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Friend’s search for Briton ends at the Waterfront

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Blogger Wilkes McDermid, who was on holiday in the Cape, disappeared just hours before he was to catch a flight back to London.

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Cape Town - After two weeks of desperate searching, the Briton who went missing in Cape Town has been found.

Whisky and food blogger Wilkes McDermid, who was on holiday in the Mother City, disappeared just hours before he was to catch a flight back to London on December 26.

That day, he was last picked up by CCTV cameras leaving the Bascule Bar at the Cape Grace Hotel at 7.25pm.

According his friends, McDermid had been fighting depression for a long time.

Fearing the worst, friends in South Africa and the UK took to Twitter and Facebook to urge Capetonians to keep an eye out for the 37-year-old.

“Missing food blogger @wilkes888 in Cape Town. Check all restaurants in the area… please retweet #findwilkes,” tweeted Vanessa Kimbell.

Between January 3 and 7, several sightings of someone resembling McDermid were reported.

A user on Twitter said he might have spotted McDermid at Rosa’s Bakery on Shortmarket Street, but the man claimed he was called “Steven”.

CCTV footage later confirmed McDermid had been at the bakery on January 3.

On Monday night, the Briton’s close friend Bernard Gutman, who persevered despite the lack of progress, reconnected with McDermid.

“Wilkes is safe,” Gutman told the Cape Argus on Monday night. “We found him at the Waterfront and he’s now under medical care.”

Gutman said that McDermid had been trying to remain “incognito” in the Mother City.

McDermid told the Cape Argus he was very grateful for all the support he had received from friends in South Africa and the UK.

“Cape Town is a great city, an exceptionally great city,” he said.

Gutman said he didn’t want to talk publicly about the chain of events that led to McDermid’s not wanting to be discovered and was focusing on his well-being.

“This is only the end of one part of the story, and thankfully he is safe,” said Gutman. “Now the long journey to health begins.”

kieran.legg@inl.co.za

Cape Argus


50 farm protesters arrested

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At least 50 people were arrested when renewed farmworker strikes for better wages in the Western Cape turned violent.

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 De Doorns, Western Cape - At least 50 people were arrested on Wednesday when renewed farmworker strikes for better wages in the Western Cape turned violent.

Lt-Col Andre Traut said riot police had been deployed to contain the situation in the Boland farming town of De Doorns.

“We are taking action, and arrests are being effected,” Traut said, adding that “in the region of 50” people had been detained since the protests began early on Wednesday.

Protesters stoned cars, prompting the police to close roads. The N1 was closed outside De Doorns, forcing motorists to use alternative routes.

Farmworkers said they would not return to the vineyards on Wednesday afternoon as the situation had become too volatile.

De Doorns was also at flashpoint two months ago when Boland farmworkers went on strike over low pay and poor working conditions.

This week hopes were dashed that talks organised by the Department of Labour would yield an agreement and avert another round of protests. - Sapa

Ehrenreich slammed for stance on farm strikes

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Cosatu secretary Tony Ehrenreich is inconsiderate and insensitive for encouraging farmworkers to go on strike, Rodney Lentit has said.

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Western Cape - Western Cape Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) secretary Tony Ehrenreich is inconsiderate and insensitive for encouraging farmworkers to go on strike, Independent Democrats MPL Rodney Lentit said on Wednesday.

“It is blatant exploitation of farmworkers that Tony Ehrenreich encourages these farm strikes at the start of the year, when finances are tight and workers have to compensate for various commitments, especially school fees and debt incurred over the festive season,” he said in a statement.

“This is nothing but cheap, political window-dressing at the expense of the poor. The last thing any worker needs is to start the year without having earned a wage or salary when the rest of the country is recovering from festive spending.”

Ehrenreich said he could not respond to the allegations because they were not based on facts.

“Doesn't he (Lentit) read the papers? All Cosatu is doing is assisting the farmworkers,” he said.

“I can't respond to something like that, because there isn't a party like that (the ID), that exists in real terms.”

In 2010, ID leader Patricia de Lille agreed to merge the party with the Democratic Alliance. The parties will be fully merged by 2014.

Lentit said he visited farms in Porterville and the “surrounding areas” on Wednesday morning, and saw that farmworkers were back at their jobs.

“For those few workers who have been encouraged by Tony Ehrenreich to strike, I plead with them to do so in a peaceful and law-abiding way,” he said.

