Between 500 and 700 children in the Western Cape have not yet found places in schools, according to the Education Department.

Cape Town - Between 500 and 700 children in the Western Cape have not yet found places in schools, according to a rough estimate by the Western Cape Education Department.

Khayelitsha and the Helderberg Basin had the highest demand for places, said Bronagh Casey, spokeswoman for Education MEC Donald Grant.

She said there were some “duplicates” in the estimated figure as some parents had tried to find placement in more than one district.

“We also know that parents have enrolled their children at a school but are holding out for another school that is their first choice,” she added.

Casey said the department was confident it could accommodate everyone.

Late enrolments, parents waiting for places at their school of choice and increased demand in specific schools were the main reasons for children not getting placed.

Casey acknowledged that there was always a small number of pupils that returned from other provinces at the end of January after their parents had received their January salaries. Many of these pupils are already enrolled in Western Cape schools.

“In every education system it takes a week to a week and a half for the system to settle. Schools need to verify enrolments, to determine if absent learners are in fact returning and what places are available.”

She said that in Khayelitsha, for example, the department had collated information from parents and pupils and would meet school principals today to determine available spaces to place pupils into the relevant grades.

On Tuesday, Wallacedene resident Nora Tafafene told the Cape Argus that she was looking after three children of compulsory schoolgoing age at her home because they had not been placed at schools.

Residents who have been unable to find places for their children have been bringing them to Tafafene for the past few years. She looks after them between 8am and 1.30pm.

She said their parents told her that they had been unable to place them in schools and some had indicated this was because they did not have identity documents or birth certificates for their children. But Tafafene said some parents simply didn’t care.

She said a campaign to start addressing the problem was in the works.

Casey said that Wallacedene was one of the areas in the metropole’s north education district where there was a strong demand for places.

ilse.fredericks@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

A police officer who killed a robber in a shootout at a fast food outlet has been arrested for murder, Ipid said.

Durban - A police officer who killed a robber in a shootout at a fast food outlet has been arrested for murder, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) said on Wednesday.

A police captain had been arrested for murder and defeating the course of justice, IPID spokesman Moses Dlamini said in a statement.

He was expected to appear in the Pinetown Magistrate's Court later on Wednesday.

Detective-Constable Ajith Krishinlall was shot dead and Det-Const Jerome Ngoma was critically injured in the robbery at the Kentucky Fried Chicken in New Germany, Durban, on October 5

At the time, it was reported that the captain also responded to the shootout and shot one of the robbers.

Dlamini said: “At the time, it was reported that the suspect was shooting at the police captain. An investigation was conducted and it has revealed that this version was false.” - Sapa

The surfer identified as the one who repeatedly dunked another in an apparent surf rage incident has spoken out.

Cape Town - The surfer identified as the one who repeatedly dunked another in an apparent surf rage incident has spoken out for the first time and says accounts of what happened have been “all speculation”.

On Tuesday, five days after the incident was initially publicised and when asked if he was indeed the surfer depicted in photographs dunking another surfer, Rasool Hendricks told the Cape Times: “The whole thing was a joke. It was pure speculation.”

Hendricks did not confirm or deny if it was him in the photographs.

Asked categorically if he had dunked another surfer or tried to force him under water, Hendricks responded: “No. It’s all speculation.”

He added that he would release further information at a later stage.

The alleged victim in the incident, whose name is known to the Cape Times, on Tuesday declined to throw any light on what transpired.

The incident came to light late last week when the surf website Wavescape.co.za posted about a “near-drowning” that happened on December 30 on the West Coast.

Photographs of the incident were included and showed one surfer apparently holding another in a neck lock and repeatedly dunking him in the water.

Scores of surfers had then commented on the post and some had identified the surfer, apparently dunking the other, as Rasool Hendricks.

Cape Times

* We have closed comments on this story due to threatening and abusive language.

Passengers jumped to safety after a fire tore through a carriage at Woodstock station on Tuesday afternoon during peak hour.

Cape Town - Passengers on a Metrorail train jumped to safety after a fire tore through a carriage at Woodstock station on Tuesday afternoon during peak hour.

The fire gutted four carriages and at least three people had to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Metrorail said the fire on the train, which serves the Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain and Monte Vista areas, began as it drew into the station en route from Heathfield at 4pm.

Carriages were immediately evacuated.

One passenger said she wasn’t really sure what had happened.

“I just got off and I saw it was on fire,” she said.

A witness said they saw passengers jumping from the train.

A large plume of black smoke billowed above Woodstock’s rooftops as emergency services rushed to the scene to douse the flames and tend to those who had been injured.

Ambulances took three people to hospital, with one woman having to be taken away on a stretcher.

City Fire and Rescue Services spokesman Theo Layne said the three suffered from smoke inhalation, but it was not clear if they had actually been on the train.

“It is an enclosed area and there was a lot of smoke. They could have been on the platform,” he said.

