trial of the singer yesterday.
THE end of the world has arrived – well, according to two East Londoners who have been travelling across the Eastern Cape spreading the word that judgment day is near.
AN EAST London man who miraculously survived a 40-hour ordeal at sea without a life-jacket after falling overboard from his yacht while sailing off the Mozambique coastline is recovering at home.
THE Libyan government lied about photographer Anton Hammerl to SA, International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said yesterday.
Political war talk heated up on Wednesday afternoon as voting day entered its last stretch, with the opposition DA crying foul while the ruling ANC boasted about electioneering being "in its blood".
Voting stations experienced a slow turnout in the embattled areas of Ficksburg and Meqheleng, in the Sesotho local municipality on Wednesday.
A MORGAN Bay woman who was involved in a labour dispute with a government agency got the shock of her life this week when the Sheriff of the Court removed all her household belongings and dumped them on an open field near the beach.
THE estranged wife of tat'u Nelson Mandela's grandson tasted sweet revenge in the Mthatha High Court this week when her hubby's marriage to his French beauty was officially declared invalid.
HAILED as the king of rock ‘n roll, Elvis Presley left a mark through his music before his death in 1977.
THREE dog food products suspected to have caused 70 dogs to die have been taken off the market.
A man sentenced to life in jail for being part of a brutal attack on a rural Transkei village in 2000 has been freed of the crime on appeal.
The bodies of two Mthatha boys who went missing on Tuesday evening were found in a forest a day later after a faith healer led the families to their bodies.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga on Monday apologised for the "ongoing education crisis" in the Eastern Cape.
Suburbanites in Mthatha got a taste of rural life this weekend when they had to queue at a tanker at the weekend after their water supply was cut off.
Pregnant women should not use cellphones because electromagnetic radiation could harm unborn babies.
As outrage mounted on Monday over President Jacob Zuma's promise of a place in heaven for ANC voters, the ruling party's chaplain general sprang to his defence.
Two men accused of gunning down Kenton businessman Juan Jansen in front of his pregnant wife in 2009, demanded a different lawyer, venue and judge on Monday.
Two attacks on newspaper and former Daily Dispatch photographers by police officers in Bloemfontein and Pretoria are to be investigated by the Independent Complaints Directorate, the Pretoria News reported on Monday.
Seven Eastern Cape mud schools have triumphed in a court battle against the Department of Education, securing R8.2billion to eradicate mud schools in South Africa.
With only months until Buffalo City becomes a metro, the municipal manager has admitted the city is behind on 18 months of preparation work.
Overcrowding, risks to health and a compromised quality of education may result from the forced admission of "unplaced" pupils into former Model C schools.
Bongekile Ndimande, daughter of the late boxing icon's Nkosana "Happyboy" Mgxaji, struggled to hold back tears while talking about his last moments. She spoke at a memorial service in the Mdantsane Indoor Sports Centre on Sunday.
President Jacob Zuma continued to turn on his election charm at the weekend, saying a vote for the ANC was preparation for the future.
Given the right set of circumstances, the sea level along the Eastern Cape coast line could rise by as much as 6.5 metres during individual storm events over the next 25 years, completely changing the face of the East London beach front.
A coastal rehabilitation project is not only ensuring our beaches stay clean and free of litter, but is also teaching unemployed people valuable skills.
At the age of 82, Philippa Raymond-Talbot can call herself a great-great-grandmother – and it's not the first time she's among five generations of her family living at the same time.
Many suburbs in East London were hit by power failures on Friday afternoon.
Malawian lawmakers will next week debate a law change to criminalise public farting, which a cabinet minister said had been encouraged by democracy.
Two accidents occurred on the North East Expressway on Friday morning and left one person injured.
Traffic was backed up for kilometres on the Northeast Expressway on Friday after an accident involving three vehicles.
Buffalo City boss Andile Fani admitted on Thursday his efforts to clean up the city had endangered his life – but he vowed to go on.
A Transkei family in search of their daughter were horrified to find her body metres from a car wreck – and no one would have known had they not asked to search.
"Nothing and no one will keep us apart."These were the words an East London teenager wrote in a letter to her 47-year-old uncle, with whom she has allegedly been having a sexual relationship for the past five years.
The ambitions of two East London rowers to compete in the Surfers Challenge using a purpose-built double scull suffered a setback on Wednesday when they flipped while launching at Gonubie Beach.
A team tasked with looking into the government's controversial decision to grant a licence to mine the pristine dunes at Xolobeni on the Wild Coast has expressed serious concerns about the decision.
Former president Nelson Mandela is recovering well from a respiratory infection and is in "good health", Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane said on Thursday.
Bafana Bafana's hopes of facing top class opposition as part of their preparations for their titanic Afcon battle against Egypt were dealt a major blow yesterday with news that Kenya have replaced Burkina Faso for next week Wednesday's friendly international at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenberg.
The cash-strapped Education Department has come under fire for holding a four-day beach junket for its embattled Fort Beaufort district in the midst of a salary scandal involving its teachers.
