A fire dancer, in his late 30s, was performing at a party at the Buffalo Bay caravan park when he caught alight, the NSRI said .

Cape Town - A fire dancer set his head alight during a party in Knysna, the NSRI said on Sunday.

The man, in his late 30s, was performing at a party at the Buffalo Bay caravan park on Saturday night when he caught alight, the National Sea Rescue Institute's Knysa station commander Graeme Harding said in a statement.

The man was treated for first and second degree burns to his head and taken to a local hospital in a serious but stable condition.

Fire dancing involves swinging burning objects, such as balls attached to chains, around ones body. - Sapa

More than three tons of fuel has spilt into the sea from the cargo ship that ran aground off Buffels Bay near Knysna, threatening a nearby nature reserve.

Cape Town - More than three tons of fuel have spilt into the sea from the cargo ship that ran aground off Buffels Bay near Knysna, threatening a nearby nature reserve.

The 168m bulk carrier, Kiani Satu, ran aground at dawn on Thursday, forcing the captain and its 19-member crew to abandon the ship.

As salvage operations by the SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) began on Saturday, they found that an estimated three tons of oil had leaked from a crack in the vessel. Other minor cracks and leaks from the vessel were also reported.

The ship is believed to have been carrying 330 tons of fuel.

Captain Nigel Campbell, who is overseeing the operation, said yesterday the salvage crew were working hard to contain any leaks.

“We believe that there is a crack in the hull in the way of the number two double-bottom starboard tank, which is holding the fuel.

“It’s a major concern that so much damage has already been done. We are doing our best to limit any further damage and are preparing a flotation operation on Monday to take the vessel back out to sea,” he said.

Initial inspections of the vessel on Friday had showed no signs of pollution, damage to the ship or visible leaks.

The Kiani Satu, carrying rice, heavy fuels and gas oil, was on a course to Gabon when mechanical failure stranded the vessel in a remote location on one of the country’s most pristine coastlines, on the Garden Route, near the Goukamma Nature Reserve.

Teams have been sent to the beach to clean up any oil that reaches the shore.

Campbell said nine salvors and two surveyors from the salvage vessel Smit Amandla were preparing towing equipment for tomorrow’s operation.

“These guys are some of the world’s best in their field, and will be working 20 hours a day,” he said.

A helicopter would help to airlift equipment off the vessel and secure a towline to the tug.

There have been concerns about waves pushing the vessel further on the reef, but the swells are also needed to carry it out to sea again.

The vessel’s crew is being accommodated at the Point Hotel in Mossel Bay.

They had been warned not to speak to the media owing to “insurance issues”.

The crew are expected to play a vital role in the salvage operation because of their experience with the ship.

The authorities will be eager to avoid a repeat of the Seli 1 disaster, when a Turkish bulk carrier ran aground near Bloubergstrand in 2009, and kept haemorrhaging fuel until late last year.

Around R40 million was set aside by the National Treasury to salvage the vessel, with blasting operations to reduce the wreck commencing at the beginning of the year.

kowthar.solomons@inl.co.za

Weekend Argus

They remember the horrors they endured. But these women vowed not to waste a moment of the second chance they fought for.

Cape Town - Debbie Adlington, the sole survivor of an axe attack on her family, a domestic violence victim who was shot multiple times and the young woman who was abducted and held as a sex slave at the age of 12, all come from different backgrounds.

But the one thing they have in common is that they “survived against all odds”.

In addition to surviving, all three have fought hard to get their lives back, and have used their experiences to help empower other women.

All three agree that they’re lucky to have escaped their attackers, and survived.

Adlington, whose husband bludgeoned their three children to death with an axe, said that even after all these years, she’s never been able to put her ordeal fully behind her.

In January 2002 her estate agent husband Tony Adlington bludgeoned her on the head, murdered their three children, Craig, nine, Kevin, 12, and Katelyn, 11, with an axe, set them alight, and then shot himself in their Marina da Gama home.

The couple had been together for 18 years and Adlington remains puzzled as to what drove her husband to snap, although many claimed that his military stint during the Zimbabwean war played a big part.

Adlington was hit three times with an axe, suffering a split skull. Doctors never expected her to survive, but she made a miraculous recovery, even after learning the devastating news about her children’s deaths when she emerged from a coma.

“I was in a coma for three weeks and the doctors did not give me more than 24 hours to live. I was paralysed on my left side and could not walk. But I survived because of my three children, whom I believed at the time were still alive.

“I always thought that they were in the hospital somewhere. But obviously they weren’t,” she said.

Adlington’s entire world shattered when she found out what had happened to her family.

“At first I could not remember. They gave me a piece of paper and I drew a stick figure holding an axe in the hand. So I must have seen him but I could not remember.”

She always wondered why her husband attacked her first, and why she was the only one to survive.

“I tell you, if you had known my husband, you could not have wished for a better father. Up until today I cannot believe that he was even capable of doing what he did.”

Adlington said the scary reality was that they were not battling financially, and there were no obvious signs that he had problems.

“My strength comes from sharing my experiences with others. I’m lucky to even be here and I’m even more blessed to have a healthy seven-year-old daughter, Kylie-Ann, who’ll be turning eight in November.”