The flames were finally doused just after 5pm.

The four smouldering carriages were left completely gutted by the fire, with seats, railings and even the exterior blackened and damaged in the blaze.

The fire caused delays across all the lines as traffic operating past Woodstock station was suspended for an hour while the electricity was switched off as a safety precaution.

The train services to Simon’s Town and Bellville were resumed shortly after the fire had been contained.

Metrorail said that resumption of full services would be completed throughout the evening.

Metrorail regional manager Mthuthuzeli Swartz said he was shocked at the incident.

“We sincerely regret that people were injured as a result of this,” he said.

At the time of going to print, Swartz said the cause of the fire was still unknown, but confirmed that an investigation was already under way.

In October, a train carriage at Brackenfell station was destroyed by a fire. The blaze was caused by an electrical fault on the overhead power supply.

kieran.legg@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

The Table Mountain National Park has been accused of overcharging for access to its parks and reserves.

Cape Town - One of Cape Town’s most well-known anglers and crayfishermen has slammed the Table Mountain National Park for what he perceives to be illegal overcharging for access to its parks and reserves.

“This issue has been coming on for years, and I know my frustrations represent many others who use the Cape Point Nature Reserve as a base to fish for crayfish,” said Mike de Wet.

“I am all for conserving our oceans and natural heritage, but I cannot stand by while daylight robbery is going on. Poachers get away with these things for free, while law-abiding recreational fishermen are being slapped with fees and charges left, right and centre.”

De Wet and officials at the reserve fell out when he was fined R500 for “not obeying the instructions of a park official” last month, at the start of the crayfishing season.

At the time, De Wet had a crayfishing permit, obtained at the Post Office, and a level three activity permit, which allowed him access to the reserve to line-fish and transport these fish out of the reserve.

It is the same permit that allows for other activities, such as mountain biking and horse riding, around designated sections of the park.

De Wet says there is no law that excludes crayfishing from the provisions of the level three permit.

“I have been an oceanographer for 13 years and am well-versed in the legislation. Nowhere is there a law that can be invoked to say crayfish cannot be transported through the Cape Point reserve,” he said.

When he was fined R500, he made this case to the public prosecutor who, he said, threw out the charges as a result.

But Merle Collins, spokeswoman for the park, contests this. She maintains that an additional permit is legally required to extract crayfish.

“Cape Point Nature Reserve has a Marine Species Access Permit for the movement and introduction of specified marine resources through a national park, as per the Protected Areas Act (57 of 2003).”

The permit, which excludes line fishing, was valid for use for the specified resources listed on the annual Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ recreational fishing permit, which included crayfish and mussels, Collins said.

“Moreover, the Marine Access Permit can be purchased only when the user is able to produce a valid annual Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries recreational fishing permit and a South African identity document.”

The current set-up, said De Wet, meant that line fishermen who wanted to engage in recreational crayfishing at Cape Point needed to pay R360 for a level three permit, as well as R600 for 12 entries under a marine species access permit. These payments are in addition to the requirement of a permit from the Post Office.

But Collins said: “In terms of the economic viability of recreational crayfishing, TMNP offers the following product to fishermen: instead of paying a R90 entrance fee and R45 for the marine species access permit every (day) the user enters the Cape Point section of Table Mountain National Park, users can buy a R600 marine species access permit. The permit gives the user 12 entries a card, resulting in a saving of R1 020 a card.”

Cary Steele-Boe of the Recreational Fishing Services, which represents more than 5 000 recreational fishermen in the Western Cape, said the park had been overcharging fishermen for years. “They are discouraging fishermen and women from getting permits or renewing permits year on year. This means fewer and fewer people travelling to Cape Point to fish.”

daneel.knoetze@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

The Nigerian consul-general in Cape Town, Okey Emuchay, has hit out at the police over the death of a Nigerian.

Cape Town - The Nigerian consul-general in Cape Town, Okey Emuchay, has hit out at the police over the death of a Nigerian in custody.

And he says this is “not the first time Nigerians have been assaulted by members of the South African police”.

The death of Obinna Ugboaja in custody on January 1 has angered the local Nigerian community.

Emuchay said they would follow up the case and ensure justice was done.

“It is an unfortunate incident.”

He said the Nigerian consulate would follow the incident and ensure that justice was done.

Jason Osuafor, former president of the Nigerian Union in the Western Cape, said four Nigerians had died in SAPS custody in the past two years, and he claimed none had been thoroughly investigated.

Azubuike Okparaugo, current president of the Nigerian Union in the province, said another Nigerian had been badly beaten up by the police in Cape Town on January 5.

And he knew of two cases in Joburg which involved police brutality against Nigerians.

Last Friday the local Nigerian Union and Frontline Africa marched to Parliament demanding an end to police brutality against foreigners.

Okparaugo believed the march had drawn attention to the matter so that appropriate action could be taken.

According to the Independent Complaints Directorate’s 2011/2012 annual report, 932 people died in police custody or as a result of police action.

