United Arab Emirates (UAE) officials have handed back South African doctor Cyril Karabus's passport.

Cape Town - United Arab Emirates (UAE) officials handed back South African doctor Cyril Karabus's passport on Tuesday afternoon, the international relations department said.

Spokesman Clayson Monyela said the passport was handed to the SA embassy around noon.

The UAE interior department also issued a letter which would allow Karabus to leave the region.

“The SA Embassy in the UAE will tomorrow (Wednesday) morning assist Prof Karabus to obtain the exit visa from the UAE, in view of the fact that the relevant office in the UAE was already closed at the time of receiving his passport,” said Monyela.

He said Karabus would be assisted with travel arrangements to return to South Africa within the next two days.

“The South African government is glad that the ordeal that Prof Karabus has suffered during the last few months is nearing its end, and looks forward to welcoming him back to South Africa.”

The 78-year-old paediatric oncologist has been detained in the UAE since August 18, after being sentenced in absentia for the death of a Yemeni girl he treated for leukaemia in 2002.

Karabus was acquitted on March 21, and won a subsequent appeal, but his return to South Africa was delayed because he was on the UAE's database as a fugitive from justice.

His bail money of R250 000 was recently returned to him.

Last week, his lawyer Michael Bagraim told the Cape Town Press Club that his client's ordeal was largely due to the UAE trying to “save face”.

“This is not a legal exercise. It's fortunately, or unfortunately, been a political exercise,” Bagraim said at the time.

He was not immediately available for comment on Tuesday. - Sapa

South African doctor Cyril Karabus will probably leave the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this week, his lawyer said.

Cape Town - South African doctor Cyril Karabus will probably leave the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this week, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

“We haven't actually booked it (the flight) yet, but Dr Karabus is negotiating with Emirates because he has a flight owed to him,” said Michael Bagraim.

When Karabus entered the country last year, he had booked and paid for a return flight to South Africa before he was arrested.

“He is trying to get that flight back. They said they are willing to give him a flight, maybe on Thursday morning. He is going there tomorrow morning to do the booking.”

A client of Bagraim's firm had also offered to pay for an immediate flight for Karabus to return to South Africa, but he declined it, saying he did not want to waste his or another person's money.

“He is prepared to wait for his flight,” said Bagraim.

Earlier, UAE officials handed back the doctor's passport.

International relations department spokesman Clayson Monyela said the passport was handed to the South African embassy around noon.

The UAE interior department had also issued a letter allowing Karabus to leave the region.

“The South African government is glad that the ordeal that Prof Karabus has suffered during the last few months is nearing its end, and looks forward to welcoming him back to South Africa,” said Monyela.

The African National Congress welcomed the news of his imminent return home.

“The ANC has received the news with relief and is happy that the professor will soon be reunited with his friends and family following his harrowing eight-month ordeal,” said spokesman Jackson Mthembu in a statement.

“As traumatic as we believe professor Karabus's ordeal was, the ANC celebrates that finally after such a prolonged case, justice and fairness prevailed on this matter.”

The 78-year-old paediatric oncologist had been detained in the UAE since August 18, after being sentenced in absentia for the death of a Yemeni girl he treated for leukaemia in 2002.

Karabus was acquitted on March 21, and won a subsequent appeal, but his return to South Africa was delayed because he was on the UAE's database as a fugitive from justice.

His bail money of R250 000 was recently returned to him. - Sapa

The "mothers and sisters" of Eldorado Park pleaded to him for help, and President Jacob Zuma has responded.

Johannesburg - They had pleaded for him to help, and on Tuesday President Jacob Zuma finally responded, offering the full might of the government and promises to end Eldorado Park’s drug epidemic.

The president visited the area in response to an exclusive in The Star on April 30. A group of desperate and traumatised Eldorado Park mothers and sisters were seeking to enlist the highest office in the land to deal with a drug scourge in the area that had seen a generation destroyed by tik, cat and nyaope.

On Tuesday, Zuma got a standing ovation at the Eldorado Park Sports Stadium when he told the crowd he would drive the anti-drug campaign in the area himself.

The crowd, who had been angry for having to wait two hours for the president’s arrival, responded with chants of “Zuma, Zuma”.

The president promised to close the lolly lounges – notorious drug dens – and to look at possibly changing laws to uplift the community through economic initiatives.

As he spoke, the crowd, several thousand strong, began to warm to him. They cheered and repeated some of his phrases.

Zuma arrived in Eldorado Park, south of Joburg, with a contingent of cabinet ministers, MECs, directors-general and high-ranking police officials.

He was there in response to a letter from a group of “mothers and sisters” who wrote of the effect drugs had had on them and their families.

Zuma told the audience he was touched by what he had read.