Adlington said she was no longer bitter about the tragic events in her life, although marriage will never again be on the cards for her.

“I still think about my three other children every day of my life. But being a mom to Kylie-Ann is great.

“She knows she’s a donor baby and she’s happy anyway. She knows she had three siblings, but believes they were killed in an accident,” she said.

Adlington said birthdays and holidays remained particularly difficult.

“My eldest daughter would have been 22 on the 28th of this month. My son would have been 23 this year and my baby son would have been 21 in December.”

Adlington works as a receptionist and has taken up motivational speaking to help other women who are battling hardships.

Her advice to others?

“If there are ever signs of physical or verbal abuse, or just plain old jealousy – run as fast as you can, don’t stick around, just leave. There’s help out there.”

*A Strandfontein mother of two, who was shot several times, allegedly by her own husband after she began divorce proceedings, has urged other women to get out of bad relationships before things turn toxic.

She was attacked and held hostage in her home, days after her 41st birthday in April this year.

She had been estranged from her husband since last August. Despite ongoing counselling, she had decided to go ahead with divorce proceedings.

On the day of the attack, she recalls that her husband was acting strangely. “It was like he was watching me like a hawk,” she says.

Her husband wanted to know if he had to move out that day, and she told him she didn’t know. Their divorce went through a month later.

“I went into the room. When I turned around he was right there with the gun in his hand. I begged and pleaded, but I was trapped inside the house. I tried running from one room to another, but he kept shooting. I tried calling my dad, but he could only hear my screams… and then the phone was shot out of my hand.”

She said she tried to close the door, but he shot right through it. When her home phone rang, she managed to slip past her husband as he reloaded his gun.

“I ran for the phone, but he managed to pull it from the socket. By that time I had already been shot multiple times, but the entire time the images of my beautiful children stayed with me.”

There was no doubt in her mind that she should have died that day.

“I begged and begged for the sake of our children. I remember yelling, ‘Allah hu akbar’ (God is great in Arabic). I remember thinking, I will get through this, as I heard the sirens and the police outside.”

She spent a month in hospital and is still on sick leave, recovering at her parents’ home.

Her husband is still awaiting trial on a charge of attempted murder.

Her Women’s Day message is simple: don’t wait too long before you get out of a toxic relationship.

She says too many women hide the physical and emotional scars of abuse, suppressing fear, pain and isolation behind the curtain of a “normal” life. But she warns that their silence could cost them their lives.

“There is a serious social issue plaguing our country, one that continues to ruin the lives of women and children. The issue is violence against women, be it sexual, physical, or psychological. It is an epidemic that needs to end.”

Her scars would always be a reminder of what had happened, but she adds that, as a Muslim, she has already forgiven her husband.

*She was 12 years old when convicted rapist and kidnapper Johannes Mowers entered her home on a farm in the Hemel-en-Aarde valley near Hermanus, and abducted her at gunpoint.

It was the beginning of an 18-month ordeal for the now 21-year-old, during which Mowers held her as his sex slave, his personal punching bag, and “mother” to his then four-year-old daughter.

“I remember everything… He raped and beat me all the time,” the soft-spoken young woman said.

“I was like a dartboard. He’d throw knives at me, and when I ducked he’d tell me not to blame him if I got hit. I thought about running away, but his daughter held me back. She was small, I just couldn’t leave her there.”

The two girls were held together in an underground dugout which was only about 2m by 3m wide.

She believed she would die there, although she also never gave up hope that she would be rescued.

“I always listened to what he said. I did what he asked and I tried to be good. That’s what kept me alive.”

The notorious fugitive’s reign of terror in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley came to an end in March 2007, when police arrested him with the assistance of the local community. He had managed to elude the authorities since his escape from the Caledon court in November 2003, committing a spate of crimes including rape, attempted murder and housebreaking.

She is now looking to the future and “putting the past behind me”.

She is studying at a college in Hermanus and wants to become a teacher and caregiver to young children.

Her advice to others who find themselves victims of violent crime is to “do whatever it takes to stay alive”.

“You’re special and your life is worth something.”

No matter what others may think or say, all women and children are important, she said.

“We were not made to please others. Our lives have meaning.”

warda.meyer@inl.co.za

Weekend Argus

Christopher Walker is in hot water with the SARB which is probing his alleged get-rich-quick scheme.

Cape Town - Cape Town businessman Christopher Walker is in hot water with the South African Reserve Bank, which is investigating his alleged get-rich-quick scheme in which about 200 000 people invest more than R800 million.

The Western Cape High Court has described the business of Walker’s Net Income Solutions (NIS) as an “illegal deposit-taking scheme”, and ordered that all his assets, and those of NIS, be frozen.

There appears to be R324m in the business account even though evidence before the court was that more than R800m was moved through it.

In addition, investigators have found that Walker transferred R20m from his business account into his personal account, according to the court.

Judge James Yekiso declared that evidence established that Walker was “effectively” NIS, all decisions were taken by him, and that as the sole member of NIS, any profits were “to his benefit”.

It was also apparent, he added, that Walker was inclined to treat NIS’s money as his own.

Meanwhile, a news section on the company’s website warns investors that “we are receiving many requests from people saying that we must pay them” but no payments could be made since the account was frozen.