The Nigerian Union claimed that police brutality against Nigerians was usually swept under the carpet because of the false assumption that all Nigerians were criminals.

Police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk declined to comment, other than to say an inquest docket had been opened into Ugboaja’s death and the new Independent Police Investigative Directorate was investigating the matter.

sibusisiwe.lwandle@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Professor Cyril Karabus, who has been detained in Abu Dhabi for the past five months, has missed the birth of his grandson.

Cape Town - Cape Town paediatrician Professor Cyril Karabus, who has been detained in Abu Dhabi for the past five months, has missed the birth of his grandson.

The baby, at whose birth Karabus was to have assisted, was born at the Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital on Monday afternoon. He weighs 2.65kg.

Karabus’s son, Michael, told the Cape Argus on Tuesday that the family had missed his father’s presence in the operating theatre.

“We have mixed emotions about it. On the one hand we are ecstatic about my son’s birth, and on the other we are gutted that my father was not here. He is just sitting there twiddling his thumbs… he should be here with his family,” he said.

“Our boy is a healthy and strong baby - a perfect addition to the Karabus family. He and his mother, Jenny Casper, are doing well,” he said.

The doting parents have not yet decided on a name.

Karabus specialises in childhood cancer, and is a former professor of paediatrics at UCT, who headed the oncology and haematology unit at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital for more than 30 years.

He is detained in Abu Dhabi on charges of manslaughter and falsifying documents after a patient of his died in the United Arab Emirates (uae) while he was doing a locum there. Karabus was arrested in Dubai while in transit to South Africa from his son’s wedding in Toronto, Canada.

Michael Karabus said they had been hoping to have his father in the operating theatre, to help deliver the baby, but his spot was filled by his sister, Sarah, who is a paediatrician.

Karabus, 77, who has a pacemaker, was tried and convicted in absentia in the UAE in 2002, after he worked as a locum at the Sheikh Khalifa Medical Centre in Abu Dhabi in 2000.

Prosecutors charge he failed to give a blood transfusion to a three-year-old Yemeni cancer patient, causing her death, during an operation at the Sheikh Medical Centre. She later died of myeloid leukaemia.

Michael Karabus said: “He has been sitting there for more than five months and there is still no direction on where this issue is going. It’s like he is hanging over the edge of a cliff.”

Karabus and his lawyers in Abu Dhabi are waiting for news from the Abu Dhabi attorney-general, who is expected to report to the judge whether or not missing medical records had been found.

Karabus’s wife, Jenifer, is in Abu Dhabi. She is expected to return home early next week.

Karabus’s local lawyer, Michael Bagraim, said although the professor was “happy and joyous” about his grandson’s birth, he told him he would “shed a tear” because he wasn’t there to witness his birth.

nontando.mposo@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Western Cape farmworkers have largely heeded a call to return to work following a strike for a higher daily wage.

Western Cape - Western Cape farmworkers have largely heeded a call to return to work following a strike for a higher daily wage, Agri Wes-Cape said on Wednesday.

“All farming areas are reported to be quiet and workers are back at work,” spokeswoman Porchia Adams said.

She said all permanent workers and around 60 percent of seasonal workers were back at their posts on Tuesday.

This excluded areas such as De Doorns, the epicentre of strike action, where most seasonal workers were not at work on Tuesday.

The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) announced on Tuesday that the strike had been called off, but said it would co-ordinate “the mother of all strikes against bad farmers” later in the year.

Farmworkers went on strike last year, demanding that the minimum daily wage be increased from R69 to R150, and that a cohesive land reform programme be implemented.

The strike was suspended a week ago on condition that Agri-SA committed to “local-level” agreements and agreed not to victimise workers.

Adams acknowledged that discipline could not always be avoided.

“Unfortunately, workers will have to go through legal disciplinary procedures if it is warranted,” he said.

“Discipline in the workplace has to be consistent within the framework of labour laws. I have not heard of any cases of victimisation of farm workers by farmers/employers.”

The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) said it was considering embarking on an international campaign to boycott the products of farmers who paid low wages and implemented “slave” conditions.

“We shall place this demand before the relevant Cosatu constitutional structures,” Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said.

He called on all workers to join unions.

“Farmworkers' fear is the greatest weapon the farm owners have. The second of course is the poor organisational state of farm workers.”

Jim said the union was ready to work with all Cosatu affiliates, in particular the Food and Allied Workers' Union (Fawu).

Western Cape traffic chief Kenny Africa said the N1 highway at De Doorns was re-opened on Wednesday morning.

He said it had been closed for a number of weeks because of protest action and damage caused to the road surface by strikers.

The road had since been fixed. - Sapa

Arson is suspected as the cause of the train fire at Woodstock station which caused major transport disruptions.

Cape Town - Arson is suspected as the cause of Tuesday’s train fire at Woodstock station which caused transport disruptions throughout Cape Town.