If club tycoon and businessman Kenny Kunene hadn't been stopped, he would have gone on to eat sushi from the bodies of Indian and Asian women – "just so that I know how different plates taste".
Boat owners who stock up with fuel at a dockside pump in Port Alfred have accused Engen of "bullying" after it emerged the petrol giant was planning to remove its storage tank next month, leaving boaters high and dry.
A police officer on duty at the time of an alleged attack on a Duncan Village woman on Wednesday testified against his former colleague accused of the assault.
An East London businessman and former bank manager, arrested for fraud more than a year ago, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to conning investors out of more than R2 million.
Two people died and four others were injured - two seriously - when a driver lost control of a taxi and plunged down a ravine in the notorious Kei Cuttings north of East London on Wednesday.
The ANC and its alliance partners in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday day finalised a blueprint full of familiar promises designed to guide the Bhisho administration under Premier Noxolo Kiviet this year.
A former supply chain manager has been marked as "the mastermind" behind the bungling of Buffalo City's R1billion Make-a-Difference (MAD) campaign.
Her days are spent holding, hugging and loving her newborn baby girl, a precious gift born almost five years after tragedy took the life of her first unborn.
Teacher outrage is growing over Bhisho's controversial policy to dock strike wages from all educators, an act that has been described as illegal by experts in the field.
Even State institutions have fallen victim to Buffalo City Municipality's refuse collection woes, with Duncan Village police station suffering from a pile of rubbish that has remained uncollected for five months.
Due to a high demand from readers, the DispatchOnline team are this week introducing a number of features to make your reading experience even more pleasant on the DispatchOnline website. From this week you will:
Buffalo City's political infighting came back to haunt it on Monday when investigators presented shocking details of how the municipality had been looted.
Serious concerns are being raised over government's proposal to introduce "voluntary" HIV-Aids testing in schools around the country.
A Mdantsane policeman was found dead with a bullet wound to his head inside a police vehicle at Inyibiba police station on Monday.
Government has responded to the Rift Valley Fever (RVF) threat in and around Kei Mouth and Haga Haga with the announcement of a campaign to vaccinate livestock in communal areas starting this week.
Former president Nelson Mandela's recovery from a respiratory infection continued on Monday, with doctors saying he had a restful and peaceful night, the presidency said.
Hundreds of teachers from schools in the Eastern Cape face salary deductions for participating in last year's month-long public service strike – even though they attended classes and signed daily registers.
Principals of former Model C schools in the Eastern Cape are up in arms over a directive from the Department of Education to admit more pupils.
African National Congress (ANC) Treasurer-General Mathews Phosa asked citizens of South Africa to stop talking about the recuperating former President Nelson Mandela as if he were dead, and instead pray for him.
Economic freedom would be the focus of the ANC as it approaches its centenary, those attending the African National Congress' provincial celebration of its 99th anniversary were told at the weekend.
A healing crusade which promised miracles for blind, deaf and disabled people has been described by some East London residents as a "hoax".
Police pounced on a South African Revenue Service (Sars) worker in East London on Friday for his alleged involvement in a syndicate which has defrauded the agency of R83 million.
Adding an extra lane to a dangerous stretch of the N2 outside Gonubie could mean the difference between life and death.
Cassius weighs over a ton and dwarfs anyone who stands next to him – but the towering ox is as gentle as a kitten.
Former president Nelson Mandela is "well", Acting President Kgalema Motlanthe said in Johannesburg on Friday, and has been discharged from hospital.
The Department of Health has ordered a group of employees to pay back about R650million they received as special increases for rank promotions.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga on Thursday described her visit to the Eastern Cape as a "real eye-opener to the serious challenges facing this province".
Acting President Kgalema Motlanthe late on Thursday moved to allay the nation's fears over the health of former president Nelson Mandela, who was spending the second night in a Johannesburg hospital after undergoing "routine" checks.
Cassius weighs over a ton and dwarfs anyone who stands beside him – but the towering ox is as gentle as a kitten
Ndlambe Municipality on Thursday denied they were trying to intimidate Sunshine Coast residents withholding their monthly rates by illegally disconnecting their electricity.
Graca Machel visited Milpark hospital in Johannesburg on Thursday where her husband, former president Nelson Mandela, was being treated.
President Jacob Zuma wished former president Nelson Mandela well on Thursday following his admission to hospital, and said he was "comfortable" and being "well looked after".
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela arrived at Milpark hospital in Johannesburg on Thursday where her ex-husband former president Nelson Mandela is being treated.
The ANC called on South Africans on Thursday to remain calm after former president Nelson Mandela was admitted to hospital in Johannesburg.
The ANC top brass have cracked the whip on splintered Eastern Cape regions where bitter in-fighting between rival leadership structures has threatened to paralyse the party's preparations for local government elections.
As dawn broke over Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg on Thursday, journalists camping outside the facility had no clue about former president Nelson Mandela's health condition.
The disease affecting livestock on farms along the East Coast Resorts and around Kei Mouth and Haga Haga has been confirmed as Rift Valley Fever (RVF).
