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Work made man sick, court rules

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The Western Cape High Court has ruled that a plumber contracted hepatitis B while working at the navy dockyards in Simon's Town.

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Cape Town - The Western Cape High Court has ruled that a plumber contracted hepatitis B while working at the navy dockyards in Simon's Town, Solidarity said on Tuesday.

Nazeem Mallie contracted the disease in September 2004, the trade union said in a statement.

“Advocate Paul Mardon, head of Solidarity's occupational health and safety division, says Mallie's case will now be referred back to the Compensation Commissioner to calculate the compensation he is entitled to.”

Mardon said Monday's judgement was a watershed because it set new guidelines for the process to be followed if a case went to court.

Solidarity said Mallie's health declined after he was diagnosed.

Mallie's employer reported the matter to the Compensation Commissioner in early 2005, however the commissioner did not believe he had fallen ill from his work.

Mallie objected when no decision was reached at a hearing in November 2007. The matter was then taken to the high court. - Sapa


Murder probe into CBD hijack crash

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Police will bring murder charges against two alleged hijackers after a woman died when they crashed into her Opel Corsa.

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Cape Town - Police will bring murder charges against two alleged hijackers after a woman died when they crashed into her Opel Corsa in the CBD during a chase.

The woman, who was from Manatoka Heights, Melkbosstrand, has not been named by police.

“Her husband is very traumatised and asked that the media respect the family’s privacy in this time of grief. Police don’t normally release names under such circumstances, especially in light of the husband’s request,” said police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk.

The woman’s husband found out about the incident soon after it happened at about 5.30am on Monday.

Police cordoned off the intersection of Buitengracht and Strand Street, where the incident occurred.

The husband was prevented from getting to the scene by the heavy traffic backlog caused by the road closure.

His sister, Janine Whelan, phoned in to CapeTalk on Monday.

“The roads are blocked off and we’re hoping that he can get to her. My heart just goes out to him. I just hope that he’ll be okay and that he’ll get to her. I just wanted to say to him that my heart goes out to him and that he must just be strong. We’re thinking of him,” she said.

Whelan’s brother could not get to his wife and her body was taken to the Salt River state mortuary. Whelan declined to comment when contacted yesterday, saying the family was grieving.

Van Wyk said the police’s flying squad received a call from Skytrack on the whereabouts of a hijacked Toyota Avanza in the early hours on Monday.

The vehicle, which had been hijacked in Nyanga, was travelling towards Cape Town when police vehicles started following it.

The suspects refused to pull over and a chase ensued.

In the city centre, they ran a red light at the intersection and crashed into the passenger side of the white Corsa.

“The occupant of the Opel Corsa died on the scene,” Van Wyk said.

The woman was on her way to work, he said, adding that the suspects were in police custody. They would appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court once they had been charged.

The suspects come from Bonita Hostel, Nyanga and Browns Farm, Phillippi.

daneel.knoetze@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Man set alight in Cape Town

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The body of an unidentified man who had been set alight in a suspected necklacing was found in Khayelitsha, police said.

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Cape Town -

The body of an unidentified man who had been set alight was found in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, Western Cape police said on Tuesday.

Captain Frederick van Wyk said they were called to the scene, opposite the Chris Hani railway station, in the Nkanini informal settlement, at 2am on Monday.

He said tyre wires were found on the scene, indicating the man was killed by a burning tyre. The motive was not yet known and no arrests had been made. - Sapa

Brown ‘prepared’ to make admission

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Former Fidentia CEO J Arthur Brown is prepared to admit that money flowed from his broker's bank account to certain beneficiaries and vice versa, the court heard.

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Cape Town - Former Fidentia CEO J Arthur Brown is prepared to admit that money flowed from his broker's bank account to certain beneficiaries and vice versa, the Western Cape High Court heard on Tuesday.

“My client is prepared to admit that as long as it's on the record that he had no knowledge of all the payments 1/8that were made 3/8,” his lawyer Braganza Pretorius said.

Brown is on trial for fraud, corruption, money-laundering and theft, and has pleaded not guilty to running a pyramid scheme and using investors' funds for personal gain.

Ex-broker Steven Goodwin had been on the stand testifying against Brown, regarding events surrounding the Transport, Education, and Training Authority (Teta), and Mantadia Asset Trust Company.

The same court previously found Goodwin guilty of bribing former Teta CEO Piet Bothma to facilitate the transfer of investments.

He also admitted to money-laundering, involving around R93 million, through two of his entities. He entered into a plea agreement in 2009 and was sentenced to in effect 10 years in jail.

The State had spent many days examining bank statements and other documents with Goodwin for the record, because Brown had refused to make admissions in this regard.

Judge Anton Veldhuizen called his lawyer out on Tuesday morning.

“I don't want to teach you your job... (but) the witness's evidence is that at some stage he informed your client 1/8Brown 3/8 he was making payments to Bothma. If you admit money flowed from this witness's account... that's black and white,” he said.