The alleged scheme, known as Defencex, drew investments u

nder the guise of offering an opportunity for people to access stress relief workshops.

On the instructions of the Reserve Bank, the registrar of banks appointed inspectors at auditing firm Price Waterhouse Coopers to look into NIS’s affairs.

According to papers before the court, they found that deposits into NIS’s account from investors amounted to more than R800m.

The court papers said the inspectors found that NIS operated a website called “EFT for Me”, which provided readers with information about a form of stress relief.

The acronym EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques.

In order to join EFT, investors had to create a user profile on NIS’s website after inserting the name of the person who had referred them to the scheme (known as the sponsor).

New users could then deposit money into NIS’s bank account, using a unique identifier as a reference.

After three days, the funds went into a virtual bank account, called an e-wallet.

The funds in the e-wallet could then be used to buy points, each of which cost R100, and these could be used to pay for stress relief workshops and seminars.

Users earned commission on points bought by those they had referred to EFT, and five percent on those the referral had referred.

The EFT home page explains: “EFT are remarkable techniques that alleviate emotional distress using simple yet elegant techniques based on the body’s energy meridians. By teaching an easily adopted system of tapping on the body’s meridian points, this will enable you to ‘tune’ and ‘tone’ your body’s energy system for immediate relaxation and relief from stress and anxiety.”

According to evidence before the court, 195 233 user names were registered.

In addition, the inspectors found that 218 391 individual deposits, to the value of more than R815m, had been made.

Earlier this year, after receiving the preliminary findings of the inspectors, the registrar of banks approached the High Court to stop NIS and Walker from disposing of assets.

The registrar asked the court to interdict NIS and Walker from contravening the Banks Act by conducting the business of a bank without any authority to do so, and from soliciting and accepting deposits.

However, NIS and Walker denied operating a bank, saying that NIS was a referral marketing company, and the points people bought were for access to workshops, not an investment with the promise of high returns.

On the EFT website is a disclaimer which states: “If you make a purchase from Net Income Solutions you are purchasing our products or services. You are not making any form of investment.”

Walker also took issue with the registrar asking the court to freeze his personal bank account.

But in his judgment, Judge Yekiso found that figures for the number of deposits made into NIS’s business account indicated that the first component of the definition of “the business of a bank” had been satisfied.

He said the acceptance of money was not only a regular feature of NIS’s business but a core feature, adding that the inspectors found that member deposits constituted about 92 percent of the money NIS received in its business account.

Judge Yekiso said that in September and November last year, between 0.3 percent and and 0.7 percent of participants attended workshops. No further workshops were held.

“It is quite clear, therefore, that the workshops did not form a significant feature of the business of NIS.”

Attempts to contact Walker proved fruitless.

Weekend Argus

Marine salvors are pumping oil from a leaking tank on the Kiani Satu to prevent more oil pollution, according to a report.

Johannesburg - Marine salvors are pumping oil from a leaking tank on the Kiani Satu to prevent more oil pollution, the SABC reported on Sunday.

The plan was to pump oil from a leaking tank lower down in the ship to a structurally sound one higher up, SA Maritime Safety Authority spokesman Captain Nigel Campbell told the broadcaster.

The rough seas made it too dangerous to do underwater welding.

The bulk carrier ran aground off Buffels Bay, Knysna, on Thursday when it developed mechanical problems in heavy seas. It is carrying 330 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 15,000 tonnes of rice.

Salvage experts said about three tonnes of oil had so far leaked into the marine protected Goukamma Nature Reserve, but marine life was not yet under threat, according to the SABC.

The ship was inaccessible and heavy equipment had to be flown in by helicopter. On board the ship everything had to be moved by hand due to a lack of electricity.

Campbell said a similar operation to remove another ship from the Durban coast took them 30 days. This time they were trying to refloat it before the next cold front arrived on Tuesday.

“We have responsible owners who have the best insurance in place. Evidence of this is that they have flown in experts from all over the world to give assistance,” Campbell told the public broadcaster.

“Financial commitments are being met, and there is no doubt in my mind that there will be no costs to the state in this exercise. The ship owners through their insurers will pick up all of the costs.”

The environmental affairs department said its oil spill response team was collaborating with the local municipality, SANParks, and CapeNature.

“Reports from the department’s oil spill aerial surveillance aircraft indicate that while light oil is visible on the beaches, most of the oil leaking from the bulk carrier is moving offshore away from the coast,” the department said in a statement. - Sapa

A man died after the bakkie he was driving veered off a pier at the V&A Waterfront, the NSRI said.

Cape Town - A man died on Sunday afternoon after the bakkie he was driving veered off a pier at the V&A Waterfront, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said.

His passenger managed to swim to safety.

Two helicopter pilots jumped into the water to try to rescue the men. NSRI’s Table Bay commander Pat van Eyssen said the incident happened just after 3pm.

“On arrival… it was confirmed that a vehicle, believed to be a Waterfront maintenance bakkie, had gone over the pier into the water on the sea side of East Pier at the V&A Waterfront.

“Two people were reportedly in the vehicle at the time, both males. The passenger was able to get out of the vehicle and get to shore and he is being attended to for shock and he has been checked out by paramedics.”

