A Plumstead shopowner has died after being shot in the head during a robbery at his store at the weekend.

Cape Town - A Plumstead shopowner has died after being shot in the head during a robbery at his store at the weekend.

Police spokesman Warrant Officer Keith Chandler said Hassan Saed, the 24-year-old business owner, was in his shop on Friday night when four men walked in and asked for R10 airtime. He later died in hospital.

Chandler said the incident happened at about 10.30pm at the superette on the Main Road in Plumstead.

“Two of the suspects positioned themselves at the door of the shop, and closed the door. One suspect dressed in a black jacket pulled a revolver out and threatened the owner with the same,” Chandler said.

“The other two suspects went behind the counter and ransacked the till and took other shop items. An argument ensued and a shot was fired, hitting the shop owner (a Somalian national aged 24 years old) in the head.”

Chandler said the four men made off with R3 000 in cash and other items from the shop.

He said that Saed’s brother was also at the shop during the robbery and that he ran to his brother’s aid when the men fled the store.

Chandler said that paramedics arrived “and worked on the victim for approximately an hour” before transporting him to Groote Schuur hospital in a critical condition.

Saed was declared dead at 2.10am on Saturday, he said.

“We are still following up leads and no arrests have been made,” he said.

Chandler said anyone with information regarding this incident can contact Detective Captain Norman Killian on 021 710 7340.

neo.maditla@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Cyril Karabus believes the court case he is embroiled in is because the dead child's dad "wanted blood money".

Cape Town - Cyril Karabus, the eminent Cape Town paediatrican detained in the UAE on manslaughter charges after a child he treated in 2003 died of leukemia complications, believes the court case he is embroiled in is because the father of the dead child “wanted blood money”.

Karabus, who spoke to the Cape Times from Abu Dhabi on Sunday, will appear in court for the 13th time on Wednesday after being detained on August 18.

“I believe the father of the girl wanted blood money and persuaded one of the nurses to give a fabricated story,” he said.

Karabus has been told that there was a court judgment years ago in terms of which the family of the dead child, who came from Yemen, were paid out by the hospital. He has been trying to get the former managers of the hospital to admit this, but they have been “evasive”.

Karabus was detained in the UAE on charges of manslaughter for the death of three-year-old Sarah Adel Abdulla, who he had treated for acute myeloid leukemia in 2003 while he was doing a locum at the Sheikh Khalifa Medication Centre in Abu Dhabi.

In 2004, after he had left, he was convicted in absentia and sentenced to four years’ jail for allegedly not giving the child a blood transfusion.

The UAE authorities also claimed Karabus had falsified the child’s medical records to make it appear as if he had. To date the State has not provided any evidence to support its claims. It has also emerged that:

* In four months, they have not been able to furnish the court with the original medical files of the child who died of leukemia.

* A photostat of the medical files, which the prosecution supplied, records that the child had indeed been given a|transfusion.

* The eminent paediatrician slept on a blanket on a concrete floor in prison for two months.

* When he was brought to court, he was shackled with leg and wrist irons and was behind bullet-proof glass.

* The Pretoria doctor who gave him a place to stay in Abu Dhabi has been told his work permit will not be renewed. He has 30 days to leave.

Karabus’s wife, Jenifer, believes the South African embassy has done nothing to help her husband. “They gave him newspapers in prison and the consul was there in court, but otherwise they have done sweet diddly…”

When he appears in court for the 13th time on Wednesday, Karabus’s legal team will demand that the case be struck from the roll and that he be released. “I expect nothing because we’ve got nothing so far,” said Jenifer.

She said her husband had been denied bail initially because he had no fixed abode. A Pretoria doctor, Elwin Buchel, working at a military hospital in Abu Dhabi, heard about Karabus and offered to let him stay at his flat. Because of this, the court gave him bail.

Jenifer said her husband had nothing to do all day and was not allowed to work, even for charity. “His life is a misery, I don’t know how he survives. He is very lonely.”

International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane told her counterpart in the UAE at the weekend that she believed Karabus’s detention was illegal.

Cape Times

Three children have disappeared in the Western Cape since the start of December.

Cape Town - Police have launched a search for yet another child who has gone missing over the festive period.

This brings the number of children who have disappeared in the province to three since the start of December.

Last Friday evening, five-year-old Michael Mzizi went missing while playing in the yard of his N2 Gateway home.

The toddler’s mother, Vuyokazi Mzizi, 19, said her son was playing alone and she had left the gate open while she went to the shop.

“My brother and sister were at home but nobody heard anything and he can hear but he can’t speak so he couldn’t call out for help,” Mzizi said.

After a failed search, they reported him missing at the police station.

Provincial police spokesman Captain FC Van Wyk said the search was still going on.

Meanwhile, Khayelitsha mother Abongile Mgwebi, 28, has little hope for the safe return of her daughter, five-year-old Lilitha, after she disappeared on Christmas morning.

“I feel very bad and every time I think about it I cry… why are they keeping her for so long?” Mgwebi said.

But while police continue their search, Mgwebi said she would not “lose hope” until Lilitha was found.

Van Wyk said police have no leads yet and were still searching for the girl.

Police are still trying to establish whether a body found in a field off Plantation Road in Ottery, is that of 12-year-old Jennifer Williams who disappeared on December 20.