“That doesn't mean (however) that he's admitting to having knowledge of all payments.”

The court heard that a formal admission document was likely to be drawn up.

In the meantime, the State had consolidated Goodwin's statements into a 40-page file and read it out for the record.

The trial was postponed until Wednesday to allow Pretorius time to study the file. - Sapa

Karabus provided medical service while jailed

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Cyril Karabus who has been held in the UAE for 200 days, used his time wisely while jailed - he medically treated fellow inmates.

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Cape Town - Cyril Karabus, the local retired paediatric oncologist who has been held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for 200 days, used his time wisely while jailed there - he medically treated fellow inmates.

Karabus, 77, who has a heart condition, has been in the UAE since August when he was arrested while in transit.

Before he was released on bail in October, he had been detained in the hospital wing of the Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi Central Prison.

On Monday, Karabus’s local lawyer, Michael Bagraim, said during his time there Karabus’s medical expertise became known.

“He became the in-house consultant in the jail himself. People found out that he was a doctor and came to him with their ailments,” Bagraim said.

In an interview with Karabus published yesterday on the website www.7daysindubai.com, he said he had given advice to inmates about issues including blood pressure, skin complaints and back pain.

“I was particularly good friends with two brothers who are accused of murder, I liked them a lot and I believe they liked me. One of them I treated for a complaint, the other one, I’m afraid, was a bit of a hypochondriac. He claimed to have everything wrong with him, but in reality, he was fine,” Karabus was quoted as saying.

At the weekend, International Relations and Co-operation Deputy Minister Marius Fransman visited the UAE to discuss Karabus’s case with his counterpart there.

“South Africa called on the UAE to allow Professor Karabus to be released on humanitarian grounds due to his age and health,” Fransman’s department said.

Fransman was expected to arrive back in SA on Monday.

Bagraim said he was waiting to hear whether Fransman’s visit would affect proceedings.

He expected to hear from Fransman this morning.

Following Fransman’s UAE visit, a number of Karabus’s supporters commented on a Facebook page titled “Marius Fransman”.

One wrote: “Minister Fransman it is encouraging to know you are in the UAE trying to assist Prof Cyril Karabus… please use all means possible to get this respected man back home with his family!”

Karabus’s case was meant to have proceeded last week, but was delayed again because a medical committee tasked with examining the case had failed to provide its report.

He had been tried in absentia and convicted of manslaughter and falsifying documents after the death of a three-year-old in 2002 at the Sheikh Khalifa Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi. Karabus was sentenced to three years in jail. His case is set to proceed on March 20.

caryn.dolley@inl.co.za

Cape Times

One dead as farm workers flung from truck

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A farmworker died and 24 others were injured when the truck they were travelling on overturned on a gravel road.

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Cape Town - A farmworker died and 24 of his colleagues were injured when the truck they were travelling on overturned on a gravel road near Wellington last night.

They were on their way to Riebeek Kasteel for a night shift at Morester Boerdery.

“It was a gravel road with many potholes and it is in a bad condition,” said police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk.

Speaking to police after the accident the driver, the only occupant of the truck who was not injured, said the truck had started to shudder before it veered off the road.

He said the differential, shock absorbers and handbrake were faulty. As the truck rolled, the 25 passengers were flung from the back. Twelve men and 12 women were injured with cuts, head injuries and fractures, said Van Wyk. A 51- year-old man died at the scene.

Five people were seriously injured and 19 had minor injuries. The injured were taken to Paarl, Stellenbosch and Swartland hospitals, provincial Emergency Medical Services spokeswoman Keri Davids said.

The crash happened on the road to Old Malan Station, near the R45 outside Wellington. Van Wyk said a case of culpable homicide had been opened.

Pierre-Jeanne Gerber, who lives near the crash site, said that he had written letters to the Department of Transport to complain about the road’s condition. The first letter was written in 1992.

“The road is terrible and it has been for almost as long as anyone can remember. It’s too narrow for trucks to pass one another, there are gullies on either side. Potholes, sharp bends, loose gravel. It’s a real hazard, and people would be surprised at how often cars or trucks roll on this road. A few months ago someone even rolled a Land Rover. Do you know how difficult that is to do?” Gerber said.

His neighbour, guest house owner Barry Coetzee, drew up a petition and handed it over to the municipality for the road to be improved. But nothing came of it, Gerber said.

“The 60km/h speed limit needs to be reduced to 40km, and the road desperately needs an upgrade or people will continue to die,” he said.

Provincial traffic chief Kenny Africa said there were two other fatal crashes in the Western Cape over the past 24 hours.

One happened on Monday outside Klawer, when a tractor swerved in front of a truck coming up from behind. “The truck went over the tractor, killing the tractor driver.”

