A Rastafarian pupil who was ordered to stay away from school until he cut his dreadlocks has been allowed to return.

 Cape Town - A Western Cape Rastafarian pupil who was ordered to stay away from school until he cut his dreadlocks has been allowed to return, Equal Education (EE) said on Thursday.

The non-governmental organisation met the principal of Siphamandla High School in Khayelitsha, the school's governing body (SGB), and staff on Wednesday to discuss the pupil's grievances, said EE chairwoman Yoliswa Dwane.

“It was agreed that the learner would be allowed back into school and that a catch-up plan would be provided,” said Dwane.

He would not have to cut his hair.

The Cape Times reported last week that the Grade 10 pupil Sikhokele Diniso was told to leave the school last month.

The education department said at the time Diniso could return to school as he had not been suspended.

Department spokeswoman Bronagh Casey said that according to the school principal, the pupil was asked to bring his parents to discuss the matter.

“The boy returned with his brother. The principal insisted on discussing the matter with the parents.

“The parents eventually met the principal and agreed that the son should clean, comb, and tie his hair. The boy did not want to do this,” said Casey.

The EE said on Thursday it had dealt with similar cases in the past and had found that the education department failed to properly address the situation.

“While learners are eventually allowed back into school, to date there has been no official apology by the principals or by the Western Cape education department to affected learners for the violations to their dignity,” said Dwane.

She said the department had failed to respond to requests to release a circular to all schools providing clarity on the legal position that schools reasonably accommodate pupils' religious beliefs.

“This is unacceptable because affected learners are forced to lose out on crucial learning and teaching time and are also subjected to verbal abuse and prejudice because of their religion,” she said.

However, the education department said it had addressed the matter.

“Schools may ask parents to submit a letter from a religious teacher or organisation to substantiate a request to deviate from the dress code,” said Casey.

“The department has (also) provided training to school governing bodies on their roles and responsibilities following the SGB elections last year.

“These roles and responsibilities include drafting codes of conduct and dress codes, and disciplinary procedures, in line with constitutional values and the law,” said Casey. - Sapa

The proposed N1-N2 Winelands toll project in Cape Town will be different to Gauteng's e-tolling system, Sanral said.

 Cape Town - The proposed N1-N2 Winelands toll project in Cape Town will be different to Gauteng's e-tolling system, the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) said on Thursday.

Spokesman Vusi Mona said Gauteng would have an open road tolling system with no booths on the roads, whereas Cape Town would have toll plazas with an option for motorists to pay manually.

In Cape Town, Sanral would appoint a concessionaire on a build, operate, and transfer basis to finance and maintain the road.

The City of Cape Town has taken legal steps to stop the project.

On May 16, the Western Cape High Court will hear the city's application to stop Sanral from taking further steps to implement the proposed project.

Sanral said earlier in the day that e-tolling on Gauteng roads would begin within the next two months. - Sapa

More than 2600 new homes in Joe Slovo settlement in Cape Town will be fitted with solar-powered geysers.

Cape Town - More than 2600 new homes in Joe Slovo settlement in Cape Town will be fitted with solar-powered geysers, the human settlements department announced on Thursday.

The multi-million rand project, which would be funded by the Danish government, was launched by Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale.

“(The households) will receive solar-powered geysers as part of government’s programme to create better living conditions for residents of the former Joe Slovo informal settlement,” the department said in a statement.

“The units will be fitted with 2639 solar geysers at a cost of R18 million.”

It said the houses had been specifically designed to accommodate the water-heating equipment. - Sapa

Judge Patrick Maqubela's widow has denied knowing her husband was dead the day she went to Cape Town International Airport to meet him.

Cape Town - Judge Patrick Maqubela's widow Thandi has denied knowing her husband was dead the day she went to Cape Town International Airport to meet him.

Prosecutor Bonnie Currie-Gamwo put this proposition to her on Thursday in the Western Cape High Court, where she is on trial for her husband's death.

“I put it to you that you... had had no intention that day of meeting him at the airport. When you left your husband in the apartment that morning, he was already dead.”

Maqubela replied: “That is not true, but maybe someone was shadowing me. I do not know.”

Maqubela has been under intense cross-examination the whole week.

Most of the questions focused on cellphone “mapping”, and records of calls and sms messages and their content.

Her husband was an acting judge in the Western Cape High Court at the time of his death.

Mapping technology can show where a particular cellphone is at any given time of the day or night. If, for instance, a cellphone is in Sandton, Johannesburg, it will trigger a cellphone base station in the vicinity, indicating that whoever has the cellphone is in the area.