The strike was suspended last year following an undertaking that negotiations would continue between workers' representatives and individual farmers. However, this proved unsuccessful.

Workers wanted wages of R150 a day and a coherent land reform programme.

At least two people were killed during protests in farming areas between August 27 and December 4.

Lentit said those farm owners whose annual turnover was significantly higher than others needed to compensate their workers.

“It is an issue that needs to be addressed with urgency as not all farmers are categorised, or can afford to pay their workers more than the basic or standard wage,” he said.

Around 50 people were arrested on Wednesday when renewed farm strikes turned violent.

Lt-Col Andre Traut said riot police had been deployed to contain the situation in the Boland farming town of De Doorns.

“We are taking action, and arrests are being effected,” Traut said, adding that “in the region of 50” people had been detained since the protests began early on Wednesday.

Protesters stoned cars, prompting the police to close roads. The N1 was closed outside De Doorns, forcing motorists to use alternative routes.

Farmworkers said they would not return to the vineyards on Wednesday afternoon as the situation had become too volatile. - Sapa

Bike stolen in attack on mountain

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Security has been stepped up on Table Mountain yet again after a cyclist was attacked and robbed by two men this week.

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Cape Town - Security has been stepped up on Table Mountain yet again after a cyclist was attacked and robbed by two men this week.

Graham Redelinghuys, 50, of Silvertown, Athlone, was riding his mountain bike towards Woodstock from the King’s Blockhouse, near Rhodes Memorial, at 1.45pm on Monday when two men jumped out from bushes and attacked him, said police spokesman Warrant Officer November Filander.

Redelinghuys was pulled to the ground and choked. During the struggle, the two men grabbed his cellphone and bicycle and fled.

Redelinghuys was not seriously injured.

“The suspects have been identified as two males aged between 25 and 27 and both were neatly attired.”

“Security has been boosted in the area,” Filander said.

Cape Argus

N1 remains closed in farm protest

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The N1 highway at De Doorns remained closed to traffic amid continued clashes between farmworkers and the police.

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De Doorns - The N1 highway at De Doorns remained closed to traffic on Wednesday afternoon amid continued clashes between farmworkers and the police.

Protesters blocked the road with rocks and threw stones at the police, who retaliated by firing rubber bullets.

The protest forms part of the first day of renewed strike action  by workers in demand of a wage of R150 a day. A protester said she had no alternative but to strike, because she could not survive on R60 a day.

Lt-Col Andre Traut said at least 50 people were arrested across the Western Cape on Wednesday on public violence-related charges.

Porchia Adams, a spokeswoman for farmers' group Agri Wes-Cape, said 80 percent of permanently employed farm workers in the fruit-growing area had turned up for work on Wednesday.

She said most of those who did not, did not live on the farms. She claimed they had been coerced into staying away from work.

"They said they had been threatened that their houses would be burnt down if they went to work so it was not worth the risk for them."

Adams said that although the strike came at the worst time for fruit-growers, the group had understanding for "people being unhappy".

"It is peak season, so we really cannot afford it. We hope this will be resolved soon." - Sapa

Patchy support for farmworker strike

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Transport routes in only three towns were blocked during the agricultural strike on Wednesday.

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Strike action in the Western Cape's agricultural sector received sporadic support on Wednesday.

Grabouw, Wolseley and Barrydale were the only areas where strikers disrupted transport routes, sources on the ground reported.

Despite threats this week that the N1 would be blocked, the strike in De Doorns was a peaceful stayaway from work early today.

“There is a heavy police presence from Paarl and other towns. People are wary of being arrested if they try to block the road,” said farmworker Magrieta Prins.

Police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Andre Traut said 13 people in the Ashton area had been arrested on charges of intimidation related to the farmworkers strike.

Seven people in Tulbagh had been arrested on the same charges.

Most seasonal and permanent workers were at work in Ceres and the Koue Bokkeveld area, it was reported.

In Grabouw, strikers briefly blockaded the N2, forcing motorists to detour through the town.

A burning tyre barricade was also erected on a road into the town.

Police on the scene said the obstructions were soon removed.

In the suburb of Pineview, several hundred people gathered at a bus depot, but without incidents.

The protest appeared to fizzle out when it started raining at around 10am.