A Coca-Cola transport truck overturned outside Uniondale this morning. One passenger in it was killed.

Cape Argus

‘I won’t cry over split fingers’

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Sir Ranulph Fiennes says he is shattered that he had to give up a journey across the Antarctic in winter.

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Cape Town - Sir Ranulph Fiennes says he is shattered that he had to give up a journey across the Antarctic in winter - a project he had been working on for five years.

Fiennes, 68, hailed as “the world’s greatest living explorer”, was forced to pull out of the six-month winter expedition after he developed frostbite while adjusting a ski binding.

The Coldest Journey team will continue on the 4 000km expedition without him.

Fiennes received treatment at a Cape Town hospital last week and returned yesterday to Britain, where he held a press conference.

He was very frustrated at being back in the UK, Fiennes said.

“But I am not good at crying over spilt milk - or split fingers. It is extremely frustrating. I have been working on this full-time and unpaid for five years.”

Fiennes said he would “make the best of it” by turning his attention to ensuring the expedition succeeded.

“The team are brilliant. I am very pleased and proud of the team. Everything is going totally on schedule.”

He said the remaining five team members would continue with the scientific, educational and charity aims of the project, with the only difference being that no one would be skiing across Antarctica, as he would have done.

The expedition aims to raise £10 million (R136m) for Seeing is Believing, a charity which aims to prevent avoidable blindness.

Fiennes said he had no doubt that a Norwegian team would do the journey on skis within the next two years.

“But that’s the way it goes.”

Fiennes said that when he first developed frostbite on a solo expedition to the North Pole in 2000, he had known it could happen again.

“People who have previously had frostbite from previous expeditions can be susceptible. So I suspected myself when I got the injury 13 years ago.”

But, he said, in all his subsequent trips he had not developed frostbite.

Fiennes described how he had stopped to adjust the binding on his ski and had been forced to remove a glove.

“It was a total whiteout. You can’t see the tracks. You can feel them under your skis, but the trouble is the skis are constantly slipping off.”

He compared the conditions of the day to being in a room full of cottonwool.

A surgeon had told him two fingers would definitely not require surgery while two fingers may require surgery.

Anton Bowring, the joint leader of the expedition, said he felt terribly sorry for his old friend, but he was “selfishly delighted” at his return to Britain.

“It’s a terribly sad missed opportunity which has come about, but on the plus side, it makes our jobs here somewhat easier. Ran is in a very good position to promote the wider aims of the trust.”

Tony Medniuk, The Coldest Journey’s chairman, said he was profoundly disappointed for Fiennes.

He was proud of the team’s unanimous decision to carry on after Fiennes had pulled out.

“Don’t be under any illusions of the hardship and challenges that lie ahead for the Ice Team. This will be an epic achievement and we are tremendously proud of them.

“We have absolute confidence in them.”

michelle.jones@inl.co.za

Cape Times

Anene’s death not the first in Bredasdorp

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Residents in Bredasdorp are still shaken by Anene's death, and have formed an umbrella body to prevent such cases.

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Cape Town - Anene Booysen’s rape and murder was not the only such case in Bredasdorp - three years ago an 11-year-old girl’s decomposed body was found three weeks after she went missing. The two murdered girls are now a harsh symbol of the social ills that plague the town.

Residents in the town are still shaken by Anene’s violent death, and have formed an umbrella body of organisations to prevent such cases happening again.

Gurshwin Williams, 24, is typical of the young men in Bredasdorp whom these organisations are trying to keep from “falling through the cracks”. He dropped out of school in Grade 10, and cannot find work.

Williams said he stopped going to school because of peer pressure, and smoked dagga and Mandrax with friends. His family is haunted by the pain of his sister’s death three years ago.

His 11-year-old sister Charlyn’s badly decomposed body was found 1km from her house three weeks after she went missing. Like Anene, she was last seen at a club, and her body was found under scrap materials by a group of young boys. \

One of Williams’ close friends was arrested for the crime and confessed to the killing.

What angers Williams is that his former friend will serve only seven years in prison. He received a 12-year sentence with five years suspended.

“To me that is not a sentence. I can’t stand men that do things like this.

“He was a decent guy, he finished school, he was good in sport, his family life was good. He had everything a young man wants. I don’t think I can ever forgive him for the pain he put me through,” Williams said.

Two years ago, Williams joined Boys To Men where he got the motivation to stay out of trouble and achieve something in life.

“When that happened to my sister I saw how I hurt people because we used to rob people, break into houses for money for drugs and I also became a father so I knew I had to stop these things,” he said.

Williams said the workshops with Boys To Men helped him to talk about his problems.

Commenting on Anene’s case, David Elliott, a facilitator at Boys To Men said: “It’s heartbreaking to know that a man has the capacity to do that to a woman.

“To me it seems the police are not doing enough. If they have semen samples then what are forensics teams doing? We don’t get the impression that police are looking for the other suspects.”