Van Wyk said a man, 62, was being held for questioning.

janis.kinnear@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

A dog that went missing on Christmas Day has been returned to its owner, but with its genitals removed.

Cape Town - A dog that went missing on Christmas Day has been returned to its owner, but with its genitals removed.

Lozola Sotyingwa, an animal welfare care officer at the Mdzananda Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha, said this was one of the worst cases of animal cruelty he had seen and it was especially sad that the dog had to go through the procedure without any painkillers.

Sotyingwa said it was not possible to tell whether the dog was male or female when it was brought in by its owner on Saturday morning.

“What the owner explained to me was that he had chained it in the yard and that the dog somehow came loose and ran away on Christmas Day,” Sotyingwa added.

“Then it returned to the house the next day and that was when he noticed that something was wrong. When he looked, he saw it had been castrated.”

Sotyingwa said the dog’s owner believed it had been bitten by another dog.

“But on close inspection at the clinic, we realised its genitals had been cut off.”

Sotyingwa said they had been monitoring the dog since its arrival at the clinic and they were worried at first that it would not be able to relieve itself. However, it had meanwhile started urinating.

What amazed him the most was that the dog was happy (when it was brought in), and showed no signs of pain, he said.

Sotyingwa said he could not rule out the possibility that this had been done in order to use the body parts for muti.

What added to the confusion was that the owner was not at his Mfuleni property when the dog went missing as he spent most of his time at his other home in Town 2, Khayelitsha.

The dog would receive another check-up today and the veterinarian would decide what to do next.

“But the dog is still alive and happy and to put it down is not yet an option,” he said.

“What happened is not the dog’s fault and we are going to look at all the options we can explore in order to try and help it,”

Sotyingwa said.

Cases like these were proof there was a need for more education on animals in the community, he added.

neo.maditla@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Four people died in two separate accidents in Kensington, Cape Town traffic authorities said.

Four people died in two separate accidents in Kensington, Cape Town traffic authorities said on Tuesday.

“A 21-year-old man lost control of his car on Voortreker road and crashed into the wall of a graveyard at 4.10am,” said provincial traffic chief Kenny Africa.

“He died on the scene.”

Ten minutes later, on the same road, three people were killed when the taxi they were travelling in lost control and crashed into a building.

“According to the information we received the three people were foreigners all in their early 30s,” said Africa. - Sapa

Wind-fuelled flames tore through Dunoon and Khayelitsha on New Year’s Day causing death and destruction.

Cape Town - Three men died and more than 4 000 people were left homeless as fires gutted homes in Dunoon and Khayelitsha on New Year’s Day.

The BM Section of Khayelitsha was the hardest hit, with over 800 shacks engulfed by the rapidly-spreading flames. Around 3 000 residents were left homeless.

The City’s Disaster Management spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said the fire in the BM Section of the area began at 4.45am and was only successfully contained almost six hours later.

He added that the gusting wind, which had risen to speeds of 80 to 90km/h on New Year’s Eve, had fuelled the spread of the flames, making it challenging for firefighters to quell the flames.

Smoke billowing from the settlement also forced traffic authorities to close the N2 in both directions.

“The thick smoke affected the free-flowing of traffic, endangering the safety of motorists,” said Solomons-Johannes.

With the aid of a helicopter, the blaze was finally extinguished at 10.30am.

Otto Ngcebetshana, 35, Yako Nkusiyaba, 29, and Nkosiyabo Luko, 30, were killed in the blaze after they were unable to escape from their homes when flames engulfed their shacks.

Another man was taken to Tygerberg Hospital after sustaining serious burn wounds. At the time of going to print he was still receiving medical treatment.

The WD section of Khayelitsha also saw a fire sweep through the settlement, destroying 120 shacks and leaving 200 people homeless.

In Dunoon, a fire was reported in the Thembeni Informal Settlement at 1.12am.

The blaze destroyed 15 formal houses and left 220 shacks in smoldering ruins. According to Solomons-Johannes, 800 people have been left without homes.

The blaze also damaged an overhead electricity supply, which technicians are working on repairing in order to restore power to the area.

No injuries or deaths were reported in either case.

While the exact cause of the fires in all three instances has not yet been ascertained, witnesses claim the fires were caused by people under the influence of alcohol, according to Solomons-Johannes.

“For example, people getting drowsy and falling asleep with a candle still lit,” he said.

The city’s disaster response teams have assisted the victims of the fire with food parcels, blankets, baby packs, clothing, building material and emergency psychosocial trauma counselling.

The city has also made arrangements with the Department of Home Affairs to provide the victims with temporary identity documents.

Another fire sprung into life above Camps Bay Drive yesterday afternoon.

Solomons-Johannes told the Cape Argus that two helicopters had been sent to the scene to try to contain the blaze. According to some sources, 10 homes had been evacuated.

The cause of blaze is yet to be determined.

kieran.legg@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

The relatives of two men who died in a fire are having to deal with their loss while trying to piece their lives back together.

Cape Town -

The relatives of two men who died in a devastating fire on New Year’s Day are having to deal with their loss and at the same time try to piece their lives back together.

The fire in the BM Section of Khayelitsha, which was fuelled by high winds in the early hours of Tuesday, was started by a man who left a stove on, residents claim. At least 800 homes were destroyed.

