A four-month-old baby is recovering from her fourth operation since being raped in Ceres, the ANC Women's League said.

Cape Town - A four-month-old baby is recovering from her fourth operation since being raped in Ceres, in the Western Cape, the ANC Women's League said on Tuesday.

“We are pleased with the reports that she is steadily recovering after undergoing reconstructive surgery,” said ANCWL spokeswoman Nosipho Ntwanambi.

“The rape of these children is not only disheartening, but a horrendous and inhumane act that should be condemned unrelentingly and consistently by all in society.”

The baby had been sleeping in bed with her parents when a man snatched and raped her on August 3, provincial police commissioner Arno Lamoer said at the time.

A seven-year-old boy in the same house was also raped.

Police took a 32-year-old man in for questioning, but he was released.

The African National Congress Women's League urged the police to use all their resources to arrest the man responsible for the crimes.

Ntwanambi said the league would continue organising protests calling for men who committed sexual offences to be removed from society.

Sapa

The fishing boat that ran aground on Robben Island has broken up on the rocks, the SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) said.

Cape Town - The fishing boat that ran aground on Robben Island early on Tuesday morning has broken up on the rocks, the SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) said.

“(Our team) found that the vessel had broken up into pieces because it was a wooden boat and it ran aground on rocks,” said Samsa principal officer in Cape Town Gustav Louw.

“I have instructed them to take some things that were on the boat and bring them to the surface, above sea level.”

Louw said the weather conditions in Cape Town were bad.

“It's raining, there is stormy weather and wind etc. We're going to wait for the weather to improve, then collect the rest and make a fire on the island to burn what is left of the boat.”

The boat's 12 crew were rescued after the boat ran aground on the south-western side of the island earlier on Tuesday.

“They were transported to Robben Island's Murray Bay harbour and treatment for hypothermia and shock was commenced,” National Sea Rescue Institute spokesman Craig Lambinon said.

All 12 are men aged between 18 and 52, Lambinon said.

“It appears that the vessel lost motor power and they were drifting ashore in stormy seas with five to six metre breaking swells,” Lambinon said.

“The situation intensified when it became clear that the vessel was hard aground on rocks... casualty crew had no further choice and they began to abandon ship under their captain's instruction.”

Rescue operations ended at 5.17am.

Sapa

Police have opened a murder docket after a baby was found dead in Ceres in the Western Cape.

Cape Town - A baby has been found dead in Ceres in the Western Cape, police said on Tuesday.

Captain Frederick van Wyk said residents found the body on Monday around 5pm.

“A case of murder has been opened and a post mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death and no one has been arrested”, said Van Wyk.

He could not give further details.

Van Wyk asked anyone with information about the baby to contact the police.

Sapa

The City of Cape Town intends to adopt an entirely new by-law to control the sale of liquor.

Cape Town - If it’s a 3am tipple you’re after your best bet, in terms of the City of Cape Town’s proposed new liquor trading by-law, is Cape Town International Airport which will be able to trade 24/7.

But the good news for consumers who work late is that the city is taking a new look at the stringent trading hours it set out in its 2012 by-law, and by the end of the year will consider applications from outlets wanting to sell alcohol after 6pm and on Sundays.

The City of Cape Town intends to adopt an entirely new by-law to control the sale of liquor following concerns raised by businesses and residents about trading hours.

The by-law, to be known as the Control of Undertakings that Sell Liquor to the Public by-law, will repeal all existing city by-laws that deal with the sale of alcohol. It will also give the city’s law enforcement arm the authority to take action against the owners of unlicensed outlets.

The city’s planning portfolio committee agreed on Tuesday at a special meeting that the by-law should be considered in tandem with policy to guide how the legislation should be implemented, as well as a new strategy to deal with substance abuse.

Chris O’Connor, of the technical task team responsible for drawing up the by-law, said: “We can’t rely on a by-law to address substance abuse. We also need a policy and a strategy. The city on its own can’t do all of it.”

Various comments and suggestions have been considered by the planning committee and will be included in the draft of the new by-law which will be available for public comment from September.

Although the committee has heeded the call from the more than 600 respondents who took part in the first round of public participation in May, to allow extended trading hours and days, it refused to extend a 24-hour trading allowance to GrandWest casino.

Councillor Dave Bryant said a large number of visitors to the casino, who had problems with gambling and alcohol, would sit there until all hours and would be a danger on the road.

He said the casino could still apply to extend its hours from 2am to 4am.