At least six high-ranking Buffalo City officials are set to be arrested when a forensic report into the financial dealings of the city's former boss is finally released next week.
Buffalo City was on the brink of "total collapse" and needed "serious and drastic steps" to restore the credibility of the ANC-led municipality, the Eastern Cape MEC for Local Government Mlibo Qoboshiyane said on Thursday.
The launch of a R5.5 million water project in Elliotdale has brought relief to five villages that have never before had access to clean water.
Police on Wednesday recovered the body of a second Hamburg man after he went missing over the weekend when the boat he used to cross the full Keiskamma River sprung a leak and sank, a spokesman said.
Four men were arrested in Butterworth on Wednesday for attacking two Somali nationals and killing one of them, Eastern Cape police said.
The 11-month-old baby who was put in an isolation unit in East London does not have cholera, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Wednesday.
Buffalo City has not been able to account for nearly R2 billion of its expenditure, according to a damning report released on Tuesday by the Auditor-General.
AmaMpondo King Zanozuko Tyelovuyo Sigcau, who went into hiding last year amid death threats, is back and has vowed to rule his kingdom without fear.
Troubles for the beleaguered Congress of the People continue after one of the warring factions "disbanded" the leadership structures of their rivals in three provinces, including the Eastern Cape.
Eastern Cape disaster management is monitoring the levels of the province's rivers while large parts of the country brace themselves for more heavy rains and flooding.
An East London woman is suing the Education Department, Lilyfontein School and Ontrack Adventures company for almost R7 million after a tragic zip-line accident during the popular Lilyfontein Adventure Race in 2005 left her severely disabled.
Two alert reserve constables from Fleet Street police station arrested three men on Monday morning with a large quantity of abalone.
A man believed to be a lecturer at the University of Fort Hare (UFH) appeared in court in connection with stealing cattle from a dairy farm in Alice that is partly owned by the university.
Election violence in the Eastern Cape is escalating ahead of local government polls – and so far all the incidents have involved ANC branch members fighting over nominations.
A suspected outbreak of Rift Valley fever (RVF) around Komgha and the East Coast Resorts has resulted in significant economic losses for farmers in the area.
Buffalo City's first council meeting for 2011 on Tuesday will look into he release of a forensic report into the financial dealings of its former municipal manager.
A controversial funeral director investigated last year for allegedly cheating clients has left town.
A war of words has erupted between Rhodes University vice-chancellor Dr Saleem Badat and a senior ANC member of the Eastern Cape provincial legislature, Mzolelei Mrara, over the state of the country's education.
A fatal bolt of lightning struck a 50-year-old Mdantsane man while he was walking home from work last week.
RAIN may have cut the first leg of the SA Classic TT (Tourist Trophy) Series at the East London Grand Prix Circuit but the international visitors were nevertheless impressed with the track and with the city.
HORDES of spectators braved the rain to witness the unfolding of the long-awaited 2011 Spec-Savers Ironman 70.3 South Africa race held off East London's Orient Beach on Sunday morning.
THE closure of one of East London's most famous fine dining restaurants, Smokey Swallows, has done little to dent the confidence of the city's other privately-owned upmarket restaurants.
A FORENSIC report has revealed that six men and women accused of belonging to a card skimming syndicate had allegedly cloned Standard Bank cards with available funds amounting to a total of almost R3 million.
A GROUP of animal lovers and former East London SPCA volunteers are in the process of setting up an animal sanctuary on a farm outside Beacon Bay.
Suburban bliss in pristine Baysville has been disrupted by a spat over the building of a house residents have labelled as "ugly."
West Bank residents have demanded answers from Buffalo City Municipality (BCM) as to when the old Buffalo River bridge will reopen.
Four East London men with strong ties to the police were on Thursday formally charged in connection with a spate of armed robberies that took place in the city two years ago.
Northern Cape police were at a farm near the Karoo town of Sutherland, where a French couple, who shot dead a police officer and wounded another, were believed to have been killed on Thursday.
More than a year after a knife fight brought chaos to an Eastern Cape municipality, the ANC has failed to discipline its warring councillors.
A school principal stands accused of hiring two hitmen to kill his wife – and yesterday a court heard the alleged gunmen could have been hired for two other murders.
Sugarcane serial killer Thozamile Taki "got what he deserved", his former lover and co-accused Hlengiwe Nene said yesterday.
While some mothers left their children to go into class and rushed off to work on the first day of schools others hung around for as long as they could on Wednesday.
It's back to school for millions of Eastern Cape pupils on Wednesday but education bosses are predicting a miserable start to the year for many.
The first round of public hearings into name changes in Buffalo City saw residents object to the proposal, calling instead for service delivery and housing.
Six Dale College pupils suspended for allegedly bullying other children last year in October are still waiting to learn their fate and will miss the start of the school year.
Opinion over what has caused a spate of shark attacks at Port St Johns' "beach of death" is divided.
The majority of urban South Africans want an independent, unbiased media that exposes corruption, a survey released on Tuesday has revealed.
An Eastern Cape youth leader has come under fire after attempting to suspend a campaign to dissolve the provincial ANC leadership – against the wishes of allies of ANCYL president Julius Malema.