In Barrydale, police and strikers clashed as the road into Smitsville township was blockaded with burning tyres.

One person was arrested for public violence, said Henry Michaels, an activist of the Mawubuye Land Rights Movement.

By mid-morning the road was still blocked and Michaels said that strikers intended to move onto the R62 through Barrydale by this afternoon.

“Our rallying call for today is 'no one in and no one out'. We do not want the farmers to be able to enter the township to pick up scab labourers. This strike will continue until there is an acceptable offer for a living wage. We want the farmers to come to us directly and to address this issue. They must not hide behind police,” said Michaels.

A similar situation unfolded in Wolseley where strikers turned away trucks and buses to stop non-striking farmworkers from going to work.

A road into a nearby township had also been blocked.

Mercia Andrews, another member of the Mawubuye Land Rights Movement, said permanent workers went to work in the Ashton/Robertson area, while seasonal workers stayed away.

Numerous seasonal workers were returning to work by mid-morning, she said.

Meanwhile, disagreements between leaders and De Doorns members of the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) have been resolved during a meeting between members and Sandile Keni, a Fawu representative from Robertson.

De Doorns members who intended to defy Fawu and Cosatu's call to strike in protest against the unions' lack of consultation with farmworkers in the Hex Valley agreed to support the strike.

Keni agreed that Fawu shop stewards from De Doorns would be present at negotiations with the Department of Labour and Agri Wes-Cape in Cape Town.

Cape Argus

Cape doctors perform historic op

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Doctors have performed the world's first non-surgical closure of a leaking heart valve in Cape Town.

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Cape Town - Doctors have performed a history-making heart operation on a 59-year-old woman in Cape Town, Mediclinic SA said on Wednesday.

They performed the world's first non-surgical closure of a leaking heart valve on Marianna Cronje on Saturday. She was born with her heart on the right side of her chest.

“This procedure is technically extremely difficult in a patient with normal anatomy, and has never been done before on someone with 1/8their heart on the right side of their chest 3/8,” said cardiologist Hellmuth Weich.

Weich and his team were assisted in performing the procedure by two world experts from Lausanne, in Switzerland.

“The entire procedure was performed through a needle puncture in the patient’s groin,” said Weich.

Cronje, from Stellenbosch, had rheumatic fever when she was young, and had undergone four open-heart operations in the past 40

years Ä the last one in 2000, he said.

When her heart valve started leaking, doctors could not operate on her again and her condition deteriorated to the point where she could do nothing for herself.

He said two devices used to close birth defects in children's hearts were used to repair the leak.

Weich said the procedure, which took six hours, went well, and that Cronje was making “a slow recovery”. - Sapa

Farmworkers torch journo’s car

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Protesting farmworkers in De Doorns overturned and set fire to a journalist's car before assaulting him.

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De Doorns - Protesting Western Cape farmworkers overturned and set fire to a  journalist's car before assaulting him in De Doorns on Wednesday.

The car, which belonged to Independent Newspapers and was being used by Cape Times journalist Xolani Koyana, was destroyed during a clash between protesters and police.

Koyana told Sapa he had to be pulled from his car to safety after protesters pelted it with stones. He and an intern reporter were in the car when protesters surrounded them and told them to move.

"I was with another reporter... (and) some people managed to pull him out," Koyana said.

When he got out of the car later, a group of people escorted him  to a nearby church.

"Some guys, when I got out (of the car), they hit me."

Koyana said he was in the church when the car was set alight.

Speaking from the De Doorns police station, Koyana said he sustained only a few cuts on his arms.

Police spokesman Lt-Col Andre Traut said 44 people were arrested  after the farmworkers' strike resumed on Wednesday.

The N1 highway at De Doorns remained closed to traffic on Wednesday afternoon. Protesters blocked the road with rocks and threw stones at the police, who retaliated with rubber bullets. A police captain was injured in the violence.

"It was not serious. He was treated and released," Traut said.

The strike was suspended last year following an undertaking that  negotiations would continue between workers' representatives and individual farmers, but this proved unsuccessful.

Workers wanted their daily wages of R69 increased to R150, and a  coherent land reform programme.

At least two people were killed during protests in farming areas  between August 27 and December 4 last year. - Sapa


Fire deaths ‘tragic’: de Lille

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The deaths of five people in BM Section, Khayelitsha, were “tragic”, Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille said at their memorial service.