Maqubela claimed that on June 5, 2009, the day her husband was allegedly murdered, she left their Bantry Bay apartment early in the morning.

She was to meet him at the airport at midday, when they would take a flight together to their second home in the Eastern Cape.

She claimed her husband did not arrive and that he also failed to respond to several sms messages from her asking where he was.

Currie-Gamwo said according to records of the trigger process, the judge's cellphone was not in the apartment, but was either in his wife's possession, or that of someone near to her.

This suggested either that someone was following her, or that she knowingly had her husband's cellphone in her possession at the airport.

“What strikes me about all the sms messages between you and your husband, is that your sms messages to him are in cellphone shorthand (with) the use of the digit '2' in place of the word to, for example, whereas your husband's smses contained proper language and full sentences.”

Maqubela replied: “I don't think so.”

Currie-Gamwo suggested Maqubela had used her deceased husband's cellphone to send an sms to their children in Johannesburg on the day of his alleged murder, giving the children the impression the messages had come from him, when in fact he was dead.

“You sent the sms messages yourself, with his cellphone, didn't you?” Currie-Gamwo asked.

Maqubela replied: “I did not.”

The trial continues on Monday. - Sapa

A Cape Town man has confessed to stabbing a policeman to death over a suspected affair with his wife.

Cape Town - A Mfuleni man has pleaded guilty to murdering a policeman he suspected of having an affair with his wife.

He then buried Constable Monwabisi Wilford Mnyombolo’s body in a shallow grave in his backyard in October 2009.

Barnabas Sentiwe and his wife, Phumza Veli, appeared in the Western Cape High Court on Thursday.

Veli is accused of being an accessory to murder after the fact, but was not asked to plead.

Sentiwe has entered into a plea and sentence agreement with the State. His lawyer, Penelope Magona, started reading the agreement into the record on Thursday.

In it, Sentiwe admitted that he went to Mnyombolo’s house on the evening of October 24, 2009 and accused him of having an affair with Veli. An argument ensued and Sentiwe stabbed Mnyombolo.

Sentiwe then carried the body home and buried it in the backyard of his Krom Street house.

In April the following year, Sentiwe sold his house to Moses Njovana and Mizana Paul.

Fourteen months later, in May 2011, Paul saw a piece of cloth sticking out of the sand.

She tugged at it, and discovered it was part of a pair of tracksuit pants. Bones fell out of the pants on to the sand.

She called her neighbour, who confirmed that the pants had belonged to his brother, Mnyombolo.

Forensic tests were done and the bones were identified as Mnyombolo’s.

Sentiwe admitted that he had stabbed Mnyombolo once in the chest, which caused his death.

He had agreed to a term of 20 years in prison for the crime, but Judge Robert Henney said he could not finalise the case on Thursday, because he could not convict Sentiwe on the basis of the plea bargain unless he was satisfied that the sentence was just.

Judge Henney asked the prosecution and defence whether the minimum sentence of life imprisonment - at least 25 years - for the murder of a police officer was applicable when an officer was not killed in the line of duty.

The judge asked if whether a minimum sentence of 15 years was possibly suitable.

Judge Henney postponed the case to Friday so the parties could research the issue and report back to the court. - Cape Argus

Councillor Barbara Rass has called for the state to bring back capital punishment after a shooting in Atlantis.

Cape Town -

Two people died and one was injured in a brazen shooting outside the Atlantis Magistrate’s Court on Thursday at about 1pm.

Atlantis councillor Barbara Rass, whose office is opposite the court, said people fled from the court building, screaming in panic.

Two men, aged 28 and 23, were shot and killed, and another was wounded and taken to hospital.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Andre Traut said the shooting happened at about 12.50pm, and police were still looking for the gunmen.

Police had “no idea” what had led to the shooting. They were investigating.

He said the wounded man was not critical.

Rass said: “After 1pm, as the court was closing, everyone came out together. We heard two shots in the court direction and then three more shots.”

She called on the state to bring back capital punishment for killers who had no respect for the law.

“Three people were shot. One person died behind the court and another managed to run, but then fell down.

“He was rushed to the hospital where he died. A third man was shot in the arm and leg.”

She added: “Atlantis is in mourning. Many years ago there was also a shooting outside this court and recently there have been a lot of hits in the area. It’s all about grudges and territory between gangs.”

She called for more police visibility and cameras outside court.

“Every Saturday I'm attending a funeral and that is not okay.”

On Wednesday, metro police officers swooped on suspected drug dens and gang safe houses in Lavender Hill.