GrandWest said it had adopted the trading hours set out in the existing by-law in January, and to date had received no complaints. “We were granted an extension to serve alcohol between the hours of 11am and 4am the following day. We will abide by whatever laws the city puts in place.”

It was agreed that the airport, frequented by international visitors, should be allowed to sell alcohol at all hours. However, this would only apply to establishments accessible once passengers had passed through customs.

Hotel guests would also be able to order alcohol with their room service.

The responsibility for ensuring that patrons do not consume alcohol beyond permitted selling times will now rest with licensees. They will also have to comply with city guidelines in terms of signage, safety and security and noise.

The new by-law differs significantly from the Liquor Trading Days and Hours by-law of 2010 that was amended in 2012.

During a round of public participation in April, 90 percent of respondents supported extended trading hours on Sundays.

O’Connor said in the report to the planning portfolio committee that the 2012 by-law places emphasis only on the hours and days of trade. The new by-law also details the powers of the city to control undertakings.

Proposed by-law:

* A licensee may apply for an extension of trading hours from 11am to 4am the following day, for in-house consumption at the outlet, and from 9am to 8pm for off-consumption outlets. This is an extension of two hours in both cases. Establishments in residential areas where alcohol is consumed on-site will not be able to apply for extended trading times.

* The new by-law will limit the amount of alcohol that can be sold to a person who does not have a liquor licence to 150 litres.

* The city will be able to suspend, amend and revoke trading days and hours that have already been approved. It will also be able to seize alcohol and enforce temporary closure of an outlet. But the committee agreed that it should not take more than 15 days for the business to make a representation and for the council to make a final decision, so that traders were not “kept in suspense”.

anel.lewis@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

People running illegal shebeens in Stellenbosch say the process of obtaining an operating licence left them little choice.

Cape Town - While police continue to target illegal shebeens, some people running such establishments in Stellenbosch say unemployment and the process of obtaining an operating licence left them little choice.

Police said about 130 traders were operating illegally in Stellenbosch and identified Nkanini, O-Zone and Bassi Street as “problematic” areas in the Kayamandi informal settlement.

“Weekly operations… were executed by the Crime Prevention Unit and assisted by the Dog Unit, which were very successful,” said police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk. Liquor was seized and suspects arrested and charged.

Van Wyk said police were planning a workshop with the local community policing forum to inform residents about the processes when applying for a liquor licence.

Sondezwa Dumani, who runs an illegal shebeen, accused the police of unfairly targeting her business, making it difficult for her to provide for her family.

“Myself and the other traders are deeply affected by this. Police come in and take the liquor and sometimes the money,” said Dumani.

“The police don’t want to give us a chance to work things out. For instance, the captain (of the Stellenbosch cluster) openly told the liquor board and myself in a meeting that he won’t sign the papers granting me the licence to operate legally.

“They tried to ask him why, but he just bluntly refused,” Dumani said.

Captain Norman Davids wasn’t immediately available for comment.

She claimed that prior to the meeting the police had told her to build toilets and expand the premises, which she did before inviting the liquor board to inspect her premises, which was then given the green light.

“We don’t work and this is our only avenue of income. In other townships like Khayelitsha, police try to meet the shebeen owners halfway by giving them a curfew, while they don’t even allow us to obtain licences this side,” Dumani said.

Another illegal trader, Lunga Danxa, said he had been arrested three times.

“It’s hard to obtain a licence,” Danxa said.

“They make it virtually impossible for us. I was told to use a lawyer, like Dumani, if I needed one. How am I going to afford that when they lock us up, take our alcohol and never return it even if the court case was struck off the roll?

“The government is telling us to fend for ourselves if we can, but they’re quick to clamp down on us with hectic by-laws,” said Danxa.

Cape Argus

Marine salvors plan to remove oil from the Kiani Satu which ran aground near Knysna, the SA Maritime Safety Authority.

Cape Town - Marine salvors plan to remove oil from the leaking cargo ship Kiani Satu by air, the SA Maritime Safety Authority said on Wednesday.

The ship ran aground off Buffels Bay, near Knysna, last week.

“(They are) drilling into tanks to take the oil out. It has not been heated for a week now, so we are going to try to put the oil into plastic tanks and fly it off the ship,” Samsa spokesman Captain Nigel Campbell said.

Campbell said progress was being made to refloat the vessel.

“She has not come off (the shore) but she has swung 45 degrees off the beach, which is a positive for us because she is looking towards the sea and not the beach… there is a lot of work going on that people cannot see from the shore,” Campbell said.