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Cape Town - The deaths of five people in BM Section, Khayelitsha, were “tragic”, Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille said at their memorial service on Wednesday afternoon.

“Today we remember and mourn Luyanda Ngcebetshane, Lunga Krexe, Sivuyile Gqodo, Nkosiyako Lako, and Zukile Magada,” she said in a speech prepared for delivery.

“Their lives have been brought to a tragic and premature end.”

Four of them died in the fire, which destroyed over 800 shacks on New Years Day. Krexe died later in hospital, where he was being treated for burns to 80 percent of his body.

De Lille said the city had strengthened its resolve to prevent similar tragedies in future.

“I have, over the past week, held meetings with the community to address both their immediate needs and the longer-term future of BM section.”

She extended the city's condolences to the families and friends of the five. - Sapa

‘I thought I was going to die ...’

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Cape Times journalist Xolani Koyani and intern Aw Cheng Wei recount their fear at being attacked by protesters in De Doorns.

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Cape Town - When the mob started jumping on the roof of the car and the rocks came flying through the back windows, I thought I was going to die.

This was De Doorns on the first day of the farmworkers’ strike. I had been assigned to cover strike action in the small farming town that straddles the N1.

We had expected some trouble: De Doorns had been the epicentre of the farm protests when they first erupted in the Western Cape in November. Strikers had taken a decision to restart the strike in a meeting held in the town on Sunday.

We were parked near the local sportsfield. Photographer Ryan Jacobs was following a group of strikers. I was in the front seat of the car filing a story to the Cape Times from my laptop. Aw Cheng Wei, a visiting journalism student from Singapore, was in the driver’s seat.

I was writing about how the strikers had marched down the N1, with the police following, and how another smaller group had run out and blocked the N1 with burning tyres and rocks.

We were parked near the sportsfield, my computer on my lap. Suddenly there were about 10 people around us, telling us to move. Wei started to drive the car and then a whole lot of people surrounded us. They were shouting and swearing, “Jou ma se p***,”

Wei’s window was open. He told them he couldn’t drive because there were people in front of the car, and he couldn’t reverse.

At first there were just a few people with stones in their hands, about the size of a man’s hand. Then I saw some were carrying sticks and they started to hit the car. They kept on striking it, yelling at us to get out. I still had my laptop open on my knees when the first rock hit the windscreen. It didn’t break.

Then the rear window on the driver’s side was smashed, and then the whole of the back window. The rocks started coming in through the broken windows and people were climbing on top of the car and hitting it. At that moment I really thought I was going to die.

I shouted to Wei to duck because the rocks were coming in all around.

Then my door opened and I was pulled out. I saw it was Pat Marran, the ANC regional chairman in the Boland. He kept on shouting to the people: “This guy’s a journalist, this guy’s a journalist.” At that moment some of the people tried to grab my laptop from the floor, but I grabbed it first. The crowd was pushing and they were trying to grab me and then went for my phone, but I grabbed it back. They kept on shouting: “He’s resisting, he’s resisting.” and someone hit me on my back.

It was then I saw blood on my jeans. I realised I was bleeding from a cut on my wrist.

The ANC leader was joined by others and they started pulling me towards the church to safety.

Once inside someone came to tell us to stay there. The crowd had overturned the car and set it alight.

AW CHENG WEI reports: They started going crazy and climbing on the car.

I tried to start the car and drive but we were surrounded. They smashed the rear windows. Then I knew we were under attack and I had to do something fast or we were going to die.

My most immediate thought was I had to get out of the car. I shouted to Xolani to get out and I just pushed the door and some of the people fell back.

I told them I was a journalist. They kept trying to grab my back pocket with my wallet as we were moving to the church. I have bruises on my head and a long cut on my shoulder.

Cape Times

Farmworker strike volatile

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The situation remained volatile in De Doorns, Western Cape where clashes between police and striking farmworkers continued.

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De Doorns - The situation remained volatile in De Doorns, Western Cape where clashes between police and striking farmworkers continued on Thursday.

Several nyalas had been deployed to the N1 highway at De Doorns, with scores of riot police trying to defuse the situation.

The highway was closed to traffic since the strike resumed on Wednesday.

Thousands of protesting workers taunted the police, pelting them with rocks.

Police fired rubber bullets in retaliation.

