Police are investigating a case of murder and suicide after a woman and a man died in a shack in Khayelitsha.

Cape Town - Police believe a Khayelitsha man shot his partner and then himself early on Wednesday.

Police are investigating a case of murder and suicide after a woman and a man died due to gunshot wounds in a shack in Khayelitsha, RR Section.

Shortly after 5am, neighbours said they heard five shots coming from a house shared by a man, his girlfriend and the man’s teenage son.

Neighbour Regina Likotsi said she could hear the woman screaming after the first shot.

“We were scared but came outside to see. The boy was running to a neighbour’s house and called for help. We approached the house and knocked and tried to open the door, but it was locked. We did not want to risk kicking it down so we called the police.”

When police arrived, a final shot went off in the house.

Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Andre Traut said: “As police entered the house, with the assistance of the Tactical Response Unit, they found the bodies of two persons, a male and female, inside the house, one on the floor and the other on the bed. A licensed firearm was found next to the body of the man.”

A case of murder had been opened and initial investigations suggest the man shot his girlfriend before turning the gun on himself.

Traut said police were withholding the names of the couple until Friday.

Cape Argus

The public has weighed in on what should be done with the money-guzzling Cape Town Stadium.

Cape Town - From seeing it demolished to make way for housing to selling it to interested bidders, the public has weighed in on what should be done with the money-guzzling Cape Town Stadium.

The city is reviewing public submissions after the first round of public participation drew to a close at the end of March.

The six most popular ideas which came out of 151 submissions were (in no particular order):

* Demolishing the multibillion-rand venue and developing it into a residential space.

* Public ownership models where people can buy a seat for a series of events.

* Selling the stadium.

* Converting it into a large indoor sports arena and conference venue.

* Developing it into a mega market.

* Donating the stadium to the Western Province Rugby Union.

The public was asked to comment on several plans for the commercialisation of the R4.2 billion stadium. The city plans to apply to the provincial government to overturn the record of decision, which bans commercial activity.

The city says it also plans to start another round of engagements about the future of the stadium with labour and business sectors in the city.

At a finance portfolio committee meeting this month the true costs of the stadium were revealed. The figures show that aside from the R4.2bn it took to build the stadium, the city has, since 2009 spent R436 million on running the venue.

So far, for this financial year, the city has made R12.2m from the venue, but the operating cost for 2012/2013 after depreciation amounts to R47.8m.

The total operating cost since 2009/2010 to date amounts to R436m.

The total income to the stadium in the same time period amounts to more than R92m.

The mayco member for tourism, events and marketing, Grant Pascoe, could not give all the details of the comments, as the full public participation report first has to be tabled at next month’s portfolio committee meeting.

“At this stage we have to give serious consideration to the public’s comments, as it is all part of having the record of decision overturned.

From the submissions received we can see that the majority of people took their time to go through the proposals and really thought through their comments and put considerable effort into it.

“We appreciate the time and effort people made to comment, as this is an important matter for all ratepayers,” Pascoe said.

He said the city was in continual talks with the Western Province Rugby Union and was trying to secure the best outcome for all parties.

The city has previously indicated, in terms of its business plans, securing the union would be the most viable.

Pascoe said most of the six most popular ideas for the stadium were in line with the business plan options the city presented to the public, barring the one which suggests demolishing the stadium for residential use.

“The public’s ideas are on the table and they will be taken seriously.”

They had to be taken into consideration throughout the process of applying for the record of decision to be overturned, Pascoe said.

zara.nicholson@inl.co.za

Cape Times

The man who confessed to murdering Cape mom Anzunette du Plessis apologised for his actions and asked her family to forgive him.

Cape Town - The Mitchells Plain man who confessed to murdering Claremont mother Anzunette du Plessis apologised for his actions and asked her family to forgive him, the Western Cape High Court has heard.

This emerged during a video recording of the confession Moegamat Armien Salie made to Hawks investigator Captain Kenneth Speed just three days after the killing last year.

It was screened in court yesterday.

“At the time, I don’t know what went on in my head when I did what I did. I decided to be honest and to confess to what I have done, thinking of my two kids I would be leaving behind. I am here to confess to the murder… I’m truly sorry for what I did and ask God for forgiveness…” Salie said.