Van Eyssen said the passenger had not been injured, but the driver was declared dead at the scene.

“It is not clear what caused the vehicle to go over the pier and into the water. The body of the deceased will be handed into the care of the Forensic Pathology Services. Efforts are under way to secure the vehicle and then today a crane will be brought in to recover the vehicle from the water.”

Two pilots, Howard Curran and JD Heyns, from Cape Town Helicopters, based at the Waterfront, were among the first on the scene and jumped into the water to try and save the men.

Curran described how he and his colleague jumped into the water after realising that someone could have been trapped in the bakkie.

“There was first a bit of confusion if there was someone in the bakkie or not, JD continued to undress and jumped into the water and cracked a window open and I jumped in and we managed to unlock the door.”

Curran said there was one person on top of the bakkie when they arrived, but he was not sure if it was the passenger: “We got one person out of the car and gave him over to ER24. We didn’t make much of it at first, but when we realised someone could be inside it got a bit serious to us.”

V&A Waterfront spokeswoman Carla White said the circumstances of the incident would be investigated.

“Concern is for his family at this time and our full support will be offered. Counselling has also been offered to his co-workers to offer support.”

She said the family had not yet been notified and that the victim’s name would be released once that had been done.

An inquest docket has been opened by the police.

yolisa.tswanya@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

The death of Kieran Schultz, the son of former 7de Laan actor Waldemar, has sent shock waves around the country.

Cape Town - The death of budding actor Kieran Schultz, the son of former 7de Laan actor Waldemar Schultz, has shocked many friends and fans across the country.

Kieran, 14, fell more than 20m to his death at about lunchtime on Saturday in Hermanus.

Witnesses said the former Egoli actor lost his balance and fell when he was on a low wall at the cliff, opposite the Harbour House Hotel.

Reports indicated that Kieran had tried to grab on to a branch, but fell 27m onto the rocks below.

People who were kayaking on the water, still shocked after the horror fall, said they thought at first that a bag had fallen over the cliff.

“But it was actually a child falling through the air,” Walker Bay Adventures owner Herman de Vries told Weekend Argus.

Kieran was building his acting career and studied at the Stage Right Drama School in Somerset West.

He was recently named the best junior actor in the National Acting Competition for High School pupils, where he also received the overall third prize.

The event, held in May, had about 500 entrants from across South Africa, and Kieran managed to beat older and more experienced actors.

He also had a recurring role as Walt in South African soapie Egoli: Place of Gold. The series ended, after 18 years, in March 2010.

He was in Grade 8 at Parel Vallei High School. Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel André Traut said the circumstances surrounding the pupil’s fall were being investigated.

“At about 1pm, he slipped and fell at the whale look-out point in Hermanus and sustained severe head injuries. He later died after being admitted to hospital,” Traut said.

An EMS team tried for more than 40 minutes to resuscitate Kieran after his fall.

Traut added that an inquest had been opened.

Friends and fans took to social networking sites to express their shock and share messages of condolences.

Radio personality Soli Philander tweeted: “Heart-breaking news of the death of Waldemar Schutlz’s son. Thinking of the family. RIP Kieran.”

The teen’s classmate, Nicole Seegers, tweeted: “RIP Kieran Schultz. A boy in grade 8 at Parel Vallei High School, he was in my class.”

Another twitter user, Megan Lord, shared a Bible scripture and her condolences: “Prayers go out to Kieran Schultz’s friends and family. Philippians 4:13: ‘I can do all things through Him who strengthens me’. Be strong.”

According to the website Thespians.co.za, Kieran’s mother, Ira Blanckenberg, runs a drama school.

She and Waldemar met while she was studying. They also have a daughter, Dhania.

Waldemar played Jan-Hendrik Terreblanche on 7de Laan.

yolisa.tswanya@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

A drug addict was killed by a mob when he and two friends tried to sell copper to a scrapyard in Mitchells Plain.

Cape Town - A 28-year-old drug addict was killed at the weekend when he and two friends tried to sell copper to a scrapyard in Tafelsig in Mitchells Plain.

Police confirmed that Taswald Simons was shot and stabbed on Sunday.

Simons and two others went to a scrapyard in Moira Street to sell copper when the owner accused one of them of having stolen from him.

Two of them fled the scene, but Simons was caught and grabbed by a group of people who stabbed him behind the ear and on his back. One shot him in the chest.

Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Andre Traut said no arrests had been made and the matter was under investigation.

Christina Simons, the dead man’s mother, admitted he was a drug addict and smoked dagga and Mandrax, but claimed her son had done nothing wrong.

“He was a person that didn’t harm others. Yes, he was on drugs, but he wasn’t a gangster,” she said sobbing. He was the oldest son and had three sisters and a brother.

Christina had received a call from a daughter while she was at work telling her to return home as “something had happened to Taswald”.

“I got there and my son was lying on the ground. I went through the police tapes and told the forensic who were taking photos that I want to see my son. As they were loading him on the stretcher his one eye was open, I closed it and told him mommy loves you.”

His sister, Marchalene, said she was very close to her older brother.

“I used to talk to him about everything, share jokes with him.”