Metrorail’s regional manager Mthuthuzeli Swartz said on Wednesday that he suspects arson was the cause of the fire which gutted four carriages. Three people were treated for smoke inhalation. The fire began as the train drew into Woodstock station at 4pm.

“The blaze was not consistent with an electrical fire, which usually originates at the contact point between the high tension electrical wire and the motor coach. This fire occurred at one of the plain coaches, and appeared to have started inside rather than outside the coach,” Swartz said.

Had it not been for the quick response from Fire and Rescue services, which took six minutes from the call to arrival on the scene, the fire could have been devastating, he said.

An eyewitness, Cary Lord complained about Metrorail’s preparedness and response to the blaze.

“There was utter chaos, and there were no security guards or Metrorail staff in sight to assist passengers with the evacuation,” said Lord.

Swartz said: “Metrorail investigates each incident fully under the auspices of the national safety oversight authority, the Rail Safety Regulator. Any findings emanating from the investigation will be implemented and contingency plans revised accordingly. Safety remains top priority.”

The suspicion of arson highlights the massive problem of vandalism of trains by commuters in Cape Town, said Swartz.

“Each month we spend R12 million on preventative measures, add this to the hundreds of millions that we spend on maintenance and repairs annually. Toilets are broken, seats are damaged, cables are stolen, coaches are torched and ticket boxes are vandalised. The psyche of vandalism has the potential to affect the quality of the service we are capable of providing to the public.”

He said he was worried about what would happen to the new trains due to be introduced in 2015.

Police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Andre Traut said no criminal case had been registered, and police could not comment on Swartz’s arson suspicions.

Metrorail’s Riana Scott said an internal investigation into the cause of the fire “was ongoing”.

The fire caused delays across all rail lines, and traffic in the vicinity of Woodstock station was suspended for an hour while electricity was shut off. Train services to Simon’s Town and Bellville resumed shortly after the fire had been contained.

This morning Scott said: “Trains serving the Kapteins-klip, Cape Flats line are not yet permitted to stop at Woodstock Station until the integrity of the footbridge has been confirmed and it is declared safe for use. This arrangement affects approximately 38 Cape Flats and 80 Kapteinsklip trains daily,”

In October, a train carriage at Brackenfell station was destroyed by a fire. The blaze was caused by an electrical fault on the overhead power supply.

daneel.knoetze@inl.co.za

kieran.legg@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

A man charged with killing and mutilating a Kraaifontein girl has undergone blood tests that could link him to unsolved murders.

Cape Town - The alleged “Butcher of Kraaifontein” has undergone blood tests that could link him to other unsolved murders.

Johannes de Jager, 48, will return to the Blue Downs Magistrates’ Court on Thursday charged with killing and mutilating student Charmaine Mare.

The 16-year-old’s arms and legs were hacked off and scattered over 40 kilometres across the city.

On Tuesday De Jager was taken by cops to the Karl Bremmer Hospital in Tygerberg in chains.

The alleged killer was cuffed at the hands and feet as he was escorted to and from the hospital between 11am and 12pm to undergo blood and saliva tests.

Police on Tuesday night described the tests as “routine”.

The results will be used to see if traces of blood and saliva match those found on Charmaine’s charred remains.

But sources say officers will be allowed to use the results to see if they can unlock other similar unsolved murders.

Police on Tuesday night confirmed they are re-opening an investigation into the gruesome murder of a woman in Atlantis in 2008.

This case bears chilling similarities to the Charmaine Mare murder.

The woman’s mutilated remains were discovered near Atlantis, almost 40km from her Ravensmead home.

The Daily Voice has learned that De Jager was questioned by cops in connection with this murder.

But he was subsequently released without charge due to a lack of evidence and because witnesses failed to come forward.

Last week De Jager’s attorney Wildre Fourie confirmed he represented the suspect at the time, but did not remember specific details of the case.

“I don’t remember the details, but the victim was an adult woman. I think it might have been about two years ago,” he was quoted as saying.

But Fourie on Tuesday night insisted his client has not yet been charged with any other matter.

He says: “When I spoke to prosecutors at Atlantis, they indicated there would not be any other charges at this stage.”

Meanwhile, a 40-year-old woman who went to school with the murder suspect on Tuesday night revealed how De Jager was constantly teased at school because he was poor.

“Johan and I went to school together in Ruyterwacht and I stayed only two doors away,” the woman – who does not want to be identified – said.

“He was a nerd... everybody teased him because he was very poor.

“I remember him well – he was very quiet and withdrawn.

“His mother swore at him often. Hy het baie op sy moer gekry by sy ouers [His parents beat him a lot].”

She said that the mechanic was obsessed with cars from a young age.

“Since he was small it was in his blood to fix cars – dumb at school, but you could tell him nothing about cars,” she added.

“Him, his brother and sister went through hell because the teasing at school never ended.”

Daily Voice

A homeless boy from the streets of Cape Town is travelling the world and taking circus stages by storm.