“Operation Choke” was in response to the murder of traffic officer Wesley Woodman in Prince George Drive last week while he was fining a motorist, Shuaib Arafdien. It is believed Arafdien, who also died, was a member of the Junkie Funkies gang, and was the target. - Cape Argus

Anni Dewani’s family will not rest until they’ve heard Shrien Dewani’s account of her death.

Cape Town - It has been almost two years of “torture” for Anni Dewani’s family. But on Thursday there was moment of relief after British courts heard that the mental condition of Shrien Dewani, who faces trial in South Africa for allegedly killing his bride, had improved.

The 33-year-old British businessman, who denies arranging the murder of his wife Anni on a honeymoon in Cape Town, has been fighting extradition to South Africa for more than two years on the grounds that he is depressed and suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

But on Thursday, the UK’s Press Association reported that prosecutor Ben Watson told the Westminster Magistrate’s Court: “He has improved, and improved significantly.”

Dewani’s recovery comes as a small blessing in a dark time for Anni’s family, who have seen numerous delays in court proceedings as a troubled Dewani was moved from clinic to clinic over the last two years.

His prolonged battle with mental illness, following Anni’s death, has been marked by reported suicide attempts and relapses which have kept him out of the courts.

Dewani is being treated at a hospital in Bristol for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“It was a big relief... We are just hoping for closure,” Anni’s uncle, Ashok Hindocha, told the Cape Argus on Thursday. “There were five people in that car, three of them are behind bars, only one man there hasn’t given us an answer.”

Anni, 28, was shot when the taxi in which she and her husband were travelling was hijacked in Gugulethu in November 2010. Taxi driver Zola Tongo later admitted that Dewani had paid him R15 000 to kill Anni. Tongo was sentenced to 18 years in jail.

The cash was shared with his accomplices - Mziwamadoda Qwabe and Xolile Mngeni.

Qwabe was sentenced to 25 years in prison after he admitted that he shot Anni, while Mngeni was convicted last year for firing the shot that killed her. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Hindocha said the news of Dewani’s recovery represented a “huge and positive” step in the right direction. Last month, Anni’s family released pictures which they argued proved she was killed in cold blood.

The pictures, published exclusively by Britain’s The Sun newspaper, show a £25 000 (R340 000) ring belonging to Anni on the seat of the taxi in which she was killed.

“These pictures tell their own story,” her uncle told the paper. If this was a robbery, why would they leave a £25 000 ring behind?

“We just want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth,” Hindocha said.

He confirmed that the family, including Anni’s parents, would attend Dewani’s next court appearance in the Westminster Magistrate’s Court in July.

“When it moves back to South Africa, we’ll be flying down. We will be in court until this is over.”

However, prosecutor Ben Watson warned that the businessman was still “moderately depressed” and was still suffering from moderate post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dewani was excused from attending Thursday’s hearing because of the risk to his improving mental health.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said that while Dewani’s health was improving, it had to be noted he still had not completely recovered: “There was a court ruling that said until he has recovered he will remain in England.”

At this time an extradition back to South Africa cannot take place, but Ntabazalila said it was still extremely positive news.

“Our aim is still to get him back to South Africa, to make him come and stand in court and answer all the allegations we put to him.” - Cape Argus

An American tourist who got lost while hiking up Table Mountain was forced to spend the night on an overhang.

Cape Town - An American tourist was airlifted from Table Mountain after getting lost and spending the night on an overhang.

The hiker, who was on holiday from New York, had set off up the mountain with a group of friends on Wednesday evening.

But at some point, she decided to go ahead on her own, venturing further up one of the popular mountain’s several climbs.

Emergency Medical Services spokesperson Keri Davids said that by 6pm, as night began to fall, the visitor became lost on one of the sections of the mountain near Kasteelspoort.

“She knew it was too late for her to walk back because it was dark and she decided to spend the night on the mountain,” said Davids.

SANParks senior section ranger Hilton Blumeris said that the hiker took cover on a ledge.

“She was lost and disorientated and not prepared for the night. She didn’t even have any torches,” he said.

Tour guide Leonard McMillan, who was leading a group up the mountain the following day, heard her screams.

“I heard someone shouting, and at first I didn’t know where it was coming from.

“I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but she sounded like she was in distress. I thought she was hurt.”

McMillan, who has been leading groups up the mountain for almost seven years, quickly realised that the lost hiker was on a ledge more than 100m above him and phoned Wilderness Search and Rescue for help.

“I couldn’t really scramble up there myself, it looked really dangerous... I think she must’ve mistaken part of the mountain as a path and taken a wrong turn... It was out of the way.”