He broke down when he described how he killed Du Plessis on October 4 and when he said he wanted a stolen television set for his children.

Salie had gone to Du Plessis’ home in Claremont on the pretext of checking repair work he and his father had done on the roof a few weeks earlier.

In the confession, Salie said he went to the house in Buchanan Street and called for Du Plessis to open the door. She did.

After checking for leaks in the roof, he went to her room and stole a camera. Du Plessis caught him and a scuffle ensued.

“I fought back and I was very angry and grabbed a knife out of my pocket. As we were fighting I stabbed her. I grabbed hold of her from behind keeping the knife to her throat. I slit her throat,” an emotional Salie said.

“I started grabbing whatever I could get. I panicked and just wanted to get away. I have never done something like this ever before. I know I might not bring back what I have taken away and I am sorry for doing such a horrible thing.”

He fetched a wheelie bin from the garage and loaded a television set, laptops, cameras and other personal belongings he planned to sell.

The trial continues on Monday.

jade.otto@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

A Cape Town woman helped lead police to the hit-and-run driver who allegedly killed respected cyclist Koos Roux.

Cape Town - A Cape Town woman has helped lead police to the hit-and-run driver who allegedly killed respected cyclist Koos Roux.

Roux, 59, of Blommendal, was killed in Bottelary Road on May 12, while out on an early-morning ride with his son, Kobus, a student at Stellenbosch University.

Roux was a former national cycling champion - having won a gold in his age group at the national track championship in 2011 - and held a senior position at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden.

On Wednesday, police spokesman Andre Traut confirmed that a 51-year-old Cape Town man handed himself over to police shortly before 10am.

“He was on the run, laying low, but the detective work continued,” Traut said.

“The vehicle involved in the accident, a VW Polo Classic, was confiscated and will be examined.”

One of the women involved in tracking down the driver was Mickey de Beer, of Kraaifontein, a close friend of Roux’s widow, Beth.

De Beer said a friend’s niece saw a report about the tragedy on Facebook.

“She knew about the accident because it was near her house. She asked if anyone had been arrested.”

De Beer was then told by the source that a smashed car had been brought into the complex in which she lived - and she was concerned.

“We struggled to get the police to go there, between 6 and 9pm on Saturday.

“But I kept on phoning. And when they did come, the looked and said: ‘No, it was a bakkie’.”

But De Beer did not relent, and continued to phone police. And her tenacity paid off.

Police towed away the car on Wednesday morning.

De Beer had been with Roux when they received the news, and she told the Cape Argus: “There were a lot of tears - we are all so relieved.”

Roux, in turn, said she was grateful to those who had helped track the driver down.

Cape Argus

An off-duty correctional services officer was shot dead in Cape Town in the early hours of the morning.

Cape Town - An off-duty correctional services officer was shot dead in Cape Town in the early hours of Thursday, Western Cape police said.

Lt-Col Andre Traut said the 32-year-old man was killed outside his Crossroads home shortly after midnight.

He was wearing his uniform at the time of the attack.

No arrests had been made and the motive for the shooting was unknown. - Sapa

A former senior official of the SA Revenue Service was sent to prison for 15 years by the Western Cape High Court.

Cape Town - A former senior official of the SA Revenue Service (Sars) was sent to prison for 15 years by the Western Cape High Court on Thursday

Edmund Fredericks was found guilty of racketeering, fraud and forgery.

While working for the receiver, Fredericks developed a scam that cost Sars R1.3 million.

In 2006, Fredericks and an accomplice, Aaron Carelse, would submit false VAT claims, using ghost companies.

The money from the claims would then be paid into an account created for the scam.

Judge Daniel Dlodlo also sentenced Carelse - who was not employed by Sars - to 15 years imprisonment.

During the proceedings, Dlodlo said Fredericks's actions amounted to him “biting the hand that fed him”.

He said his court had “a duty to warn would-be offenders that fraud against employers had to stop and would not be tolerated”. - Sapa

Reports of collusion between police and criminals in the Western Cape are a serious allegation, the police ministry said.

Johannesburg - Reports of collusion between police and criminals in the Western Cape are a serious allegation, the police ministry said on Thursday.

“Should they be proven true, they could compromise and derail efforts of crime reduction, not only in the Western Cape but the whole country,” spokesman Zweli Mnisi said in a statement.