Six salvage experts were on the ship monitoring the pulling gear so that it did not break.

Campbell said the weather was slowing down the process.

“The wind is affecting the swell we want. Mother nature is not playing along. Basically two hours before every high tide we pull with the tide. We have been doing that twice a day.”

Campbell said 322 people - including police, disaster management, and other government officials - were involved in the operation.

“The co-operation is amazing. It's amazing how well everyone is working together,” he said.

The 168m bulk carrier ran aground at dawn on Thursday off Buffels Bay, forcing the captain and his 19-member crew to abandon ship.

It had developed mechanical problems in heavy seas while carrying 330 tonnes of fuel oil and 15 000 tonnes of rice. - Sapa

The homes of nearly 10 000 Cape residents were flooded after heavy rain, with scores forced to seek alternative shelter.

Cape Town - The home of nearly 10 000 Cape residents were flooded after Tuesday’s heavy rain, with many having to scoop water out of their houses and scores forced to seek alternative shelter.

City disaster risk management spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said that 9 850 people were affected in areas - Masiphumelele in Noordhoek had 1 748 people affected, the most on the peninsula, with 1 000 residents in Phola Park, Philippi, and Siyahlala, Dunoon, affected. Thousands of food packs and blankets were supplied and community halls were made available to those left destitute.

Other areas affected included Khayelitsha, Strand, Lotus River, Gugulethu, Delft, Macassar, Bishop Lavis, Faure, Uitsig, Mfuleni, Eerste River and Retreat.

“The costs… for disaster relief aid provided yesterday (Tuesday) amounted to more than R1.4 million.” By Tuesday night, the city could not confirm the number of people displaced.

Frustrated Klipfontein residents protested because of flooding in their homes. The residents took to the streets and burnt tyres, forcing the closure of Govan Mbeki Road (Lansdowne Road) between Symphony Way and Stock Road. Residents said they were promised help with the floods, but were let down.

A resident who lives in Klipfontein said many people were almost knee-deep in water and the council said it could not assist them as it was private land.

“The people have been burning tyres since 1pm, they are angry because the council never comes to help them. This happens every year and nothing has changed, people still get water in their homes and no help.”

The man asked not to be named as he is well-known in the community and feared he would be victimised.

“I have been staying here for 50 years and the council says they can’t help us because this is a mission station and the property does not belong to them. They expect the people to be able to do it for themselves.”

Cold, wet and windy weather affected areas such as the Isiqalo informal settlement near Mitchells Plain, where many families were displaced.

Annetta Baloyi and her two-year-old daughter roamed around Isiqalo looking for a place to spend the night after their home was flooded.

She said she was searching for any place they could find shelter for the night.

Baloyi said she was shocked to wake up and see the damage caused to her home by the heavy rains.

She added that she wanted to return to her home in Limpopo, but had no money to do so.

“I have nowhere to run, all I can do is pray that my child and I find a place to stay.”

Disaster risk management spokeswoman Charlotte Powell said that in Baloyi’s case, emergency shelter would be provided.

Powell added that they would be assessing the damage across the peninsula and make relief available to people according to the damage done to their homes. She said the assessments could take up to two days to complete.

Partly cloudy conditions are expected for Wednesday and Thursdaywith a 30 percent chance of rain, for both days, heavy north-westerly winds are predicted and temperatures will range between 13°C and 14°C.

yolisa.tswanya@inl.co.za and zodidi.dano@inl.co.za

Cape Town

A Sunnyside grandmother is claiming R1m damages from the police after she was allegedly manhandled by officers.

Pretoria - A Sunnyside grandmother is claiming R1 million damages from the police following a harrowing ordeal in which she says she was manhandled by officers and locked up in a cell because she pepper-sprayed someone she perceived to be an intruder, but who turned out to be her neighbour.

The police this week accepted full liability for the damages suffered by 69-year-old Floris Engelbrecht. The court will at a later stage deliver judgment as to how much she should receive.

Engelbrecht, a pensioner who lives in Mears Street, claimed damages in the Pretoria High Court for unlawful arrest and incarceration, after she had spent nearly 24 hours in a filthy police cell. According to her she was also manhandled by several police officers.

She was charged with common assault after the incident. The neighbour later withdrew the charge.