Taswald would have started a new job on Monday, working as a casual labourer at the Cape Town docks. “He said he was going to sort himself out, but now he’s dead,” she said.

The family was due to go to the Salt River morgue on Monday to officially identify Taswald’s body. His mother said that dealing with the loss of her son was heart-breaking.

zodidi.dano@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

A 16-year-old boy died after he collapsed while playing soccer at Goodwood College in Cape Town.

Cape Town - A 16-year-old boy died after he collapsed while playing soccer at Goodwood College, Ruyterwacht, on Saturday.

Jonathan Kelibi, a Grade 9 pupil from Parow, could not be revived.

Metro EMS spokeswoman Angelique Jordaan said the teenager may have had a heart attack.

“We received a call at around 1.45pm on Saturday after a 16-year-old collapsed while playing soccer.

“When paramedics arrived they immediately administered CPR but they could not revive him.

“The symptoms the boy had were that of someone who had an underlying heart problem or he had the flu.”

Melanie Rass, his Afrikaans teacher at Cape Town High, was notified of Jonathan’s death by his classmates.

“Apparently he was training for a private club and had gone to get some water when he collapsed.

“He seemed like such a healthy boy, which is why it’s so shocking for us.

“The past week we still worked on a fashion show that is coming up and he helped me with a paper chandelier.”

She said that the teenager had a bubbly personality.

“I taught him Afrikaans from Grade 8 and he was a very nice, open, honest and helpful boy. His parents were also completely shocked at the news.”

Rass said the school would hold a memorial service for the teen this week.

Several Facebook users offered their condolences to his family and friends.

Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Andrè Traut said no foul play was suspected and that the cause of death has yet to be established.

natasha.bezuidenhout@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

“When the sex worker refused, the man allegedly assaulted her and had sex with her without her consent.”

Cape Town - A Western Cape police captain will appear in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court on Monday for allegedly raping a prostitute, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) said.

The officer, from the province's special task force, was arrested on Thursday, Ipid spokesman Moses Dlamini said.

A 26-year-old woman claimed he had approached her in a bakkie on August 3 at 3.30am and asked her for oral sex.

While she was providing this service, the man allegedly wanted to have sex with her, Dlamini said.

“When the sex worker refused, the man allegedly assaulted her and had sex with her without her consent.”

The woman managed to escape from the vehicle and took down the registration number.

Dlamini said it was found that the bakkie belonged to the policeman.

The officer is facing charges of rape and assault. - Sapa

After several glorious spring-like days, winter is back in Cape Town with heavy rain expected throughout the week.

Cape Town - After several glorious spring-like days, winter is back with heavy rain expected throughout the week, although no more snowfalls are predicted.

Despite oak trees showing bright green leaves and flowers appearing on the West Coast, winter is not over yet.

Monday’s high will be around 15°C, and we can expect about 46mm of rain and gale force westerly to north-westerly winds between Cape Point and Agulhas.

Henning Grobler, a weather forecaster from the Cape Town weather office, said a wintery week was in the offing from Tuesday until Friday.

“We can expect a few cold fronts through the course of the week.

“There will be windy, cloudy and cold conditions with temperature lows of 12°C and 13°C.”

He did not foresee any snow, but said “it’s not out of the question”.

Heavy rain is expected in places over the Cape Metropole and the western parts of the Cape Winelands districts overnight and into Wednesday.

“A bit of a break is expected around Saturday,” added Grobler.

Snow on the Matroosberg near Ceres and around Sutherland late last week saw hundreds of people head to guest-houses in the area to admire the sheets of white.

More than half the guest-houses in Sutherland reported that they were fully booked for the long weekend, while Lizelle Prinsloo, at the Matroosberg Nature Reserve, said their phones had been ringing non-stop with people keen to see the snow.

The Northern Cape is expected to be cloudy and cool to cold, but very cold over the southern high ground. It will be fine in the north east.

Meanwhile NSRI spokesman Craig Lambinon advised people to remain safety conscious when out at sea during winter.

“The NSRI cautions sea users that even when the weather looks good, sea conditions normally remain rough and unpredictable, often as a result of deep sea storms - so caution and maintaining a safety consciousness is always advised in winter.”

natasha.bezuidenhout@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Service delivery protests are causing those who live in the Cape's crime hot spots to be shortchanged by police.

Cape Town - Residents in the city’s crime hot spots are being shortchanged because law enforcement staff are forced to deal with ongoing service delivery protests in other areas.

One-third of the City of Cape Town’s police officers had to be redeployed from their usual activities to deal with unrest and poo protests on major freeways, said JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security.

Mayor Patricia de Lille said: “Hours of law enforcement time is being taken up to protect the city against these actions.” But the city would continue to rely on its police and the law to ensure that services were rendered.

The N2 has been closed numerous times in the past two months as protesters have burnt tyres and thrown human waste from portable flush toilet containers at motorists.

The toll that these clashes with disgruntled residents’ from informal settlements has taken on the city’s law enforcement resources, in terms of staff and financial loss, can be seen in the latest quarterly report submitted to the safety and security portfolio committee last week.

All the city’s law enforcement units have been affected. Metro officers had to respond to 189 protests between April and June, up 231 percent from the 57 actions in the previous quarter.