The Bawsi Agricultural Workers' Union of SA (Bawusa) claimed nine people had been injured by rubber bullets since Wednesday.

“Pat Marran, the ANC Boland chairman, was taken to hospital after being shot by private security,” said Bawusa general secretary Nosey Pieterse.

Pieterse said close to 6000 workers were on strike in De Doorns. Protests were also taking place in Grabouw and Wolseley.

On Wednesday, Lt-Col Andre Traut said 44 people had been arrested.

Workers went on strike last year, demanding that their daily wages be increased from R69 to R150, and a coherent land reform programme.

At least two people were killed in protests between August 27 and December 4.

The strike was suspended following an undertaking that negotiations would continue between workers' representatives and individual farmers, but this process proved unsuccessful. - Sapa

Cops use water cannon in De Doorns

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Police used a water cannon to disperse striking farmworkers gathered on the N1 highway in De Doorns.

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De Doorns, Western Cape - Police used a water cannon to disperse striking farmworkers gathered on the N1 highway in De Doorns, in the Western Cape, on Thursday.

The strikers were blocking the highway with two tractors, and moved towards the water cannon, which was sandwiched between two police armoured vehicles.

They abandoned the tractors when police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades at them.

Smoke, caused by small fires, billowed from several points along the N1.

It was not immediately clear who started the fires, but a number of people at the scene said they were caused by police stun grenades.

Several police officers were stationed outside one farm, where strikers allegedly broke a gate.

Earlier, armoured vehicles were deployed to the highway, and scores of riot police tried to defuse the situation.

The highway has been closed to traffic since the strike, which was suspended in December, resumed on Wednesday.

On Thursday morning, thousands of protesting workers taunted the police, pelting them with rocks. Police fired rubber bullets in retaliation.

The Bawsi Agricultural Workers' Union of SA (Bawusa) claimed nine people had been injured by rubber bullets since Wednesday.

“Pat Marran, the ANC Boland chairman, was taken to hospital after being shot by private security,” said Bawusa general secretary Nosey Pieterse.

Pieterse said close to 6000 workers were on strike in De Doorns. Protests were also taking place in Grabouw and Wolseley.

On Wednesday, Lt-Col Andre Traut said 44 people had been arrested.

Workers went on strike last year, demanding an increase in their daily wages from R69 to R150, and the implementation of a “coherent” land reform programme.

At least two people were killed in protests between August 27 and December 4. Strikers also set fire to several farms.

The strike was suspended following an undertaking that negotiations would continue between workers' representatives and individual farmers, but this process proved unsuccessful. - Sapa

Minister visits Karabus family

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Deputy International Relations Minister Marius Fransman visited the family of a South African doctor in detention in the United Arab Emirates.

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Cape Town - Deputy International Relations Minister Marius Fransman on Thursday visited the family of a South African doctor in detention in the United Arab Emirates.

Fransman briefed them about efforts by the South African government to help Professor Cyril Karabus, spokesman Clayson Monyela said in a statement.

“The deputy minister conveyed to the family that government was taking all the necessary steps to ensure that Karabus receives a fair trial and that such efforts are taking place at a high level.”

Karabus is on trial in the UAE on charges of manslaughter and falsifying documents, for the 2002 death of a girl with leukaemia. While working at the Sheikh Khalifa Medical Centre in Abu Dhabi, Fransman, a paediatrics and medical oncology specialist, operated on the three-year-old girl. She later died of the cancer.

He was sentenced in absentia to three years and six months in jail and required to pay “blood money” to the patient's family.

He was arrested on August 18, while in transit in Dubai to South Africa, after having attended his son's wedding in Toronto, Canada.

Karabus, an emeritus professor at the University of Cape Town, is currently out on bail.

Monyela said his department has rendered extensive consular assistance to Karabus and his family.

“Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has written a letter to her UAE counterpart requesting that authorities deal with the case in an expeditious and fair manner, as it is placing a strain on the existing good relations between South Africa and the UAE in the field of medical co-operation.”

The department had summoned the UAE's ambassador to South Africa to express the government's concerns. - Sapa

Man killed while paragliding

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A paraglider was killed when he crashed into the perimeter wall of a house in Bantry Bay, Cape Town.

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Cape Town - A paraglider was killed on Thursday afternoon when he crashed into the perimeter wall of a house in Bantry Bay, Cape Town, paramedics said.