“That letter made me take the decision that we must come here, that we must not delay as it is very serious,” he said.

He had arrived in Eldorado Park with “all three spheres of government” – national, provincial and municipal – to find a quick solution to the problem.

The day began with him meeting some of the mothers who had written the letter last month.

A crying Dereleen James – one of those mothers – took to the stage before Zuma spoke to tell of her fight to try to get her son off tik.

“My son has done everything to get drugs. He has stolen from me, and sold household stuff and even his clothes,” she said.

James called on Zuma, who she referred to as Dad, to deal with corrupt police and drug dealers who couldn’t be brought to justice.

“We are relying on you, Dad, that our law enforcement and courts do not face the other way. I am afraid you will leave us with the same promises, Mr President,” she said.

Zuma said it troubled him that the community claimed the police were corrupt and called for their removal. He said Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa would be looking into the issue.

He told residents that the government must look at possibly “adjusting our laws” so that druglords could no longer hide behind the law. He has promised to close down all of Eldorado Park’s lolly lounges, the area’s drug dens.

He also planned to act against the lolly lounges – “houses that are rotten, where kids are taken and abused, they are going to be closed by law”.

The president promised that various ministers and other leaders who had joined him on the visit would come up with a plan of action.

“We have heard you and we will respond to you. We need to act swiftly to save the community. The response will be a co-operation between the government and the community.”

The government also planned to build factories in the area, he said.

Zuma told the audience that Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane would assist James to find a rehab centre to help her son end his tik addiction.

Zuma highlighted the following measures:

* Will ask Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa to look into allegations of police corruption;

* Will adjust laws, if need be, so that druglords can’t hide behind them;

* Will provide better rehabilitation centres for addicts;

* Will help provide jobs by getting factories built in Eldorado Park.

shaun.smillie@inl.co.za

The Star

A top cop, who is believed to have helped launch a domestic violence office, is accused of assaulting his girlfriend.

Cape Town - One of the Western Cape’s top cops, who is believed to have helped launch the province’s first domestic violence office in Mitchells Plain last month, is being investigated for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend.

The policeman is a major-general, a notch below the rank of provincial commissioner. His girlfriend, who also works for the police, filed a domestic violence complaint at Parow police station last month.

The new Mitchells Plain domestic violence office deals solely with incidents of gender-based violence.

Head of the police’s provincial communications department Brigadier Novela Potelwa confirmed on Tueday that the matter was being investigated by a senior officer from outside the province. The major-general had not been suspended, but provincial police management viewed the charge in “a very serious light”, she said.

“This office can confirm that an investigation against one of our senior officials in the province is currently under way,” Potelwa said. “It’s led by a major-general who comes from outside the province. As is the case with all complaints of domestic violence, we have offered the necessary support to the complainant in this case.”

Asked if the male officer was out on bail, Potelwa replied via SMS: “Case being investigated, not appeared yet.”

The Cape Argus cannot identify the man because he has not yet appeared in court.

Community Safety MEC Dan Plato said he was aware of the investigation and had asked for more details.

“This is shocking,” Plato said. “The charges are very serious and this is a very senior officer in the SAPS. Our men and women in blue should be protecting the public.”

Plato said the complainant should contact his office immediately should she be victimised. On average, Western Cape police receive nearly 60 000 domestic violence complaints a year.

clayton.barnes@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

This year’s Grade 10s could be the first class to take part in a new centralised admission system for SA’s universities.

Cape Town - This year’s Grade 10 pupils could find themselves the first class to take part in the government’s new centralised admission system for all of the country’s universities.

The advantages of a centralised admission system are:

- The payment of a single application fee, rather than a fee to each university approached;

- Immediate information about which universities still have places; and

- More efficient processing of late applications.

Universities would still have the final say in which students they accepted.

The Department of Higher Education and Training said they expected their Central Applications Service to be introduced in phases from 2015.

Deputy Higher Education and Training Minister Mduduzi Manana said this month: “The department will be developing and testing the IT system for the Central Applications Service during this financial year and will pilot the system for phased implementation from 2015.”

The department said an electronic system would sift through all the applications and direct them to the applicable university, which would be responsible for the selection and admission of the applicants.

Applicants would have to pay a fee to use the system but the department said it would be an affordable, once-off fee. Once the system has been finalised, applicants to all universities and universities of technology will have to apply through the system, which will also be able to direct candidates to institutions where places are still available.

Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande said last year that among the aims of the system would be to address the problem of prospective students who decided only in January to start looking for places for that year. It would also help those who heard only in January that they had not been accepted at their institution of choice, and then wanted to apply somewhere else.

The death of the mother of a prospective student during a stampede at the University of Johannesburg last year had focused attention on the problem of late “walk-ins”.