The city is divided into four policing areas, and three of these reflect a drop in operations because staff were forced to deal with protesters.

Only in area east, which includes Khayelitsha, Macassar, Strand, Somerset West and Delft, was there a marked increase in operational activities in this period. There were 620 operations in June, up from the 444 in May, as protest action in these areas intensified.

For area west, however, operations decreased from 1 282 in April to 1 024 in May, and then to a significantly lower 724 in June. The reason, the report says, “can be directly attributed to the ongoing protest action on the N2 and R300 where staff are assigned to work on a 24-hour basis”.

In area north, operations dropped from 934 in May to 533 in June.

Fewer fines have also been issued. According to the notes for area west, the drop in fines from 1 840 in April to 1 480 in May is because staff have been assigned to deal with protests on a 24-hour basis, and are therefore “not performing normal patrol duties in the area”.

The number of patrols at hot spots showed a slight decline in May and again in June as officers had to concentrate their resources on the protest action. Hot spot patrols include activities at informal settlements and informal trading areas, and at illegal dumping areas and open spaces.

There were 2 106 hot spot patrols in May, but this dropped to 740 in June owing to assistance rendered on the N2 instead.

Officers from the Informal Trading Unit have been deployed to the N2 and Philippi during protests to prevent damage to infrastructure, the report noted. In May, the unit removed 2 000 tyres stacked next to the N2 near Nyanga that were intended for burning during a protest.

The city’s rapid response unit was forced to curtail its visits to council buildings in June because it had to escort staff from the water and sanitation department to informal settlements so they could safely clean toilets.

“The unit was also required to escort and stand down with the electricity department teams in a number of townships so that staff could do necessary repairs and installations amid prevalent threats of intimidation,” said the report.

Although the number of no-go areas for city cleaning staff has dropped from 16 to just four, law enforcement is still required to ensure that the work is done safely, said Ernest Sonnenberg, mayoral committee member for utility services.

anel.lewis@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

A 21-year-old man has been arrested after a shooting in which a seven-year-old Atlantis boy was killed and his mother wounded.

Atlantis - Police have arrested a 21-year-old man in connection with a shooting in which a seven-year-old Atlantis boy was killed and his mother wounded. Two other men were also wounded.

Ruhan Botha was enjoying a family braai with his 33-year-old mother, Liezel, on Friday and the rest of his family when shots rang out. Ruhan was fatally wounded and his mother wounded in the neck.

Atlantis councillor Barbara Rass visited the family on Sunday and said the mother was very shocked and was not ready to talk to the media.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet. It was the hardest when she dished for him and realised that her little boy was not there.”

Rass said other residents had been visiting the family and had offered their condolences.

“She is in bed now. She was discharged on Saturday and her face is still swollen.”

Rass added that the shooting affected Atlantis residents, especially since a woman and her child were affected.

Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel André Traut said they could not speculate that the shooting was gang-related, but said police arrested the 21-year-old in Atlantis on Saturday night.

“Criminals opened fire, supposedly at another group of criminals and both were caught in the crossfire. The boy succumbed due to a gunshot wound, while his 33-year-old mother survived with a wound to the neck. Two other male adults, aged 18 and 20, were also wounded.”

Traut said the motive for the shooting was unknown.

“We are searching for two more suspects and will stop at nothing until we are satisfied that we have all those responsible for the death of Ruhan.

“Any person who can assist us with our investigation, or who can shed light on the whereabouts of the suspects, is kindly requested to contact Crime Stop on 0860010111, and remain anonymous.”

yolisa.tswanya@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Police would not confirm reports that ANC national executive committee member Tony Yengeni was arrested for drunk driving.

Cape Town - Reports that ANC national executive committee member Tony Yengeni was arrested for drunk driving at the weekend could not be immediately confirmed on Monday.

Western Cape police would only say that a 58-year-old man was arrested on the corner of Somerset and Dixon Roads in Cape Town on Sunday for drunk driving.

"He was detained at Cape Town central police station for the duration of the night and released on bail this morning, 7.30am Monday," Captain Frederick van Wyk said.

"He is due to make a court appearance at Cape Town Magistrate's Court on 4th March 2014."

Van Wyk could not confirm that the individual arrested was Yengeni.

Beeld reported online on Monday that its Cape Town sister newspaper Die Burger had seen Yengeni leaving police cells in the morning after paying bail of R500.

He was reportedly driving a Maserati when he was arrested.

In 2007, Yengeni was arrested in Goodwood on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol. He was also granted R500 bail at the time. He was found not guilty on that case.

At the time, Yengeni was out on parole after his 2003 conviction for defrauding Parliament by failing to disclose a 47 percent discount on a 4X4 Mercedes-Benz. - Sapa

The Dutch man who lost an eye in a stone-throwing incident while travelling on a Metrorail train is considering legal action.

Cape Town - The Dutch man who lost an eye in a stone-throwing incident while travelling on a Metrorail train in March last year is considering legal action.

Jorrit de Vries, 27, was sitting next to an open window on the train when there was a bang followed by a sharp pain in his right eye.

Other passengers came to help him and told him that he had been hit by a stone thrown by someone on a train that was travelling on another line.