Traumatised surfers and lifeguards at Port St Johns' "beach of death" have called on national government to stop a spate of deadly shark attacks in the popular tourist town.
A Fort Hare student declared dead seven years ago is alive and well to tell the tale of her battle to convince the Department of Home Affairs that she's not dead
South Africa's first women-only prison, Lock Street Gaol in East London, has been turned into an upmarket student residence Located on Fleet Street in the Quigney, the residence opened its doors to 141 University of Fort Hare (UFH) students on Monday, charging a monthly rent of about R1150.
The Amathole District Municipality (ADM) has labelled the dumping of sheepskins near an East London abattoir "unacceptable" and has demanded answers from Buffalo City Municipality (BCM).
Two girls drowned in a river in Ndakeni Village near Flagstaff on Sunday afternoon, Eastern Cape police said.
An 18-year-old boy is expected to appear in the Butterworth Magistrate's Court on Monday after stabbing a friend to death in argument over their manhood, Eastern Cape police said.
One of the world's most dangerous beaches for shark attacks has claimed its fifth victim in three years after a teenage surfing sensation was mauled to death in Port St Johns on Saturday afternoon.
A leading academic has ripped into the country's education system and labelled it a "scandal", saying it was completely failing South Africa's youth.
Former President Nelson Man dela's family remained unfazed amid weekend rumours the world- famous statesman had passed on and refused to entertain it by commenting.
A mystery third person has emerged in an alleged attempt to bribe Eastern Cape Department of Education superintendent-general Modidima Mannya for a multi-million rand tender process.
Two elderly traditional Thembu leaders have been killed in a hail of bullets in what is believed to have been a professional hit.
Dressing your Grade 1 daughter for her first day of school, if you shop smart, will set you back less than R80, while dressing your son will cost parents almost double.
Thousands of hospital laundry items have been condemned after being allowed to stand and rot in two laundry rooms as problems continue to persist at the East London Hospital Complex.
Holidays within the borders of South Africa can be as pricey – if not more so – than jetting off overseas.
Residents and volunteers have begun clean up operations after a tornado tore through the small, sleepy town of Tylden in the Chris Hani District this week.
A soldier shot dead two family members and himself in the early hours of Friday in Kidds Beach Valley, after sending his 10-year-old son to the neighbours, Eastern Cape police said.
Ousted President Thabo Mbeki's ANC credentials "speak for themselves", his spokesman said in reaction to reports that he was directly involved in the formation of opposition party Cope.
Thousands of school pupils in the Eastern Cape will be forced to walk to school next week after the Department of Education suspended scholar transport until the end of March.
Politics has a mind of its own.Just ask former DA stalwart Jock McConnachie - who left his longtime ideological home a year ago – only to officially re-emerge this week as interim leader of the Makana Independent New Deal (MIND).
Over four dozen Amathole officials owe the district municipality over R300 000 on their municipal accounts.
St Bernard's Hospice in East London has responded to the plight of a young man who has literally been rotting at home.
Gonubie's popular "tourist attraction" Amber's Path was trashed by vandals on Tuesday night, leaving residents of the quiet seaside suburb fuming.
The extradition of Shrien Dewani, accused of plotting to murder his bride Anni in Cape Town last year, is on course and SA is waiting for response from Britain on the issue, Justice Minister Jeff Radebe said on Thursday.
A report that ousted president Thabo Mbeki was directly involved in the formation of Cope, the ANC breakaway party, was a "misinterpretation", a Unisa professor said on Thursday.
Ousted president Thabo Mbeki was directly involved in the formation of Cope, the ANC breakaway party, according to a secret US diplomatic note obtained by Media24, Beeld reported on Thursday.
Two months after the Department of Transport promised to settle part of its R84m to reopen the now stalled Kei Rail project, the train is still not running and now staffers say they are left in limbo.
Concerns have been raised for the health of people collecting bait at a popular Port Alfred wetland after ongoing sewage overflows from a nearby development allegedly formed toxic slime on the water.
Gonubie's popular "tourist attraction" Amber's Path was trashed by vandals on Tuesday night, leaving residents of the quiet seaside suburb fuming.
A Beacon Bay resident has built and sold a sports car based on the iconic Lotus 7 from the garage of his Beacon Bay home and has now received interest from buyers in Europe.
East London stock car racer Wesley Collins walked away with life and limb after this spectacular crash at the Victory Race Way in Port Elizabeth recently. See the amateur video footage of the crash.
The DispatchOnline team has received numerous complaints from readers who have the following displayed on their screens when trying to access the Dispatch website on Wednesday: "Reported attack page". This is what happened...
There were smiles and tears at the East London airport on Tuesday as a local school girl bade farewell to her family to join Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls.
A golf enthusiast who wants to "discover" the next Tiger Woods in his rural village just outside of King William's Town is determined to pit the world icon against a local hero in the near future.
A team of scientists in Rhodes University's Zoology and Entomology Department has been awarded a R9m contract by Working For Water (WFW) to research biological methods of controlling some of South Africa's worst invasive aquatic weeds.