Masixole Ngcebetshana, who lost his uncle, Otto Ngcebetshana, 35, said his uncle had been alone at home.

“He lived with his girlfriend, but she is on holiday in the Eastern Cape, he said.

Winnie Mbotshane was devastated to find her brother, Nkosiyabo Luko, 30, had died in his shack while they were trying to get belongings out.

“The fire started close to his side, we were taking some furniture out and after a while we noticed he was gone,” Mbotshane said. They tried to call his phone numerous times before discovering his death.

Twenty-nine-year-old Yako Nkusiyaba also died in the fire that left thousands destitute.

Many of the residents, like Monwabisi Nyama were left with only the clothes they were wearing.

“I was at work when the fire started and I came home to this,” Nyama said, pointing to the remnants of the home, he shared with his wife.

“My wife is on holiday and I phoned her and she will be cutting her trip shorter so we can try and rebuild our home,” Nyama said. He said this was the third fire he had experienced while living in the informal settlement.

“… Usually the fires can be stopped but this was different,” Nyama said. Residents around them who weren’t affected by the fire didn’t help and that everyone had to fend for themselves.

In the Thembeni informal settlement in Dunoon, people were already rebuilding their homes, a few hours after the blaze was contained.

Enoch Sobutyu pastor at St Johns church said he suspected the fire was started by fireworks.

“It was these children playing with firecrackers that started the fire and now we have lost all of our things, even the Christmas clothes we just bought for our children,” Sobutyu said.

The fire destroyed 15 formal houses and 220 shacks and 800 people were displaced.

yolisa.tswanya@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

This new year Durban’s beaches were quieter than in previous years, and in Cape Town, two events were cancelled.

Durban - The Durban police’s combined effort at maintaining order in the city over the new year was “highly successful” with 15 arrested for drunk driving in roadblocks on Monday night and 25 people fined forcontravening fireworks by-laws.

Metro police spokesman Eugene Msomi said on Tuesday that the police still needed to be debriefed, but it looked as if most people had heeded police warnings and behaved.

The eThekwini Municipality’s Festive Season Management Committee chairman, Christo Swart, echoed Msomi’s sentiments.

“It seems our calls are being heard and people are starting to take better care of their children,” he said.

Swart said all the children who had been separated from their parents on Durban’s beaches over the past week had been reunited with them.

“The last two were reunited with their parents today (Tuesday),” he said, “and their parents were issued with warnings.”

Swart said that on New Year’s Eve Durban’s beaches had been busy.

“We had a crowd of about 50 000,” he said.

But the traditional beach crowds did not arrive on New Year’s Day, possibly because of the rain.

Last month, Speaker Logie Naidoo said the municipality had identified traffic control, lost children and the enforcement of by-laws as the “special focus areas” for the festive season. The city’s plan was aimed at ensuring everyone had a safe holiday.

Meanwhile in Cape Town, potential New Year’s Eve disasters were averted when the authorities cancelled two big events because of winds which were gusting up to 100km/h.

A giant marquee, designed to hold 8 000 people at the V&A Waterfront, was destroyed by the wind.

Sections of fencing erected along city roads for the Cape Malay Choirs and Bands parade were lifted and sent flying. No one was injured as officials had cancelled both events.

Greg Walsh, the managing director of G&G Productions, organisers of the event at the Waterfront, said on Tuesday: “It was the right decision because that tent was completely destroyed, like toothpicks.” - The Mercury

The Minstrels’ Tweede Nuwe Jaar Parade is set to take place in Cape Town’s CBD on Wednesday.

Cape Town - The Minstrels’ Tweede Nuwe Jaar Parade is set to take place on Wednesday.

The following roads will be closed from 6am:

* The parade will start at Keizersgracht St from Russel St and at Sir Lowry St. Groups will move through Tennant St, Darling St, Adderley St, Wale St (crossing Buitengracht) and will finish at Castle and Rose streets.

* Fencing will be erected along both sides of the route. Pedestrians will be able to cross at controlled crossings on Darling, Adderley, Wale, Rose and Buitengracht streets.

* The intersection of Buitengracht and Wale streets will be closed to traffic.

* The parade is scheduled to start at 12pm and end around 10pm.

Cape Argus

Police say they have cottoned on to the fact that drug syndicates are now making frequent use of the postal system.

Cape Town - Police say they have cottoned on to the fact that syndicates are not only smuggling drugs via conventional methods of transport, but are now making frequent use of the postal system.

Police spokesman Andre Traut confirmed recent reports that police have discovered drugs worth close to R1.5 million in parcels since November.

Traut said: “The postal system has become a popular trafficking channel for drug dealers and arrests and seizures have become more prevalent. We are well aware of the methods which are used in this regard, and for this reason we have prioritised our efforts towards the postal system.”

He said that in the latest bust about 20 of the 22 parcels were headed for other African countries or Europe.

He said a man was arrested after picking up a package that was sent from Mumbai and that the package contained 50g of heroin with an estimated street value of at least R150 000.

Since police intensified their operations against drugs at the Cape Town International Airport, smugglers have been using alternative methods of transporting drugs including national roads and the post office.

“The reason for the popularity of this modus operandi is that drug dealers can distance themselves from the received parcel, or claim that they are oblivious of the contents.

“However, these lame excuses are not entertained as facts,” said Traut.