Davids said that the tourist was airlifted from the ledge and taken to safety.

“She wasn’t injured; there were no medical concerns.”

The hiker told the Cape Argus she wasn’t prepared to speak to the media.

Table Mountain Action Group spokesperson Andre van Schalkwyk said it was very easy to get lost on the mountain.

“The weather can change quickly and it can become disorientating.”

He warned hikers to be prepared.

“Wear warm clothing, carry food with you and hold on to your phones so you can call for help.” - Cape Argus

Thandi Maqubela believes someone else had her husband Patrick Maqubela’s cellphone at the time of his death.

Cape Town - Someone in possession of the late acting judge Patrick Maqubela’s cellphone had been following his wife, Thandi Maqubela, around the time of his death, she has told the Western Cape High Court.

This was the explanation she gave to the court for the fact that, on the day of the acting judge’s death, his phone was found to be near her at all times.

The State alleges the acting judge was killed by his wife and co-accused Vela Mabena on June 5, 2009.

They have both pleaded not guilty to the charge while Maqubela also faces charges of forgery and fraud relating to her husband’s will.

On Thursday, State advocate Bonnie Currie-Gamwo questioned cellphone evidence which showed that the late acting judge’s phone and the widow’s cellphones were “travelling in the same path” on the day he is believed to have died.

It had previously emerged that SMSes were sent from his phone that appeared to be triggering the same base stations as those of Maqubela’s phone.

The evidence appears in the cellphone billing records before court.

The court had also previously heard that cellphone calls were made to Thandi Maqubela’s business associates from her husband’s cellphone that Friday in 2009.

Currie-Gamwo accused Maqubela of being in possession of her husband’s cellphone and of sending messages from it.

But Maqubela denied this. She mentioned an earlier incident in which her husband had claimed to have been followed, and referred to another SMS in the court record which appeared to back this. “In the bundle there is a message about following, ‘these Zuma people are following me’,” she replied.

“Are you suggesting someone was following you?” asked Currie-Gamwo.

“It is possible,” she replied.

“Who?”

“I don’t know.”

Presiding Judge Murphy asked whether Maqubela was insinuating that the person who was following her had used her husband’s phone to send messages to her business associates and to her.

Maqubela replied: “I suppose.”

Judge Murphy: “Isn’t it strange that your husband’s phone would phone only the people you knew?”

“It is strange, my lord.”

The State also claims that Maqubela had a hand in a call made to the late acting judge’s registrar, Joy Ely-Hanslo, saying he was in hospital. And that Maqubela had deliberately missed a meeting with her husband at Cape Town International Airport because in reality she had no plans to meet him.

“Just like you made up all those stories, because you were never going to meet him, because he was dead,” Currie Gamwo charged.

Maqubela denied the State’s claims. - Cape Argus

Almost 500 Western Cape pupils who repeatedly failed Grade 10 have been “progressed” to the next grade in line with government requirements.

Cape Town - About 480 Western Cape pupils who had repeatedly failed Grade 10 by the end of 2012 have been moved to Grade 11.

Bronagh Casey, spokesperson for Education MEC Donald Grant, said the pupils were “progressed” to Grade 11 in February.

This came after requirements stating a pupil may only be “retained” once in the Further Education and Training phase (grades 10 to 12), were published in the Government Gazette in December.

Asked how the department would assess if these children were coping in their new grade, Casey said this was being monitored by the districts.

“Educators dealt with each learner individually to ensure they received extra support to catch up with the curriculum.”

David Millar, provincial chairperson of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation, said the union had asked the Minister of Basic Education to retract the regulations.

Last month the union said many pupils pushed through the Further Education and Training phase after being retained once, would not be able to pass the Grade 12 final exam.

Wayne Klaasen, deputy chairperson of the school governing body of Kuils River Technical High School, said all Grade 10 pupils whose failures had been appealed against had progressed to Grade 11.

In a statement in February the school’s governing body said it was not only disappointed, but aggrieved by “this unilateral decision which totally disregards the resource capabilities of schools and the ability of school governing bodies to fund progressions at this late stage”.

On Thursday, Klaasen said the affected pupils had not written exams in the first term because they still had to catch up with the Grade 11 work. - Cape Argus

Cape Town's public participation process relating to the liquor trading days and hours by-law begins next week.

 Cape Town - Cape Town's public participation process relating to the liquor trading days and hours by-law begins next Friday, the city said

“The city calls on residents to comment on the... by-law, which (is) up for revision,” Garreth Bloor, economic, environmental and spatial planning mayoral committee member said on Friday.