Armed robbers made off with a substantial amount of cash after holding up a security company guard in Dutywa after he and colleagues collected money from cash points around the town, police said on Tuesday.
A "No Pants Gautrain Ride" -- coinciding with the 10th annual "No Pants Subway Ride" in New York -- ended with 34 "indecent" people being handcuffed and taken to Kempton Park police station, Beeld reported on Tuesday.
Hot off the field after bowling his final ball in Durban, Makhaya Ntini, at last spoke out about being the only black Protea for many years.
While most people would not think "pig spotting" much of a pastime, one East London Facebook user has turned it into a fine art.
A weekend training run took a dangerous turn when a vehicle knocked down and severely injured a runner in East London on Sunday morning.
Buffalo City Municipality (BCM) have brought an urgent application to the city's High Court in an attempt to evict an East London family they say have illegally occupied a municipal building.
During his lifetime, controversial businessman and ANC funder Sandi Majali paid the salaries of some of the people at the party's headquarters in Luthuli House.
Morne van Wyk's quick-fire 67 was not enough to save the Proteas from defeat by 21 runs against India in their Twenty20 international at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Sunday
A refuse collection contract worth R2.1 million awarded to a Limpopo-based company for nine days' work has caused a stink amongst Buffalo City residents.
President Jacob Zuma's bold promises during the ANC's 99th birthday celebration have met with mixed reaction.
AS EXCITEMENT spread over the release of the 2010 matric results yesterday, some people used it as an opportunity to make a quick buck by selling newspapers at inflated prices.
A WELL-KNOWN Sheriff of the Mthatha High Court and his son were killed in an accident this week – bringing road fatalities to eight in just 24 hours.
THE tale of the Eastern Cape matric class of 2010 reads like a Cinderella story with pupils bouncing back from adversity to achieve a seven percent increase in pass rate.
A possible slashing of nine holes off the 18-hole course at Alexander Golf Club in Sunnyridge to make way for a Science and Technology Park (STP) has golfers and neighbours hot under the collar.
Five German tourists had a brush with death along the Wild Coast on Tuesday when their Jeep Cherokee landed in the river and was swept away.
D-Day has arrived for the Eastern Cape's 80000 matrics after a year filled with disruptions to the school calendar, but some experts remain hopeful that the impact will not be too severe.
THE Daily Dispatch has a new editor at the helm.
THREE cases of assault have been opened against a Buffalo Flats police officer who allegedly tortured three men he arrested in CC Lloyd township last week.
THE Lion Park became a Peruvian birthing ground for a fleecy, snow white alpaca at the weekend – the first to be born in the East London area, the park claimed.
A total of 83 000 orphaned or vulnerable children in the Eastern Cape find themselves tangled up in the court system – a process that could take more than a year to resolve.
Buffalo City Municipality has come under fire for allegedly hiring ANC cardholders to patrol holiday hotspots during the festive season.
Thousands of revellers who packed the country's beaches are gone, leaving cleaners with the daunting task of restoring everything to how it was before the crowds arrived.
THE festive season is drawing to a close but in the Eastern Cape, New Year celebrations were marred by road deaths, crime and natural disasters.
CLOSE to 30 stray dogs were picked up by the East London SPCA as festive fireworks and crackers spooked pets at the weekend.
AN EAST London family, who turned an old abandoned loo at Leaches Bay into a home, have been served with an eviction notice by Buffalo City Municipality (BCM).
Government is pushing ahead with name changes in Buffalo City with proposals that will alter most of the city map.
Partygoers should expect wet weather and possibly even floods over New Year's Eve.
A well-known East London police officer was allegedly stabbed to death by his wife on Christmas Eve following numerous allegations of domestic violence.
A POST-FESTIVE season petrol price hike, predicted to hit motorists next week, will bring the cost of a litre of fuel on par with a carton of milk.
IT WAS meant to be a parcel with a hidden high – loaves of bread filled with dagga destined for a prisoner awaiting trial in East London.
A TRANSKEI man has been arrested after he allegedly arranged to marry his niece off to a fellow villager on Christmas Day so that he could get cattle for her lobola.
A total of R29million was paid out to land claimants in the Eastern Cape just before Christmas – with more to come in the New Year.
Baby boys dominated the province's labour wards this Christmas, with 54out of the 89 infants born on December 25 batting for Team Blue.
East London beaches were packed yesterday as holiday- makers and locals made the most of the sunny weather.
The removal of the Eastern Cape Gambling Betting Board (ECGBB) by Economic Affairs MEC Mcebisi Jonas has now opened up the turf for a renewed battle over the Buffalo City casino licence.
A group of Eastern Cape children were among thousands of airline passengers across Europe who were stranded at airports as a result of heavy winter weather.
Beach lovers are in for a pleasant surprise as the Bonza Bay super-slide opens again - five years after it was closed down.
Nobody does an over-the-top Christmas better than the Heuer family of Nahoon Valley.
Mbashe Municipality has declared Dutywa a disaster area after a tornado ripped through the Transkei on Wednesday smashing down buildings and damaging vehicles.
