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IEC aims to register 1.1m new voters

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Political parties are in a last push to register new voters before this year’s provincial and national elections.

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Cape Town - Political parties are in a last push to register new voters before this year’s provincial and national elections.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said that Thursday, Saturday and Sunday will be the final registration weekend before the elections.

President Jacob Zuma has yet to announce when the elections will take place.

No new registrations will be allowed after Zuma has announced the elections date.

IEC spokeswoman Kate Bapela said on Thursday the commission aimed to register 1.1 million new voters over the weekend.

During the registration weekend in November over one million new voters were registered.

There are 24.1 million voters registered on the voters roll.

This is 76.7 percent of the estimated voting age population, said the IEC.

In the Western Cape the two biggest parties, the DA and the ANC, have been on registration drives to get their supporters registered.

Last night ANC provincial chairman Marius Fransman addressed farmworkers from Mbekweni in Paarl, while the party’s Western Cape secretary Songezo Mjongile spoke to workers of Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (Sactwu) offices in Salt River.

Mjongile said the party would go door-to-door this weekend to motivate people to get registered.

“We will distribute pamphlets at stations and make blitz visits to key areas,” he said.

Mjongile said the ANC saw rural areas in the province and Kuils River, Delft and Khayelitsha as key areas to grow the party’s support.

DA leaders went to Bitou, George and Knysna last weekend and today DA leader Helen Zille will visit Paarl, Stellenbosch and Worcester.

On Thursday she will be in Athlone, Langa and Manenberg.

DA provincial elections manager Jaco Londt said the DA had organised transport to get possible voters to registration points over the weekend. Large numbers of new voters registered in both DA and ANC strongholds in the Western Cape.

Cape Town’s Ward 95, that includes Enkanini and Monwabisi, recorded the biggest number of new registrations with 2 863 new voters.

The ANC won the ward with 93 percent of the vote in the 2011 municipal elections.

There are 19 951 registered voters in the ward.

In Cape Town’s Ward 103, that includes Sonstraal Heights and Pinehurst, 2 777 new voters were registered last November.

The DA won 95 percent of the vote in the ward during 2011.

The ward has 21 029 registered voters.

The IEC said on Thursday that two voter registration weekends were conducted in South Africa’s 123 missions in 108 countries last month.

Over 3 700 people applied for registration from about 70 missions.

The highest number of applications have come from London, Dubai and Cuba.

Registration of prisoners at 235 correctional facilities started earlier this week.

Voter registration stations will be open from 8am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.

cobus.coetzee@inl.co.za

Cape Times


Charge of assault laid against ex-Bok

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Former Springbok and Canada centre Christian Stewart faces a charge after he allegedly beat a man dating his ex-wife.

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Cape Town -

Former Springbok and Canada centre Christian Stewart faces a charge of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm after he allegedly beat a Hout Bay financial adviser dating his ex-wife.

Alan Mewett laid a charge at the Hout Bay police station after he claimed he was beaten and kicked during an altercation with Stewart on Sunday.

Dismissing the allegations as “ill-considered, unfounded and denied”, Stewart’s lawyer, Derek Wille, painted a different picture of the complainant - one with a series of protection orders against him.

Wille said: “Stewart acted in self-defence during the incident and a number of independent eyewitnesses will confirm his version.”

Stewart handed himself to authorities on Wednesday and was released on a warning to appear in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel André Traut confirmed that a 48-year-old man had been charged and released on a warning.

After the incident, Mewett obtained an interim protection order from the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, following what he called “months of harassment and threats”.

Mewett said the interim court order prohibited the former Springbok, who has also played for Canada and conducts charity auctions, from “accosting or making any physical contact; or intimidating, threatening, insulting or otherwise verbally abusing him”.

Speaking on behalf of his client, Wille said: “We are constrained at this stage to point out that the complainant, Mr Mewett, has a criminal record for, inter alia, assault, and has a number of protection orders and interdicts against him in the context of past acts of aggression on his part.”

Mewett confirmed that he has a previous conviction in Durban, which is currently on appeal.

warda.meyer @inl.co.za

Cape Argus

WCape preparing for flood of pupils

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More than 105 000 children from the Eastern Cape have enrolled in Western Cape schools since 2010, Education MEC Donald Grant has announced.

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Cape Town - More than 105 000 children from the Eastern Cape have enrolled in Western Cape schools since 2010, costing the provincial government R1.2 billion, Education MEC Donald Grant has announced.

At a press conference on Thursday, Grant said that in the four school days from January 30 to February 5, the Western Cape Education Department enrolled 1 571 children from the Eastern Cape.

The average high school can accommodate 1 200 pupils and the average primary school 1 000 to 1 200.

In total, 131 834 children from outside the province – 80.2 percent of whom were from the Eastern Cape – were enrolled at Western Cape schools from 2010 to this year.

“If we consider the fact that an average school accommodates 1 000 learners, the migration of 20 000 learners each year indicates that 20 additional schools would be needed to accommodate these learners. In the past five years, this would indicate that over 100 schools would be needed to accommodate the 105 850 learners from the Eastern Cape alone.”