The city is reviewing certain aspects of the by-law relating specifically to the implementation of revised trading hours, and a Sunday prohibition on the sale of liquor from licensed premises.

This follows a request from the city council last month to consider and initiate amendments to the by-law.

The council recommended that off-site consumption be permitted on application by licence holders in certain categories, excluding local business and residential areas.

As it stands, the by-law states that licensed businesses may sell liquor for off-site consumption from Monday to Saturday between 9am and 6pm.

No liquor may be sold off-site on a Sunday, except for wineries, which can trade from their tasting rooms on that day. - Sapa

Police have arrested and charged two people in connection with a fatal shooting outside Atlantis Magistrate’s Court.

Cape Town - Police have arrested and charged two people in connection with a fatal shooting outside the Atlantis Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

The men, both in their early twenties, were arrested last night and are due to appear in the same court on Monday.

Two men, aged 28 and 23, were shot and killed and another was wounded in a brazen shooting outside the court on Thursday at about 1pm. The wounded man was taken to hospital and was in a stable condition this morning.

Police said that they had “no idea” what had led to the shooting.

Atlantis councillor Barbara Rass, whose office is opposite the court, said people fled the building in panic.

She said one person died behind the court. “Another managed to run, but fell down. He was rushed to the hospital, where he died. A third man was shot in the arm and leg.

“Atlantis is in mourning. Many years ago, there was also a shooting outside this court and recently there have been a lot of hits in the area. It’s all about grudges and territory between gangs.” She called for more police visibility and cameras outside court.

Although Rass commended police for their quick action and success in the latest arrests, they come against a backdrop of mounting criticism of Atlantis police. Rass said murders had increased in recent months, yet the conviction rate had been very low. She called for a commission of inquiry into the spate of murders and the local police station’s response to them.

MP Denise Robinson, constituency head for Atlantis, said the community was living in fear and witnesses and informants refused to come forward, fearing they would not get adequate protection in return for testimony.

Metro police officers swooped on suspected drug dens and gang safe houses in Lavender Hill on Thursday.

Operation Choke was in response to the murder of traffic officer Wesley Woodman in Prince George Drive last week while he was fining Shuaib Arafdien. It is believed Arafdien, who also died, was a member of the Junkie Funkies gang, and was the target.

Cape Argus

A policeman and five civilians were arrested in connection with an armed robbery in Montague Gardens.

Cape Town - A policeman, who was using a police vehicle, and five civilians were arrested in connection with an armed robbery in Montague Gardens last night.

Six people approached a 33-year-old Chinese man at his business in Marconi Road at about 8.55pm and robbed him of a “substantial” amount of cash, said police liaison officer Lieutenant Colonel André Traut.

The six, one of whom was dressed in a police uniform, fled the scene in three vehicles, including a black Mercedes-Benz Vito bus.

Flying Squad members, on patrol in Voortrekker Road, Bellville, spotted the Vito and gave chase. After a brief pursuit, the vehicle was brought to a stop and the occupants, who tried to flee, were arrested.

One suspect was shot in the foot during the fracas.

“One of the six suspects was identified as a 31-year-old police constable, while the other five are civilians,” Traut said. “Three suspects are still being sought. The Mercedes vehicle is also the property of the SAPS.

“Crimes perpetrated by our members are viewed in a very serious light and every endeavour will be made to get rid of them. Police members who are under the perception that they are above the law should seriously reconsider their thoughts.”

Cape Argus

The State conceded to a lower sentence for a man who admitted to killing a Cape Town policeman.

 Cape Town - The State conceded to a lower sentence for a man who admitted to killing a Cape Town policeman, in the Western Cape High Court on Friday.

Barnabas Sentiwe had entered into a plea and sentencing agreement on Thursday, in which he agreed to a 20-year jail term for the death of Constable Monwabisi Mnyombolo,

However, Judge Robert Henney had ordered both legal teams to research the sentencing guidelines for the killing of police officers and report back to court, to ensure the sentence handed down was fair.

He said that certain provisions of the Criminal Procedures Act were not relevant, as Mnyombolo was not killed in the line of duty.

“Whether a private (matter) or on-duty, the murder had nothing to do with being a policeman... He was just a mere neighbour of the accused,” Henney said.

The State conceded that 15 years was a suitable sentence.

Henney postponed the matter until Monday, for the plea agreement to be revised and signed.

According to the Cape Argus, Sentiwe admitted he went to the policeman's house on October 24, 2009, and accused him of having an affair with his wife, Phumza Veli, a co-accused in the case.