Following the high number of drowning incidents since the start of December, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) on Wednesday urged holidaymakers to exercise extra caution when swimming this summer.
The Eastern Cape link continues to grow in the Dewani honeymoon murder saga with confirmation that two key figures grew up in the Transkei.
Thousands of school pupils in the Eastern Cape will start the new year without stationery after irregularities were detected in the Department of Education's multi-million rand tender.
Five men suspected of being part of a syndicate responsible for a number of house and business robberies around East London suburbs in recent months were arrested on Wednesday.
Sticking to a tried and trusted holiday destination means many visitors to the Eastern Cape are on their second or third – or thirtieth – trip down to the province for the festive season.
Phakamile Jacobs has warned Eastern Cape boxers that they will face stringent tests next year.
The town of Dutywa was reeling on Wednesday afternoon after a tornado ripped through its main business centre, destroying buildings including its police station and causing thousands of rands of damage.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter on Wednesday defended the "historic" choice of Russia and Qatar to host the World Cups in 2018 and 2022, calling it part of a "natural" progression into new regions.
Six more people have died on the Eastern Cape roads this week in five separate accidents.
Emotions ran high as judgment was handed down in the case against sugarcane serial murder accused Thozamile Taki in the Durban High Court on Wednesday.
One man died and nine others were injured in an accident involving three vehicles outside Kokstad on Wednesday, KwaZulu-Natal paramedics said.
Festive travellers praised the Mthatha police for their good work when they managed to recover two Venter trailers that had been unhooked and wheeled away while their owners stopped for a bite to eat.
A holidaymaker from Belville in the Western Cape has offered a reward after an ugly incident in Gonubie on Monday where all four his car's tyres were slashed.
A R5.4 million engine overhaul, electronic upgrade and paint job has given East London Harbour's 30-year-old hammerhead breakwater crane a new lease on life.
Title-chasing Orlando Pirates are sweating over the fitness of revitalised midfield talisman Teko Modise, who is injured and doubtful for Bucs' final Absa Premiership match of the year against Platinum Stars at the Orlando Stadium on Wednesday night.
A small Eastern Cape municipality could soon find itself fighting to keep the lights turned on after defaulting on payments to power utility Eskom.
A teenage girl was strangled to death and possibly raped in the early hours of Monday in the Quigney area while walking with her boyfriend.
Five men have been arrested for the brutal murder of a police officer in Reeston outside East London on Monday night, a spokesman said.
South Africa star batsman Jacques Kallis crashed his car into a gate in the early hours of Tuesday but escaped unharmed, a team spokesman told AFP, denying that alcohol was involved.
Eastern Cape traffic officials have arrested an average of seven drunk drivers a day on the province's roads this month, the provincial transport department said on Tuesday.
Kids hoping to cool off the scorching heat yesterday were once again disappointed by Buffalo City Municipality (BCM) after it failed to open Waterworld in Fullers Bay Monday as promised.
Christmas is around the corner and festive treats wound't be the same without good, old fashioned mince pies. Dispatch staffers took on a taste test of mince pies from local stores.
Shoppers keen to part with their cash have made this festive season a jolly one for Eastern Cape's retail centres.
Damage believed to run into tens-of-thousands of rands - or more - has been caused after a fire broke out at a Mica hardware shop in the city's shopping district on Monday.
A pre-teen boy racer walked away with only minor scratches after smashing his stock car into a wall at a junior stock car race on Friday night.
Police were called in to stop clashes between delegates from Morocco and Western Sahara at the 17th World Festival of Youth and Students on Sunday.
In a dramatic development that will reverberate through SA's gaming industry the Eastern Cape's beleaguered gambling bosses are expected to get the boot this week.
A young Greenfields couple is desperately searching for their African Grey parrot that went missing on Monday this week.
Three years after the murder of the prominent Eastern Cape doctor, Pox Raghavjee, and amid investigation by police on possible links of his murder and that of Anni Dewani - Raghavjee's former employees, who saw Pox's alleged murderer are speaking out for the first time.
Over 6000 temporary teachers in the Eastern Cape are to lose their jobs come January when their contracts with the department come to an end.
The death toll continue to rise in the Eastern Cape as three more people were killed in car accident in the Transkei, bringing the number to 23 this festive season.
The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) on Friday complained that Cope members had stormed the festival's venue to get publicity.
Pastor Eugene Pienaar has seen a lot in his career as church minister but this week's Cope elective conference was one of the more memorable experiences.
The summer circumcision season death toll in the Eastern Cape has risen to 14, the provincial health department said on Friday.
The body of a police captain who mysteriously disappeared from a beachfront hotel on Monday was discovered on Friday morning at the Nahoon Reef boardwalk.
Tension reached such a pitch between supporters of Cope's president Mosiuoa Lekota and his deputy, Mbhazima Shilowa, that police had to create a buffer zone to separate the two hostile camps at the party's national congress on Thursday.
The wet weather that has blanketed the country this week was due to clear up in East London by the weekend, according to the South African Weather Service (SAWS) on Thursday.