Cape Town - A homeless boy from the streets of Cape Town is travelling the world and taking circus stages by storm.

Phelelani Ndakrokra, 17, was born on Greenmarket Square and spent almost all of his life growing up on the mean streets of the Mother City.

His mother is still homeless.

But Phelelani has managed to lift himself out of a life of crime and poverty after his talents were spotted by Zip Zap Circus bosses.

“This is the place [circus] I belong,” Phelelani said.

“If I wasn’t here, I’d be on the streets robbing people and breaking into cars.”

Phelelani said that his mom did not want him to get sucked into a life of crime and drugs and did her best to keep him away from other street kids.

The Cape teenager’s life was transformed early in 2010 when he moved into a shelter in Salt River that is run by the Zip Zap Circus.

He recalled: “The first time I walked into the circus tent I couldn’t believe it! There were people on those one-wheel bikes, jugglers and acrobats.”

The youngster said he started out slow, learning simple tumbles and how to juggle.

But he soon progressed and joined the Zip Zap “Second Chance” troupe.

His education was sponsored by a circus benefactor, which allowed him to attend the prestigious Best Centre school.

Phelelani has performed on stages across Europe with his best friend and roommate Jacobus “Trompie” Claasen, who also grew up on the streets of Cape Town.

Phelelani added: “We are like brothers because both of us lived on the street.

“He is very hard-working and he has finished his studies and is focused on improving his circus act.

“Last year I went to Paris and Wales, I want to travel a lot more. This really is a dream come true. I never thought I would even get on plane, I never dreamed of that.”

Phelelani is now a trained juggler and acrobat, and says he wants to learn as many new acts as possible.

The Zip Zap Circus was founded in the early 1990s and has taken hundreds of kids off the streets and given them hope of a better life.

But the organisation admits it is now struggling to fund its vital social outreach programmes.

“A third of our funding comes from performances, but we rely heavily on donations because it’s expensive to put on these shows,” Zip Zap Special Project Manager Natasha Meyer said.

Daily Voice

There is no fast cure for paedophilia, a social worker told convicted paedophile Johannes Kleinhans’s sentencing hearing.

Cape Town - There is no fast cure for paedophilia, a social worker involved in the treatment of sex offenders told the Parow Regional Court on Wednesday.

Dr Marcel Londt testified for the defence in the trial of convicted paedophile Johannes Kleinhans, 74, who faced sentencing on 95 counts.

These included sexual assault on two pre-pubescent girls and the possession of child pornography.

Dr Londt told magistrate Amanda van Leeve that Kleinhans's affliction was “not a problem that could be addressed overnight”, and long-term imprisonment was not conducive to effective treatment.

She heads a specialised anti-child abuse treatment programme called the Child Abuse Therapeutic and Training Service (Catts).

She told the court Kleinhans's period of incarceration, whilst awaiting trial, had in itself already addressed the deterrent aspect of treatment.

However, prison was not the best environment to deal with the other aspects.

“We need strict control over his treatment, in order to make it very difficult for him to re-offend. The effective management of his treatment would also involve his family.”

Although Kleinhans was out on bail, this was revoked due to a violation of the bail conditions.

Although Londt “remained guarded” in her prognosis of Kleinhans, this did not mean he could not be treated.

She said the Catts programme was not “broad therapy”, and needed very strict control, which was impossible in prison due to general staff shortages.

She said a professional such as herself could not just walk freely into the prison, to reach the patient within minutes. With staff shortages, it could take up to four hours for her to reach her patient for a one-hour consultation.

Londt said Kleinhans had during consultations admitted to the regular use of pornography during many business trips abroad.

She listed appropriate conditions for effective treatment such as: no contact with children under the age of 18, and no unsupervised access to minors, including his own grandchildren. Kleinhans should also not be permitted to drive, unless accompanied by a trusted adult.

When questioned by prosecutor Herculine Swart, Londt said the Catts programme ran for 36 months, and did not offer 24-hour monitoring.

“We cannot play detective,” she said.

The trial continues on Thursday. - Sapa

A Cape Town suburb is gripped by fear after a girl was snatched, beaten and raped while on her way to school.

Cape Town - A Cape Town suburb is gripped by fear after a girl was snatched, beaten and raped while on her way to school.

Now police are on the hunt for a black Toyota Tazz and three suspects after the brutal abduction and sex attack.

The 17-year-old victim’s mother spoke to the Daily Voice on Wednesday about her daughter’s horror ordeal.

She says her Grade 12 daughter left her Grassy Park home at 7.30am on Tuesday.

“She crossed the street when she saw a black Tazz in one of the side roads,” explained the shaken mom.

“She said the vehicle drove into a driveway and reversed and two men got out of the back. One of them grabbed her and closed her nose with a cloth.”

The teen says the men were all dressed in dark clothing and hid their faces.

“She felt her throat burning and then she passed out,” say the mom.