 

Since Anene’s death a month ago the area has become quieter over weekends and people are more careful about walking alone at night.

Julene Zana, Anene’s mother’s neighbour, said she remembers Anene as a very quiet person who always greeted others politely.

“People can’t stop talking about her; they still can’t believe what happened. It’s very difficult to deal with it. Since this happened, the young people are told not to walk alone and we just do what we can to keep the community together,” Zana said.

 

Last week a group of organisations came together to talk about how they could strengthen resources to help people in need of work, neglected children or people with addiction problems.

They agreed to sign up to the Overberg Development Agency and build a network to help people.

They say in some areas about 30 percent of people are unemployed. The average monthly income per family is R3 500, while many parents live on R280 child grants and contract work where they earn R1 800 a month.

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Two years ago research by the Extra-Mural Education Project revealed that urgent intervention and funds for programmes were needed to combat social problems in Bredasdorp.

Workers on the Hope Project found that the town battled with a high school dropout rate, and that unemployment was rife, as were alcohol and drug abuse and teenage pregnancies.

 

zara.nicholson@inl.co.za

Cape Times


Childhood trauma of Anene murder accused

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Jonathan Davids, the man on trial for the murder and rape of Anene Booysen, is incapable of the crimes his relatives say.

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Cape Town - Jonathan Davids, the man on trial for the murder and rape of Anene Booysen, is incapable of the crimes his relatives say.

Speaking after Davids was refused bail last week, relatives said he could not have committed the crimes because his mother was murdered by her boyfriend in 2001, when Davids was only 12. He saw her lying in a pool of blood in a Bredasdorp street.

When the prosecutor asked Davids about his mother in court last week, he paused for a long while.

Prosecutor Maria Marshall asked Davids whether he could answer the question and after another long pause he said she died in 2003.

Sonia Anderson, Davids’ aunt, said: “It was very traumatic for him to see his mother just lying there full of blood. He loved her so much. It was just too much for him and he was very hurt.”

Davids’ cousins told reporters at court that he was a calm person.

Davids told the court that his mother died - without saying how - and that he never knew his father. He grew up very poor and was raised by his grandparents.

Davids, 24, is nicknamed “Zwai”, the name of the man Anene, 17, told doctors had attacked her, before she died in hospital on February 2.

Davids dropped out while he was still in primary school. He never had any stable work and most recently had a contract at Floral Land.

He told the court he had lived with relatives and friends, and even with Anene and her family at one stage in 2010.

Anderson said he moved around a lot because he had nowhere to go after his grandparents died.

She said Davids was a “quiet” guy and that everyone knew him that way.

“People knew him as ‘good Zwai’, they never spoke badly of him. He wasn’t an ill-mannered person. He was very quiet. If he had to swear, I would probably be surprised,” Anderson said. After leaving school he did odd jobs at people’s houses.

“What made me very proud of him is that he would come and say he would clean the garden and if I could just give him money for a loaf of bread because they struggled a lot,” Anderson said.

Other relatives have visited him in prison and said that he cried a lot and did not want to speak about the case.

“What he has said to other family (members) is that only he and God knows that he did not do it,” she said.

Anderson added: “I am not saying it is them.

“I don’t know (co-accused Johannes) Kana. But if it is Jonathan then he must stand up and tell the world, but if he is sitting there and he is innocent then it’s not good with everyone saying bad things about him.”

She said she was shocked by what happened to Anene although she never knew her.

“I am disappointed that one person can do that do another and just leave them there; it’s cruel. She was only 17, she had her whole life ahead of her,” Anderson said.

l Kana’s family refused to speak to reporters. His full statement and confession is yet to be revealed in court.

Cape Times

Teacher assault immoral: ACDP

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The reported assaults on a Western Cape school teacher were “immoral behaviour”, the ACDP said.

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Cape Town - The reported assaults on a Western Cape school teacher were “immoral behaviour”, the ACDP said on Tuesday.

“Violent and immoral behaviour cannot be condoned or tolerated and a clear message must go out that learners are at school to learn,” African Christian Democratic Party leader in the Western Cape, Ferlon Christians, said in a statement.

“South Africa is reeling from the shock of the immoral behaviour of our school kids.”

On Tuesday, the Cape Argus reported that a Cape Town teacher had been physically and verbally abused by pupils at Crestway High School.

Sharidene Meyer, 26, told the newspaper that a few weeks ago a pupil came into the classroom and grabbed and twisted her arm. Another pupil made inappropriate and offensive comments about her breasts.

She went to the Steenberg police station and laid a charge of assault and crimen injuria.

Last Wednesday a pupil set her hair alight, she told the newspaper. She said she had been writing on the board during a Grade Eight history class when a pupil came up behind her and set her hair on fire with a lighter. She told the Cape Argus she had styled her hair in a “wet look” that day and was lucky to escape without too much damage.