Her nightmare ordeal started in the early hours of November 6, 2008, when she woke up to great deal of noise outside. Unbeknown to her at the time, the police were chasing a robber in the complex and most of the residents were gathered in the passages. Her son, who lived with her, was also outside at the time.

“I woke up, opened my front door and shouted ‘shut-up, I want to sleep’, as I had to work the next day. I saw lots of people outside.”

Engelbrecht said she closed the door and took her pepper-spray out of her handbag, just in case of any trouble. “A friend gave me the spray as I caught a naked man at my bedside some years ago,” she told the Pretoria News. “As I turned around I saw someone trying to kick my door open. I opened the door and someone tried to punch me through the security door. I managed to duck, but I sprayed the pepper-spray aiming at the ground, before I slammed the door closed.”

Engelbrecht tried to phone the police when she heard a woman shouting outside. Her son, meanwhile, came into the flat. By that time, she had managed to get through to the Sunnyside police station and had told them there was trouble.

She had hardly put down the phone, when three or four police officers stormed into her flat.

“One of them grabbed my arm and said ‘come, you are wasting my f*****g time’. They did not tell me what it was about, but only said I was under arrest. I was still in my pyjamas and asked whether I could change. I went to my bedroom and I had just removed my pyjama pants, when a policeman stormed into my bedroom. He pulled me and again said ‘come, you are wasting my time’. I fell across the bed and he left.”

Engelbrecht said when she left the room, the officer was in front of the door and pulled her towards the front door.

“My son wanted to know whether he could accompany me, but the policeman said if he moved, he would shoot him vrek (dead).”

According to her, the policeman tried to drag her down the stairs, but she insisted that they take the lift, as she had a bad hip.

“I was pushed into the police van and when we took off, I realised I was in deep trouble. I kicked my feet into position against the sides and held on for dear life, because we raced through the streets. The policeman at intervals applied the brakes, making it a journey out of hell.”

At the Sunnyside police station she was made to sit in a room for what felt like hours. A cop came to take her watch and she saw it was quarter past three.

“I sat there for some time, before someone took me to the cells. I was told to take a blanket, from a pile of dirty blankets. I chose the cleanest, which was smelly and bloodstained. I was placed in a cell with three sleeping women.”

Engelbrecht said two of the women left early that morning and she and the other woman, who was in for assault, sat talking. “She asked me why I was there and I said I had no idea.”

She was told at about 1pm that she could go home, but that she had to be in the Hatfield Community Court the next day.

“I had to walk the five blocks with my bad hip to my flat, as there were no police vehicles to take me home.”

She appeared in court on three occasions. Her neighbour, during her fourth appearance, withdrew the charge.

“I was terrified and I still get nightmares. The moment I see a policeman, I start shaking and cry. It was the first time I had anything to do with the police and it was traumatic.

“I shudder to think the policeman came into my bedroom while I was undressing. To me a bedroom and a bathroom are private spaces.”

Engelbrecht said for her it was not all about the money, but about justice.

“I want the government’s eyes to open about what the police are doing.”

Pretoria News

Cape Town’s disciplinary committee that expelled ANC councillor Andile Lili was nothing but a “sham”, his lawyer said.

Cape Town - The City of Cape Town’s multi-party disciplinary committee that expelled ANC councillor Andile Lili was nothing but a “sham” with one outcome in mind - to get rid of Lili.

Thabani Masuku, for Lili, told Judge Andre le Grange in the Western Cape High Court that the disciplinary committee had never had any intention of giving him a fair hearing.

Lili is challenging his expulsion from the council by MEC for local government, Anton Bredell, who gave him his marching orders on March 1, based on the recommendation of the disciplinary committee.

The city asked that Lili be expelled for contravening the councillors’ code of conduct after Lili was found guilty of making derogatory remarks to Khayelitsha resident Bongiwe Gugushe.

The disciplinary committee found that in 2011, and with no legal basis, Lili told a pregnant Gugushe to move out of her home. He told her she would “have to give birth in a drain or bush”.

He was also found guilty of having a hand in the illegal demolition of other homes.

Masuku argued that the section of the Municipality Systems Act that gave Bredell power to expel Lili is unconstitutional. He said that the provincial government should not have the power to intervene in municipal matters such as deciding a councillor’s fate as it violated the principle of municipal autonomy.

“The only basis a provincial member may intervene in in municipal matters is to enhance the powers of the local government. He should not have the power to expel,” said Masuku. “It is wrong that a member of the provincial executive should decide the fate of an elected body.”