Fourteen deaths over 15 days have been recorded on the Eastern Cape roads since the start of the festive season, Transport Department spokesperson Ncedo Kumbaca said on Thursday.
The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) on Thursday defended the 17th World Youth Festival from criticism and welcomed calls for an audit into the R69 million event.
Buffalo City residents and businesses feeling the recession pinch and indebted to the city could get up to 50 percent off their overall debt written off if they make endeavours to settle during the city's grace period, said Mayor Zukisa Faku
It's less than a week after schools closed and already St Johns Primary School just off Buffalo Street has been the victim of burglary and vandalism.
Participants at the 17th World Youth Festival in Pretoria are not prisoners and cannot be restricted from doing certain things, including playing kissing games, National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) chairman Andile Lungisa said on Wednesday.
Cambridge police are investigating the mysterious murder of two men, whose charred bodies were discovered in a field near the Cambridge location on Wednesday, a police spokesman said.
The first day of the National Youth Festival on Wednesday was marred by delays, with thousands of delegates milling around outside, some resorting to playing kissing games.
East London teen rockers Zondernaam have won South Africa's biggest Afrikaans battle of the bands – Rockspaaider 2010.
Police are desperate to speak to the wife of Dr Pox Raghavjee and want her to return home from the UK to answer questions about her husband's 2007 murder.
Two plots of Beacon Bay land are in the process of being judged suitable for the possible future construction of a school for Nompumelelo pupils.
The Daily Dispatch's campaign to rebuild a Mdantsane school for disabled pupils got off to a good start this week with one classroom getting a complete makeover.
President Jacob Zuma is suing Avusa Media for R5 million for Zapiro's Lady Justice rape cartoon, The Times reported on Tuesday.
An unidentified Eastern Cape mom tragically drowned after saving her teenaged daughter from the surf at a Transkei resort on Monday, an East London rescue spokesman said on Tuesday.
A Mdantsane family believes that it has been denied justice after the State declined to prosecute a culpable homicide case involving the Kidd's Beach police station commander.
A frantic search for a young Mthatha boy ended in tragedy for his family who found his lifeless body tied up and hanging from a tree.
Buffalo City acting Municipal Manager Andile Fani is on the warpath after it emerged that a municipal official kicked a forensic investigations' team out of the city's premises without his knowledge.
The East London SPCA have laid a charge of animal cruelty against a Komgha dog breeder - this after the animal cruelty organisation seized 17 dogs from the man's farm.
The woes of the Navy's SAS Manthatisi submarine, which has been out of commission for nearly three years, include fuses blown because someone inserted a plug in the wrong socket, Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said on Monday.
Social workers responsible for placing two children in the care of a couple arrested with six people on a string of child pornograpy charges, are under investigation, the Pretoria News reported on Monday.
Hip hop star Molemo "Jub Jub" Maarohanye pleaded not guilty to 10 charges levelled against him in the Protea Magistrate's Court on Monday.
There is a strong likelihood that the murder of prominent King William's Town medical practitioner Dr Pox Raghavhvajee was a professional hit.
An unidentified patient was killed instantly when the State ambulance he was travelling in was involved in a collision in King William's Town on Sunday morning.
A vagrant species of jellyfish that packs a painful sting has appeared off Eastern Cape beaches.
BCM councillors were left dumb-founded and confused by Buffalo City Municipality constantly changing the venue of the annual Christmas Party held on Friday.
A tall, leggy actress peels off her skirt and top to dance in what in some places would be an unremarkable movie scene – except that this is porn 
Investigations into the killing of honeymoon bride Anni Dewani have moved to the Eastern Cape where police are digging into a 2007 murder of a prominent doctor.
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) vice-chairperson of the board Valli Moosa has hailed the Eastern Cape as one of world's greatest centres for the breeding of black rhino.
A champion for the rights of endangered fish this week came up trumps against a local Spar magnate who was stocking endangered fish in at least two East London stores.
The St Patrick's-on-the-Hill chapel in Hogsback, which was gutted by fire in June this year, has been restored to its former glory and is ready to host a wedding next weekend.
From Friday onwards, we invite you to join NEWStalk - where we discuss a relevant news topic for the day. We will regularly post a story that appeared in the paper for comment on the Blah-blah blog, which you can access by clicking on this icon in the "Hot Spots" menu. Join the conversation! - Online News Ed.
Number of abandoned babies rockets as festive season approaches
More than 37 boys from various tribes within the AmaRharhabe Kingdom joined the king's son in a colourful community-orientated circumcision event at at Mngqesha Great Place near King William's Town at the weekend.
The owner of Pet's Choice pet store in Beacon Bay this week pledged to take drastic measures to ensure the good health of puppies sold through her store.
Former Model C schools in the province will have to transform their rigid policies in line with the Constitution, Eastern Cape Education superintendent-general advocate Modidima Mannya said this week.
The Sunshine Coast's longtime water woes have finally been solved thanks to the arrival of a state-of-the-art mobile desalination plant in Port Alfred – just in time for the Christmas holidays.