In an incident last month, three men were arrested at a post office in Gugulethu after police found them with a parcel containing R1.2m worth of tik and cocaine.

In another incident at the same post office, police arrested another three men after a parcel containing R112 000 worth of tik was found in their possession.

Traut said most of the drugs being sent through the mail were compressed dagga, cocaine and heroin. He said the police did not yet have statistics on the quantity of drugs being moved through the postal system.

“Our investigations with regards to cases related to the postal system are yet to be finalised and therefore I am not in a position to divulge too much information,” he said.

“The drug trade will remain a top priority, because if we police it effectively, we simultaneously address more serious crimes such as robberies and other property related crimes. No one can afford to support a drug habit on a salary and we believe that at one point or another the user will turn to crime to acquire drugs.”

LeadSA – a collaboration between the Cape Argus, 567 CapeTalk, 94.5 Kfm and Western Cape law enforcement agencies – kicked off operation Drug Watch in November to highlight efforts by authorities to clamp down on the drug smuggling trade and to give readers and listeners a way to report drug peddling in their areas.

Police have arrested 9 451 suspects since Drug Watch was launched.

The total value of drugs confiscated during the last week of 2012 stood at R481 859, and R5 944 168 worth of drugs had been confiscated since Drug Watch was launched, said police.

neo.maditla@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Residents, including knife-wielding kids, went on the rampage after a suspect linked to a missing girl was given bail.

Cape Town - Parkwood residents, including knife-wielding children, went on the rampage after a man suspected of being involved in the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl was granted bail.

But when the crowd couldn’t find 62-year-old Gerald Croudes they turned on another man in his 60s and assaulted him.

Police have confirmed that an attempted murder case is being investigated.

Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel André Traut said that on Monday residents “became riotous” after hearing that Croudes was granted bail after he had been arrested in connection with the disappearance of 12-year-old Jennifer Williams.

Jennifer was last seen on December 20, when she went to her sister’s house in Parkhurst Walk, Parkwood.

When she did not return her mother reported her missing. At the time she had been wearing a black-and-yellow two-piece bathing costume.

On Thursday, a body was found by a passer-by on a field off Plantation Road, behind the old Ottery reformatory.

The body was badly decomposed and the police have yet to confirm the identity.

Jennifer’s disappearance, the decomposed body and the arrest of Croudes, came to a head on Monday when the community took a stand – marching with weapons and placards calling for no bail.

A large crowd of people had initially approached Rachel Williams, gathering on her stairwell, after word had spread that Croudes was granted bail.

On Tuesday, Williams told the Cape Argus she had distanced herself from the action and said she did not know much about attacks and that she was hearing conflicting rumours about what happened.

Photographer Leon Knipe, who was at the scene, said he had to flee when the crowd turned on him and the police.

Knipe said at around 2pm the crowd that had gathered at the Grassy Park police station had begun to march down to Parkwood.

Knipe said he was told by one of the crowd members that he “had to leave” for his own safety.

Knipe witnessed children carrying various kinds of weapons – one resident had a panga while others had wooden sticks and knives.

“They started throwing stones at us – me and the police – we really had to run,” he said.

He said the tension and the anger of the crowd was palpable.

“The crowd wanted blood – somebody was going to get hurt. I just knew something was going to happen, I could feel it,” he said.

Traut confirmed the incident.

“The community became riotous because they were unhappy with his bail granted by the court,” he said.

Traut said in a separate incident, another man, who is 65 years old and who was also considered a suspect, was assaulted.

He said an attempted murder case was being investigated.

“Police had to take action to restore order,” Traut said.

“After negotiations the crowd dispersed peacefully,” he added.

Philip Bam, head of the Grassy Park Community Police Forum who was also at the scene, said he attempted to quell tension as tempers flared.

Bam said the community had marched to Grassy Park Police station and were addressed by the station commander.

“We had split the crowd and some of them went to Grassy Park police station – the crowd was really, really serious when they had heard that he had bail – they were angry, they were there with pangas.”

He said the crowd had agreed with the police that the 62-year-old man needed to be detained again for his own safety.

Another crowd had gathered in Parkwood where they had started throwing stones.

Meanwhile, (Rachel) Williams is waiting to hear from the police about the body found last week. The police said on Tuesday that the body which was discovered “is yet to be identified, and DNA results are awaited.”

Williams had heard that the body police found was so badly decomposed that it was difficult to identify any features. She said the police had refused to let them try to visually identify the body.

“But it’s my child,” Williams said.

On Tuesday, Williams was surrounded both by relatives and Jennifer’s father Michael Petersen, who have been supporting her.

According to Williams, Croudes approached her early on Thursday afternoon. She said Jennifer was familiar with him.

He took my hand and said: “Don’t worry they are going to find her later.”

She said that a few hours later they found a body on the field.

Williams said in the past few days she had heard many different stories of what had happened.

“I’m too afraid to leave my house… it upsets me,” she said.

“We’re also looking for answers… everybody’s asking me questions and I can’t answer them,” she said.

Jennifer’s story to date.

* December 20 – Jennifer goes missing. She was last seen at her sister’s house in Parkhurst Walk, Parkwood.

She had been swimming in a blow-up pool at her sister’s house.

When she did not return, her mother contacted the police.