Earlier this year, a Central Applications Clearing facility was established as a precursor to the system. The purpose of the clearing house was to support matric pupils who wanted to be admitted to tertiary institutions but who had not yet been accepted.

It also helped prospective students who qualified for entrance to a tertiary institutions but had not applied.

ilse.fredericks@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

SPCA workers had their hands full as they tried to capture a “street smart” Nguni bull on the R300 in Mitchells Plain.

Cape Town - As if traffic hasn’t been bad enough, an escaped Nguni bull was rescued from an off-ramp off the R300 in Mitchells Plain on Tuesday. The bull had been grazing next to the highway since Saturday, but had been evading capture.

Despite grazing only 2m from the busy road, the bull did not step into the road or interfere with cars.

“I think this bull is street smart,” said Mark Levendal, an inspector-in-training for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

“He wanted to graze on greener pastures, but managed not to cause any havoc.”

Levendal said it was common for herding animals to stray from home to find better places to graze. Many of these animals came from informal settlements, he said, and had little space to feed.

Seven SPCA employees went to the highway turn-off to herd the bull into a trailer and take it back to the SPCA’s grounds. To get the increasingly aggressive bull to move and prevent it from escaping, the inspectors formed a “cattle run”.

“He’s got a lot of spirit in him,” said Romayne Midgley, a farmyard manager at SPCA.

The bull must be claimed by its owner in the next 30 days. After that, it will be sterilised and offered for adoption.

madeleine.may@inl.co.za

Cape Times

A businessman has been convicted of defrauding the Overstrand Municipality of about R3m by manipulating the tender system.

Cape Town -

A Hermanus man has been convicted of defrauding the Overstrand Municipality of about R3 million after he submitted false quotations to secure tenders.

Bellville Commercial Crimes Court magistrate Sabrina Sonnenberg convicted Hermanus Mostert of 285 counts of fraud after finding that he manipulated the tender system in order to secure the deals.

Mostert, who owned HM Irrigation, was responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the equipment and machinery at the Hermanus Sewerage Plant and Preekstoel Water Purification Works between 2004 and 2009.

During that time, he submitted 285 quotations.

When the municipality identified a job that had to go out to tender, Mostert submitted genuine quotations in his name and business, as well as false quotations with the names of his friends and other people he knew.

In order to falsify the quotations, he used the names, business letterheads and scanned signatures of his friends that he had on his computer.

He ensured that his quotations were the lowest, to guarantee that he received the tender.

Sonnenberg acquitted Mostert of 43 counts of tax fraud valued at more than R500 000.

On Tuesday, prosecutor Derrick Vogel called mechanical engineer Gordon Elliot to testify in aggravation of sentence. Elliot told the court the municipality had requested that he inspect the two plants in 2009.

Elliot found that the equipment at the sites was in a poor condition and not maintained.

In mitigation of sentence, Mostert told the court he serviced the equipment once a year and that workers were also employed by the municipality for this purpose.

“Most of those machines were older than 20 years and most needed to be replaced due to metal fatigue,” he said.

Mostert is due to be sentenced on May 28.

jade.otto@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

More than 40 percent of the Western Cape’s permanent teachers and principals will reach retirement age in the next 15 years.

Cape Town - More than 41 percent of permanent teachers and principals in the Western Cape will reach retirement age in the next 15 years.

The Western Cape Education Department’s chief director for human resources, Ivan Carolus, presented statistics to the provincial legislature on Tuesday that showed that almost half of permanent teachers, heads of department, principals and their deputies were 50 or older. This translates into 11 666 employees out of 28 345.

More than 80 percent, or 9 530, of this group are teachers who are in the classroom. Education standing committee chairwoman Cathy Labuschagne said this was a big concern.

DA MPL Mark Wiley asked if the large number of older teachers was a threat to the education system in the province as there were only 288 permanent teachers under the age of 24. Over the next four years, 1 640 teachers would reach retirement age and 105 permanent teachers were already older than 65 even though the retirement age is 65.

Carolus said the department was monitoring the situation closely.

“We believe we have a sufficient number of graduates to address the teachers who retire or fill vacancies,” he said. Currently the department employed 31 628 teachers, of whom 2 942 were on contract.

He said they would advertise four vacancy lists this year to appoint teachers where schools needed them.

Education MEC Donald Grant said there were enough graduate teachers who were leaving four local universities. “Each year 800 students graduate and we can’t place most of them,” he said. Some of the graduates left the province.

cobus.coetzee@inl.co.za

Cape Times

J Arthur Brown was fined R150 000 and given a suspended prison sentence for his two fraud convictions.

Cape Town -

Former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown was fined R150 000 and given a suspended prison sentence on Wednesday for two fraud convictions.