An argument ensued and Sentiwe stabbed Mnyombolo.

He then carried the body home and buried it in the backyard of his Mfuleni home.

In April the following year, he sold the house. In May 2011, the owners of the house saw a piece of cloth sticking out of the sand, pulled it and discovered a pair of pants with bones.

Forensic tests were done and the bones were identified as belonging to Mnyombolo.

Veli has been accused as an accessory after the fact, but was not asked to plead.

The court heard on Friday that charges against her may be withdrawn.

Her legal team asked for her to be released on warning until Monday, so that she could stay with relatives in the province.

The relatives were not present to assist the court in the request and Henney ruled both would remain in custody. - Sapa

Whilma Liedeman uses a wheelchair to get around. It’s not easy in Cape Town - as mayco member Brett Herron discovered for himself.

Cape Town - It took wheelchair-bound Whilma Liedeman three years to find a job.

Then she faced a new problem - how to travel from her home in Atlantis to her new office in Montague Gardens.

“Dial-a-ride, which carries disabled people, was always booked up,” said Liedeman. “I’d come so far, and then it seemed that I would stumble at this last block.”

Last October, she tweeted a message to Brett Herron, mayco member for transport, and challenged him to spend a day in a wheelchair and find out what life in Cape Town is like for someone with a disability.

It took a few months, but on Thursday Herron took up the challenge. He invited Liedeman, who has since made an arrangement to get to work, as well as members of the media and members of disability awareness associations to join him.

The exercise was an opportunity for the city to show its commitment to the principle of “universal accessibility” through expanding the MyCiTi bus network. It also doubled up as an opportunity to receive input from disabled people about the challenges they faced getting around Cape Town.

Liedeman kicked off by complaining about the ramps that extend from the buses to the bus stop platforms.

She said the dip between the platform and ramp made it very difficult to enter the bus without help.

Anthony Ghillino, project manager for the QuadPara Association of the Western Cape and a quadriplegic for the past 20 years, agreed: “Disabled people want independence. Even half a centimetre can be the difference between an access point being accessible or not. It’s such obstacles, and not disabilities, that disable people.”

At Cape Town station, Mthuthuzeli Swartz, Cape Metrorail regional manager, told the party that the current system dated from an era when accessibility was not a priority.

But Metrorail was aware of the shortcomings, he said, and new stations and trains being introduced on the Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain lines in 2015 would be accessible.

Herron, still sitting in a wheelchair, concluded the exercise with a message of thanks: “It was a challenge. I expected to experience physical exhaustion. Surprisingly, it was not my body, but physical barriers that were outside of my control that impeded me.

“These challenges can’t be fixed overnight, but through incremental changes and keeping a ‘universal access policy’ high on the city’s agenda we can begin to make inroads. We have seen today that there are no halfway marks, either we achieve universal accessibility or we fail.”

Did you know?

- The mirrors in lifts are designed to help people in wheelchairs when reversing out.

- Disabled parking bays are close to shopping mall entrances partly to avoid the risk of people in wheelchairs being run over. The reduced height of a person in a wheelchair can make it difficult for drivers to spot them.

- The ribbed concrete tiles at bus stops, on pavements and at zebra crossings are there to direct visually impaired people.

- Most ATMs are inaccessible to people in wheelchairs since reaching the keypad is difficult from a seated position, and the parallax associated with a seated angle means the buttons next to the screen don’t line up with the appropriate options. - Cape Argus

The Constitutional Court refused Western Cape education MEC Donald Grant leave to appeal a decision to keep 17 schools in the province open.

 Bloemfontein - The Constitutional Court on Friday refused Western Cape education MEC Donald Grant leave to appeal a decision to keep 17 schools in the province open, the SA Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) said.

The union's Western Cape branch said in a statement it was ecstatic about the news.

On December 21 last year the Western Cape High Court granted the schools, their governing bodies and Sadtu an urgent interdict halting the closures. The Democratic Alliance and Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga had opposed the union's court application to keep the schools open.

Grant's spokeswoman Bronagh Casey said the Constitutional Court based Friday's decision on the fact that the Western Cape High Court was still going to review his decision to close the schools. This would happen in May.

“(The MEC) looks forward to the review in May and is confident that the outcome of this process will be favourable,” she said.

Grant had intended closing 20 schools in the province by the end of 2012. Three were closed on December 31.

Sadtu said the money spent on legal proceedings could have been used to improve some schools.