* Thursday, December 27 – The body of a girl is discovered in a field off Plantation Road, Ottery.

Police have not confirmed the identity of the body, which was so badly decomposed it was difficult to identify it.

* A 62-year-old man, Gerald Croudes, is held for questioning in connection with Jennifer’s disappearance.

* On Monday, December 31, the man is granted bail. His release sets off a crowd of angry residents waving placards and weapons and calling for no bail. Residents, including children, run through the area with various weapons until police step in to disperse the group with rubber bullets and stun grenades. The community retaliated by pelting the police with stones. A 65-year-old man was assaulted.

* On Wednesday,Rachel Williams is expected to hear the outcome of DNA tests and forensics analysis conducted to identify the body found last Thursday.

natasha.prince@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Having no electricity at home was just one of the obstacles Thando Somina had to face in his matric year, writes Ilse Fredericks.

Cape Town - The Cape Argus spoke to three matrics who are determined to succeed despite their circumstances.

Having no electricity at home was just one of the obstacles Thando Somina had to face in his matric year.

But Somina, 20, from Matthew Goniwe Memorial High in Khayelitsha, was determined to make a success of his schooling and refused to give up on his dreams.

His story was heard across South Africa when DA leader Helen Zille highlighted it in one of her speeches in November.

“He lives with his mother and younger sister in a tiny shack in Site B in Khayelitsha. He does not know his father. His mother is unemployed. They sometimes go without food because they have no money,” she said.

“Thando is determined to change his family’s circumstances. He told me that he realised in primary school that education was the best way to do so.”

Circumstances at home didn’t always allow Somina to study, but he always made a plan.

“At the beginning of the year we had electricity so I studied at home. But on weekends it’s difficult to study there so I would wake up early in the morning and go to Cape Town library and study the whole day there,” he said.

When the family didn’t have electricity he would study at a friend’s home.

“I realised at primary school that education is the only way for me, especially when you come from a disadvantaged background.”

Francois Lubbe, a Western Cape Education Department institutional management and governance manager said Somina was a hard worker.

“He is determined to make a difference despite his circumstances,” Lubbe said.

The two met on the first day of the 2012 school year when Lubbe assisted Somina after he didn’t have the correct school uniform. Somina said Lubbe had helped him throughout the year and had been a father figure.

He said school had also shown him huge support.

“We have the most passionate and hard-working teachers here at our school. They all have the common goal to bring out the best in Khayelitsha,” he said.

Somina, who loves to write poetry and enjoys modelling, said he hoped to study pharmacy at the University of the Western Cape: “I would like to make a huge change in my community and in South Africa because there are few black pharmacists.”

Odwa Mavuso hopes to see “nothing less than four distinctions” when he opens his matric results on Thursday.

The pupil from the Centre of Science and Technology (Cosat) in Khayelitsha said he had worked hard throughout his matric year and was hoping it would pay off.

In 2011 the school was among the top 10 in the province.

“Many of us (Cosat pupils) come from disadvantaged families, but we don’t let our circumstances demotivate us.

“Some of us will be the first in our families to go to university.”

Odwa, 19, lives with his cousin and two siblings in Kuyasa, Khayelitsha. His mother had to relocate to the Eastern Cape when he was in Grade 10.

His older brother – who works in a liquor store – is the family’s breadwinner.

Odwa started attending Cosat in Grade 10 and said he was thankful for the knowledge his teachers had instilled in him.

“We were always encouraged to talk about what was happening in the world and were not just restricted to the syllabus.”

His achievements over the three years include winning a gold medal at the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists for a project he completed with a fellow pupil.

The medal was awarded in the category social and psychological science and the project was titled Homophobia in Khayelitsha.

He also found the time to tutor pupils in Khayelitsha throughout the year in maths, physics and life sciences.

Odwa plans to study medicine at Stellenbosch University this year.

Shahiem Rogers is a firm believer that where you come from doesn’t determine what you can achieve.

The Hanover Park teenager’s role in promoting youth leadership and good values at his school has already earned him the opportunity of a lifetime – he was a torchbearer at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The trip to the UK was Shahiem’s first outside the province.

“(Participating in the torch relay) was the highlight of my matric year. There was so much excitement. It was such an honour and a privilege.”

The Mountview High pupil said sport had played a big role in his life. He loved taking part in the 100m and 200m sprint and also swam for Hanover Park Aquatics.

“I wouldn’t be as confident as I am if I didn’t participate in sports.”

He is also involved in a youth forum in Hanover Park through which he helps to organise sport and recreational activities, including table tennis and cycling for children in the area.

Despite his busy schedule Shahiem didn’t neglect his studies.

“I’m expecting good results and I’m not feeling anxious. I am staying positive. I was in the top five at school. Our teachers were very dedicated and really care about the learners.”

Shahiem hopes to pursue a career in sport science and biokinetics.

Cape Argus

* The matric results will be published in the Argus on Friday.

Members of the Farmworkers Coalition predict a month of action as they protest against alleged exploitation.

Western Cape - Members of the Farmworkers Coalition, an affiliation of unions, NGOs and workers’ committees, predict more strike action.

The vulnerability of agriculture in January, a busy period in the fruit and wine industry, will be exploited, said the coalition’s Mercia Andrews.