Handing down sentence, Western Cape High Court Judge Anton Veldhuizen said a R75 000 fine applied for each fraud count.

He was also given 18 months in jail for each count, suspended for four years on condition he not be convicted for fraud again.

Brown, 43, looked tired as police officers shackled his wrists and led him out of courtroom 19.

Pensioners, business people and other members of the public in the packed courtroom had mixed expressions of disbelief and relief when the sentence was handed down.

Brown was recently convicted after he made admitted to misrepresentations he made regarding investments entrusted to him.

The State originally laid 192 charges against him. - Sapa

A security committee has heard that the Western Cape is suffering from a shortage of officers and the unequal distribution of staff across police stations.

Cape Town - A shortage of officers and the unequal distribution of staff across police stations continue to be the two biggest administrative and logistical headaches for the Western Cape’s police management.

Briefing members of the legislature’s safety and security standing committee on Tuesday, deputy provincial police commissioner Major-General Sharon Japhta said 39 percent of police stations in the Western Cape had staff shortages of 10 percent or more, while 19 percent were over-staffed by 10 percent or more.

“There is a distribution issue and our numbers are becoming fewer every day,” said Japhta.

“However, we are addressing the distribution problem and have completed visits to all cluster commanders for them to ‘right size’ staff at stations. We have an unequal distribution at some stations and shortages at others. We’ve had this unequal distribution for years and it won’t be a quick process to rectify.”

There are currently 16 628 police officers in the Western Cape, 10 280 of whom are deployed to do visible policing, 3 369 for detective services and the rest are support services staff.

In December, provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Arno Lamoer told the legislature there were 16 804 operational police officers deployed in visible policing, the detectives branch and support services; meaning since January nearly 200 officers left the force, were dismissed, retired or had died.

No police reservists or new staff had been recruited for nearly two years, Japhta said.

“The problem is not at the entry level, it’s the middle to senior posts – level 8 to 11 that we need,” she said.

Major-General Peter Jacobs, deputy provincial police commissioner in charge of operations, said officers were deployed where the need was the greatest.

“In the Western Cape, it is standard to have one patrol vehicle per sector. Detailed deployment varies depending on the situation in the area, for example where there is a flare-up in gang violence.”

Japhta said the areas which had the biggest population growth over the past 11 years since the last census were Delft, Mfuleni, Kraaifontein and Milnerton.

“We only got the census numbers and were able to populate our system with the new information three weeks ago,” she said. “So we are working on the new census figures and will be aligning resources with the population, number of unemployed people, number of churches, schools, courts, public transport hubs, liquor outlets, and so on, over the next few months.”

Mark Wiley, DA MPL and committee chairman, said there were “serious staff shortages” at some key police stations in the peninsula especially over weekends. He said that over one weekend in Ocean View not a single police officer reported for duty.

“The reason why no one pitched was because the national guideline for police deployment was not being enforced,” Wiley said. “In the south Peninsula, three police stations lost 23 officers over the past 12 months and none of them have been replaced.”

Jacobs responded that the police could only deploy based on the need in the area and the available resources.

Major-General Renee Fick, the province’s deputy commissioner for physical resource management, said there was currently no vehicle shortage at any of the police stations in the Western Cape. “We have 4 000 vehicles at stations across the province, and that’s ample to service all the communities,” Fick said.

Wiley quizzed Fick on the state of police cells, which he said was in a “shocking” condition.

“In Beaufort West the cell doors can’t even lock but they have suspects in there. The walls are cracked, you can fit your fingers in them and the lighting in those cells is very bad. What is being done about it?”

Fick said her department had sent a request to the national department for maintenance repairs valued at over R10m to be done at 53 police stations in the province.

clayton.barnes@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Enrico Martin, a pupil at Spes Bona High, was shot in the head after entering the school premises.

Cape Town - A teenage boy was shot at an Athlone high school on Wednesday morning, Western Cape Education MEC Donald Grant said.

There are conflicting reports on the details surrounding the shooting.

Grant said a 17-year-old pupil was shot just after 8am while entering the Spes Bona High School premises.

“Enrico Martin is currently in a critical condition at Groote Schuur Hospital,” he said in a statement.

He was allegedly shot by a person not enrolled at the school, but dressed in a school uniform.

Grant said the school called an ambulance and paramedics were able to revive Martin before taking him to hospital.

The department had arranged for trauma counselling at the school for pupils and teachers.

“We pray for his recovery and our thoughts are with his family and friends during this very tough and emotional time,” Grant said.

However, Western Cape police said the pupil was 18 years old and was approached by three males dressed in school tracksuit tops - two of whom were allegedly armed.

“One of them fired shots at the victim, who sustained a gunshot wound to the head,” Captain FC van Wyk said.