She had since taken leave, citing depression, and would not return.

According to the newspaper, police spokesman Captain Frederick van Wyk said both cases were still under investigation.

It reported that education MEC Donald Grant's spokeswoman, Bronagh Casey, said a pupil at the school had been suspended. - Sapa

Thadora to be free after 23 years

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After 23 years in captivity, an elephant from the Bloemfontein Zoo will soon be released back into the wild.

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Bloemfontein - After 23 years in captivity, an elephant from the Bloemfontein Zoo will soon be released back into the wild.

Zoo officials decided to free the recently widowed 27-year-old Thandora following the death of her companion.

She would soon be joining a herd of elephants in the Gondwana Game Reserve in the Western Cape.

Game reserve and zoo officials will be working with the Conservation Global group to try and adapt her into the wild.

They have named the mission “Free Thandora”.

The Free Thandora group agrees their biggest challenge will be preparing her for her new free roaming life.

Elephants herds at the game reserve can cover between eight and 15 kilometres in a day.

After spending over two decades in a small and confined space, Thandora is in no shape to keep up.

“Due to her captive environment she has low muscle tone and poor fitness, which could be potentially life threatening if she is released directly onto the 11 000 hectare reserve,” said the Free Thandora group.

Plans are underway to get her into shape and physically prepared for the long treks.

A new diet and exercise plan was introduced to her ahead of her release next Tuesday.

“While in the holding bona, her diet will be adapted from captive-based food such as fruits, vegetables, bread and lucern to natural forage.

She will partake in a fitness programme where she will be walked daily within the holding boma building up to a target of 10 kilometres a day,” they said.

They anticipate that it could take between six to eight weeks for her to adjust to the programme.

The Conservation Global research department would be closely monitoring the process. They believed the results from this mission could help in future relocation of other elephants. - Sapa

Teens in school sex video expelled

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The two pupils filmed having sex in the back of a classroom as well as their cameraman have been expelled.

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Cape Town - The two pupils caught on camera having sex in the back of a classroom have been booted out of their school.

And the teenager who filmed the shocking incident has also been expelled.

The footage – details of which were published for the first time on Tuesday – has sparked outrage among concerned parents.

The Daily Voice has helped the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) identify the school at the centre of the scandal.

On Tuesday the WCED confirmed that the sex act actually took place last year, but the school did not tell the department about the disturbing footage.

“The video evidence was never handed to the department as the police took possession of the evidence,” WCED spokeswoman Bronagh Casey said.

“The Department can confirm that the incident did happen at a school in the Western Cape.

“The incident occurred last year. Three learners were involved.

“Once it was brought to the school’s attention, a disciplinary meeting was held and a recommendation for expulsion was made, which was upheld by the department.”

“We would like to thank you [Daily Voice] for your assistance and for not identifying the school. We and the school appreciate it.”

The teenagers at the centre of the sex film scandal attended a Cape Flats high school.

They were all in Grade 11 at the time of the recording.

We are not naming the school in order to protect the teenagers’ identities.

The graphic sex clip went viral among students attending various high schools across the Cape.

The video clearly shows the pupils – both in school uniforms – having sex at the back of an empty classroom.

The boy is seen smiling and showing gang hand signs to the camera above him.

The girl appears unaware that the incident is being recorded until the last moment.

A concerned mother of a child who attends the school at the centre of the sex scandal claims the boy openly boasted about the incident with his fellow pupils.

And she claimed the school tried to “sweep the incident under the rug”.

The woman said: “All the parents were told about an unfortunate incident that happened at school but that was it. We heard nothing else.

“My daughter [who was not involved in the scandal] was in Grade 8.

“She came home traumatised, but to other children whose parents allow them to have their phones at school this is like normal behaviour.

“This video spread like hot fire.”

* Meanwhile, Mountview High School in Hanover Park would like the Daily Voice to confirm that it is not the school at the centre of the scandal following unsubstantiated rumours on Tuesday.

Daily Voice

Jobs - what ANC in Cape wants to hear

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The ANC in the Western Cape says job creation should be at the top of the list when Alan Winde delivers his 2013 budget speech.

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Cape Town - Jobs, jobs and more jobs - that’s what the ANC in the Western Cape wants to hear when Finance, Economic Development and Tourism MEC Alan Winde delivers his 2013 budget speech on Thursday.

Briefing the media on the party’s expectations on Tuesday, ANC MPL Carol Beerwinkel said job creation should top Winde’s list, followed by a plan to spend his government's infrastructure budget and the conditional grants received from the national Treasury.

She said only 61.5 percent of the provincial government’s R3.9 billion infrastructure budget for 2012/13 had been spent by December, and that 4.3 percent of the R9.5 million Dinaledi schools grant - to improve the quality of pupil performance in maths, physics and literacy - had been used over the same period.