“The neighbours called the paramedics, who arrived on the scene to find the man lying on the pavement,” ER24 spokeswoman Vanessa Jackson said.

Paramedics tried to stabilise him after cutting him from his equipment. He died on the scene, in Alexander Road.

The cause of the accident was not known. - Sapa

Some farmers agree to talks

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Some farmers agreed to wage negotiations with unions, following violent strikes in parts of the Western Cape.

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Worcester - Some farmers on Thursday agreed to wage negotiations with unions, following violent strikes in parts of the Western Cape.

“These discussions are separate to the engagements we've been having with Agri-SA,” Congress of SA Trade Unions Western Cape secretary Tony Ehrenreich told reporters in Worcester.

“What we are now talking here is a deal with the table grape (farmers) and some related groups.”

Cape Orchards group chairman Gerhard de Kock said he had invited 28 farmers to Friday's meeting.

“I believe that the groups should come forward, as they've indicated to me that they are prepared to talk about a settlement deal.”

Local union leaders were also at the briefing.

De Kock represented 12 farms in the Hex River Valley in De Doorns, the centre of violent clashes between police and striking seasonal farmworkers.

Unions, De Kock, and several other farmers, were expected to attend the meeting.

On Thursday police used a water cannon, fired rubber bullets and stun grenades in an attempt to disperse thousands of strikers who pelted them with stones. The strike by seasonal workers to have their R69 daily wage increased to R150 resumed on Wednesday.

The Bawsi Agricultural Workers' Union of SA's general secretary Nosey Pieterse said close to 6000 workers were on strike in De Doorns. Protests were also taking place in Grabouw and Wolseley.

The N1 highway at De Doorns was still closed to traffic on Thursday.

Agence France Presse reported that 18 people were arrested on Thursday, bringing the total to 62 this week. - Sapa


Guard shoots ANC boss

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A private security guard shot a senior ANC official in the face during the farm workers strikes.

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Western Cape - A private security guard shot a senior ANC official in the face on Thursday in the second day of violence during farm workers strikes in the Boland.

ANC Boland regional chairman Pat Marran was shot near De Doorns when he and a friend were confronted by three security guards outside the suburb of Sunnyside Orchard.

“He lowered his shotgun, took out a handgun and aimed it at my face. I starred down the barrel of a gun. He shot me. After I was shot they kicked me as a lay on on the ground,” Marran said on Thursday night.

Marran and his friend had been on their way to the Sunnyside Orchard residential area when three guards confronted them.

“There was argument and one of them said ‘Shoot him, shoot him’. I asked this guard: ‘Do you really want to shoot me?’ That was when he took out his handgun,” Marran said.

He was treated at Worcester Hospital and discharged.

Marran was the man who rescued Cape Times reporter Xolani Koyana and visiting journalism student Aw Cheng Wei from a mob that attacked them in De Doorns on Wednesday and set their car alight.

This incident on Thursday came amid renewed violence in the Boland when fields were set alight, property was damaged and there were clashes between police and farmworkers protesting for higher wages.

De Doorns and Wolseley were the worst-affected areas.

 

On Thursday morning, protesters gathered on the sports field in De Doorns adjacent to the N1. There was a tense stand-off after protesters sang struggle songs and chanted slurs at police.

About midday police used rubber bullets to disperse the crowd of about 800 people, who then ran to the Stofland informal settlement, setting tyres and tree stumps alight along their way. Veld fires were started next to the N1 by protesters.

Police fired rubber bullets, stun grenades and used a water canon to disperse the crowd, which had increased to more than 4 000 by 3pm.

Protesters, who claimed they were farmworkers, pelted police and Nyalas with stones. They ran in between houses to hide in bushes and in residents’ homes.

The violence continued with protesters throwing stones at photographers and reporters. Police managed to clear the N1 of protesters by 4pm, after which they moved to the Stofland informal settlement and fired rubber bullets at random.

The road was cleared of debris and stones, but remained closed.

In Wolseley, about 800 protesters, who also claimed to be farmworkers, were stopped by police from entering the town centre.

At about 11am, a police Nyala blocked the Pine Valley Bridge on the road that links the area with the town centre.

Groups of about 50 youths ran into Pine Valley graveyard, throwing stones at police. They shouted slurs at photographers and threatened to target them.