Masuku also argued that Lili was exercising his constitutional right to freedom of speech when he spoke to Gugushe, as he was at a community meeting and not conducting official council business.

“Bredell did not apply his mind to this issue even when he was told that it was a complex issue. Lili was not given a chance to present evidence,” said Masuku.

Lili was allegedly asked to leave the room before he had a chance to present his side of the story.

Later, speaking outside the high court, Lili said that he was “pissed off and angry” with “opportunists” such as ANC’s chief whip in the City of Cape Town, Xolani Sotashe, who had sided with the DA on the disciplinary committee.

“He (Sotashe) is a sell-out that is not honest with the ANC. I don’t want him mentioning my name again. Sotashe is like a chameleon to me and not an honest cadre. I will never rest until the truth comes out.”

The hearing continues on Wednesday.

Cape Argus

Pagad’s national co-ordinator Abdus-Salaam Ebrahim has been arrested, a report says.

Cape Town - Pagad’s national co-ordinator Abdus-Salaam Ebrahim has been arrested, a report says.

According to the Cape Times, the anti-drug group has confirmed that Ebrahim was arrested on Wednesday morning, but was not sure of the charges he may face.

Police are yet to confirm the arrest. - IOL

“It was incredible to see sheer fear on the faces of the people in trouble turn to such relief.”

Cape Town - They are the unsung heroes who selflessly give their all to save the lives of others. And so it proved again during the NSRI’s daring midnight rescue on Robben Island on Tuesday.

The NSRI rescuers saved the lives of 12 fishermen from the shipwreck after the 19.6m Hout Bay fishing trawler Claremont ran aground.

NSRI spokesman Craig Lambinon told the Cape Argus: “They did unbelievably well, it was a mammoth effort - swimming, wading and hopping from rock to rock, in foul weather, pouring rain, with huge waves breaking over them - for more than an hour-and-a-half. All our rescue crews are trained to the highest standards of the NSRI - and, frankly, when you’re out there in action there is zero distinction between old and young, men and women… It’s a bunch of volunteers giving their all to save lives.”

Coralie McDonald, 38, is based at NSRI Bakoven, Camps Bay, and works in the film industry.

She said of the harrowing rescue: “You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t have fear, but it keeps you alert.”

It was her first serious rescue.

“It was incredible to see sheer fear on the faces of the people in trouble turn to such relief,” she said.

Ernesta Swanepoel, 35, is an attorney in international environmental law. She is also training to serve on the NSRI’s helicopter rescue unit.

“(We) made our way to Robben Island in incredible seas. You could not see, it was pitch black, raining and huge swells, like a washing machine,” she said.

They rigged a rescue line from the stricken ship back towards the shore. “We were in waist-deep water, my shins are smashed from the rocks… They were cold, scared, hypothermic and barefoot - but we got them all out.”

Kim Germishuys, 30, is a medical rep, a surf lifeguard at Big Bay and crews on the NSRI’s helicopter rescue unit. “Being a woman can be tougher in the training, because guys are generally stronger. But when we’re on duty… we’re all on the same level. I sprained my back… But you learn to roll with the punches.

“We’re out there with a purpose, to save people in peril - that’s just what we do,” she said.

Cape Argus

Several people who invested with Fidentia have marched to a Cape Town law firm to demand answers about their money.

Cape Town - A group of people who invested with Fidentia marched to the offices of law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr on Tuesday, demanding to know where their money was.

The group included members of a former mineworkers provident fund that had invested with the Living Hands Umbrella Trust and retrenched South African Nylon Spinners (Sans) workers who invested with Antheru. Antheru is one of the companies that invested with Fidentia.

Former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown was initially charged with defrauding the company of about R40-million, but this count was withdrawn this year.

The group said on Tuesday their investments were managed by Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr. The firm has denied the claims.

Andrea Collocott, marketing head, said: “The suggestion that the firm might be in any way to blame for losses suffered by any person who invested with Fidentia is without merit. The funds of investors were at no time managed by Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr. Funds were at all times managed by the joint curators in their capacities as such. We have the greatest sympathy for people who have incurred losses at the hands of Fidentia.”

The firm was established after a merger. Dines Gihwala, former chairman of Hofmeyr Herbstein & Gihwala, broke away when he became one of the curators of Fidentia.

The investors, however, believe that Brown was not responsible for their loss. They say they were paid every month for two years before the company was placed under curatorship in 2007.