He said an attempted murder case was opened and no arrest had been made.

“The circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated and the motive is yet to be established, and therefore it is not possible to speculate on gang violence at this stage.” - Sapa

Judge Anton Veldhuizen acknowledged J Arthur Brown's "trauma and personal suffering" during his sentencing judgment.

Cape Town - Former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown was fined R150 000 and given a suspended prison sentence on Wednesday for two fraud convictions.

Handing down sentence, Western Cape High Court Judge Anton Veldhuizen said a R75 000 fine applied for each fraud count.

Brown was also given 18 months in jail for each count, suspended for four years on condition he not be convicted for fraud again.

Brown, 43, looked tired as police officers shackled his wrists and led him out of courtroom 19 to the holding cells, where he would stay until his lawyer had organised for the fine to be paid.

Pensioners, business people, and other members of the public in the packed courtroom had mixed expressions of disbelief and relief when sentence was handed down.

Brown was recently convicted after he admitted to misrepresentations he made regarding investments entrusted to him.

The State originally laid 192 charges against him.

Veldhuizen said it was appropriate to set the record straight by saying Brown was not convicted of having stolen millions from pensioners and Fidentia, nor defrauding either party.

He said the fraud which Brown was convicted of was “an extremely diluted version of fraud which the indictment alleges”.

Brown's convictions were on the basis of potential prejudice he caused to investments and no monetary value was attached to these.

The section of law stating a minimum sentence of 15 years for fraud did thus not apply, as it was only for fraud involving amounts of more than R500 000.

“I have the unfettered discretion to pass a sentence which, in all circumstances, is just and fair,” Veldhuizen said.

“I cannot sentence you for crimes which you have not been convicted (of). That would be wrong.”

The judge criticised the State's handling of the case, asking why the chief financial officer of the Financial Services Board (FSB), Dawood Seedat, was only called to testify after Brown was convicted.

Seedat had testified in aggravation of Brown's sentence.

He said they had launched the investigation into Fidentia in 2006 and found there was a shortfall of R406 million.

Veldhuizen said if the FSB's findings were factually correct, it was “astounding” that the State had only brought certain charges against Brown and accepted his plea of guilty on two counts.

The judge acknowledged the “trauma and personal suffering” Brown had been through while awaiting trial over the past six years. - Sapa

A matric schoolboy at Spes Bona High School in Athlone was shot and seriously wounded on the school’s grounds

Cape Town - A matric schoolboy at Spes Bona High School in Athlone was shot and seriously wounded on the school’s grounds on Wdnesday morning.

A spokesman at Groote Schuur Hospital said the boy was in a “very critical” condition.

The pupil, who is from Manenberg, was shot in the neck at about 8am, as pupils gathered in the quad before classes began.

The Cape Argus spoke to a pupil who knew the victim and saw the shooting.

“A guy in casual clothes came up behind him, pulled out a gun and shot (him) in the neck at close range,” the pupil said.

The shooter ran for the gate, still holding the gun, and disappeared down the street.

“(He) was lying there, and didn’t respond when we tried to speak to him. We thought he was dead because he lost a lot of blood. But when the paramedics came they said that there was a pulse,” the pupil said. The Cape Argus was prevented from entering the school, and told that staff members were not allowed to comment on the incident.

A group of parents had gathered outside the school, and spoke about other violent incidents in the area.

Sakirah Williams, who has grandchildren at the school, said the shooting was the latest in a series of attacks carried out by teenagers affiliated to gangs in the area.

A young man who matriculated last year was shot and killed two weeks ago, parents said.

“Many of our kids, including my own son at another school, are being terrorised and held up at gun point on a regular basis. My son is not a gangster, he just lives in the wrong area. The gangsters don’t care,” said Williams.

Another parent, who asked not to be named, took her grade 9 son out of the school for the day.

“He saw what happened and is very traumatised as you can see. The department’s counsellor said that the kids are calm, but they need individual attention not a group counselling session. I don’t consider the school to be a safe place anymore,” she said.

Asked whether he would return to class tomorrow, the pupil shook his head.

Parents said they would convene a community meeting at 7pm tomorrow at a local creche to discuss the violence and gangsterism.

Bronagh Casey, spokeswoman for Education MEC Donald Grant, said the department had sent officials to investigate and provide counselling services.

“We do not yet know the status of the learner or his age. It was reported that the perpetrator was an outsider,” she said.

Casey said that while the shooter was reported to be an outsider, he appeared to have been wearing a school uniform. Police said officers on the scene were still investigating.

The pupil was in a “very critical” condition, said Groote Schuur hospital spokesman Alaric Jacob.

Cape Argus

The Financial Services Board says J Arthur Brown's sentence does not acknowledge the extent of the damage he caused.