The department was responding to a report that gangsters on the Cape Flats were shielded by an army of foot soldiers, as they used their wealth to buy information from authorities.

Hanif Loonat, chairman of the Western Cape Community Policing Forum, reportedly said gangsters' intelligence gathering was up to 10 times better than the police's.

“There are police officers who give them information, (who) tell them what the police's plan are...They have people at ministerial level, in Parliament, in local government. These guys pay for information,” Loonat was quoted as saying.

Criminologist Eldred de Klerk reportedly agreed with Loonat, saying there were “corrupt agents” within the police.

“The police should be subjected to polygraph tests,” De Klerk said.

The ministry called these allegations “worrying” and “image-tarnishing”.

“I view these remarks in (a) serious (light) and challenge both Loonat and De Klerk to come forward with evidence to back up their claims,” Mnisi said.

“Indeed if the claims are true, the law would have to take its course irrespective of whoever is involved.”

Mnisi cautioned against generalisations when making allegations.

“Police are not immune to criticism as much as civilians are not. However we want to caution against grandstanding,” he said.

“If there are any allegations of collusion between police and criminals, government has various oversight structures such as the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, the Civilian Secretariat for Police (and) the presidential hotline which they can utilise to report such matters.” - Sapa

A Cape Town teen was taken to hospital and diagnosed with a bladder infection, only to give birth a few hours later.

Cape Town - Suffering from abdominal pains, a 17-year-old Mitchells Plain girl was taken to the Melomed Hospital and diagnosed with a bladder infection, only to give birth to a baby boy a few hours later.

Now Micaela October’s father believes the private hospital group was negligent in not picking up that his daughter was in labour.

Eddie October said if he had not asked for a second opinion shortly after Micaela was seen at Melomed Hospital on May 10, she would probably have given birth at home.

But Melomed Hospital has denied that Micaela was misdiagnosed. It said she had a bladder infection, and at the time she was seen by doctors at the hospital she was not in labour and her membranes had not ruptured.

The family were aware that Micaela was pregnant, but did not know when she was due. An ultrasound had been booked for May 10.

During the night of May 9, Micaela complained about pain, and at about 1am her family took her to Melomed Hospital.

October said: “

The doctor said she had a bladder infection and gave her only a few Panado tablets. We were given a script to buy antibiotics. We went home, but Micaela still complained of the sharp abdominal pains.”

Later that same day, she went to a private doctor for an ultrasound, and was told she was 32 weeks pregnant.

He recommended that she make a booking for antenatal care with the Mitchells Plain Maternity Obstetrics Unit.

After she was examined at the unit, she was told she was already in labour. She was then transferred to the Mowbray Maternity Hospital where she gave birth to a boy weighing 1.9kg. He has been named Mason.

Melomed spokesman Randal Pedro confirmed that the teenager had been treated at the hospital’s emergency unit for “urinary tract infection in accordance with history given and the findings of the symptoms, tests and examination conducted”.

Pedro said at the time of the examination there were no signs that Micaela was in labour.

But October is unconvinced.

“Should she not have gone to the Maternity Obstetrics Unit, I don’t know what would have happened to her – she probably would have given birth at home, something which would have put her and the baby’s life in danger as none of us at home are trained to deliver babies.”

Pedro said

after investigation of the complaint, the hospital found Micaela’s GP had also not found any signs of active labour.

“And in keeping with the advice of the doctor at Melomed Mitchells Plain he urged the patient to book at the MOU for antenatal care as soon as possible.”

sipokazi.fokazi@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Flights to and from the Cape Town International Airport were diverted due to heavy fog, the Airports Company SA (Acsa) said.

Cape Town -

Flights to and from the Cape Town International Airport were diverted on Friday morning due to heavy fog, the Airports Company SA (Acsa) said.

The fog resulted in poor visibility at the airport, spokeswoman Deidre Davids said.

Inbound flights were diverted and the outgoing flights delayed.

“Visibility has significantly improved and flights are now once again able to land and depart.”

The plan was to get as many flights as possible moving and to get back on schedule.

“Flight diversions do cause a fair amount of inconvenience, but it is always safety first,” Davids said. - Sapa

Windows were broken, property was damaged and 36 students arrested as almost 1 000 Northlink students went on the rampage.