Woodrow Christian, 67, of Northpine, said he and 63 other Sans workers had invested R11-million with Antheru. He and Rachel Fortuin, 59, of Blackheath, had invested R500 000 and R150 000 respectively and received monthly returns when Brown was in charge of Fidentia.

Christian said: “Mr Brown did not do anything wrong… The curators had six years to prove the case against him, but they couldn’t.”

Brown, 43, was arrested in 2007 and initially faced more than 190 charges, but the prosecution in April accepted his guilty plea on two statutory fraud counts. In May, Western Cape High Court Judge Anton Veldhuizen fined Brown R150 000 (three years), with a further three years suspended for four years.

The National Prosecuting Authority has been granted leave to appeal against the sentence imposed on Brown. A date for the appeal hearing has not yet been set.

Cape Argus

Nigerian national Ikechi Cyprian Anyawu stands accused of kidnapping, trafficking, raping and prostituting women in Cape Town.

Cape Town - A 27-year-old man is accused of kidnapping, trafficking, raping and prostituting women in Brooklyn.

Ikechi Cyprian Anyawu, from Nigeria, appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday in connection with the alleged kidnapping and prostitution of two women.

He faces charges of kidnapping, two counts of trafficking persons for sexual purposes, living on the earnings of prostitution, as well as rape charges.

Anyawu was arrested on July 17.

On Tuesday the court postponed the matter to September 9.

* In a separate case involving human trafficking for sexual exploitation, the matter involving Francis Nweke was postponed to August 23 for the continuation of his bail application.

Cape Argus

The national co-ordinator of Pagad, Abdus Salaam Ebrahim, was arrested in a dawn raid at his home, police said.

Cape Town - The national co-ordinator of Pagad, Abdus Salaam Ebrahim, was arrested in a dawn raid on Wednesday.

Pagad spokesman Cassiem Parker said police arrested Ebrahim at his home in Lansdowne Road at 5.30am.

At publication time on Wednesday, Ebrahim was still being held at Gugulethu police station.

The arrest comes on the eve of Pagad’s fourth “Motorcade Awareness Campaign Against Gangsterism and Drugs”.

The past three motorcades have been in the Athlone area, and Wednesday night’s motorcade is planned for Grassy Park.

Parker said the purpose was “to highlight the problem of drugs in the area, to raise awareness and to encourage people to share their disgust and opposition to drugs”.

“If this arrest is an attempt to stop us then it will not work... it will intensify our efforts,” he said.

Police were not due to release details of the arrest until a possible court appearance, which must occur within 48 hours.

On July 25 bombs were hurled at a house and a car dealership in Athlone, at the same time as a Pagad protest in the area.

Pagad denied any involvement in the blasts, which caused relatively minor damage.

Cape Argus

It was a heartbreaking scene as the wife of a Cape Town shopkeeper wept openly after his death at the hands of gunmen.

Cape Town - It was a heartbreaking scene as a Chinese shopkeeper’s wife wept openly after his death at the hands of gunmen on Tuesday.

Two unknown males armed with a firearm entered a shop in Mfuleni and chased the wife of the shop owner with the firearm, police said.

“The suspects returned and fatally shot her 32-year-old husband several times and fled the scene on foot,” Western Cape police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk said.

Van Wyk says the motive for the shooting is unknown: “Nothing was taken from the shop. A murder case was opened...”

The couple’s landlord, who declined to be named, said: “I suspect this was just a hit because nothing was taken from them.

“His wife has told us her husband’s killer had ordered her to go out before firing shots at him.”

The man described his tenants as “a friendly couple”.

“They were robbed previously, some stuff from the shop was taken,” the landlord explained. “But this time they just came to kill, nothing else.

“It was heartbreaking to see this man lying there dead and his wife crying uncontrollably alongside him.”

On Tuesday friends and relatives of the victim gathered at the scene as police searched for clues.

A witness says two men fled the shop and jumped into an awaiting car before speeding off.

A 46-year-old neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was still sleeping when the shooting happened.

“I just came from night duty. And minutes later I heard police vehicles and people screaming,” he told the Daily Voice.

“It’s sad because now this man is going back to his country in a coffin.”

The victim’s family refused to talk about the incident.

The Chinese Consulate in Cape Town has asked the police to prioritise an investigation into the murder.

“As a consulate, it is our duty to uphold the safety of our nationals who pursue legal business and other interests in South Africa. We are in communication with the police and have asked them to urgently track down the perpetrators,” she said.