“She said ... they spoke like gangsters and wore hooded jackets and balaclavas.”

The mom, 39, said the girl remembers begging them not to rape her and fighting one of them off her.

“She said she told them she is sick and having her period and that she is HIV-positive,” explained the mom.

The teen told her mom she was again beaten in the face and passed out.

“She regained consciousness and saw one of the men was on her and that her dress was pulled up,” said the distraught mother.

The girl was then dropped off nearby in Zeekoevlei and began looking for help. Eventually, a woman took her to her high school where her mother and police were contacted.

Police spokesman Andre Traut confirmed that “a 17-year-old female victim was kidnapped and raped by three unknown suspects driving a black Toyota Tazz”.

“The victim was confronted by the suspects in 8th Avenue, Grassy Park, and taken to an unknown location where the rape was perpetrated. No one has been arrested yet,” Traut said.

The headmistress of the girl’s school, Grassy Park High School, Marcia Woolward, told the Cape Argus that the girl had been on her way to school.

It is understood that after being raped by the three men, the girl was dropped off near the school.

“She came into the school almost in a half-trance,” Woolward said.

Bronagh Casey, spokeswoman for Education MEC Donald Grant, reported: “At 10.30am, a member of staff found the learner at the school gate. The learner was traumatised and her lip was bleeding and her eye bruised. There were no other visible injuries.

“The school immediately phoned the police and then the school’s social worker,” Casey said.

Woolward said the girl’s family had been notified the moment the girl was found.

Grant said: “I deplore the actions of these perpetrators. I sincerely hope that the perpetrators are arrested soon, and, if found guilty, punished to the full extent of the law.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the young learner. I also thank the principal and school staff for their handling of this very sensitive situation,” Grant said.

Casey said the girl’s classmates had been assisted by a psychologist and social workers, and the school was working with the police.

“When the learner is recovered and ready, we will provide her with educational support so that she can catch up on any work that she misses during this period,” Casey said.

Traut said the abduction could have been the second within the past week. He reported that a 15-year-old was abducted on Friday, driven around all night in a red vehicle, but had not been harmed before being released.

Spokesman for the Grassy Park Community Policing Forum, Phillip Bam, said it was crucial that more be done to keep children safe on the streets, especially on their way to school.

Daily Voice, Cape Argus

A brother and sister have missed their first weeks of school after they were sent home for wearing Muslim headgear.

Cape Town - The South African Human Rights Commission is investigating the case of a brother and sister who were kicked out of a Kraaifontein school for wearing traditional Islamic headgear.

Sakeenah Dramat, 16, and her 13-year-old brother Bilaal were asked by teachers at Eben Donges High to remove their head-scarf and fez on the first day of the school year on Wednesday last week.

The siblings’ mother, Nabila Dramat, said she and her husband Adam had attended an introductory meeting at the school that day.

Later, they had received a phone call from the school.

“Then we were called in by the school to say that we must fetch the children.”

She had been told at the school that it was “against the school’s code of conduct for the children to wear the Islamic headgear”.

Dramat said Sakeenah had refused to remove her headscarf while Bilaal, who suffered from a nervous condition, had removed his fez as he was afraid to cause any trouble. “It was very traumatic for him.”

She would not allow her children to attend school without their headgear.

“I can’t allow them to take it off because it is against our Islamic beliefs.”

Dramat said her children had already missed six days of school. “It is very sad. It is very disturbing. They are heartbroken to be out of school for such a simple reason.”

Dramat said a decision had been made to send the children to Eben Donges because it was closer to home and recognised as a strong academic school.

SA Human Rights Commission spokesman Isaac Mangena said: “We have received this complaint. We are investigating the matter and we have engaged with the department, the school and the parents.”

He said: “We are against any form of intolerance. Traditions or religions should be tolerated at all times.”

School principal Wilfred Taylor asked that the Cape Times contact the Western Cape Education Department for comment.

Paddy Attwell, spokesman for the department, said an official would meet the parents at the school today.

The children’s return to the school would be arranged at that meeting.

Attwell said he had been informed that the school would not allow them back if they continued to wear their headgear. “We view the issue in a serious light. Schools should follow National Guidelines on School Uniforms on this issue. “According to the guidelines, schools should take religious and cultural diversity into account. We believe it is a simple matter to adjust dress codes to meet these requirements.”

According to the Department of Basic Education’s National Guidelines on School Uniforms a school’s dress code should take religious and cultural diversity into account. “If wearing a particular attire… is part of the religious practice of pupils or an obligation, schools should not, in terms of the constitution, prohibit the wearing of such items,” the guidelines read.

michelle.jones@inl.co.za

Cape Times

Metrorail has linked the fire on a train at Woodstock station to an earlier incident involving a defaulting passenger.

Cape Town - Metrorail has linked the fire on a train at Woodstock station this week to an earlier incident involving a defaulting passenger at Athlone station.