Cape Town - Windows were broken, property was damaged and 36 students were arrested as approximately 1 000 Northlink students went on the rampage at the Belhar campus for the second day on Thursday.

The students also stole a campus security car’s battery and spare wheel when they broke through the gates, which had been locked with handcuffs.

The Belhar campus was closed on Thursday and Friday, and will re-open on Monday when exams are being held.

Northlink students started protesting on Wednesday because of travel allowances that had not been paid, but college spokesman Ivan Swart said the students were also protesting because their first term exam results had not been released.

“The travel allowance has not been paid due to the fact that the full National Student Financial Aid Scheme allocation has not been received by Northlink College.

“However, new information has been received that the protests are no longer just related to the travel allowance, but also because the Department of Higher Education and Training has not released the first trimester results yet.”

He said the college was seeking legal advice on how to deal with the situation.

The Belhar campus was under police surveillance for most of Thursday.

Students also wreaked havoc at the Bellville taxi rank on their way to the Bellville campus, and the police arrested a total of 36 protestors for public violence.

Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Andre Traut said the police would remain on the scene to monitor the situation.

“We policed unrest situations at Northlink Colleges in Belhar and Bellville. Damage to property was caused in Belhar, however the extent is for the college to determine.”

Traut said that 22 protestors had been arrested in Bellville and 14 arrested in Belhar.

“The situation is under control, however, a police presence will remain in the area to maintain law and order.”

Engineering student Shadon Nichols referred to the protest in the riot that caused him to miss class on Thursday.

“Exams start on Monday. We could not even get that last bit of revision or help from our lecturers. This is wrong - protesting should be banned. I am disgusted to say I study alongside those ignorant beings.”

Another student, who chose not to be named, said the students protested from the Bellville campus to the Belhar campus.

“I don’t know if they were violent at the Bellville campus but they were at Belhar campus. The security was shooting at them with paintball guns so they (students) returned the message by throwing bricks.”

yolisa.tswanya@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

The end of Fred van der Vyver's battle against the State has disappointed the investigative author who followed it.

Cape Town - The end of Fred van der Vyver’s long legal battle against the State has been sharply criticised by the investigative author who has followed it.

Earlier this week the Constitutional Court denied Van der Vyver – who was acquitted of murder following the death of his girlfriend, Matie post-graduate student Inge Lotz – leave to appeal against the Supreme Court of Appeal ruling overturning a Western Cape High Court finding that the minister of police was liable to pay him damages for malicious prosecution.

Antony Altbeker, author of Fruit of a Poisoned Tree, told the Cape Argus: “I think the decision is disappointing. The decision by the Supreme Court of Appeal – which Fred was appealing against – was perverse. It agreed certain police officers acted with malice, knowingly presenting evidence that was likely to result in the prosecution of an innocent man, but say that those malicious acts did not cause the prosecution.

“By the time the prosecution began, the prosecutors knew that the police evidence was deeply flawed.

“We have had three courts agree that Fred was innocent and two courts agree that the actions of at least some of the police officers were malicious and deliberate – the other court did not rule on this and didn’t need to – but the Supreme Court of Appeal is saying that that’s just too bad.

“Not only must Fred cover all the costs of a prosecution that was based, at least in large part, on malice, but he must now pay the legal costs police incurred when he tried to sue them.

“I think it’s bizarre.”

Lotz was bludgeoned and stabbed to death in her Stellenbosch flat on March 16, 2005. She was 22. Van der Vyver, who was then an actuarial assistant at old Mutual, emerged as the police’s prime suspect. In the murder trial, Judge Deon van Zyl rejected the State’s case and acquitted Van der Vyver on November 29, 2007. No one else has been charged.

Van der Vyver sued the minister of police for R46 million in damages for malicious prosecution.

In his ruling in this civil case, Judge Anton Veldhuizen said the decision to prosecute had been based on the opinion of an expert involved in the investigation, and this was “not worth the paper it was written on”. Without this opinion, the prosecuting authorities would have realised there was no valid case. He was satisfied the prosecution should not have taken place, and the ministry was liable for damages.

The ministry appealed and won in the Supreme Court of Appeal, which found Van der Vyver had failed to prove malicious intent on the part of all the investigating police officers.

It set aside the ruling with costs.