“We have provided consular support and sent staff out to the family yesterday. We do, however, see this as an isolated case and this will not affect the relationship between the Chinese and South African governments.”

Braam Hanekom, director of immigrants rights organisation People Against Suffering Oppression and Poverty, said South Africa’s image got tarnished by the prevalence of such attacks on “foreign investors”.

“We call on the government to urgently intervene to curb this scourge, because it can only impact negatively on our international diplomatic and trade relationships,” he said.

daneel.knoetze@inl.co.za

Daily Voice and Cape Argus

Pupils at New Eisleben Secondary School stoned a Cape Argus photographer's vehicle during violent protests.

Cape Town - Pupils at New Eisleben Secondary School stoned a Cape Argus photographer’s vehicle on Wednesday morning during violent protests against the school’s principal.

Hundreds of pupils protested outside and inside the school premises this morning. Garbage was dumped in the school’s corridors.

Attempts at contacting the principal were unsuccessful - his office phone went unanswered.

Cindy Waxa a Cape Argus photographer, said the pupils originally welcomed her as a photographer.

However, a rumour that she was an informant for the Department of Education made the rounds and caused some of the pupils to turn on her.

As she drove away in a company car, the protesting pupils hurled stones, smashing the back windscreen of the car.

Police were on the scene mid-morning and fired a tear gas canister to disperse the pupils. The Cape Argus witnessed a number of teachers leaving the school premises, but it is understood that the principal was still in his office at the time of publication.

Bronagh Casey, spokesman for Education MEC Donald Grant, said department officials were on the scene to monitor the situation.

“We cannot confirm the reason for the protest,” she said.

“This is something that we will have to establish during the course of the day.

“The school has, however, been closed for today and we will continue to monitor the situation,” she said.

daneel.knoetze@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Fourteen schools in Manenberg, Cape Town, will be closed for the rest of the week because of gang violence threats.

Cape Town - Fourteen schools in Manenberg, Cape Town, will be closed the next two days because of gang violence threats, Western Cape education MEC Donald Grant said on Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, the safety of our learners and educators has continued to be threatened in Manenberg. Some of our educators have reported to (the) metro central district office for duty instead of their schools,” he said in a statement.

Grant said the decision to close the schools was made after consulting teachers.

Provincial government leaders would meet on Thursday with a representative group of these teachers to discuss a way forward.

Grant said his department had directed a great deal of resources and support to Manenberg since the outbreak of gang violence.

“The department is doing all it can to protect learners and educators in school but it is unfortunately unable to ensure peace and safety within the community,” he said.

“Our officials and educators are not law enforcers. Law enforcement is the responsibility of the SA Police Service.”

Grant said schools and the department relied on the police to maintain order.

“Our learners' and educators' safety remains our primary concern, along with the longer term loss of teaching and learning time.”

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A captain in the SAPS Tactical Response Team testified that they did not know the identity of the police officer they had set a trap for.

Cape Town - Urgent action was needed to stop police uniforms from landing in the wrong hands, the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Cape Town heard on Monday.

Captain Cathline Japhta, of the police Tactical Response Team, told the court: “When we heard that a police officer was involved in the illegal sale of police uniforms, we needed to act with urgency.

“All we knew was that a police officer was selling police uniforms, but we had no idea of who he or she was,” she said.

She testified at the resumption of the trial involving police captain Esmerald Bailey, 44, on eight charges - one of corruption, another of the illegal possession of ammunition, a third involving the possession or use of drugs, and five of defeating the ends of justice.

She has pleaded not guilty, before magistrate Sabrina Sonnenberg.

Questioned by prosecutor Xolile Jonas, Japhta told the court that her job entailed the prevention of crime, with the focus on drugs and gangsters.

She added: “We launch under-cover operations, in which we telephone people and pretend that we want to buy drugs from them.”

She said an informant told her in December 2011 that there was “someone wanting to sell police uniforms and firearms”.

“Because of the sensitivity of the information - it was alleged that the “someone” was a police officer - I passed on the information to our team’s intelligence officer, and then contacted the colonel in charge of undercover operations.

“Due to the urgency of the matter, I obtained electronic authority to launch such an operation.”

She said the operation involved a male police constable as the buyer, who was given R500 in R100 notes, which had been photocopied, with which to purchase a police uniform and ammunition.

The constable was taken to a petrol filling station in Brooklyn, where he was picked up by two other men in a white sedan, and taken to a block of flats.

She said she followed in an unmarked police vehicle, and she and the constable kept in contact via SMS messages.