“We don't know how he will explain to premier 1/8Helen 3/8 Zille and the taxpayers that he has wasted their money. We are livid because this money could have been used to provide infrastructure to schools, more books, libraries, computer labs and reduce class sizes in poor working class communities.”

Casey said closing down certain schools in the province was not about race or politics.

“It is about the better opportunities the learner will receive at his or her new school.” - Sapa

An advert for a room to rent has sparked outrage because it specified "for white males or females only".

Cape Town - An advert for a room to rent in Edgemead has sparked outrage because it specified that it was available “for white males or females only”.

The advert, printed in a hand-out called Business Home Ads brochure, has been slammed by the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) as worrying.

Furthermore, the company, which distributes 16 000 copies to nine suburbs in Cape Town, does not see any harm in carrying such material.

The advert read: “Furnished room to rent in Edgemead available immediately… for white male(s) or females only.”

A concerned Edgemead resident, who spotted the advert, but did not want to be named, said: “My blood is boiling because of this.”

The man, who said he had been living in the suburb for quite a while, said: “Some people here are vindictive, nasty and racist… While it’s safe living here, some of the behaviour is unacceptable.

“I’m also disappointed at the publishers and this landlord in particular because there are so many decent black, coloured and white people living in Edgemead.”

When the Weekend Argus called the number on the advert, a woman answered the phone and curtly responded that, “The room had been taken”.

After questioning the content of the controversial advert, she would only say, “It’s confidential”, before hanging up.

The full advert, seen by Weekend Argus, reads: “Furnished room to rent in Edgemead. Available immediately. Also room to rent available first May. Non-smokers, only white(s) or females. Near shopping centre, launderette, transport (and) secure parking.”

Business Home Ads, the company which produces the Home Ads brochure, said there was nothing wrong with the advert.

Home Ads manager Jose Britos said: “The advert is racist according to who? (sic). Advertisers pay for what (sic) ads to be placed and we can’t be held accountable.”

But the SAIRR disagreed strongly.

“We definitely condemn the advert,” SAIRR spokeswoman Lucy Holborn said.

“While we cannot say whether incidents like these are common or not, it is worrying that we are still discussing this type of racism today.”

The country had come a long way in terms of finding this sort of racial discrimination unacceptable, Holborn added.

“Besides the racism displayed by the landlord, it is naive of them to think they can buck a very real and lasting trend of racial integration that has been occurring for a long time now in many of our suburbs, particularly in more affluent and bigger cities.”

An advertising expert, Naz Davids, said: “Simply put, in the advertising world we are not allowed to discriminate at all.

“An ad must be applicable and accommodative to all races.

“I don’t agree with what the company in question did (placing a racist ad).”

There have been several incidents in recent years where landlords or property owners have fallen foul of crude and discriminatory practices.

Leon Schuster and his alter -ego, Mr Bones, hit the headlines in 2008 when it emerged that the sequel to Mr Bones was being filmed at a resort that is open only to whites.

The Broederstroom Vakansie-Oord near Hartbeespoort Dam in North West had been in the news for its racist policies previously when in 2005 Dominic Black and his family were kicked out of the resort because they were accompanied by two black children.

After a complaint to the SA Human Rights Commission, the resort owners were fined R10 000 and ordered to change their racist policy.

Also in 2005, a Durban fashion outlet sparked a raging row when it put up posters banning fat people from applying for jobs.

The Apples clothing factory shop in Brickhill Road put up job adverts which stated: “Wanted pretty ‘black’ floor supervisor. No fatties”.

A second poster blared out the following job offer: “Wanted. Smart ‘white’ salesladies, supervisors – no chancers”.

The HRC said at the time: “Weight has nothing to do with the requirements of the job and it may well be seen as discriminatory.”

Weekend Argus

The 26-year-old man accused of the murder of a traffic officer and a motorist was out on bail at the time of the murders.

Cape Town - The 26-year-old man accused of the murder of traffic officer Wesley Woodman and motorist Shaib Arafdien was out on bail on a possession of an illegal firearm charge when the murder was committed.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Eric Ntabazalila confirmed that Quinton Ashley Cordom has a pending case of illegal possession of a firearm against him.

Cordom made his second appearance in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court yesterday in connection with the shooting and killing of Woodman and Arafdien, an alleged member of the Junkie Funkies gang.

Prosecutor Kepler Uys asked the case to be rolled over to Monday as the organised crime component of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions would take over the case. Magistrate Hafiza Mohammed agreed to the request.

It is the State’s case that Cordom shot Woodman while he was issuing a traffic fine to Arafdien along Prince George Drive, near Lavender Hill, on April 3. He then turned the gun on Arafdien.