“This is a big worry for us,” Beerwinkel said. “MEC Winde must give us a commitment (Thursday) that the conditional grants will be spent and that the funds will be spread to where it is needed most.”

Beerwinkel said the DA should also “drastically increase” its spending on the poor.

“National government allocated almost R41.8bn to the Western Cape, consisting of R32.2bn from the equitable share and R9.6bn in conditional transfers for the 2013/14 financial year - which is the bulk of the provincial income,” she said.

“The ANC wants to see that the money is well spent in the public interest of the poor… “Far too little thus far out of the DA’s own initiatives go towards improving the lives of poor people,” Beerwinkel added.

ANC MPL and leader of the opposition in the legislature Lynne Brown said the provincial government should spend its current infrastructure budget for 2012/13 before accepting R2bn from the national Treasury for infrastructure projects over the next three years.

In response, Winde’s spokeswoman Phumzile Van Damme said the ANC’s claims were “far from the truth”.

“The Western Cape Treasury is well on its way to spending 100 percent of the conditional grant budget,” she said.

Cape Argus

Lecturer hit with brick

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The False Bay College lecturer who was hit in the face with a brick, allegedly by one of his students, has been placed on sick leave.

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Cape Town - The False Bay College lecturer who was hit in the face with a brick, allegedly by one of his students, has been placed on sick leave and asked to “be left alone”.

Emile Boggenpoel, a lecturer at the college’s Westlake campus, was allegedly assaulted by a 26-year-old student on Friday afternoon.

“The student was apparently selling chips outside a class when the lecturer asked him to move on. The student later entered the class armed with a brick and hit the lecturer above the eye,” explained Paddy Attwell, spokesman for the Western Cape Education Department.

The suspect was taken into custody by police, and Boggenpoel received five stitches above his eye.

The college’s human resources department said Boggenpoel had been placed on sick leave until the end of the week. College CEO Cassie Kruger said Boggenpoel had requested to be left alone.

Meanwhile, students at the school had mixed reactions to the incident.

Lwandile Gqalani said he knew the 26-year-old suspect: “He was a great guy. We went to church together and he seemed very calm. I’m very surprised to hear that he snapped like that.”

A third-year student, who asked not to be named, said the incident was not surprising.

“The classes here are fairly unruly. People are often loud and badly behaved when the class is ongoing. Boggenpoel had a bit of a reputation for trying to keep strict control, but it didn’t really work. I suspect that he must have been rather frustrated with the working conditions,” he said.

Kruger, however, denied that there was a discipline problem and “tough working conditions” at the college.

In February 2005, a UCT associate professor died after he was attacked and severely injured by a former student. Brian Hahn, 58, died at Cape Town’s Vincent Pallotti Hospital after being repeatedly beaten with an umbrella by Maleasfisha Tladi.

Attwell said all incidents of teachers being attacked by students or pupils were viewed in a serious light: “Both of the (most recent) incidents are completely unacceptable. There are policies and procedures in place to deal with these.”

He said an internal hearing would take place at False Bay College.

daneel.knoetze@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Tractor overturns on farm worker

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A farmworker has died after a tractor overturned onto him on a farm in Stellenbosch.

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Stellenbosch - A farmworker has died after a tractor overturned onto him on a farm in Stellenbosch, Western Cape paramedics said on Wednesday.

“A helicopter was dispatched to Lilly Road Hydro farm, but the farmworker suffered serious injuries and was declared dead,” said provincial emergency services spokeswoman Vanessa Horn.

Horn said it was not clear how the accident happened. - Sapa


Court security 'adequate' despite shooting

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The safety at Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court has come under the spotlight following the murder of Pastor Albern Martins.

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Cape Town - The safety of officials at Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court has come under the spotlight following the murder of Pastor Albern Martins, accused of abalone smuggling. He was gunned down outside the building on Friday.

On Wednesday, the Cape Argus asked staff members and the public about their safety concerns at the court.

While lawyers said it was business as usual for them, other court officials said they were afraid to attend court.

“We are scared but what can we do? We must work, we don’t have a choice,” said a woman who did not want to be named.

A teenage mother said she had gone to the nearby Blue Downs clinic Friday morning and had she gone a little later she might have been caught in the cross-fire.

Martins was shot in the head at point-blank range. There have been two other shootings at the court in recent years.

In September 2010, Phindile Nqabeni, 28, was killed inside the court building when he and two others tried to escape by overpowering a policeman in the holding cells and stealing his gun.

Four months earlier, 26s gang member Shahiem Samson was gunned down in front of bystanders outside the court.

Two rival 28s gang members were later arrested.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Eric Ntabazalila said:

“There are security measures in place and the NPA is satisfied with those measures.”

Justice Department regional head Hishaam Mohamed said he had not received any complaints from staff regarding safety concerns.