Lwandle in Strand, Mfuleni and Delft were among the areas that had seen high levels of new enrolments from the Eastern Cape.

Grant said the department’s infrastructure plan had to take into account areas into which Eastern Cape pupils were moving, and over the past four years 17 schools had been built in these “hot spot” areas. Fifteen more schools were being built.

He said pupil migration happened in every province throughout the school year as parents moved to look for new jobs or better education opportunities for their children.

Grant said the provincial government was committed to providing all pupils with access to quality education, including those who had arrived from other provinces.

“We must, however, be cognisant of the fact that the large numbers of inward migration to this province does have financial and planning consequences. It also impacts (on) the provision of education resources and the overall management of the system.”

Publishers had, for example, been asked to keep reserve stocks of textbooks but, if needed, photocopies from textbooks were made for pupils. Additional mobile classrooms had also been placed at certain schools.

Grant said there were enough teachers in the province.

Jonavon Rustin, provincial secretary of the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union, said the Western Cape was not the only province experiencing inward migration. The department needed to ensure that the number of teaching posts was sufficient. Rustin said if about 24 000 pupils migrated to the province this year, and the average class size was 40, about 600 teachers were needed.

ilse.fredericks@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Billions need for land claims, says DA

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Government will need as much as R179 billion to settle outstanding land claims, but only a small fraction of this amount is available, the DA said.

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Cape Town - Government will need as much as R179 billion to settle outstanding land claims, but only a small fraction of this amount is available, the DA said on Friday.

“We sincerely hope that the re-opening of land claims will not create false hopes and unrealistic expectations among land claimants,” Democratic Alliance MP Kevin Mileham said in a statement.

While the DA supported the re-opening of land claims - as enabled through the Restitution of Land Rights Amendment Bill - it hoped this was a genuine commitment by government to return land, rather than “an election ploy” to garner the support of land claimants.

Mileham said that since the initial land claims window period closed in 1998, government had only finalised and settled about 59 000 of 77 000 valid claims, at a cost of R25.2bn.

“In the medium-term budget policy statement at the end of last year, the restitution programme was cut to R2.9bn, while an estimated 397 000 new land claims need to be processed.

“R2.9bn is simply not sufficient to settle all current outstanding land claims. Government needs as much as R179bn to settle the outstanding claims. This figure does not take into account the new claims that would be lodged when the act comes into effect.”

The rural development and land reform department had in the past been clear that it did not have sufficient funds to deal with the current outstanding land claims, let alone new ones.

Mileham called on the African National Congress to “not make promises it cannot deliver on”. - Sapa

Sad tale of man with Cape’s best view

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Shane Scott, 29, recalls how he went from IT administrator to living under a bridge beneath Nelson Mandela Boulevard.

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Cape Town - Shane Scott has one of the best views of Table Mountain. But his view is not from a prime location.

His “bedroom” is under the Nelson Mandela Boulevard bridge on Hospital Bend, and his alarm clock is the buzz of traffic as motorists make their way into the city.

Scott is homeless and has been “living” under the bridge for about two months.

As commuters rush by to get to work, Scott lies covered by a dull orange blanket that flaps in the wind. His possessions are close by, between the stone platform and the underbelly of the bridge.

He turned 29 this month while living under the bridge.

Scott tries to start every day like anyone else: with a wash. “I’m like every other person. I don’t feel normal before having taken a splash.”

But first he has to go to Observatory cemetery for the soap he hid there for safekeeping. The trouble is he has forgotten where he put his belongings. He strolls to the rear section of the graveyard where a makeshift shelter is almost concealed by low-hanging fronds of a palm.

Inside are three males Scott has been familiar with during his time on the streets.

“All people who are essentially screwed look out for each other. If someone living in his house was on his last crust of bread they would not share it, but it’s a different scenario on the streets. You don’t really have friends on the streets. You have acquaintances and then you get people you can work with.”

Scott doesn’t have access to a shower, so he uses a stream of fresh water running down the mountain into a storm drain.

Scott has to cross Hospital Bend and dodge speeding cars to get to his water source.

There is no footpath to the stream.

He blushes when he recalls the time a group of female mountain rangers caught him and a friend going about their ablutions.

Scott also uses the water from a sprinkler system on an island near the De Waal Drive turn-off. He collects the water in a bucket and uses body soap to wash his clothes. He spreads them out over rocks and waits for them to dry.

He’d contracted a skin infection from donated clothing, so now washing his clothes has become a priority.

He can’t afford to get sick on the streets. Scott says he has to try to stay healthy on the streets because he will not be able nurse himself back to health.

 

When he has money, Scott buys a banana-flavoured vitamin shake he mixes with milk, which helps bolster his immune system.

Finding food is never guaranteed. But he has become street-smart and has found ways – such as visiting the cafés in Observatory’s Lower Main Road. Then there’s dumpster diving. According to Scott, students tend to waste food. He can usually find something to eat when he rummages through the bins in Obs.

“Most of the time there is absolutely nothing wrong with the food.”

He also finds food between the islands at the parking bay outside Pick n Pay in the area.

“Normally people leave unwanted food for the car guards in these islands, but they (car guards) don’t want them.”