Van der Vyver’s legal team applied to the Constitutional Court for leave to appeal. On Tuesday, it said it had concluded that the application “be dismissed as it bears no prospects of success.There is no order as to costs”.

Van der Vyver’s advocate, Dup de Bruyn, said neither he nor the Van der Vyver family had any comment. Professor Jan Lotz, Inge’s father, said he preferred not to comment.

Cape Argus

The clash at Newlands will be a chance to raise funds for ex-bok Tinus Linee, who was diagnosed with motor neuron disease.

Cape Town - Saturday’s Super Rugby clash at Newlands will be a chance to raise funds for ex-Springbok Tinus Linee, who was diagnosed with motor neuron disease last month.

The rare, deadly illness has a previous link with the sport, with fellow Bok Joost van der Westhuizen diagnosed in 2011.

This weekend there will be bucket collections for Linee at Newlands, as the languishing Stormers try to rattle the cages of wildcard favourites and Australian conference contenders, the Reds.

Western Province Rugby Football Union president Thelo Wakefield called for Stormers and Western Province fans to show support for Linee, 43, who played 112 matches at centre for Western Province between 1992 and 2001.

“He will be remembered as a loyal player with a no-nonsense approach to defence, as displayed by his bone-crunching tackles,” said the union on Thursday.

He also made his Springbok debut in 1993, at 23, and went on to play nine tour matches for his country in Australia, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

Wakefield said it wasn’t just about helping the player now.

“It’s about his wife and the future too. We are hoping to raise as much as possible on the day of the Reds match, but we also have a few other events planned in his honour, to help him and his wife.”

Linee’s wife said last month he was taking everything day by day.

Motor neuron disease slowly destroys parts of the nervous system that control functions such as speaking, walking, swallowing and even breathing.

She said while he could still put on his own clothes and move around the house, he was struggling with his speech and had become very difficult to understand.

But she was thankful for the support from the rugby fraternity.

Springbok centre Jean de Villiers looked back fondly at games he had played alongside Linee in his 2001 Vodacom Cup debut.

“I remember the first warm-up game, he tackled Boland centre WP Strauss so hard that he did a 360-degree somersault.”

“That was my first professional game,” said Strauss. “That was the hardest hit I ever took – I’m just proud I was able to get up from that. Tinus is a legend.”

Tickets are still available for Saturday’s match and can be bought from the Newlands ticket office, PostNet outlets and online.

kieran.legg@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Donovan Uys, understood to be a leader of the Hard Livings gang, and his girlfriend, were shot dead as they sat thier car.

Cape Town - A couple was shot and killed as they sat in their car in Manenberg on Thursday night. Donovan Uys, 50, understood to be a leader of the Hard Livings gang, and his girlfriend, Sandra Simpson, 34, were shot as they sat in a green Toyota Tazz in Rio Grande Street.

The couple had previously come under attack several years ago and Simpson was wounded.

Simpson’s family live in Rio Grande Street, and the shooting took place outside her sister’s house.

On Friday morning neighbours gathered around the scene of the shooting.

Police had removed the Tazz and the crime scene had been cleared.

A member of the Simpson family, Denise, who asked that her surname not be published, told the Cape Argus that two shots rang out in the street shortly before 10pm.

“The windows were rolled down, and we believe that the attackers were known to Donovan and Sandra. Her door was open, and she was lying on the ground next to the car.

“Donovan was still sitting in the driver’s seat,” Denise said.

The couple were already dead when police arrived on the scene a few minutes later.

Simpson’s family believes that the murder was intended to undermine an ongoing case in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court.

Three years ago, Simpson and Donovan were the victims of a shooting in Peta Walk, Manenberg.

Simpson was shot in her leg and buttocks.

A suspect was arrested and is on trial for that shooting.

The Cape Argus could not locate any of Uys’s relatives this on Friday morning.

The couple’s bodies were at Salt River Morgue and Simpson’s family had started to make funeral arrangements. Simpson is survived by a daughter, 16, and a son, 10.

Police said on Friday that the circumstances of the murders were being investigated, and as yet, the motive was unknown.

There had been no arrests by publication time today, said police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Andre Traut.

daneel.knoetze@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Two major financial institutions are vying to buy the naming rights for Cape Town Stadium for between R20 and R40m a year.