Last May, Mohamed told Weekend Argus that the department had improved security at eight courts - Wynberg, Cape Town, Bellville, Kuils River, Blue Downs, Athlone, Somerset West and Atlantis magistrate’s courts.

The upgrades included security cameras, improved access control measures and cell security.

jade.otto@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Deal to end taxi violence in Cape

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Cape Town taxi bosses say a peace deal negotiated this week will end the violence that has plagued the industry.

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Cape Town - Taxi bosses say a peace deal negotiated this week will end the violence that has plagued the industry.

On Wednesday, Transport MEC Robin Carlisle vowed to crack down on lawlessness at the Bellville taxi rank, but taxi bosses accused him of “living in the past”.

After a shooting, an assault on a senior official of the Provincial Regulating Entity and the forced removal of about 30 taxi drivers from the rank - all on Monday - Carlisle met with police and set up contingency plans to curb the ongoing violence. On Wednesday, extra police officers were deployed to monitor the rank.

But the Bellville Taxi Association (Bellta), which is at the heart of the fighting, said a peace deal brokered on Tuesday had brought a permanent end to the violence.

Bellta infighting saw four drivers murdered between June and September last year. At the time, the provincial government said it was aware of a hitlist containing the names of 17 other taxi operators.

Bellta spokesman Mvuyisi Mente explained that the infighting started when some members of the association decided to start an independent entity in 2011 - the Bellville Taxi Alliance (BTA).

“They, however, wanted to carry on operating on Bellta routes, did not rescind their membership and kept the permits that they held under the Bellta banner. It could never work. You cannot built a house within a house,” he said.

Disagreements between BTA members and Bellta faithful boiled over into violence, intimidation and assassinations.

On Wednesday, a meeting between members at Bellta’s head office was dominated by talk of bringing an end to the violence, Mente said.

Members of Bellta’s executive said BTA members had “repented” and that the peace deal had been solidified.

However, Mente would not assist the Cape Argus in speaking with other members in order to corroborate the resolution of the conflict.

The Cape Argus was chased away and threatened by Bellta members while attempting to locate a BTA member at the taxi rank.

Mente took a swipe at Carlisle, contesting the MEC’s claims that his department had engaged in a “long period of intense engagement” with the association.

“We could foresee the violence of recent days and warned the department, but they refused to partner with us in finding a solution,” Mente said.

Carlisle maintained that months of “intense discussions” with Bellta had not brought an end to the conflict.

He hit back at Bellta, saying a power struggle, resulting from Bellta’s failure to follow constitutional means in terms of electing new leaders, was at the heart of the violence.

Mente said Bellta would have an annual general meeting this month, during which new leadership would be elected.

Carlisle welcomed this news, but added that “seeing is believing”.

daneel.knoetze@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Constantia land claim settled

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A prime property in the heart of Constantia has been awarded to a city family forced out of the leafy suburb 50 years ago.

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Cape Town -

A prime property in the heart of Constantia – which could be worth hundreds of millions of rands – has been awarded to a Cape Town family forced out of the leafy suburb 50 years ago.

The Land Claims Court has awarded the Sadien family an 8.9-hectare, state-owned property, partly bordering Brommersvlei Road and Rathfelder Avenue.

Attorney Ighsaan Sadien is a member of the family who helped lodge the case. The property is now being used as a riding school for the disabled.

The family originally owned the Sillery Farm property until they were forced to sell it in 1963. Sillery farm has a prime location in Constantia Road and has previously been estimated to have a potential value of R134 million.

The Sadien family has been given the land after a lengthy court battle and Land Claims case. Three months ago the court first awarded them 10ha of alternative land in Constantia. But they discovered that the piece of land cited in the court order was only 2.6ha, worth about R2.5m, and that it was located more towards Meadowridge than Constantia.

Ighsaan Sadien approached the Land Claims Court seeking clarification. Acting Judge Mokotedi Mpshe has now amended his court order, instead awarding the family the 8.9ha piece of land. His amended order was handed down last month, but only came to light this week.

It was not immediately clear how the property is zoned or its exact worth in its current state. Mike Greeff, founder of Greeff-Christies Properties, said if the property was zoned for residential use, sub-divided into plots the same size as the surrounding erven and installed with services – such as a boundary wall, water and electricity connections, and roads – he would estimate that the property had a potential value of between R210m and R250m.

The property, he said, was located in a prime part of Constantia. “It’s in a beautiful area with stunning, north-facing views,” said Greeff.

Sadien said while it wasn’t exactly 10ha, the family was satisfied.

“We had to go with the 8.9ha land because the court made an error and this is the closest (piece of available land) to what the court decided,” he said. “The family is happy with it.”

His only concern was that there was a horse riding school on the land. According to a sign at an entrance to the property, SA Riding for the Disabled operates on the premises.

The SA Riding for the Disabled Association, however, has not been notified of the decision. “We have a lease in place and we pay rent,” said public liaison Donnaveen Howe. “We’ve had no notification of this and, therefore, cannot comment.”