Scott says his childhood was not pleasant, and he finds it hard recalling that time.

When he was three the state removed him from his family home and put him in a children’s home.

When his parents divorced, Scott said, he succumbed to peer pressure. At high school he began drinking excessively and using drugs, but managed to pass matric.

He went on to study computer programming, and found work with major fashion retail companies as an IT administrator.

He says the chain of events that led to his homelessness started when he lost his job.

“I lived in a flat at that time. I had borrowed so much money and sold a lot of my possessions so I could pay the rent. Essentially, when the next few months rolled by, I had not found a job, I was in debt and I still had not been able to keep up with the rent that accumulated.”

Scott says his memory of his first night on the streets is vague.

He says he was familiar with the street people because he always tried to give them food or money whenever he could.

“I had nowhere to go essentially. I remember borrowing a blanket from a homeless guy I knew very well, and I just roamed around Mowbray until I found a spot on the pavement and just slept there for the night.”

Scott says he takes full responsibility for where he is now and how he got there.

“During that period I alienated my family. I screwed up my relationships with people. I have kind of accepted it. They forgave me, but from a distance. I would have done the same if I had had a person like me in my life.”

Scott says he prefers to think that he does not live under the bridge, but just sleeps there.

“I chose to settle here because people rarely come here. It just lessens the risk of me being harmed or my things being stolen. Another reason would be that I have some shelter for when it rains.”

Scott’s father had offered to set him up with money to get his “life together”, but on one condition. His father expects him to find affordable accommodation in which Scott can settle while he finds a steady job.

So why doesn’t he move in with his father?

“Firstly, I don’t want to cause my dad unnecessary stress by burdening him with my situation. My dad is one of those overly involved parents and he will obsess about me finding a job, which would probably worsen his health. Secondly, from a financial perspective, he cannot afford to provide for both of us.”

Though Scott might have a place to stay he says finding a job will require him to have money. He plans to break away from the city and save enough money for a bus ticket to Knysna.

He feels that there he will not only be breaking away from city life, but will be close to nature, and possibly return with a new lease of life.

Despite his day-to-day struggles, Scott still tries to devote himself to a project geared to helping homeless people get off the streets. He is a co-director of the Inner City Invisible Persons, and one of the organisation’s key interests is developing alternative housing methods. This includes supplying homeless people with tents they can carry in backpacks.

 

The homeless are “stonewalled” by more fortunate people, he says.

“Homelessness is not a government problem, it is a community problem. It should be up to the community to uplift the homeless. I want to encourage people to look beyond the walls surrounding their houses.”

 

Thursday night would have been his last night under the bridge.

He had saved the money for his bus ticket, and with it the possibility of a fresh start.

 

dylan.oktober@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Life of a township child unsafe - witness

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Children in Khayelitsha have had to adapt to keep themselves safe from crime and violence, a local man told the inquiry.

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Cape Town - Children in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, have had to adapt to keep themselves safe from crime and violence, a local man said on Friday.

Testifying at the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry into alleged police inefficiency in the area, Sifiso Zitwana said there was a widely accepted belief that one was either a victim or one who defended oneself.

Zitwana, 23, a Social Justice Coalition (SJC) member, said he was used to violence because he had grown up witnessing mob justice.

He said children did not ask questions about what was happening and either threw stones or helped to trip someone up when they heard shouts of “Hold him”.

Police usually only arrived on the scene when residents had already assaulted a suspected criminal, and this had resulted in a loss of trust in the police.

He told the commission about a road he and his friends had to use to get to school, which was unsafe because gangs of boys would lay in wait.

“When going to school, these boys would take away whatever you had, but if walking in a group they would just swear at you.”

He did not recall ever seeing a police van patrolling the road and the children had developed their own strategies to avoid being robbed.

The children would walk in large groups. Zitwana would hide his lunch money in his socks or make a hole in his trousers.

“In the beginning, I was scared of going to school but as time went by I started getting used to the situation.

“It was a situation we had to accept. If you didn't accept it, you had to stay at home and not go to school.”

Zitwana said he had to raise his two younger brothers, Sibusiso and Thabane, and nephew Nthando, by himself.

They too had to adapt to survive what was seen as a violent and unsafe community.

It was not long before they joined the “Vuras” gang in Greenpoint, Khayelitsha, to gain protection from the rival “Vatos”.

“They joined because if you live in one area you belong to one group. They were using pangas and very big, sharp objects.”

Thabani Masuku, for the police, asked whether they had joined a gang specifically because they couldn't rely on police.

“I'm not sure whether I can say they don't trust police but when you watch their activities you can see they don't trust police.”

Sibusiso was a leader in the gang.

Zitwana said the rival gang arrived at their house while he was out one evening and he got a call from Sibusiso saying he was hiding nearby and that Ntando and Thabane were hiding under the bed in the house.

He rushed to the house and by that stage the gang outside had assaulted someone returning from work.

The police were not yet on the scene and residents had gathered in a group.

“When the police van came through, the residents were angry because they were taking their time and these gangsters wanted to kill our children,” he said.