Johannesburg - The R150 000 fine imposed on former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown will not deter white collar crime, the Financial Services Board (FSB) said on Wednesday.

 "The FSB believes that the fine of R150 000 or 36 months in prison does not acknowledge the extent of the damage caused by Mr (J Arthur) Brown’s actions," spokeswoman Tembisa Marele said in a statement.

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) echoed these sentiments.

"The union is highly disappointed at the light sentence and the discrepancies in judgments passed by our justice system," NUM spokesman Lesiba Seshoka said.

"Cosatu thinks the sentence is entirely inappropriate and just reinforces the view that if you have money you will not be held to account," spokesman Patrick Craven said.

Brown was recently convicted after admitting to misrepresentations he made regarding investments entrusted to him.

Western Cape High Court Judge Anton Veldhuizen handed down Brown's sentence on Wednesday.

Veldhuizen said a R75 000 fine, or 18 months imprisonment, was being applied for each of two fraud counts.

Brown was also given an 18 month jail sentence on each count, but these were suspended for four years on condition he not be convicted of fraud again.

Marele said the two counts on which Brown was convicted involved funds intended for the beneficiaries of Mantadia (Matco), subsequently renamed the Living Hands Umbrella Trust.

"It is the FSB’s view that today’s sentence neither acts as a deterrent, nor does it send the right message to other white collar criminals," she said.

The sentence also did "very little" to inspire confidence in South Africa's judiciary.

The FSB nonetheless respected the court's decision, but hoped the State would appeal for a harsher sentence.

Seshoka said the Mantadia asset trust company was responsible for paying money from the mineworkers' provident fund to the widows and orphans of workers killed in mine accidents.

He said the union was, therefore, angered at the light sentence Brown received.

"Not so long ago, someone who stole R100 was sentenced to 10 years," he said.

Craven said Cosatu was "outraged" that Brown's sentence was not heavier and called on government to review the court's dismissal of other charges against Brown.

The State originally laid 192 charges against Brown.

"We call on government to announce on its intention to appeal by 1/8Monday 3/8, failing which we will embark on protest actions at the Cape High Court until clear commitments are given for some prosecutorial actions," Craven said.

Sentencing Brown, Veldhuizen said he had not been convicted of stealing millions from pensioners and Fidentia, or of defrauding either party.

Rather, the fraud of which Brown was convicted of was "an extremely diluted version of fraud, which the indictment alleges".

He criticised the State's handling of the case, and asked why the FSB's chief financial officer Dawood Seedat was called to testify only after Brown was convicted.

Seedat testified in aggravation of Brown's sentence. - Sapa

A teenage boy, allegedly shot by a gunman in school uniform at Spes Bona High School in Cape Town, has died.

Cape Town - A teenage boy shot at an Athlone, Cape Town, high school on Wednesday morning has died, Western Cape police said.

“Yes, he passed away in hospital,” Captain FC van Wyk said.

No arrests had been made and the attempted murder charge was changed to murder. There were conflicting reports about the details of the shooting.

Education MEC Donald Grant said 17-year-old Enrico Martin was shot shortly after 8am while entering the Spes Bona High School's premises.

He was allegedly shot by a person not enrolled at the school, but dressed in a school uniform.

Grant said paramedics were able to revive Martin before taking him to Groote Schuur Hospital. The department arranged for trauma counselling for pupils and teachers.

Western Cape police said the pupil was 18-years-old. Three men, two of them armed, dressed in school tracksuit tops approached him.

“One of them fired shots at the victim, who sustained a gunshot wound to the head,” Van Wyk said earlier.

“The circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated and the motive is yet to be established, and therefore it is not possible to speculate on gang violence at this stage.” - Sapa

Former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown walked out of court a free man, but said he ensure his investors had their money back.

Cape Town - Former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown walked out the Western Cape High Court on Wednesday a free man, but said he would not rest until his investors had their money back.

“The job's not done yet. The people supporting me here are the investors of Fidentia, and now the fight starts with getting the money back from the curators,” a beaming Brown said on the steps of the court.

He was freed after paying a fine of R150 000, which was his sentence handed down by the court on Wednesday morning for two fraud convictions.

Had he not paid the fine, he would have been imprisoned for 36 months.

Brown was sentenced to 18 months in jail on each count, suspended for four years on condition he not be convicted for fraud again.

Brown was recently convicted after he admitted to misrepresentations he made regarding investments entrusted to him, by Mantadia Asset Trust Company (Matco) and the Transport Education and Training Authority.

Matco, subsequently renamed the Living Hands Umbrella Trust, was responsible for paying money from the mineworkers' provident fund to the widows and orphans of workers killed in mine accidents.

Many of these ex-mineworkers rallied around Brown as he spoke about the actions he planned to take against the curators.