Cape Town - Two major financial institutions are vying to buy the naming rights for Cape Town Stadium for between R20 and R40 million a year.

It would meet most of the high annual costs of running the stadium, expected to hit R47.8m this financial year, against R12.2m income so far.

Since 2009 the venue has cost the city’s public purse R436m to run, but it has earned only R92m. The two companies have submitted formal proposals to the city on the rights.

At the same time, the city is in “robust negotiations” with the Western Province Rugby Union to convince it to move from its historic home ground, Newlands, to take up the anchor tenancy at the stadium.

This was disclosed by the city’s executive director for events, tourism and marketing, Anton Groenewald, in a briefing to the Green Point Ratepayers and Residents Association on commercialising the struggling R4.2 billion venue.

He outlined to the association’s AGM the business models the city was considering to operate the stadium profitably.

Its business analysts looked at profitable, working examples such as the Barcelona Olympic Stadium and the Allianz Arena in Munich.

Barcelona has a major retail component and hotel. Another successful practice was selling the naming rights, such as the Allianz Arena, so renamed when financial services company Allianz bought the naming rights of the Bayern Munich soccer club’s stadium.

The Allianz group had bought the naming rights from the club for 30 years for e20m (R247m), Groenewald said.

A local example was Sahara Park Newlands Cricket Stadium, where the naming rights had been bought by the Gupta family business, Sahara Computers.

Groenewald would not name the two companies eager for Cape Town Stadium’s naming rights, as a public participation report had yet to be tabled before the city’s marketing and events committee.

The option to buy the naming rights was part of the business plans presented to the public for comment.

Groenewald cautioned against undue optimism, however.

zara.nicholson@inl.co.za

Cape Times

A police reservist caught a suspected serial housebreaker "red-handed" trying to rob his home as his family slept.

Cape Town - A crime writer and police reservist caught a suspected serial housebreaker “red-handed” trying to rob his Mowbray home on Thursday as his family slept.

Andrew Brown said he awoke to noise and saw a man standing outside his door. Brown had his personal firearm with him.

“I cocked my gun but I heard another noise inside the house. It came from the study. I went there and there was this guy going through my things,” Brown said.

He said the man appeared to be high and had a tik pipe in his pocket.

“He was jumping all over the place. I was worried that he was trying to come at me.

“Later I realised that he was trying to get to his knife that he had left on the table when he was searching through my things.

“I have been a police officer for 13 years and face these situations regularly and it is quite different when it happens to you. You have a wife and kids at home. It was quite frightening,” Brown said.

He said there had been a number of burglaries in Mowbray and Rondebosch. Police believed the man, from Hanover Park and his accomplice, who got away, were responsible for some of them, Brown said. A knife and a screwdriver were confiscated.

Police spokesman Andre Traut said:

“He was caught red-handed breaking into the reservist’s home. He is being detained at the Mowbray police station,” he said.

He said they were investigating whether the man had been involved in other acts of housebreaking in the area. The man will appear in Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on a housebreaking charge, Traut said.

Meanwhile, police arrested a man for possession of two illegal firearms in Delft yesterday. Traut said officers on patrol arrested the man after they saw him throw the guns on a roof when police spotted him. They took two 9mm Z88 pistols from him.

“One pistol had 15 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber ready to fire. The other firearm had 10 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber also ready to fire.

The serial numbers of both firearms were filed off. The suspect is detained until he is due in court,” Traut said.

xolani.koyana@inl.co.za

Cape Times

The Prosecutions Authority wants leave to appeal against the sentence handed to former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown.

Cape Town - The National Prosecutions Authority has applied for leave to appeal against the sentence given to former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown.

Papers were filed on Friday in the Western Cape High Court, NPA spokesman Eric Ntabazalila said.

Brown was convicted on two counts of fraud after he admitted making misrepresentations in handling investments for the Transport Education and Training Authority and the Mantadia Asset Trust Company.

Judge Anton Veldhuizen handed down a R75,000 fine on each count, as well as an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for four years, also on each count.

The sentence drew wide criticism, with the Financial Services Board (FSB) stating that the sentence would not deter white-collar crime. - Sapa

The suspect in a hit-and-run accident, in which cyclist Koos Roux died, was released on R3000 bail.