One of the men in the white sedan, Waleed Diedericks, went up to the fifth floor of the complex, and returned carrying a red travel bag.

Soon afterwards, she received an SMS from the “buyer” that money and a uniform had exchanged hands.

Japhta told the court: “I moved quickly to Diedericks, and identified myself to him.

“The constable handed the red bag to me and said he had just paid R500 for the contents.

“I opened the bag, and it contained a police cap, two pairs of blue police trousers, a police shirt with a badge embroidered on it, an orange and yellow police reflector jacket and a small bank bag with ammunition.

“The constable pointed to Diedericks and said he had the money.”

Japhta said she was present when another police official removed the money from Diedericks’s trouser pocket.

She said she informed Hendricks that he was under arrest for selling a police uniform to undercover police officials.

Although she explained to Diedericks that he had no obligation to say anything, he said he had obtained the uniform from a police captain and insisted on taking them up to Bailey’s apartment.

Diedericks was himself sentenced last year for his part in the transaction, but the sentence was suspended on condition that he testify at Bailey’s trial, which he has already done.

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Three men guilty of killing two Kraaifontein police officers were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Western Cape High Court.

Cape Town - Three men guilty of killing two Kraaifontein police officers were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Western Cape High Court on Wednesday, police said.

The men showed no emotion when Judge Elizabeth Baartman delivered her sentence in the packed courtroom, said Captain Frederick van Wyk.

Khangelani Thukela Twala was given two life sentences and 65 years. His co-accused Sivuyile Sangovana and Olwethu Sothondoshe received two life sentences each plus 45 years.

Their accomplice Sibusiso Mehlo was sentenced to 20 years.

“Warrant Officer Gershwin Matthee and Constable Cannon Cloete were shot dead and robbed of their service pistols on May 2011 in Boesak Street,” said Van Wyk.

The men also faced charges of shooting and wounding a motorist and a shopkeeper in two other incidents.

Provincial commissioner, Lt-Gen Arno Lamoer, welcomed the sentence.

It would send a clear message to other criminals about the dangers of attacking and killing police officers.

“All those responsible for the recent killings of our police officers in the province will be found and brought to justice,” Lamoer said.

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The army must be deployed to deal with gang violence in parts of Cape Town, Western Cape premier Helen Zille said in an open letter to Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa.

Cape Town - The army must be deployed to deal with gang violence in parts of Cape Town, Western Cape premier Helen Zille said in an open letter to Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa on Wednesday.

“The SAPS needs help to restore order... and the presence of the army would give the police the space to conduct investigations and ensure gang members responsible for this violence are brought to justice,” she wrote.

Zille was responding to the news that 14 schools in Manenberg, Cape Town, would be closed for the next two days because of gang violence threats.

She said there had been a recent spike in gang violence.

Zille said she wrote to President Jacob Zuma in July last year to ask for the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) to be deployed to bring gangs under control.

“Zuma responded that... he had concluded 'that there was no need to employ members of the SANDF' because the SAPS had the necessary capacity and had adopted a five-point strategy to deal with the situation in gang hotspot areas...”

She said her written request for more details of the strategy and its timeline was not answered.

Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille met Mthethwa recently to discuss gang violence, and reported to Zille that Mthethwa had undertaken to urgently liaise with the Western Cape government about the problem.

“To date, the Western Cape government has not been approached by you on this matter despite the gang crisis requiring interventions from all three spheres of government and section 206 (3) of the Constitution requiring provinces to conduct oversight over the police...”

Zille claimed she tried to contact Mthethwa to organise a meeting about the problem, but received no response.

“I have therefore decided to write an open letter to you repeating my request to meet with you urgently and for you to re-consider employing the army in Manenberg and other hotspot areas.”

Mthethwa's spokesman Zweli Mnisi said the ministry received a letter from Zille on Monday, and that confirmation of receipt was sent to her seven minutes after it was received.

“Now the issues she is raising are matters we have shared with her on our proposed approach, which are deeper than mere deployment of police or army as she has suggested.”

Mnisi said the strategy for rooting out gang crime needed to be multifaceted, and address the cause of the problem.

“We are opposed to the idea of deploying the army because that would be a short term solution.

“What we require is an integrated approach that involves communities, parents of suspected drug addicts, government, NGOs and all other relevant stake holders.”

He said De Lille had received this strategy “enthusiastically” in her meeting with Mthethwa.

The SANDF could not be reached for comment.

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