Doctors were unable to save De Vries’s eye and it was removed. He later returned to the Netherlands to recover.

De Vries, who has been communicating with the Cape Argus by e-mail, said he came back to Cape Town in September for a meeting, but had heard nothing from Metrorail about their investigation.

In March, De Vries contacted Metrorail, but it did not get back to him until he sent “some angry e-mails” and threatened them with a court case.

“They finally gave a response at the end of that month.”

De Vries sent the Cape Argus a scanned copy of a letter he received in April from Weksmans Attorneys, acting on behalf of the Passenger Rail Agency (Prasa).

The letter said Prasa did not consider itself legally liable and would not compensate him.

De Vries said he was angry and disappointed with the way he has been treated.

“This is not the way you treat people. My life has been ruined because of them. They never did enough to improve safety in and around the trains. Open a newspaper or website, and there is a bad story about Metrorail.”

De Vries said he wanted to take Metrorail to court, but he needed a lawyer who was willing to help him as he was unemployed.

“I know I have a case against them - they know that, too.

“But they have Weksmans, a good company. I can’t fight on my own against them.”

Metrorail’s regional manager, Mthuthuzeli Swartz, said: “My management team and I were extremely distressed to learn of the senseless and opportunistic attack at the time and the subsequent loss of Mr De Vries’s eye.”

Swartz said the matter had been investigated and referred to Prasa’s insurers. The matter was with the insurer’s legal team.

“The matter is procedurally outside the jurisdiction of the region as it is being dealt with at a national level.

“The legal process will take its course.”

neo.maditla@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Riah Phiyega must ensure no “political meddling” following Tony Yengeni's reported arrest, the DA said.

Cape Town - National police commissioner Riah Phiyega must ensure there is no “political meddling” following the reported arrest of Tony Yengeni for drunk driving, the DA said on Monday.

He was reportedly arrested on Sunday and released on bail on Monday.

Democratic Alliance MP Dianne Kohler-Barnard recalled in a statement that Yengeni had previously been arrested in 2007 on drunk driving charges while he was out on parole following a fraud conviction.

“The drunk driving case could not go forward because of interference with the blood sample,” she said.

“The station commander at Goodwood, who was involved in the case, was convicted for defeating the ends of justice and Yengeni was allowed to walk free.”

Kohler-Barnard said the DA would be watching the new case closely.

But, reports that Yengeni, who is an ANC national executive committee member, was arrested for drunk driving at the weekend could not be immediately confirmed on Monday.

Western Cape police would only say that a 58-year-old man was arrested on the corner of Somerset and Dixon Roads in Cape Town on Sunday for drunk driving.

Captain Frederick van Wyk said the man was detained at the Cape Town central police station overnight and released on bail on Monday morning.

He could not confirm that the individual arrested was Yengeni.

Beeld reported online on Monday that its Cape Town sister newspaper Die Burger had seen Yengeni leaving police cells in the morning after paying bail of R500.

He was reportedly driving a Maserati when he was arrested. - Sapa

The Overstrand municipality is to check safety measures at a popular Hermanus whale-watching site where a boy fell to his death.

Cape Town - The Overstrand municipality is to check safety measures at a popular Hermanus whale-watching site where 14-year-old Kieran Schultz died after falling more than 20 metres from a cliff.

 Spokesman Fanie Krige said the wall had been specifically designed to stop people from climbing over it.

“We will be checking the signage and safety measures around that area. Everyone was shocked by the incident,” he said.

Krige said the area, known as Gering’s Point, was upgraded about four years ago.

“About three years ago a woman died after she was washed off the cliff, but not at the same spot as this accident. The wall is built at an angle with a sharp edge so people can’t walk on it,” he said.

Kieran, a Grade 8 pupil at Parel Vallei High School in Somerset West, was apparently walking on a low wall at a popular lookout point when he slipped and fell over the cliff on to the rocks below on Saturday afternoon.

He was the son of actor Waldemar Schultz. The family and friends were in Hermanus for the annual Food and Wine Festival, at which Schultz appeared in a comedy.

Kieran was also a budding actor and had had several roles in films, commercials and television. This included his role as Walt in Egoli.

Schultz, who played Jan-Hendrick Terreblanche in 7de Laan, was at a nearby coffee shop at the time.

Police spokesman Andre Traut said

police had opened an inquest docket.

Hermanus resident Bernard Julius told the Cape Times on Sunday he had arrived at the scene soon after Kieren had fallen.

“A security guard came running past us to fetch police to help. I could see the boy lying on the rocks at the bottom and some people were already there with him.”

Jenny Traynor, of Somerset West, who was at a restaurant nearby, said emergency personnel had worked on Schultz for more than 30 minutes before he was taken to hospital.

“Police cordoned off the area (and) kept everything calm. The paramedics worked on him for a long time, but we heard later that afternoon that the boy didn’t make it,” she said.

Condolences have been streaming in on social media sites. Beau Schoeman posted on News24 online: “On behalf of Parel Vallei High School’s first rugby team (and) its coaches, we want to express our sincere sympathy and condolences to the parents.”

barbara.maregele@inl.co.za

Cape Times

SAPS management will investigate the arrest of a Social Justice Coalition activist on an allegedly trumped up kidnapping charge.