Four carriages were gutted as a train pulled into Woodstock station on Tuesday. Four people were hospitalised due to smoke inhalation.

Metrorail regional manager Mthuthuzeli Swartz said the incident in Woodstock was linked to an earlier incident involving a ticket defaulter at Athlone station.

Metrorail and the police would arrest those responsible for setting the train alight.

“We are going to push for harsher sentences. The charge should be attempted murder as customers were placed in danger by such stupidity,” Swartz said.

The fallout from the Woodstock fire and cable theft led to trains running late on Wednesday.

Trains on the central line ran 40 minutes late due to cable theft between Mandalay and Stock Road stations.

Metrorail said a preliminary investigation had revealed that arson was the cause of the fire.

In a statement on Wednesday Metrorail warned strikers against setting trains alight.

This after an engine and a carriage were gutted by fire at Croesus station in Johannesburg on Monday.

xolani.koyana@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

The blood tests of rock star Arno Carstens are being disputed in his drunk driving trial in Cape Town.

Cape Town - The blood tests of South African rock star Arno Carstens who was bust for alleged drunk driving are being disputed in court.

Carstens was arrested December 19, 2010, and charged with drinking and driving.

The musician’s defence attorneys are now fighting to have his blood test results thrown out of court.

The rocker was pulled over when a traffic cop spotted him swerving in his black Mercedes Benz in the Cape Town CBD.

Earlier this week the officer testified that Carstens smelled of alcohol and was staggering when he was pulled over.

The rocker denies the drunk driving charge.

Now his lawyer Milton de la Harpe has questioned the validity of the blood tests taken when the singer was arrested.

He cross-examined State witness Pakama Pati, a blood analyst who tested the rock star’s blood.

De La Harpe said another doctor has questioned the method and results of the blood tests.

Pati told the court the department of health’s blood alcohol lab complies with national and international standards.

After the detailed and technical testimony about his blood records, Carstens said “it’s a lot like CSI” – the American crime TV series.

He added that he just wanted the trial to be completed after lengthy delays over the last three years.

The trial was postponed to April 25 for the defence to go over the information received from the blood expert.

Daily Voice

Armed men on horses are terrorising farmers in Atlantis on the West Coast by raiding their properties.

Cape Town -

Armed men on horses are terrorising Atlantis farmers by raiding their properties.

A farm owner who did not want to be named for security reasons said her home had been invaded twice a week since the beginning of the year.

She said the horsemen sometimes raided twice a day, during the day and at night.

“They are violent and fearless, and they operate in groups. You hear them outside, discussing what to do and all you can do is wait for their next move,” she said.

The armed invaders have stolen part of her fence and gate, copper fittings and television sets.

“I’m tired now. I sleep in stages at night… it’s hard. I moved to the area because I love nature and the quietness of the country life. I don’t like guns but I need one now,” she said

The Cape Argus first reported on the woman’s plight on November 19, after her home was invaded three times in the space of 24 hours. She hired two private security guards for protection. One is standing trial for accidentally shooting and wounding the other in the neck during a break-in this month.

“I’m not scared any more. I’m angry and I’m ready to fight back. This is not how I should be living,” said the 47- year-old Belgian-born woman.

She has lived alone on the smallholding for seven years, and is now considering selling her farm.

“I’m struggling financially as I can’t keep repairing the fence and all the other things I have to replace. It’s getting out of hand. The police are trying their best but they don’t have enough resources to deal with the problem,” she said

The councillor for the area, Barbara Rass, said there were about 355 smallholdings in Atlantis. Whoever was behind “terrorising the community” was probably someone who had worked on the farms and knows them like the “palm of his hand”.

“They are very strategic, they know exactly who lives alone and what they have in their homes.

Rass said she had tried several times to get Western Cape MEC for community safety Dan Plato, and the Western Cape commissioner of police, General Arnold Lamour, to intervene.

“We need someone to intervene from the top. Our local police don’t have enough manpower to handle the situation,” she said.

Police spokesman Lieutenant- Colonel Andre Traut said he had requested a full investigation and would take steps once he had received a report.

Plato’s spokesman, Greg Wagner, said on Wednesday that the MEC had agreed to a meeting with Rass, which they would schedule soon.

Another resident, Gary Whitehead, who has lived on a smallholding for 53 years, said he had assisted his neighbours several times after their homes were broken into.

nontando.mposo@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

The national Health Department told the Western Cape it could reduce its grant for three tertiary hospitals by a possible R173m.

Cape Town - Specialised services and the provision of much-needed drugs for certain treatments would be affected if the national Health Department proceeds with a possible R173 million cut in its grant for the Western Cape’s three tertiary hospitals.

This is according to provincial Department of Health head Craig Househam, who said the combined medium-term grant for Groote Schuur, Tygerberg and Red Cross Children’s hospitals might be reduced by R54m for 2013/14, R58m for 2014/15 and R61m for 2015/16.