The officers apparently got out the van, looked where the attack had taken place, and then got back into the van to chase the gang.

“The police didn't ask me questions or take a statement,” Zitwana said.

The boys were eventually sent to their deceased mother's home in the Eastern Cape because it was the only way to keep them safe, even though they would be living alone.

He said the quickest way to get help in the area was not to call the police but to scream because someone would hear and help.

Thieves in the area also protected them from thieves from other areas, he said.

The commission was set up by Western Cape premier Helen Zille to probe accusations by civil society formations that police inaction was leading to an increase in “mob justice” killings in the area.

The SJC alleged police inefficiency was leading to criminals running rampant in the sprawling township, and residents being forced to take the law into their own hands.

The commission's activities were delayed for some time when Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa tried to have the inquiry scrapped.

Mthethwa lost his legal bid to stop the commission in the Constitutional Court in October last year. - Sapa

Cyclist’s death a mystery

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Police are investigating the cause of death of a cyclist found on the side of the road in Milnerton, Cape Town.

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Cape Town -

Swarms of cyclists have taken to the roads to train for the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour in a month’s time, raising the risk of cycling accidents on busy roads.

One cyclist died on Democracy Way in Milnerton on Thursday morning, under mysterious circumstances.

ER24 medics responded to a call at 7.25am, saying a cyclist had been knocked over, but upon examining the man found no evidence of an impact.

“Paramedics found the cyclist lying on the side of the road, showing no signs of life,” said ER24 spokesman Russel Meiring.

Efforts to resuscitate the man were fruitless, and he was declared dead at Somerset Hospital.

Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel André Traut said an inquest case docket would be opened to determine the circumstances of the man’s death.

It is not known whether the deceased man was training for the Cycle Tour, but leaders in the cycling community have urged training cyclists and motorists to be more vigilant on the roads.

Dave Bellairs, the director of the Cycle Tour, said that although there is a marked increase in cyclists on the roads in the run-up to the race, there isn’t necessarily an increase in accidents.

“We see accidents all year round. We appeal to motorists and cyclists to be extremely careful and aware of each other.”

Bellairs asked motorists to pay attention to the one-metre law, and give cyclists a wide berth on the roads. He also said cyclists should behave responsibly on the roads “as a sign of respect to all road users”.

Bellairs warned about the dangers of pushing your body too far when cramming in last-minute training. “We’ve four weeks to go, so over-training at this point is not recommended. Get out there, try to get some miles under the belt, but don’t overdo it.”

Bellairs said he strongly advises entrants to make sure they are in decent physical condition before taking part in or even training for the gruelling race.

“If they have any health concerns at all they should seek professional medical advice before embarking on any serious exercise,” he said.

Pedal Power Association general manager Karin Pohl also warned against fitness efforts at the 11th hour. “Every year there’s a lot of panic training that happens. People try to pack more into the available time.”

Pohl gave these tips to cyclists toeing the line on health: cycle with at least one partner, stop if you feel dizzy, make sure somebody knows what route you’re taking, and wear some kind of identification that can speak on your behalf if you cannot.

chelsea.geach@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Residents turn in lens thief

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Sir Lowry’s Pass residents may be fuming about housing, but they were not going to let a petty criminal hijack their protest.

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Cape Town - Police have arrested three people linked to on Thursday’s violent protest at Sir Lowry’s Pass Village. The lens that was stolen from Independent Newspapers’ photographer Brenton Geach during the protest was recovered, and one man was held in connection with the theft.

Two other people, aged 30 and 32, were also arrested during on Thursday’s protest.

Geach was attacked by a mob of housing protesters who turned on journalists amid clashes with police.

Other photographers were pelted with stones, but managed to escape without serious injury.

Geach, alone, attempted to escape from the mob. He was beaten and a man snatched a camera lens that was hanging over his shoulder. The other photographers snapped photos of the attack and robbery, and these are believed to have assisted the police in identifying a suspect.

Members of the community also told Geach that they knew the man who had stolen his lens.

“Police members investigating the incident followed up on information which led them to a possible suspect at about 10pm last night. After interrogation the 22-year-old suspect produced the stolen lens and was arrested on charges of theft and being in possession of stolen property,” said police spokesman Andre Traut this morning. The man was due to appear in the Somerset West Magistrate’s court on Friday. Police said the situation in the township was calm at the time of publication.

daneel.knoetze@inl.co.za

Cape Argus


Cops wish us good luck: resident

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A policeman wished Khayelitsha residents good luck when hearing their ideas to fight battles between youth gangs, a man told the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry.

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Cape Town - A policeman wished Khayelitsha residents good luck when hearing their ideas to fight battles between youth gangs, a man told the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry in Cape Town on Friday.

“He wished us good luck in our endeavours because the ideas we had had not worked previously,” local resident and Social Justice Coalition member Sifiso Zitwana testified.

“He said parents must take the responsibility of teaching respect. He said each parent must take the responsibility of disciplining their own children.”

The policeman had arrived on the scene following a siege at Zitwana's house in Greenpoint, Khayelitsha, by a youth gang called the “Vatos”.