An hour after the protest started the police retreated. A police Tactical Response Team was brought in to help disperse the crowd.

Protesters regrouped by 1pm and just 30 minutes later they furiously ran back at police, throwing stones and using zinc sheets to shield themselves against the rubber bullets.

Police spokesman André Traut said protests were reported in Grabouw, De Doorns, Ceres, Barrydale, Bonnievale, Rawsonville and Villiersdorp. In Grabouw a man was shot and taken to hospital when police arrested three people looting a shop.

More than 30 people were arrested on Thursday, compared with the 63 people held on Wednesday for public violence.

Agriculture MEC Gerrit van Rensberg’s spokesman, Wouter Kriel, said: “We see levels of violence as a barometer of the levels of frustration of workers. We are urging everyone to refrain from violence.”

ANC provincial chairman Marius Fransman called for an immediate end to the violence.

He urged police to probe the deployment of people to protect farms. “We must start looking at whether this is an issue of mercenaries being sent.”

Cape Times

Farmer to pay independent wage rate

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The director of the Cape Orchard Company has agreed to reach a negotiated wage settlement with his workers.

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Western Cape - Gerhard de Kock, director of the Cape Orchard Company and the largest farmer in the Hex River Valley, where De Doorns is situated, has agreed to reach a negotiated wage settlement with his workers by the weekend.

He will have discussions with the owners of five out of six of the valley’s largest farms, in an attempt to get them to follow suit.

De Kock made the announcement at a press conference co-hosted by Cosatu and the Building and Agricultural Workers’ Union of South Africa (Bawusa).

Tony Ehrenreich, Cosatu’s provincial secretary, said De Kock’s announcement was a breakthrough.

“This is separate from discussions between the Department of Labour and AgriSA about determining a new minimum wage for the industry. We hope that individual farmers will be able to follow this example and break away from AgriSA’s conservative attitude.”

Those farmers who are willing to engage independently were encouraged to contact the CCMA, which would act as a facilitator in the mediations.

Ehrenreich warned that “bad farmers” who did not embrace this opportunity had “no place in South Africa” and that their exports would be stopped.

No farmworkers were present at the announcement.

De Kock said that entrepreneurs such as himself needed to engage creatively in partnership with government, market players, unions and workers in order to find a solution agreeable to all parties.

“This especially means more support from government for farmers so that they have the means to increase wages,” said De Kock.

Hours earlier, the N1 outside De Doorns was once again turned into a war zone as police fired rubber bullets for hours to keep advancing crowds of protesters at bay.

Cape Argus

Labour minister’s silence must end - Zille

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Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant has turned her attention to “other work” in the midst of a violent farmworker strike.

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Cape Town - Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant has turned her attention to “other work” in the midst of a violent farmworker strike in the Western Cape.

The strike, which saw vehicles set alight, motorists stoned and the N1 and N2 highways closed, is set to enter its third day on Friday.

On Thursday, Western Cape Premier Helen Zille said Oliphant’s silence and lack of proactive engagement must be challenged.

She said the legal power to address the issue of farmworker minimum wages “lies squarely with Oliphant”.

“It’s worth asking where she is in the midst of these strikes,” Zille said.

“At the very least, her stepping in could help prevent more of the extreme violence that happened (on Wednesday). The continuation of that violence will only result in great harm to exports, jobs and food security.”

In response, Oliphant’s spokeswoman, Musa Zondi, said: “We are trying our best to mediate.”

Asked why Oliphant was not in the Western Cape attempting to intervene, Zondi said: “There is a lot of other things to do in the department. The minister has other work as well. She was in the Western Cape from Monday to Wednesday.”

Zondi said Oliphant was concerned about the effects of the strike and warned farmworkers that the right to strike “does not equate to being violent”.

“The workers need to follow the correct processes. They can’t be violent and expect their demands to be met.”

Farmworkers are demanding a R150 daily wage.

The Economic Conditions Commission (ECC) is set to meet at the end of the month to discuss by how much the farmworkers’ minimum daily wage will be increased, from the current R69.

If Oliphant agrees with the ECC recommendations she will publish new minimum wages before the end of February.

The new minimum wages are due to come into effect on March 1.

Michael Bagraim, a labour analyst at the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said it was difficult to calculate the cost to the economy and farmers after this week’s strike action.