The national department, through its October adjustment budget, had told the province it would receive R2.4 billion for 2013/14, R2.53bn for 2014/15 and R2.65bn for 2015/16.

“The R173m is over three years and is a small cut in percentage terms, but it still is a lot of money. It will affect service delivery and the ability to provide specialised services,” Househam said.

He believed there was a connection between Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi’s plan to remove control of the three hospitals from the province, Health MEC Theuns Botha’s pledge to fight such a move and the possible grants cut.

“This is why I raised (the issue). I’m concerned. I feel it is a mistake,” Househam said.

Patients needing surgery might have to wait longer if the grant was cut. As it was, the R2.4bn grant received for the three hospitals was R500m short of the amount needed for them to function optimally. “The province makes up the rest with funds that could be used elsewhere.”

It is understood junior national health officials are working with the Treasury to finalise the department’s budget, and that this work is the source of the figures cited by Househam.

“The national department has confirmed our figures are accurate,” Househam said.

“I had a call from the director-general and I believe the minister has also heard about (the possible cut). They both indicated they had no knowledge of the cuts and would not support them. We are grateful if this is the case. We are waiting for confirmation.”

Comment from the national department could not be obtained before going to press.

Cape Times

Aaron Motsoaledi’s deployment to the Western Cape is a “serious slap in the face” for the ANC’s provincial leader, says the DA.

Cape Town - Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi’s deployment to the Western Cape before next year’s general election is a “serious slap in the face” for ANC provincial leader Marius Fransman, says the DA.

But the ANC in the province says it is unfazed by the DA’s “mudslinging tactics”, and that the party is focused on its “programme of action” to win back the Western Cape in 2014.

Motsoaledi, an ANC national executive committee member, was deployed to the Western Cape last week to lead the campaign to reclaim the province from the DA.

Theuns Botha, the DA’s deputy provincial leader,on Wednesday welcomed Motsoaledi “as a new political player in the province”.

“Motsoaledi’s deployment is a serious slap in the face of Marius Fransman... and an acknowledgement that Fransman is failing on his promises to the ANC,” Botha said.

“It is also an acknowledgement that the ANC has no potential for leadership in its provincial ranks.

“(Fransman’s) public opponents and members of the Western Cape provincial legislature, Mcebisi Skwatsha and Lynne Brown, both made it to the national executive committee at Mangaung. Their election to the NEC now gives them more political power than poor Fransman.”

But Fransman said that the ANC was not interested in mudslinging, and was instead focused solely on winning back the Western Cape.

He announced this week that 5 000 volunteers would be recruited by May to go on a 12-month unpaid sabbatical “to defeat the DA in the Western Cape” next year.

Motsoaledi spent the day yesterday meeting the ANC’s provincial leadership at the party’s headquarters at Sahara House. Earlier this week, he said his first task would be to implement the recommendations of a report that found irregularities and manipulation in the way ANC candidates were selected before the 2011 local government elections.

clayton.barnes@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

There is a medium-to-high risk that Johannes Kleinhans, convicted of sexually assaulting three girls, will reoffend, a court heard.

Cape Town - There is a medium-to-high risk that sex offender Johannes Kleinhans, who was convicted of sexually assaulting three teenage girls and taking pornographic pictures of them, will reoffend.

This was the testimony of Dr Marcel Londt, a clinical social worker at the Child Abuse Therapeutic and Training Services centre in Kenilworth, in mitigation of sentence on Wednesday.

She told the Parow Regional Court that Kleinhans fell into the lower bracket of the medium-to-high risk sex offenders that would reoffend, but that he could be rehabilitated with strict supervision.

She explained that people in the medium-to-high category were classified according to their previous convictions, the number of their victims, whether they had a total disregard for boundary-setting, and whether their lives were unstable or chaotic.

Kleinhans has been convicted of 95 charges, including indecent assault, sexual assault, sexual grooming, compelled self-sexual assault, using children to benefit from child pornography, and the illegal possession of child pornography.

The girls were aged between 13 and 15, and were paid or received gifts in exchange for the sexual favours. The offences were committed at his rented home in Bellville between 2009 and 2010. The 89 pornographic images of the girls showed their naked bodies, genitals and other body parts.

Londt remained guarded about specifying an appropriate sentence, but said rehabilitation within the prison system did not help offenders because of its harsh environment.

She said treatment at the centre could be effective with the help of court officials, social workers, correctional officers, NGOs and the support of his family.

Conditions of his treatment could include no contact with children under 18 and no unsupervised access to children, including his grandchildren.

Other conditions were that Kleinhans should have no contact with any of the victims, no interactions on social media sites, and that he should not have access to a laptop on which he could view pornography.

After Londt’s evidence, Magistrate Amanda von Leeve said there were no guarantees Kleinhans would adhere to these conditions. She also questioned his family support, because no one had ever been to court to back him.

The case continues on Thursday.

jade.otto@inl.co.za

Cape Argus