It would take “five minutes” to explain away many of the allegations levelled against him in his trial so far, says Arthur Brown.

Cape Town - It would take “five minutes” to explain away many of the allegations levelled against him in his trial so far, says former Fidentia boss Arthur Brown.

He addressed the Western Cape High Court on Monday, saying that the proceedings were “frustrating” for him because it was difficult to sit and listen to the allegations against him and “just keep quiet”.

“A lot of these things I can explain in five minutes and the picture would look very different,” he said.

Brown made these comments as chartered accountant Graham Maddock – Fidentia’s former financial director turned State witness – continued his testimony.

Maddock has been on the stand since last Tuesday when the trial began and is still in the process of submitting his evidence-in-chief.

He has testified on how investors’ money was allegedly splurged on beach properties, 4x4 vehicles and even to cover the company’s salaries.

According to Maddock’s testimony, R800 000 of Fundi Projects’s funds were used as a deposit on two properties, one of them in Sunset Beach, while the balance of R11 million was taken from Teta’s (Transport Educational Training Authority) investment.

A further R3m of Teta’s money was used to buy the vehicles. Maddock, however, is yet to be cross-examined.

Brown is representing himself, at least for now.

He has been granted legal aid but defence counsel Mornay Calitz, who was recently brought on board to represent him, said on Monday that Brown would ask the Legal Aid Board’s national office for the reinstatement of advocate Braganza Pretorius, who has previously represented him.

State advocate Jannie van Vuuren, SC, spent much of on Monday morning poring over transactions in bank account records with Maddock as part of his testimony.

But proceedings were cut short for the day when Judge Anton Veldhuizen raised questions about how time could be saved in the long run.

He believed that Brown would probably not dispute the actual flow of money, but rather the source of it.

Brown said he had a “couple of issues” that made such admissions difficult for him.

He still needed certain financial and extensive investment records that were in the possession of the curators.

Though he had requested them, he claimed that they hadn’t been handed over and that the curators were withholding the documents.

If he had these records, said Brown, the transactions Maddock was testifying about would become more clear.

“Then making admissions will be a lot easier and less risky for me,” he said.

Van Vuuren said there were a lot of funds flowing in and out of Fidentia, as well as other investments, that were not relevant to the charges against Brown.

However, Van Vuuren agreed to contact one of the curators, George Papadakis, in an attempt to get these documents.

The trial is expected to resume on Tuesday.

leila.samodien@inl.co.za

Cape Times

Sentencing procedures in the case against the bus driver responsible for the De Doorns crash that left 23 dead have been delayed.

Cape Town - Sentencing procedures in the case against the bus driver responsible for the De Doorns crash that left 23 people dead more than two years ago have been delayed because he is ill.

According to a medical certificate handed to the Cape Town Regional Court on Monday, Sisa Nonama has tuberculosis.

His lawyer, Thabo Nogemane, said Nonama was not at court because he was sick. He would be fit to attend court on December 13.

Sentencing proceedings were expected to start on Monday, but could not go ahead without Nonama.

Willem Tarentaal, for the State, asked that a warrant be authorised but held over until Nonama’s next scheduled court appearance.

Nonama has pleaded guilty to 23 counts of culpable homicide and two of contravening the National Road Traffic Act.

He acknowledged that 76 people were crammed into the bus when it veered off the Hex River Valley Pass on May 5, 2010.

The bus was certified to carry 64 passengers. In his plea, Nonama said he negligently caused the deaths of 23 people who were travelling from Leeugamka to Cape Town.

“I declare that I was the driver of the bus and my brother, Malinga, was the registered owner of the bus. He was also on board the bus. At around 4.40am, I was nearing the Hex River Pass, we were descending and I failed to reduce speed… I drove at an excessive speed. It was raining and the road was wet. I was unable to control the bus and it veered off the road.”

Nonama

also admitted that he drove the bus without a driver’s licence, and without a roadworthy certificate being displayed.

Magistrate Bruce Langa authorised the warrant for Nonama’s arrest but held it over until December 13, adding that if he again failed to appear his R10 000 bail would be forfeited.

jade.otto@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Some Western Cape farmers are taking no chances when the strike over wages resumes.