Cape Town - An alleged hit-and-run driver was released on R3000 bail when he appeared in the Kuils River District Court late on Friday.

Geoffrey Merrick, 51, a diesel mechanic from Brackenfell, Cape Town, faces charges of culpable homicide (manslaughter) and failure to stop after an accident.

He surrendered to the police 10 days after this happened.

It is alleged that his white VW Polo Classic collided with cyclist Koos Roux, a medical practitioner, on May 12.

Roux was cycling with his son, Kobus, 19, in the early morning.

The police tracked down Merrick by means of debris from his damaged car found in the road.

Merrick appeared before Magistrate Bea Vermeulen, who said the charges were serious, but that her function was merely to decide whether Merrick was a flight risk, as alleged by prosecutor Andile Ngiba.

The court's function was not to decide Merrick's guilt or innocence, she said.

She said the State's contention that Merrick was a flight risk was based on the prosecutor's suspicion that he would abscond.

She said the allegation that Merrick had illegally fled the accident scene, instead of stopping, was insufficient to support the suspicion that he would abscond, especially as he had surrendered himself to the police voluntarily.

He had had plenty of time to disappear, had that been his intention.

Evidence was that Merrick had not been at his place of work or his residence when police went in search of him.

Merrick told the court that he became aware on Monday this week that the police were looking for him.

Instead of reporting immediately to the police, he had first consulted his lawyer.

He alleged that the police had tried twice, after his surrender, to intimidate him into making a statement, despite his right to not do so.

The police had threatened to oppose his release on bail, if he refused to make a statement, he alleged.

He said he was divorced, but engaged to re-marry, and that his wife-to-be was heavily pregnant.

Their baby was due “any day”, he told the court.

The magistrate agreed with his lawyer his release on bail was in the interests of justice as he had no previous convictions, and no pending criminal cases or outstanding warrants for his arrest.

She warned him to return to court on January 29 next year, and that he would be taken back into custody if he failed to do so. - Sapa

Sailors Asenathi Jim and Roger Hudson went from placing 213 in the world to number 10 in less than two years.

Cape Town - THE chances of Asenathi Jim and Roger Hudson ever meeting were slim, never mind the pair qualifying for last year’s Olympics together in record time – and going from placing 213 in the world to number 10 in less than two years.

The unexpected alliance had its roots in a visit Jim, affectionately known as Squirrel, paid to his mother, Wendy Jim, in Redhill near Simon’s Town when he was just 10, making the trip from the Eastern Cape with his grandfather.

He was offered the chance to learn to sail at the Izivunguvungu Foundation for Youth, a sailing school in Simon’s Town founded by former Olympian Ian Ainslie, and the bug bit quickly.

“It just took me. The more I sailed, the more I wanted to do it,” Jim told Weekend Argus this week.

Hudson first took notice of Jim when he won the U18 National Sailing Championships for three consecutive years, the first time when he was just 15 years old. Hudson’s family had started the Race Ahead foundation to form an infrastructure and support network for youngsters from non-sailing backgrounds.

But how do you get from there to Olympic standard?

Jim said he had always dreamt of competing in the Olympics, but that when the dream started to become a distinct possibility, he thought about it every day.

Hudson, who has been around boats and water his entire life, has always had the Olympics as an ultimate goal.

Everything has to be “just right” to launch an Olympic campaign, however, and it would never have happened for him without Race Ahead.

Last year, the pair became world champions in the SB20 class and finished 26th out of 27 at the London event in the 470 class, but now they have the 2016 Olympics in their sights.

The pair had trained together for less than a year – most athletes train for at least a decade – when they found themselves on the starting line in London. They had been told that it was an impossible venture, but with strength and perseverance, they proved everyone wrong.

It wasn’t about where they finished, but that they got to start at all.

With the Rio Olympics in their sights now, Jim and Hudson are aiming to place in the top 10 – and are crossing their fingers that they’ll bring home a medal for South Africa – something that’s never been achieved by a South African sailing team.

Over the

past few years they’ve competed locally, and abroad in Europe and the US. And their achievements are carefully recorded by Wendy Jim. She is her son’s biggest supporter, and her kitchen wallpaper is a giant collage of pictures and articles from his impressive sailing career.