Zitwana, 23, had earlier recalled how he had had to raise his two younger brothers, Sibusiso and Thabane, and nephew Nthando, by himself.

They had joined the “Vuras” gang to gain protection from the “Vatos”.

He said he was out one evening when he got a call from Sibusiso saying a rival gang had arrived at their house.

The younger brother was hiding nearby and Nthando and Thabane were hiding under the bed in the house.

He rushed to the house and by that stage the gang outside had assaulted someone returning from work.

The police were not yet on the scene and residents had gathered in a group.

“When the police van came through, the residents were angry because they were taking their time and these gangsters wanted to kill our children,” he said.

The officers apparently got out of the van, looked where the attack had taken place, and then got back into the van to chase the gang.

“The police didn't ask me questions or take a statement,” Zitwana said.

The men of the area held a meeting afterwards to discuss the problem of child gangsters.

Police officers were invited to the meeting to listen to the community's suggestions.

Women were excluded because they were deemed to be too emotional and not able to handle such serious matters.

A group of residents believed it was a good idea to arm themselves with weapons.

Zitwana said he and a friend informed the group that they could not take the law into their own hands but that there was such a thing as self-defence.

“The conclusion 1/8of the meeting 3/8 was that if someone has a child and gangsters come to attack, they will die protecting their children.”

He said the police did not offer their own suggestions but were there only to listen to their plans before leaving.

The policeman who later returned to hear their ideas for fighting crime then wished them good luck.

Zitwana's idea had been to call both gangs together and mediate discussions.

The policeman apparently said they had tried a similar approach by organising a soccer match for the gangs, but that they had fought again afterwards.

Zitwana said Sibusiso had also gone to a local radio station to convince other youths to leave their gangs but it had not worked.

“I don't see the police making any attempts in fighting this,” he said, adding it was not enough to try only one idea and then give up.

“Police are aware of levels of crime but it doesn't look like they have a strategy for fighting or alleviating crime in those areas.”

In cross-examination by Thabani Masuku, for the police, Zitwana

was asked whether he agreed that it was not only police but other departments too who were responsible for the issues he had raised.

One of these issues was the lack of safety at schools and the need for alert security guards at entrances.

Zitwana conceded that many departments were responsible.

“But when they leave schools, that is the responsibility of police to protect the schoolchildren.”

The commission was set up by Western Cape premier Helen Zille to probe accusations by civil society formations that police inaction was leading to an increase in “mob justice” killings in the area.

The SJC alleged police inefficiency was leading to criminals running rampant in the sprawling township, and residents being forced to take the law into their own hands.

The commission's activities were delayed for some time when Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa tried to have the inquiry scrapped.

Mthethwa lost his legal bid to stop the commission in the Constitutional Court in October last year.

Sapa

Missing tourist found in George ditch

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A 76-year-old British tourist was rescued from a ditch in George after she was reported missing.

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Cape Town - A 76-year-old British tourist was rescued from a ditch in George after she was reported missing, Western Cape police said on Friday.

“(She) was found severely dehydrated in a ditch in a bush on the grounds of Carmel Guest Farm near Victoria Bay, George, last night (Thursday), said spokesman Captain Malcolm Pojie.

She went missing on Wednesday when she was last seen in the evening.

Staff noticed she did not turn up for breakfast on Thursday.

“On investigating her whereabouts, they found that she did not even sleep in her bed and immediately alerted the local police,” said Pojie.

Police dogs searched surrounding bushes for Bet and found her in the ditch where she had spent almost 24 hours exposed to rain and cold.

The elderly woman was transferred to hospital where she was recovering.

Sapa

Sars seizes drugs worth R5m at airports

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Drugs worth more than R5 million were seized at the Cape Town and Johannesburg international airports in January this year.

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Johannesburg - Drugs worth more than R5 million were seized at the Cape Town and Johannesburg international airports , the SA Revenue Service said on Friday.

The drugs were seized in January by Sars customs and enforcement teams and included cocaine, dagga, ephedrine, crystal methamphetamine (tik), ecstasy and heroin, spokeswoman Marika Muller said.

“Over 4400 male sexual enhancement tablets, valued at over R306 000 were also seized,” Muller said.

The people caught with the drugs were handed over to police.

Sapa

Two in court for schoolboy’s shooting

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Two youths accused of shooting dead a Cape Town pupil appeared in the Western Cape High Court.

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Cape Town - Two youths accused of shooting dead a Wynberg, Cape Town, pupil appeared in the Western Cape High Court on Friday, the National Prosecuting Authority said.

Spokesman Eric Ntabazalila said the pre-trial hearing was postponed to February 28.

“The matter was postponed for plea and sentencing agreements,” he said.

Wilston Stoffels, who was 18 at the time of the crime, and Jevon Snyman who was 19, were arrested for Glenrico Martin's murder.

Martin, 19, was shot in the back of the head as he entered the Spes Bona Secondary School in Athlone, on the Cape Flats, on May 15, 2013.

The two accused remain in police custody. In earlier proceedings, they waived their right to apply for bail.

Sapa

Pretrial conference for Heyns accused

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A third pre-trial conference has been scheduled for three men accused of murdering Prof Louis Heyns.