Sadien said he would meet the City of Cape Town and the Land Claims Commission to address the matter of the riding school, as well as discuss transferring the title deed into the family’s name.

The family was yet to decide what they would do with the land. Most of them wanted to move back and live on the land; however, he expected this would take at least three to five years to materialise.

Dout Sadien originally bought the Sillery Farm in 1902, using it for agricultural purposes. His five sons bought the property from his estate in 1958 for about R22 000, but the family was forced to sell under the Group Areas Act. Jacob Badenhorst bought Sillery for R13 550 in 1963, R8 450 less than the sons paid for it five years earlier. The property is now owned by an entity, of which one of Badenhorst’s descendants is a director, which planned to develop the land.

leila.samodien@inl.co.za

Cape Times

Cape bars to close at 2am

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The Liquor Trading Days and Hours by-law comes into effect on April 1, and the announcement has drawn mixed reactions.

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Cape Town - The Liquor Trading Days and Hours by-law comes into effect on April 1, says the City of Cape Town in an announcement that has drawn mixed reactions from local liquor traders.

The by-law requires selling of liquor to cease by 2am, regardless of the type of licence. Premises can apply for an extension until 4am.

“The by-law seeks to strike a balance between the social effects of alcohol abuse, potential disruption and the reasonable sale of alcohol for the hospitality sector,” said councillor Garreth Bloor, the mayoral committee member for economic, environmental and spatial planning.

Bloor said the by-law eliminated confusion and would help to obviate alcohol’s malign influence on crime.

Some venues seemed perplexed.

“As far as I know, liquor licences expire at the end of December, and our licence entitles us to trade until 4am,” said Vaughn Cragg, owner of popular nightclub The Loop.

Cragg said the city had not told him that the by-law would come into effect next month. All he had heard were rumours.

Café Royale owner Sasha Barolsky said he had not been officially informed either.

“Those extra two hours of trading they’re taking are very important and could affect a lot more than turnover.” This included jobs, and could lead to an increase in complaints about noise. “People are going to have more house parties now because no one wants to stop drinking at 2am.”

Vusa Mazula, owner of Zula Sound Bar in Long Street, hoped they would be granted an extension. “Otherwise it will negatively affect us.“

The by-law will not curtail trading at GrandWest casino. A spokesman said they had already secured an extension to trade until 4am.

City hotels will also not be affected by the by-law, says Adderley Hotel general manager Dewald van der Berg.

There will be limited alcohol sales on Sundays, but local wineries can still trade from their tasting rooms.

sibusisiwe.lwandle@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Kraaifontein murder accused denied bail

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Johannes de Jager, the man who allegedly murdered and dismembered Charmaine Mare in Kraaifontein, has been denied bail.

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Cape Town - The man who allegedly murdered and dismembered 16-year-old Charmaine Mare in Kraaifontein has been denied bail in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s court.

On Wednesday, magistrate Francis Makhamandela said Johannes de Jager had failed to provide exceptional circumstances to warrant his release on bail. Makhamandela said De Jager was charged with a schedule six offence because the murder was allegedly committed after De Jager tried to rape Charmaine.

The court heard during De Jager’s bail application last month that he allegedly made repeated sexual advances to Charmaine in January.

De Jager had been living with his girlfriend Carol White in Windsor Park for three years before the January 11 murder. Charmaine, from Mpumalanga, had come to Cape Town on January 3 to stay with White and her daughter Kristen, with whom she was friends. But White, Kristen and De Jager’s son had gone on a boat trip to Namibia and left Charmaine with De Jager, 48.

He is alleged to have killed Charmaine because she rejected his sexual advances. The court heard that Charmaine made cellphone recordings of conversations between her and De Jager in which he allegedly pursued her. She sent messages to someone back home and ran to a house in the area to seek money from an estate agent to get away from De Jager, but she was unsuccessful.

“It saddens the court to hear that the victim was trying to fight for her life, she must have died trying to fight for her life,” Makhamandela said.

Releasing De Jager on bail knowing that this case was pending and that he faced another, of a similar nature in the Atlantis Magistrate’s Court, would send the wrong message.

In the Atlantis case, De Jager is alleged to have raped and killed a 19-year-old prostitute in 2008. That case was withdrawn against him twice but after he was charged with Charmaine’s murder, police re-arrested him in connection with the first case.

Makhamandela said the murder of Charmaine and those of four other teenagers who were killed in February had caused “shock and outrage”.

She found that there was a likelihood that De Jager would influence and intimidate witnesses because he had allegedly made contact with White via his brother. There was also a strong likelihood De Jager would destroy evidence based on how he allegedly disposed of Charmaine’s body. He had maimed her body and dumped it in a drain near White’s home but removed it soon afterwards. De Jager is back in court on June 20.

jade.otto@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

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