Late last year, workers protesting against poor pay and ill treatment resulted in millions of rands worth of damage to farm owners’ property and brought the agricultural sector to a standstill.

But the coalition maintains that conditions, wages and treatment of farmworkers in the wake of the mass strikes have not improved.

Ryno Filander, a worker and leader of the committee on Wonderfontein farm outside Robertson, says that on some farms workers, who participated in the strikes, had been isolated and discriminated against.

“It was very painful for me to see some of the workers receive Pick n Pay vouchers for Christmas and for others (those who are known to have participated in the strike) to be overlooked.

“Such experiences make the people very frustrated. These are the sort of things that lead to the strike in the first place. In the new year, we have to organise and – if needs be – strike again to bring attention to our conditions. Because nothing has changed.”

Filander’s employer, Paul Marais, admitted to the Cape Argus that Christmas bonuses had been withheld from some workers who had participated in the strike.

“They brought business to a standstill and the farm suffered significant financial losses as a result.”

Marais said it did not make sense to reward people for going on strike.

In De Doorns, community activist Owen Maromo said jobs were shed on many farms in the table-grape-growing valley since December.

Maromo lost his job as a farm worker for facilitating striking workers in September.

“On some farms they are paying more (R90 a day), but this has come only after some of the workforce were dismissed. It means that the remaining workers have to work harder for that little extra money.”

Andrews, who is also the director of the Mawubuye Land Rights Forum said the coalition was working on an urban-rural awareness campaign that would force people in towns and cities to remain sensitive to the ongoing plight of farmworkers in the province.

“During the holiday season, we want people to understand that the food they enjoy with their families is produced by people who are suffering. They don’t enjoy the same privileges, and still live in dire conditions.”

Cosatu called off the farm workers’ strike on December 4, an announcement which was widely criticised by farmworkers whom the Cape Argus interviewed.

Their main concern was not whether calling off the strike was appropriate or not. Many farmworkers took exception to Cosatu’s lack of communication and consultation with workers in making such a decision.

Andrews said strengthening workers’ committees – like the self-organisation of leadership among workers – would be a priority in the new year.

She said many workers were not unionised or organised into representative structures – a stumbling block to the efficacy of collective bargaining.

Another objective for the new year would be to set up a system, modelled on the Treatment Action Campaign’s toll-free line, to monitor the roll-out of antiretroviral drugs in the public-health sector.

“We envisage a number that farm workers can call to report illegal evictions, labour abuses and other complaints. This way we will have reliable statistics to present to commercial agriculture.” - Cape Argus

The stork was kept busy at hospitals around the Western Cape as the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Day.

Cape Town - As 2013 delivered a clean slate for many of us, it also delivered the prospect of dirty nappy-changing for 21 new parents in the Western Cape.

The provincial health department’s Emerantia Cupido said that by 9am on Tuesday, 21 babies had been born at 10 hospitals across the region.

The first baby, born to Nozuko Pangwayo and her fiancé Ayanda Hlongwa, arrived at 12.07am at Groote Schuur Hospital. The boy, who was born by Caesarean section, weighed 2.9kg and was 50cm tall.

“Both the mommy and the boy are fine,” Cupido said.

By 10am on Tuesday, Mowbray Maternity Hospital had the most recorded New Year baby births, with six newborns, while Somerset Hospital welcomed four New Year babies.

A total of 57 babies were born across Gauteng during the first hours of 2013. Charlotte Maxeke in Johannesburg had the most visits from the stork, with nine girls and six boys delivered, said Health MEC Hope Papo. Mamelodi Hospital welcomed 11 babies and Chris Hani Baragwanath delivered 10 new lives.

Seven babies each were born at Kafalong and Yusuf Dadoo hospitals, while Bertha Gxowa gave busy attention to the four babies it brought into the world. Steve Biko Hospital had two new girls and a boy sleeping in its wards on Tuesday.

“We congratulate all the mothers who gave birth today and encourage them to take good care of their babies and ensure they receive the necessary immunisation,” said Papo.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Cape added 81 babies to its nurseries, including twin girls born at Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital, provincial health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said.

Preliminary figures in Limpopo indicated that 95 babies had made their way into the world in 2013 so far, said health spokeswoman Sinenhlanhla Gumede. - Cape Argus

He was always online, tweeting, blogging or sharing his Facebook status. But now Briton Wilkes McDermid has disappeared.

Cape Town - He was always online, tweeting, blogging or sharing his Facebook status. But last Wednesday whisky-loving Briton Wilkes McDermid disappeared.

“I haven’t heard anything from him,” said Bernard Gutman, who is desperately searching for his friend.

“He hasn’t updated Twitter and there’s nothing on Facebook,” he added.

McDermid, a financial services software programmer and part-time food and whisky blogger from Chelsea in the UK, was on holiday in the Mother City and was set to return home last Wednesday. But according to South African and UK police he seems to have vanished.

“Police in the UK went round to his flat and nobody had been there… He’s been gone for a week already, it’s so frustrating that we can’t find him,” said Gutman. “Anything could’ve happened to him.”

McDermid checked out of his hotel at 2pm on Wednesday and was seen at 7.25pm leaving the Bascule Whisky Bar at the Cape Grace Hotel at the Waterfront.

“That’s the last time anyone saw him,” said Gutman.