He said estimates showed that close to R150 million in damage was caused during last year’s strike.

“This time it will not be that much for farmers because they’ve put contingency plans in place,” Bagraim said.

Bagraim said the real cost will be felt when global markets start buying fruit from other, more stable, countries.

“This is a radical situation and the country can ill-afford it,” he said. “It’s destroying what Nelson Mandela built after 1994. He built our economy abroad and this is destroying it.”

On Thursday, Cosatu urged parties to return to the negotiating table to find constructive solutions to the crisis in the agriculture sector.

Cosatu provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich also called for Agriculture MEC Gerrit van Rensburg’s head, claiming he gave R2m to farmers’ organisations to assist them to “maintain white control over farms”.

Ehrenreich said workers would continue striking “until the farmers come to their senses”.

“Cosatu will not call off the strike as it has done on previous occasions when things threatened to get out of control,” he said.

Van Rensburg said Cosatu’s claims were based on inaccuracies: “I am a servant of agriculture and look after the interest of farmers and workers. Our call now is for people to refrain from violence. We are definitely going to lose jobs and face further destruction if this strike continues.”

* The SA National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) has condemned the “vicious attack” by striking farmworkers on Cape Times’ journalists covering their unprotected strike in De Doorns on Wednesday and called on police to arrest the attackers and prosecute them. “Sanef reminds union officials that the media and its journalists have a duty to report on strikes in the public interest and that, as unarmed observers of events, they must have adequate protection.”

clayton.barnes@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Farmworkers’ unrest could spread - CDP

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A commission of inquiry is needed to prevent the unrest amongst Cape farmworkers spreading across the country.

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Western Cape - A commission of inquiry is needed to prevent the unrest amongst Western Cape farmworkers spreading across the country, the Christian Democratic Party (CDP) said on Friday.

“There are simply too many fault-lines criss-crossing the country with the potential of spreading violence all over South Africa, especially if it is being instigated,” said CDP leader Theunis Botha.

Botha said a commission of inquiry was needed as strikes by farm workers turned violent this week in parts of the Western Cape.

He said the conclusions of previous investigations into the problems in the agricultural sector were varied, often subjective and even politically influenced.

“At this stage perceptions of what is going on are so diverse that finding solutions are almost impossible, feeding the prospect of a domino effect all over the country,” said Botha.

On Thursday, police used a water cannon and fired rubber bullets and stun grenades in an attempt to disperse thousands of strikers who pelted them with stones. The strike by seasonal workers to have their R69 daily wage increased to R150 resumed on Wednesday.

Agence France Presse reported that 18 people were arrested on Thursday, bringing the total to 62 this week. - Sapa

Tourist paraglider, 50, falls to death

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A German paraglider fell to his death after experiencing severe turbulence shortly after he launched his paraglider off Signal Hill.

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Cape Town - A 50-year-old German paraglider fell to his death after experiencing severe turbulence shortly after he launched his paraglider off Signal Hill on Thursday.

“The man is a tourist who has been in the country for a few days. An inquest docket has been opened,” police spokesman November Filander said. The man fell on to a house in Bantry Bay, about a kilometre from where he was supposed to land.

His name has not been released as his next of kin still have to be notified, Filander said.

Anthony Allen, a member of the Glen Paragliding Club and a national representative of the SA Paragliding and Hang-gliding Association, said the man had taken off from the lower launch site at Signal Hill.

“He was flying solo. The wind had increased significantly. He experienced severe turbulence,” Allen said.

He said the incident would be investigated by the police, the paragliding association and the Civil Aviation Authority. Allen said several other paragliders had launched from Signal Hill.

A senior Glen Paragliding Club member had seen how the German man experienced trouble before he fell to his death.

A construction worker at a nearby building site, who spoke on condition his name was not published, said he heard a loud crash.

“It was so loud the alarm of the plumber’s vehicle went off. The man struck the top of the house’s garage and his legs hit the garage door. He was still breathing and he clutched his nose.

“Blood came from his helmet. Firemen came and cut him from the harness,” he said.

ER24 spokeswoman Vanessa Jackson said the incident happened about 3pm.

“The neighbours called the paramedics. Paramedics started resuscitation efforts. Sadly, the man’s injuries were too severe.”

 

aziz.hartley@inl.co.za

Cape Times

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