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Cape Town - A third pre-trial conference has been scheduled in the Western Cape High Court for three men accused of murdering Stellenbosch University Prof Louis Heyns.

Brothers Marthinus, 33, and Sarel van der Walt, 42, appeared at their second pre-trial conference in court on Friday, together with Malmesbury businessman Juan Liedeman, before Judge President John Hlophe, who scheduled the third conference for March 7.

Prosecutor Samantha Raphels told the court she was in talks with the defence team. She did not indicate whether these were aimed at a plea-bargain agreement.

William Booth, for Liedeman, told the court he was not happy about the fact that Liedeman had been joined as the third accused in the case. He said he hoped to reach an agreement with the State about this, and that his second option would be an application for a “misjoinder”. Such an application, if successful, would see the charges against Liedeman withdrawn.

The paediatric professor went missing on May 22 last year, after leaving Tygerberg Hospital in Bellville. His body was found in a shallow grave at the Strand, near Gordon's bay, on May 30.

The brothers allegedly hijacked Heyns as he left the hospital, robbed and murdered him, buried his body in the shallow grave, and then delivered the hijacked car to Liedeman's premises in Malmesbury.

Liedeman was allegedly found in possession of the car, and faces charges of possession of stolen property, being an accessory after the fact in the murder, and defeating the ends of justice.

On the charge of being an accessory after the fact, he allegedly received the car from the brothers, knowing what had happened, he kept it on his premises, and failed to notify the police. He was released on R20 000 bail.

At his bail hearing, he said the older of the two brothers used to work for him, but was dismissed on suspicion of theft from the business. Since the dismissal, he had received threats from both brothers, Liedeman alleged.

The brothers are charged with murder and robbery.

Sapa

Expert slams domestic violence policing

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Police officers are not properly implementing the Domestic Violence Act in Khayelitsha, an expert told a police inquiry.

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Cape Town - Police officers are not properly implementing the Domestic Violence Act in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, an expert told a commission of inquiry on Friday.

Professor Lillian Artz, a director of the University of Cape Town's gender, health and justice research unit, testified at the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry on the police's response to domestic violence and sexual crimes.

She said her research findings were that officers from the various police stations in Khayelitsha were not properly trained in the minimum requirements of dealing with domestic violence according to SA Police Service national instructions.

The first requirement was that a police vehicle be dispatched to the scene without delay.

The second was that the crew of that vehicle be informed of who the complainant was and whether to expect violence.

She said domestic violence only became criminalised when a protection order had been breached, but many people never even followed through with finalising such an order.

She had conducted research on domestic violence protection order applicants in association with charity organisation Mosaic, which assists the justice department.

Less than 10 percent of Khayelitsha applicants who were assisted by Mosaic found the police to be helpful and most gave them a score of five out of a possible 10.

“In only 19 percent of cases were complainants told they could lay a criminal charge at the police station.”

Artz said that when the protection order had to be served, many provincial officers misread the Domestic Violence Act and would only serve on the respondent.

The act allowed that any person over the age of 16 could be given an order on behalf of the respondent, she said.

It was, however, not uncommon for the order to be served on the very person who had laid the complaint.

“In practice, the applicant is often the one who is in the house when the protection order is served, who then has to serve it on the respondent. It's just an untenable situation.”

She acknowledged systemic failures that prevented officers from fulfilling their duties, including a lack of airtime for cellphones, a lack of police vehicles and reported pressure to keep crime statistics low.

Artz concluded that there had to be a practical, strategic priority for domestic and sexual offences in Khayelitsha.

The commission was set up by Western Cape premier Helen Zille to probe accusations by civil society formations that police inaction was leading to an increase in “mob justice” killings in the area.

The Social Justice Coalition alleged that police inefficiency was leading to criminals running rampant in the sprawling township, and residents being forced to take the law into their own hands.

The commission's activities were delayed for some time when Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa tried to have the inquiry scrapped.

Mthethwa lost his legal bid to stop the commission in the Constitutional Court in October last year.

The first phase of hearings was expected to end on February 21.

Sapa

Gangsters stab teen at Cape school

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A teenager was stabbed at a Manenberg school after three gangsters entered the premises and threatened staff.

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Cape Town - A teenager was stabbed at Silverstream High School in Manenberg on Friday morning after three gangsters entered the premises and threatened staff.

The Education Department said its records indicated the stabbed boy, who should be in Grade 9, was no longer a pupil at the school as he had been deregistered last year, but pupils at the school said he was in the Grade 9E class at the school.

The gangsters came on to school grounds and threatened the staff, saying if they did not get what they wanted, they would kill “anybody” they wanted to, said pupils this morning.

A police helicopter and vehicles scoured Manenberg as they searched for the suspect with the knife.

The stabbing victim is recovering in hospital.

Shortly after the incident, some pupils travelled to Cape Town to protest at the offices of the Department of Education.

They said they had had enough of violence in the area.

Cape Argus


DA students host Ramphele event

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The DA Students Organisation will play host to Agang SA leader Mamphela Ramphele at the University of Western Cape.