Arafdien, who was hit in the head, died at the scene while Woodman, who was shot in the chest, died in Groote Schuur Hospital later. Woodman’s service pistol was stolen.

Woodman’s funeral will be held today at St John’s Church in Bothasig.

Woodman left behind his wife Colleen and children Jenna-Beth, 10, four-year-old Jared and three-year-old Cole.

It is believed that the shooting was gang- related.

It is alleged that Cordom gave the firearm to a 20-year-old Retreat man, identified as Sherwin Patric Cupido, who was later arrested.

The State did not oppose Cupido’s release on R500 bail. Cupido will reappear in court on July 19 to allow for further investigation.

Meanwhile, metro police have cracked down on crime in Lavender Hill as part of Operation Choke. JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security, said the operation was “retaliation” for the murder of Woodman.

kowthar.solomons@inl.co.za

Weekend Argus

The government condemned all forms of violence against homosexuals following the assault of a gay man in a Cape Town township.

Cape Town - The government on Saturday condemned all forms of violence against homosexuals following the assault of a gay man in a Cape Town township.

“Government condemns in the strongest terms possible and reiterates its commitment to fight all forms of hate crimes perpetrated against lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and inter-sex people in South Africa,” said acting Cabinet spokeswoman Phumla Williams.

The Times reported on Friday that Lunga Voko was beaten and left unconscious by a group of men because he was gay in an area near Khayelitsha.

Voko's attackers allegedly inspected his penis to verify if he had been circumcised.

They were enraged after finding that he was and beat him up.

Voko celebrated his 23rd birthday on Easter Sunday and was attacked while walking home with his friends.

He was allegedly beaten with an iron rod and was unconscious.

While down, one person fired a gun, and a piece of Vuko's right ear was torn off, the newspaper reported.

He was taken to Groote Schuur Hospital and later discharged.

Williams said every citizen had an inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected, as enshrined in the Constitution.

“As government we are committed to fight all forms of crime, including violence against gay and lesbian people. The South African Police Service are currently investigating the case and we are confident that justice shall prevail,” Williams said.

Earlier in the week, the Zulu Royal household described a traditional Zulu marriage of two gay men in KwaDukuza, KwaZulu-Natal, as “unholy”.

Cameron Modisane and Thobajane Sithole, both 27, made headlines when they tied the knot last week dressed in traditional attire.

Spokesman for the Zulu Royal house Prince Mbonisi Zulu described the union as “unholy”. - Sapa

Man claims he has been unable to continue in his canine business

Cape Town - He should have watched where he was going.

This is one of the defences the City of Cape Town has raised in a R1.8 million damages action lodged by a well-known professional dog-walker who fell through a broken stormwater drain cover.

The action, being heard in the Western Cape High Court, relates to an incident four years ago on a public road in the plush suburb of Oranjezicht.

Adam James, who operated the dog-walking business known as Who let the Dogs Out, claims in papers before the court that the city is responsible for the maintenance of the road and that it failed to take steps to ensure that the surface of the road was not dangerous.

In addition, he alleges that the city failed to warn him or the public of the danger that the broken drain cover posed.

As a result of the fall, he sustained severe injuries to his leg, and says that he still experiences pain as a result. In addition, he hasn’t been able to continue his dog-walking business.

However, the city says that it relies largely on the public to inform it about broken drain covers and that, in the case before court, it was not aware that the drain needed to be repaired.

Responding to allegations that it failed to warn the public, the city alleged that putting up a safety barrier in front of the drain would in itself have constituted a hazard to the public and exposed them to the risk of injury.

Should the court find that James indeed injured himself by falling through the broken drain cover, however, the city will say that he was partly to blame for failing to keep a proper lookout.

Testifying in court this week, James’s wife Ann spoke of the effect that the incident has had on their lives. She said that at the time of the incident James had agreements in place to walk several dogs and he charged rates of between R600 and R850 a month. He earned nearly R6 000 a month from dog walking.

However, after he was injured, most of the dog owners made alternative arrangements. Currently, he only walks three dogs – Indiana, who has been with him since 2002, Google and Milo – and earns a little over R2 000 a month.

Under cross-examination, she was asked about a dog crèche, which her husband ran from a local park in Gardens for a short period before the incident.

Dog owners would take their pets to the park and leave the canines there with James for several hours. It was put to her that there was nothing that stopped her husband from restarting the crèche business again because it was not as demanding as dog walking.

She responded, however, that the crèche did not work when the weather was bad.

The case continues on Monday.

Weekend Argus