They insist that while there’s no money in sailing, their passion offers them a lifestyle they would never swop. They are funded by sponsorships and donations, and the pair say that without these, they’d have no career.

There is some play, however, between plenty of hard work, but definitely no money for any extravagances.

But the two admit that when they qualified for last year’s Olympics, they were adamant that they deserved to celebrate. And since they were passing through France, what better way to do it than drinking Champagne in Champagne?

Their sailing careers are taking them across the globe. But ask them where they would go if they could travel anywhere, and their answer is: “To Rio, definitely to Rio.”

Weekend Argus

Lena Maasdorp, 89, said she had “suffered long enough” as she received the keys to her new house.

Cape Town - Lena Maasdorp, 89, said she had “suffered long enough” as she received the keys to her new house from Human Settlements Minister Bonginkosi Madikizela on Friday.

Maasdorp, left homeless in a devastating fire that razed 1 360 shacks in Kayamandi’s Zone O in March, was among nine disabled people who received fully furnished homes. A further 90 two-bedroom homes will be handed to other Zone O residents on Monday.

Wheelchair-bound Maasdorp said it was fantastic to have her own house, “with running water”, after so many years.

Sharon van der Horst, Maasdorp’s granddaughter, also lost her shack in the blaze, and moved in with her grandmother yesterday.

“It’s been a tough road. We’re so happy, you have no idea. We have never had proper shelter, and this is amazing.”

But the handover wasn’t all smooth sailing, as a group of disgruntled Zone O residents drowned out local ward councillor Nokuthula Gugushe as she took to the dais to hand over the houses.

The residents, mostly fire victims, threatened to force their way inside, but the police were called to restore order.

Madikizela told the protesters that they may have valid points, but that the forum was inappropriate.

“They must write the issues down and send them to me. All those that I have the power to deal with, I will solve.”

Handing over the nine houses, Madikizela told the audience: “We’ll continue to try to accelerate the processes of housing people, and we’ll continue paying attention to those affected by the fire.

“We’re here to celebrate with the beneficiaries. But we can’t sideline those who have aired their grievances, and we’ll be attending to them.”

Meanwhile Kayamandi SA National Civic Organisation organiser Libile Mbasana claimed that although

Nedbank donated R50 000 to those affected by the fire in March, the money never reached the people.

Only one of three Food Bank trucks of donated food had arrived.

soyiso.maliti@inl.co.za

Weekend Argus

An investigation into "excessive abuse" at Oudtshoorn Army Infantry School recommended suspensions or disciplinary action.

Cape Town - Heads could roll at the Oudtshoorn Army Infantry School after an investigation into “excessive abuse” there recommended that some officials be suspended and internal disciplinary action be taken against others.

The investigation into an incident at the school earlier this month, in which 10 recruits were punished by being forced to carry heavy poles, stripped naked and beaten with broomsticks, has been completed by the military ombudsman and handed to Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.

It was reported that the 10 left the base to go to a bar.

When they returned they were subjected to heavy physical punishment, which left many needing medical attention and one in danger of losing the use of his arm.

Mapisa-Nqakula told a media briefing yesterday that the report had recommended suspensions and disciplinary action, but that those involved had not yet been informed.

She said she had received the report, and written to the chief of the defence force to act on the recommendations.

It was her opinion that the recruits had been subjected to “excessive abuse”.

“Whatever they did, whatever crime was committed, if a crime was committed, you can never justify physical punishment and humiliation,” she said.

Mapisa-Nqakula also confirmed reports that the 10 had been stripped naked for part of the punishment.

She said the report, having been compiled by the ombudsman, did not leave any room for appeal.

“The ombudsman has good muscles and we have to comply with recommendations,” she said.

The minister also noted that the investigation into discipline at the base came after two earlier investigations into conduct there were ordered, following the suicide of a recruit last year.

The results of the first investigation into the suicide of a woman recruit in October had been “inconclusive”, Mapisa-Nqakula said, and she ordered a new investigation.

The minister said earlier this week that the results of this new, wider investigation into deaths at the base had landed on her desk the same day as the reports of the abuse of the 10 recruits.

The minister said the investigation had pointed to a lack of adherence to safety measures during training, and the inability of the unit’s board of inquiry to conduct “quality and conclusive investigations”, with many investigations dating as far back as 2009 left open or under review.

Weekend Argus