An acclaimed South African outdoorsman who was leading a kayaking expedition from the source of the White Nile into Congo was dragged from his craft by a crocodile as two Americans watched, horrified. The guide is presumed dead.
The SA Literary Awards (Sala) has withdrawn its award for Annelie Botes, writer of the highly acclaimed Thula Thula, for saying she did not like black people
A key police forensics expert in the Inge Lotz murder case denied on Thursday that he knew that a bloody mark on her bathroom floor was not made by her boyfriend's shoe.
Four men were killed after their planned victims - a group of women - turned on them when they tried to rob their stokvel in Ngqamakhwe near Butterworth on Wednesday, police said.
The British newlywed accused of paying to have his bride killed on their honeymoon may be released from jail only if he adheres to strict bail conditions, the British Press Association reported late on Wednesday.
A 58-year-old grandfather, accused of being involved in a child pornography ring with his wife and six of their family members says the foster daughter he is now accused of molesting was raped by someone else.
Leading black Eastern Cape academics have warned that South Africa has become an "apocalyptic environment" – and that President Jacob Zuma is a "national problem".
MO may come across as just an ordinary monkey, but to his "mom" he is a playful grandchild who helps with dishes after dinner, then goes to bed in his air-conditioned bedroom.
A Port Alfred family is praying for a miracle after a 13-year-old boy disappeared while swimming with relatives on the Kowie River on Wednesday morning.
The Scottburgh High Court will on Thursday hear closing arguments in the case of the so-called sugarcane serial killer.
A suspected robber was shot dead and two more were arrested during a foiled cash-in-transit heist in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape police said on Wednesday.
British millionaire Shrien Dewani was arrested in London on Tuesday night for suspected involvement in his wife Anni's murder, the BBC reported on Wednesday.
On the virtual bookshelf of eReaders, bibliophiles never need to complain about having "nothing to read" ever again.
A multi-million rand road construction project meant to link two East London suburbs has been received with scepticism from residents who questions whether it will ever get off the ground again.
The initiation season has barely begun and already one death has been recorded in the Eastern Cape.
Due to popular demand from our loyal readers to let the conversation continue, we are on Tuesday reviving the Daily Dispatch Blah-Blah blog, were we give our readers the opportunity to have their say, whether it be good or bad.
Online readers of the Daily Dispatch will this morning wake up to the dawn of a new era for DispatchOnline.
Shrien Dewani plotted his wife Anni's murder, the Cape High Court was told on Tuesday.
East London has scored a major manufacturing coup on Tuesday morning after it was announced that its largest car manufacturer, Mercedes-Benz, has been awarded the prestigious allocation to manufacture the C-Class Merc from 2014 onwards.
President Jacob Zuma on Monday received Cuba's highest award, the Presidency said in a statement on Tuesday.
The bail hearing of eight people arrested on child pornography charges was postponed in the Pretoria North Magistrate's Court until Wednesday.
Thousands of Eastern Cape babies face malnutrition and even death if the national government acts on plans to remove free infant formula from State facilities.
Buffalo City Municipality (BCM) has appointed a private company to probe the shoddy work on newly constructed roads in Mdantsane.
A large number of journalists were at the first appearance in the Pretoria North Magistrate's Court on Monday of eight people arrested on a string of child pornography charges.
The New Age newspaper finally hit the streets on Monday, with editor Henry Jeffreys launching into whether it was an ANC mouthpiece.
With the festive season on hand, and despite a pending court case questioning the accuracy of breathalysers in drunken driving cases, government has introduced new legislation that will make it almost impossible for suspects to fight the results of an alcohol-breath test in court.
New Transport MEC Thandiswa Marawu visited some of the families of the victims of an accident where five people were burned to death after their taxi rolled and caught fire outside Grahamstown on Saturday.
Gender activists have stepped in to help a transgender teenager who has been forced to leave his East London school because he was not allowed to wear grey trousers.
Five couples in one venue all said "I do" in a "mass wedding" in Buffalo Flats at the weekend.
A tumultuous journey for six Eastern Cape families finally ended at the weekend when the remains of the Langa Six, hanged during the 1960s, were returned home.
An East London mother will appear in court on Monday morning on charges of culpable homicide and neglect after the drowning of her toddler over the weekend.
He has been described as "precious" and "bubbly" and his family think it is cute when he throws his food in the air and catches it, writes Xolisa Mgwatyu. The latest addition to the East London Zoo – a Bengal tiger – has already won over the hearts of many. Mgwatyu shot the following video of a furry friend:
Son is my shepherd: This is the story of Debbie Hermans, a disabled mom and her eight-year-old son Kenny. It's a story of hardship and sometimes despair - but it's also a story of hope and a mother's love for her son - and the other way around. It's a very South African story of triumph over everday adversity.
A young Greenfields couple is desperately searching for their African Grey parrot that went missing on Monday this week.
HORDES of spectators braved the rain to witness the unfolding of the long-awaited 2011 Spec-Savers Ironman 70.3 South Africa race held off East London's Orient Beach on Sunday morning.
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