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Cape Town - Agang SA leader Mamphela Ramphele would on Friday evening address Cape Town students in an event initially hosted by the DA Students Organisation (Daso) to welcome her as the DA's presidential candidate.

Daso branch leader for the University of the Western Cape, Abongile Mjokozeli, told Sapa they were still technically hosting Ramphele but only as an academic, and not as Agang SA's leader.

She was expected to deliver a lecture entitled “Education should not be a debt sentence”.

Mjokozeli said when a coalition was in sight for the two parties last week, Daso booked a venue at the university on Agang SA's behalf.

This was because Agang SA was still in the process of being officially recognised as a political party in the university's structure.

“Due to the developments in the past week, Agang persisted in having the event, (and) Daso had not cancelled it,” Mjokozeli said.

“As a result, Agang is footing the bill of the entire event.”

Around 50 students in green Agang SA shirts sang and stomped their feet as they made their way into the lecture venue.

Although there were no Agang posters on the wall, party members handed out free shirts to some of those attending. Agang banners were hung around the room.

No DA branding or people in DA shirts could be seen. There were several security guards outside the venue. Some guards were heard expressing concern at the presence of a few students in African National Congress shirts. The handful of students had come from a voter registration drive on the campus earlier in the day, attended by provincial ANC leader Marius Fransman.

Last week, Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille, flanked by Ramphele, announced that the Agang SA founder would be the DA's presidential candidate in this year's elections and that there were plans to merge the two parties.

However, confusion soon arose when a statement was put up on Agang SA's website that it was not true that Ramphele would be accepting a DA membership. On Sunday, the DA announced that Ramphele had gone back on the agreement to stand as the DA's presidential candidate.

Both Zille and Ramphele held separate press briefings on Monday to explain what happened. Ramphele said the decision was rushed into and the technical issues of a partnership were never ironed out.

Zille accusing Ramphele of playing cat and mouse games.

Sapa

Cape Town students cheer Ramphele

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Agang SA leader Mamphela Ramphele was cheered by students in Cape Town when she re-affirmed her commitment to the party.

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Cape Town - Agang SA leader Mamphela Ramphele was cheered by students in Cape Town when she re-affirmed her commitment to the party on Friday.

This was after a student at the University of the Western Cape stood up during her address on education and said: “We need exemplary leaders. We are confused. What happened last week?”

She explained that the failed merger with the Democratic Alliance had been influenced by logistics.

“No one can be able to reach every corner of South Africa in such a short space of time,” she said.

“But if we have an electoral pact, we are able to challenge the impunity of the ANC.”

She poked fun at herself by mentioning her “failed marriage” to the DA.

“How many marriages have failed in this country? How many engagement parties have been broken in this country? For as long as we allow the ANC to play the race card, that is how long we will remain in bondage.”

Around 300 students in green party shirts clapped and cheered for their leader.

Ramphele announced last week that she would stand as the DA's presidential candidate in the general elections in May. There were also talks to merge the two parties. On Sunday the DA announced that Ramphele had gone back on her agreement.

Ramphele told students that she had been an exemplary leader for 45 years.

“As (former president Nelson) Mandela says, you make mistakes, you fall, you dust yourself, you stand up.”

She said she continued to talk to various political parties as part of her founding promise to possibly establish partnerships.

Ramphele told students she would ensure every willing person got an university education if the party was voted into power.

“Every person will be able to walk into a university fully paid.”

Graduates would plough back money into education through tax when employed, or give back through public service.

She said education should not be a “debt sentence” in a country that spent so much money on that portfolio.

“In what proud democracy do you have universities shutting down because students can't afford to pay for registration?”

The Tshwane University of Technology suspended classes last week during protests by students at a lack of funding from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme. Teaching resumed on Wednesday.

Sapa

Search on for biker with toddler

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Officials are on the hunt for a motorcyclist who caused an uproar after he was photographed riding with a toddler.

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Cape Town -

Traffic officials in Cape Town are on the hunt for a motorcyclist who caused a public uproar on Friday after he was photographed riding on to the N1 with a toddler clinging to his back.

 

The image was taken by a motorist on the Plattekloof on-ramp to the N1 on Thursday.

The anonymous photographer reportedly said the bike was travelling at 100km/h.

 

On Friday, there was concern about what law could be used to charge the motorcyclist.

 

The law requires a crash helmet, which both the driver and the child were wearing.

There is no age restriction.

However, a small breakthrough occurred on Friday when authorities determined that what the law did require was that the feet of a motorbike passenger needed to be on the footrests.

Provincial Traffic Chief Kenny Africa told Weekend Argus on Friday night that the passenger definitely looked younger than five, and had his or her legs wrapped around the body of the driver.

“We looked for a chance (to charge him) within the Children’s Act. There was nothing.”

Based on the position of the child’s feet, the motorcyclist can however be changed in terms of the Road Traffic Act. He could be served with a fine or even a court appearance based on the evidence.

But there’s another snag on the road to justice.

The registration number on the bike in the photograph is not registered.

“We will have to trace the first owner of the number on the bike… this number is not valid,” Africa said.

He appealed to anyone with information about the identity of the motorcyclist to call 021 946 1646.