Sergeant Nicholas Williams, the investigating officer on the case, said that he has been going through CCTV footage at the Waterfront to find out where McDermid had gone, but he has no idea what has happened to him.

* Anyone who has any idea where McDermid is should call 072 560 2624.

Cape Argus

A man in a 4X4 had police in a quandary as he drove around bashing into parked cars and police vehicles.

Cape Town - A man in a four-wheel drive vehicle had police from Lansdowne to Philippi in a quandary on Tuesday as he drove around bashing into parked cars and smashing into police vehicles.

It took an enterprising tow-truck driver to finally bring the Jeep to a stop several hours after the drama began

At one point, the Jeep was being tailed by about 20 police vehicles, unable to stop the offending driver.

Residents of Lansdowne first became aware of the incident when he smashed into a parked car near the home of tow-truck driver Zahier Barden earlyTuesday evening.

The drama continued until after 10pm, Barden said in an interview this morning.

“It was a diesel van, so it was quite light on fuel and he was able to carry on for a while,” Barden said.

“The guy seemed like he was on drugs or something.

“He smashed into parked cars and later, when the police caught up with him, he smashed into some of their vehicles too.”

The man drove from Lansdowne to Philippi and back to Lansdowne, Wetton and Crawford.

At one stage he circled the Wetton Circle several times, with a long line of police vehicles on his tail.

Police fired at the errant motorist’s vehicle, shooting out three of his Jeep’s tyres. But he kept going.

Barden decided to intervene. In his tow truck, ee squeezed past the police vehicles and found a position in Turfhall Road where he was able to “ambush” the Jeep.

He dropped his towing array and was able to block the Jeep’s progress until he forced the vehicle to a stop not far from the Lansdowne police station.

But even then, it wasn’t the end. The errant driver might have been forced to stop, but he wasn’t going to voluntarily get out of the vehicle.

“Police were trying to get him out but he locked the doors. So, I went up there and broke some of the vehicle’s windows and helped the cops get him out,” Barden said.

He said the man was very strong and it took several large police officers to eventually hold him down and put cuffs on him.

“I don’t know what he was on, but he was immensely strong,” Barden said.

Police were not able to provide details of the incident at the time of publishing.

Cape Argus

Lately, visitors to the busy business hub next to Khayelitsha station have been greeted by the distinctive aroma of good coffee.

Cape Town - Lately, visitors to the busy business hub next to Khayelitsha station have been greeted by the distinctive aroma of good coffee.

Behind the inviting aroma are three childhood friends – a former barista, a towel factory worker and a fireman – who have been hard at work brewing up anything from a cappuccino to a foamy latte.

Situated at the Urban Upgrading precinct, Department of Coffee is setting a trend as one of the first coffee shops in the city’s townships.

Wongama Baleni, Vuyile Msaku, and Vusumzi Mamile, all in their early 20s, are determined to prove that townships are ready to compete in the coffee scene.

The friends were inspired after taking part in a meditation and life skills class in Khayelitsha started by a non-profit company called Connect Community Development (CCD). The class encouraged them to aspire to reach their full potential, said Baleni. The trio gave up their steady jobs to follow their dreams of becoming entrepreneurs.

The Department of Coffee, which opened in July last year, is a pilot project of a job creation organisation called the Ministry of Service Delivery (MoSD) – comprising a group of local businessmen who came together to practise a hands-on approach to job creation by facilitating business connections, training and by providing start-up funding to underprivileged young entrepreneurs.

Murray Ingram, CCD, helped smooth the progress between the Department of Coffee and MoSD. He also assisted them in securing their current retail space. CCD helps people in poorer communities access the resources necessary to kick-start their business ventures.

Ingram met Baleni, Msaku and Mamile three years ago during their life skills class. “They approached me with an idea and it grew from there. We’re in the process of helping a number of young people to implement their ideas,” said Ingram

Baleni explained that they were drawn together by their “hustling” spirit. “We’ve always been involved in business, from selling meat to anything that will make us money.”

It took them about three years of planning and sourcing funding to get the Department of Coffee up and running. “The equipment was expensive and at times we felt like giving up. My family couldn’t understand at first how we were going to make a decent income selling coffee… but we kept going,” said Baleni

Thanks to former barista Msaku, who has worked in some fine coffee establishments, honing their coffee-making skills was a breeze. Department of Coffee offers espresso-based coffees, tea, hot chocolate, muffins, and freshly squeezed fruit juices. They also sell coffee beans especially roasted and blended just for them, and branded caps and T-shirts. Their price range is R7 to R8.50.

Mamile said the group distributes tasks equally. “Running your business is different from working for someone. You pay extra attention to things to prevent wastage, even spilled sugar is taking money from your pocket.” He added that their busiest time was in the morning when commuters were on their way to work.

The coffee house also does regular morning deliveries to Khayelitsha Magistrate Court, hospital and mall.

l The Department of Economic Development and Tourism has launched the Provincial Entrepreneurship Recognition Awards, which will act as a “SMME support programme” that will focus on promoting entrepreneurship in the Western Cape.

Nominations are open in the categories emerging business, best innovative student idea, established business, social enterprise and export business.

Information at http://www.westerncape.gov.za/news/western-cape-entrepreneurship-recognition-awards-0 - Cape Argus

Khayelitsha's BM section, ravaged by fire on New Year's day, will be upgraded, the City of Cape Town said.