“ 1/8I have planned 3/8 many things; pursuing the criminal charges, the civil actions that are running and doing proper forensic audits and getting the truth out,” he said.

“I have made a promise to these people. They've seen what the truth is and now the job needs to get done and until that's done, I'm not going to rest.”

Brown's eyes welled up as he thanked the investors who were supporting him.

“It's been a long journey. I can only thank them... and when I say I will support them, and when I say I will fight for them and won't rest until they're paid, they believe me.”

Brown said he planned to visit his two sons in Australia, who he had not seen for a few years because of strict bail conditions.

“Yes, I will definitely go see my children. That's been long overdue.”

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said on Wednesday the State might appeal against Brown's sentence.

“The position now is that we have asked for the transcripts of the judgment as well as the sentencing,” Western Cape NPA spokesman Eric Ntabazalila said.

“We'll study them with a view of seeing whether we can apply for leave to appeal the sentence.” - Sapa

The visa oncologist Cyril Karabus was issued by United Arab Emirates authorities was incorrectly dated and must be changed.

Cape Town - There is yet another last minute scramble before Cape Town oncologist Professor Cyril Karabus can board a plane home – the visa he was issued by United Arab Emirates authorities was incorrectly dated and must be changed.

But Karabus’s Cape Town lawyer, Michael Bagraim, this morning said efforts to get Karabus on a flight directly to Cape Town tomorrow morning were still on track.

The UAE prison authorities yesterday finally returned Karabus’s passport to him after making him wait for about two weeks following his final acquittal on charges relating to the death of a child patient of his in 2002.

Karabus, 78, was arrested in the UAE last year while in transit home to Cape Town from a visit to Canada. He had been sentenced in absentia in the UAE shortly after the child had died and was listed on the UAE’s wanted list at the time.

Apart from being acquitted in March and then winning an appeal which followed, Karabus also had to wait for his name to be cleared from the UAE’s records.

The incorrect dates on the visa was the latest in a string of bungles by administrators in the UAE.

“I am convinced that the South African chargé d’affaires there, Fanus Venter, will be able to get this sorted out,” Bagraim said.

“Yesterday, after Professor Karabus had a fight with them, Emirates Airlines agreed to reinstate the ticket he had from there to Cape Town but could not use at the time of his arrest. There is a seat for him on a flight tomorrow morning, which will have him back in Cape Town by tomorrow afternoon.

“Luckily, when Fanus (Venter) went to pre-arrange the departure for the professor this morning, he discovered the dates on the visa were wrong. It could have caused some official at the airport tomorrow to prevent Professor Karabus from flying, because the dates did not cover a part of the time he was in the UAE under arrest.

“Fanus Venter was a real star for us over there. He did so much and it is not as if this was the only work he had to do. If it wasn’t for him running around and getting things done, I doubt whether Professor Karabus would have been able to do it,” Bagraim said.

Bagraim said he hoped the visa dates would be sorted out today, as government offices in the UAE closed at 2pm from Thursdays to Sundays.

Karabus’s son, Michael, said yesterday that the news of his father’s pending return had not sunk in yet.

“It’s still surreal. It’s been nine months of fighting… I’m still getting used to the idea,” he said.

henri.duplessis@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Honeymoon murder accused Shrien Dewani last month volunteered to return to South Africa to stand trial for his wife's murder.

London - British businessman Shrien Dewani - wanted in South Africa in connection with the honeymoon murder of his wife - has suffered a mental health relapse, a London court heard today.

The British Press Association reported that Dewani, 33, was being treated at a hospital in Bristol for depression and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Last month, the Westminster Magistrate's Court heard that his condition had “improved significantly”.

Dewani's 28-year-old wife Anni was shot when the taxi the couple were travelling in was hijacked in the Gugulethu township on the outskirts of Cape Town in November 2010.

On Wednesday, Clare Montgomery QC, for Dewani, said doctors had taken Dewani off the anti-anxiety medication which was helping him most with his condition, after a bad reaction.

“We may have taken one step back, having taken two steps forward,” she said.

In view of Dewani's condition, he had been sectioned for a further 12 months under the Mental Health Act.

It also emerged on Wednesday that the defence made proposals last month for Dewani to make a voluntary return to South Africa, although the details of the offer were not discussed in court.

Under the South African government's current plans, if Dewani was extradited he would be assessed upon arrival for mental health issues.

If he was considered at risk, he would be taken to the psychiatric unit at Valkenberg Hospital in Cape Town, before being sent to Goodwood prison.

Hugo Keith QC, for the South African authorities, told the court they were happy for a defence expert to visit Valkenburg to assess its suitability.

He said he would need to take instructions on whether a similar inspection of Goodwood was possible.