“What the driver did is shocking. If he is not stopped, he will carry on with his bad behaviour. A young child could have lost their life,” Africa said.

wendyl.martin@inl.co.za

Weekend Argus

Gangsters invade school and stab pupil

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A 17-year-old pupil was stabbed after a gang apparently entered the school premises.

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Cape Town -

He was deregistered from Silverstream Secondary School in Manenberg last year and was supposed to have left, but on Friday the 17-year-old was stabbed in the school grounds in an alleged gang attack.

This came to light after the teen, allegedly from the Hard Livings gang, was stabbed in the back in an apparent revenge attack by rival gang the Americans, who entered the school grounds on Friday morning calling for “HL blood”.

That’s according to a 15-year-old witness.

“They came calling him out of the class upstairs, and when he came to the door they grabbed him. They were fighting coming down the stairs, and then stabbed him in the back,” the pupil said.

He added that all the classrooms on the floor where the victim was accosted were filled with gang members – from the 28s, 26s, Big Fives, HLs and Americans.

“I have pleaded with my mother to take me out of this school because the gangsters are forever shooting here. Every time there’s a different sir (teacher) and the pupils who belong to the gangs threaten them,” the youngster said.

The attackers apparently entered the school premises through broken fencing.

A matric pupil said that after several gunshots rang out, about 15 teenagers barged through the principal’s office, threatening that “if they don’t get what they want, they will kill anybody”.

He said the severely injured teen, who had been back at the school frequently since the school term began, was first badly beaten then stabbed.

“I was panicking and just thinking of my life. Here am I trying to pursue my dreams, but I’m scared. Every day before I go to school I say a prayer so that I can be safe,” the matric pupil said.

Silverstream acting school principal, Anthony Pietersen, said the attack was the continuation of “what’s been happening for a couple of days with the gangs fighting each other.

“(On Thursday afternoon) we already had some action, with a shooting at the front of the school and pupils had to be dismissed. But today again all hell broke loose.”

When gunshots rang out “pupils started running out of the classrooms and to the fence where a group of alleged gangsters had come on to the premises, carrying guns and knives, and then attacked the boy. The children were chaotic and the teachers falling over their feet,” Pietersen said.

The injured boy, believed to be from Philippi, had been given a transfer letter on January 15. Pietersen believed he was still attending classes because “he probably didn’t have another school to go to yet”.

He added that the pupil had failed Grade 9 last year. He was rushed to GF Jooste Hospital opposite the school.

“It’s now questionable whether our children are even safe in class, and we are considering having all the classrooms secured with safety gates. We have a plague of gangsters trespassing or coming during intervals under the false pretence of bringing a pupil a key or lunch. If found we escort them off the premises,” Pietersen said.

Western Cape Education Department spokeswoman Bronagh Casey

said: “The young male was deregistered from the school at the end of last year. The mother of the child had collected transfer papers from the school in January,” she said, adding it remained “unclear” why he was in the school grounds.

She cited gang violence as the “main threat” to school security, saying the latest attack had been sparked by the death of a gangster whose funeral was held on Thursday.

Counselling had been arranged with Safe Schools which had also agreed to repair the broken fencing.

Casey said while school safety remained a priority, the department could not take “sole responsibility” for the safety of pupils. Police and community aid were essential.

This was reiterated by Lieutenant Ian Bennet, from the Manenberg police, who urged community members to report illegal drugs and guns, and to inform on the gangsters.

The problem, however, was that gangsters had almost become “role models” to youngsters.

“Gangsters have the money, flashiest cars and clothes, so they look up to them. Gangs give them guns to run around with,” Bennet said.

Police arrived in force at the school on Friday, with neighbouring homes searched and suspected gang members arrested.

Bennet said gang violence had flared up since Tuesday afternoon, claiming the life of a 25-year-old man, an alleged American. Two suspected HLs were injured in a shootout this week.

“We are holding our breath for the weekend,” he said.

Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Andrè Traut said the alleged attacker had fled and that no arrests had yet been made.

Traut would not shed light on whether the stabbing was gang-related, only saying that the motive had yet to be established.

janis.kinnear@inl.co.za

Weekend Argus

Schoolboy murder accused in plea bargain bid

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Two men accused of killing Cape Town schoolboy Glenrico Martin are negotiating plea bargains with the State, a court heard.

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Cape Town -

Two men accused of killing Cape Town schoolboy Glenrico Martin are negotiating plea bargains with the State, the Western Cape High Court heard on Friday.

Wilston Stoffels, 18, and Jevon Snyman, 19, appeared briefly before Cape Judge President John Hlophe for a pre-trial conference.

State advocate Goodman Jaxa informed the court that the State and defence were discussing finalising the case through a plea and sentence agreement.

He requested a postponement to enable them to conclude their discussions.

Martin, 18, was shot in May last year while he was walking into the Spes Bona High School premises in Athlone. Paramedics took him to Groote Schuur Hospital. He died soon after arrival.

Snyman was arrested in Athlone a day after the shooting, and Stoffels was arrested in Bonteheuwel the following day.

The men are to appear in court again on February 28.

Weekend Argus

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