Cape Town -

Khayelitsha's BM section, ravaged by fire on New Year's day, will be upgraded, the City of Cape Town said on Wednesday.

“Any suggestions that the city has not been active in the community to ensure that it is upgraded in a caring and dignified manner are completely untrue,” human settlements mayoral committee member Ernest Sonnenberg said.

Three men were killed, one was seriously injured and more than 3000 people were displaced in Tuesday's fire. Approximately 800 shacks were destroyed.

Sonnenberg said it was alleged the fire was caused by drunk people who had become negligent. He said discussions and plans about upgrading the area had been in the works for “a long period of time”.

Ultimately, local government wanted to ensure that residents received tenure and necessary services.

“The city has been negotiating with the various landowners concerned to purchase land.”

At the moment, the city's informal settlements department was working to improve safety measures against fire and floods, and provide access to electricity for all residents.

Sonnenberg said the biggest problem in upgrading the area was its high density. Although local officials had tried to meet with residents to explore possible relocations, this had been met with resistance. Sonnenberg said this had delayed the planned upgrade.

He urged residents rebuilding their structures to position them at least three metres apart.

“Unfortunately this is not always adhered to, making it very difficult for firefighting vehicles to gain access when attempting to extinguish a fire.”

On Wednesday efforts were underway to help residents affected by the fire. The public was invited to make donations such as food, wood, paraffin, blankets, and money. - Sapa

Rawsonville police are investigating a double murder after the bodies of two women were discovered on a wine farm.

Cape Town - Rawsonville police are investigating a double murder after the bodies of two women were discovered on a Boland wine farm.

Both women suffered multiple wounds, police said.

Their bodies were found lying a few metres apart in a vineyard on the farm Witelsboom in the Slanghoek Valley.

“The motive is unknown and no one has been arrested,” said police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Andre Traut.

The circumstances were being investigated.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111.

According to Nella Mouries, the bodies were discovered by her brother, Abraham Booysen.

“He was at the river fetching water and then he saw the woman’s hair sticking out. She was lying there, dead and he went and told the farmer.

“He was very shocked when I spoke to him,” said Mouries.

The Cape Argus could not reach Booysen or the owner of the farm at the time of going to print.

Cape Argus

Western Cape matrics "put on a quality performance", breaking records and improving on key indicators of success.

Cape Town - Western Cape matrics have broken records and improved on key indicators of success, cementing the province’s position as one of the top-performing provinces in the country.

The matrics achieved a pass rate of 82.8 percent, down 0.1 of a percentage point over the 2011 pass rate.

While the decline was slight, the Western Cape was the only province which saw a decrease in results. Gauteng reclaimed its title as the top province, achieving a pass rate of 83.9 percent, up from 81.1 percent in 2011.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga on Wednesday announced a national pass rate of 73.9 percent, up 3.7 percentage points from 70.2 percent in 2011. She said these results gave her “great pleasure”.

“This growth is very encouraging bearing in mind that when we came into office, we had put the targeted growth at 75 percent by 2014. Now at 73.9 percent our target is within reach. From this year, we will work even harder not only to sustain this growth but to push for an even higher pass rate, beyond 75 percent. Hearty congratulations to the Class of 2012, our born frees.”

Nita Wiegman, of Hermanus High, was present at the announcement of the results in Pretoria as one of the top achieving pupils in the country.

The records broken by Western Cape matrics included increased number of passes, increased number of candidates able to study at a university, improved numbers passing maths and science, and a decrease in the number of underperforming schools.

Nearly 4 000 more pupils passed the exam than in 2011 and an additional 1 000 passed with access to university study.

The all-important maths and science subjects saw significant increases, and the number of underperforming schools decreased from 30 in 2011 to 26 in 2012.

“An appropriate way to describe the results is that the Class of 2012 put on a ‘quality performance’, breaking records and improving on all our key indicators of success,” Education MEC Donald Grant said on Wednesday, announcing the results.

“Overall, I am satisfied with the 2012 results, especially given that last year’s cohort of learners has substantially increased in number from 2011 and that the examination papers, as described by Umalusi, were more cognitively demanding than before.”

Grant acknowledged there was still much to be done to improve education in the Western Cape. “We will continue to look at how we can best support our schools and learners, and achieve far-reaching systemic change,” he said.

“Examination results are not about numbers in isolation – they are about better life chances for our young people and a government which is prepared to support the improvement of these chances.”

He said: “I believe that further improvements can and will be achieved. We can already see improved outcomes in the other grades and the 2012 literacy and numeracy testing results, to be announced later this month, reflect these improvements.”

Motshekga said building blocks had been put in place to see continued improvements. “We’re encouraged by notable improvements in the education of children and society. Sustained improvements on matric results are a consequence of systemic interventions for strengthening and raising performance in all levels of the system.”

Mugwena Maluleke, general secretary of Sadtu, the largest teachers’ union in South Africa, welcomed the improvements. “They demonstrate a sustained improvement and the maturing of the system.”

Equal Education’s Doron Isaacs said: “Any improvement is a cause for celebration. We are cautiously welcoming these results.”

* Matrics will be able to collect their results from their schools on Thursday at noon. The Cape Times will publish a full list of results on Friday.

michelle.jones@inl.co.za

Cape Times