Keith argued that the South Africans would “trip over their corporate toes” to make sure that Dewani receives the right psychiatric support if he was extradited.

Chief magistrate Howard Riddle rejected a request from the defence to put back the full extradition hearing so an expert could visit Valkenberg in August.

“I am very, very reluctant to delay this case any further,” he said.

The full extradition hearing was expected to start on July 1. - Sapa

About 500 ex-mineworkers are hoping to sue the curators of Fidentia after losing millions of rands in investments.

Cape Town - About 500 ex-mineworkers are hoping to sue the curators of Fidentia after losing millions of rands in investments, a representative said on Wednesday.

Edwin Thembalenkosi Shibani said they did not blame former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown for their losses.

“Yes, we're blaming the curators, not Mr Brown. That's why we said we're going to open a case against the curators if the law allows us to do so,” Shibani said on the steps of the Western Cape High Court.

“I'm not happy at all about the punishment of Mr Brown because there's no money in our pockets. To be sentenced or not to be sentenced means nothing to us as mineworkers.”

Brown was freed after paying a fine of R150 000, which was his sentence handed down by the court on Wednesday morning for two fraud convictions.

Had he not paid the fine, he would have been imprisoned for 36 months.

Brown was sentenced to 18 months in jail on each count, suspended for four years on condition he not be convicted for fraud again.

He was recently convicted after he admitted to misrepresentations he made regarding investments entrusted to him, by Mantadia Asset Trust Company (Matco) and the Transport Education and Training Authority.

Matco, subsequently renamed the Living Hands Umbrella Trust, was responsible for paying money from the mineworkers' provident fund to the widows and orphans of workers killed in mine accidents.

Around 20 ex-mineworkers attended Brown's sentencing.

Shibani said many more would have made the court appearance but had to work to feed their children.

Dines Gihwala and George Papadakis were appointed the curators of Fidentia by the Financial Services Board (FSB) in 2007.

The FSB's chief financial officer Dawood Seedat testified during Brown's sentencing arguments that they launched an investigation into Fidentia after receiving complaints of mismanagement of client's funds.

The investigation spanned from June 2006 to the end of January 2007.

Shibani said the curators “were talking lies” when they said they had paid out the investors.

“I think the people are very, very angry because they want their money in their hands,” he said.

The ex-mineworkers demanded that they be given ownership of Sante Hotel Resort & Spa in the Cape Winelands and a farm in the Eastern Cape, both assets of Fidentia.

Brown said on Wednesday he would not rest until the investors had their money back.

Dudley Johnson, 70, who invested R200 000 through Antheru trust in 2004, said he was glad Brown was not imprisoned.

“If Arthur had to get a prison sentence, who would have helped the beneficiaries to get their money?” he asked.

“We got our money (from Brown) until the FSB walked into Arthur's offices and closed him down. Arthur paid us right up until that point.”

Johnson said he struggled to survive because he had gone from receiving R3000 a month in retirement money to nothing.

“It baffles me why the curators have taken so long to pay out beneficiaries. For six years, they could have managed something... yet they get their fee every month.”

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said on Wednesday the State might appeal against Brown's sentence.

“The position now is that we have asked for the transcripts of the judgment as well as the sentencing,” Western Cape NPA spokesman Eric Ntabazalila said.

“We'll study them with a view of seeing whether we can apply for leave to appeal the sentence.” - Sapa

A bookkeeper was handed a suspended prison sentence for stealing over R100 000 from a Cape Town law firm.

Cape Town - A bookkeeper was handed a suspended prison sentence on Wednesday for stealing over R100 000 from a Cape Town law firm.

Annemarie Elizabeth van Zyl appeared in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime Court, before Magistrate Sabrina

Sonnenberg, and was sentenced to five years in prison, conditionally suspended for five years.

Van Zyl had pleaded guilty in a plea-bargain.

She had stolen R140 493 between October 2008 and December 2010.

Prosecutor Xolile Jonas told the court the firm - De Abreu and Cohen - specialised in conveyancing, and Van Zyl's duties included recording all transactions in a ledger, and managing the banking of cash.

He said staff members Brenda Mumro and Marie-Lou Gillespie were the only personnel authorised to sign cheques on behalf of the firm, while Van Zyl had sole authority to access the firm's cheque books.

He said a filing clerk had been given cheques to deposit at Nedbank and FNB, and among them was a cheque with a forged signature, payable to Van Zyl.

Jonas said the forgery gave rise to a forensic audit, which led to the charge brought against Van Zyl.

Defence attorney Ronald Rieckerts said Van Zyl had indicated from the beginning that she would plead guilty, to avoid a protracted trial.

This was an indication of remorse and justified the suspended prison sentence, he said. - Sapa