Cape Town - National police Commissioner Riah Phiyega has told the Social Justice Coalition that provincial SAPS management will investigate allegations that a coalition activist has been arrested on a kidnapping charge that has been trumped up.

This followed a protest by coalition members outside the Methodist Church of Southern Africa in Langa, where Phiyega spoke on Sunday on “Women in Leadership” as part of the SAPS’s contribution to Women’s Month.

Phiyega was stopped as she was leaving the church, by coalition members who demanded the release of Angy Peter, who was arrested on Wednesday on an allegation of kidnapping a suspected thief. At the time she was out on R2 000 bail on a murder charge.

Police spokesman Andre Traut said the kidnapping case would come before the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court today.

Coalition deputy general-secretary Dustin Kramer said they had approached Phiyega after the church service.

“She gave us her personal assurance that provincial Commissioner Arno Lamoer would meet us urgently to resolve the matter,” Kramer said.

He said they had staged the protest outside the church because they aimed to draw attention to the matter and wanted Lamoer to intervene as he “ultimately has control over the police in the whole region”.

Peter’s partner, Isaac Mbadu, who was part of the group, said the activist had been taken from their S Section home by police on Wednesday. He was not home at the time.

Mbadu said when he went to the Khayelitsha police station, he was told Peter and three men had kidnapped a man who had stolen Peter’s cellphone on Monday. Mbadu said police alleged the four had locked the man in a car boot and driven to a filling station, where the man escaped when they opened the boot.

The man lodged a complaint with police.

But Mbadu says that at the time of the alleged kidnapping, Peter had been with him and an estate agent as they were applying for a bond to buy a house. Peter had also gone shopping.

Mbadu believes the allegations are a “tactic” by police to intimidate Peter, who has been at the forefront of the coalition’s demands for police in Khayelitsha to be investigated.

Peter had been collecting statements for the coalition from residents about their experiences with police.

Mbadu said the couple had to move from Mfuleni to Khayelitsha after being “harassed” by the police.

They had been subjected to drug raids at their home in the middle of the night, he said.

Peter had been detained twice on allegations of kidnapping people, but neither case had been registered and the couple didn’t know who the complainants were.

“We thought when we moved from Mfuleni things would be better, but we are experiencing the same problem of being harassed by the police,” Mbadu said.

Peter and

Mbadu are to appear withChristopher Dina and Azola Dayimane in the Western Cape High Court on Friday on a charge of murdering Siphiwo Rowan Mbevu.

Police say Mbevu, an alleged criminal, was “necklaced”.

xolani.koyana@inl.co.za

Cape Times

How much would you pay for a place to park your car? How about the bargain price of R1 million per door for a double garage?

Cape Town - How much would you pay for a place to park your car?

How about the bargain price of R67 000 per square metre or R1 million per door for a double garage in Clifton?

The garage, selling for R2m, was advertised in a Saturday newspaper property supplement. “Garage for sale. A 30m² underground, secure storage unit or double lock-up garage, available now in the heart of Clifton. An opportunity not to be missed,” the advertisement read.

Helen Hoekstra, estate agent for Anne Porter Knight Frank, said garages in the affluent suburb fetched exorbitant prices because they were extremely rare.

“They don’t come up often. They are like hen’s teeth in the area.”

She said many houses there did not come with attached garages, leading to residents needing to buy a garage in addition to their homes.

“They don’t have garages or even storage. That’s why they achieve such high prices,” Hoekstra said.

The garage was part of the White Cliffs block of flats on Victoria Road.

She said the garage had been listed for about two months and had already garnered some interest.

She had advertised it in the newspaper this weekend for the first time, and said she had already received three enquiries about the advertisement since Saturday.

Hoekstra said it was an excellent price for a garage, with a colleague having sold a single garage for R1.5m in March.

Cape Times

The City of Cape Town’s disaster management teams are on high alert ahead of heavy rain predicted for the next two days.

Cape Town - The City of Cape Town has placed all its disaster management teams on high alert ahead of heavy rain predicted for Monday evening and Tuesday.

“Yesterday the weather office informed us of a frontal system moving in and that heavy rains are expected to follow. We have sent our teams out to the various vulnerable areas to do routine inspections and to identify which areas are most likely to need assistance in the coming days,” said disaster management spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes.

He added that city engineers would be doing a round of inspections on Monday, ensuring that stormwater and drainage systems are unobstructed and flowing freely.

The city has also issued a warning of westerly and north-westerly gales on the south coast on Tuesday. Weather SA has predicted 40km/h winds for both Monday and Tuesday.

Maximum temperatures will hover round the mid-teens, while the chances of rain are 99 percent and 76 percent respectively for today and tomorrow.

Asked which areas were being monitored, Solomons-Johannes said most of the Cape Flats was vulnerable to rising water plains during heavy rain. Informal settlements are generally worst affected, with the Cape Argus regularly reporting on the homes of people in Philippi, Nyanga and Khayelitsha being flooded during winter rain.

A cold front late last week brought snow to the high-lying areas of the province. Ceres tourism office confirmed on Monday morning that the Matroosberg mountains were still covered in snow.

daneel.knoetze@inl.co.za

Cape Argus