Cape Town - Some Western Cape farmers are taking no chances when the strike over wages resumes on Tuesday.

Private security, a helicopter, 10 bakkies and 45 guards have been stationed at Hexkoel, one of the largest cold stores in the Hex River Valley, to ensure the safety of farmers, workers and property. A dog unit is on standby to track down suspected arsonists.

But other farmers in De Doorns said they are not concerned.

Gerhard de Kock, chairman of the Cape Orchard Alliance which owns 12 farms in the valley, said labour relations on Normandy farm had improved in the wake of recent strikes.

De Kock, who lost 6ha of vineyards at the hands of arsonists on November 5, said that he remained an “optimist”.

“All change is painful, but to resist change can be more painful. I have tried to see the unrest as an opportunity for better relations rather than a tragedy,” he said.

De Kock added that he had not dismissed anyone and wages on his farm were raised to a minimum of R95 a day since workers returned to the vineyards two weeks ago. He also paid his workers for days lost due to the strike, saying productivity in the last two weeks had shot up by 40 percent.

De Kock maintains his workers were intimidated into staying away and that “political elements” trying to destabilise the province were behind the “civil unrest”. He said he was not intimidated by reports that the “unrest” was due to start again on Tuesday. He trusted police and security firms would prevent his workers from being intimidated into joining the stayaway.

Last week provincial police commissioner Arno Lamoer reassured farmers that police were well resourced to deal with any violence, and that public order police units would be on standby throughout the province.

De Kock’s sentiments were echoed by farmer Jacques Beukes.

“The fact of the matter is that we simply cannot afford an amount of R150 a day. As much as we would love to pay our workers this, our business will not survive. But our workers know that we will help them when they need us in case of illness and special circumstances,” said Beukes, of Modderdrift export grape farm.

His family had been in the valley for more than a century. “In that time we have employed thousands of people and helped many kids to get through school. You don’t run a business like ours without good faith and support from the people who work for you.”

Modderdrift employs about 600 people. Beukes said he paid well above minimum wage.

“Our family’s relationship with workers has always been a good and a compassionate one, but I can say that communication has improved immensely since the strike was suspended,” Beukes said, adding that top management on the farm were now more committed to engage directly with the workforce.

Jan Olyn, a worker on Beukes’ farm, said he was happy to go to work on Tuesday and trusted the measures in place to protect him.

Beukes, a victim of vandalism and arson in November, said the experience had shaken the faith of some farmers.

“We would love to be here for another 100 years. But if things carry on in the same vein that they did a few weeks ago, we will have to look for greener pastures,” he said, adding that he had made enquiries about maize, soya and corn farming elsewhere in Africa and in Australia.

daneel.knoetze@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Farmworkers began gathering across the Boland in the Western Cape to resume their strike over labour issues.

Western Cape - Farmworkers began gathering across the Boland in the Western Cape on Tuesday morning to resume their strike over labour issues.

Farmworkers' Strike Coalition spokesman Mario Wanza said workers had already formed a group in Ceres, Citrusdal and Zolani in Ashton.

Workers and community members were expected to meet at an open sports field in De Doorns at 10am.

“There have been no incidents of violence that I know of,” he said.

In Worcester, a group of people danced, sang and burned tyres early in the morning.

Worcester police spokesman Captain Mzikayise Moloi said the fires were extinguished and the situation was in control.

Farmworkers wanted a daily wage of R150 and better living conditions.

Table grape harvesters started protesting in De Doorns last month, where most workers were earning between R69 and R75 a day.

The protests spread to fifteen towns, resulting in the death of two people and destruction of property.

Farmworkers suspended the strike to allow for the Employment Conditions Commission (ECC) to look at the sectoral determination for agriculture.

They announced they would resume the strike on Tuesday after Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant said it would be impossible to meet the workers' December 4 deadline, by which they had wanted their demands addressed.

Oliphant said the sectoral determination was put in place in March this year and legally could only be reviewed again in 12 months. The department would continue with public hearings aimed at contributing to a new sectoral determination.

On Monday, Oliphant called for peaceful protests, saying violence had no place in a democratic society.

She said farmers should continue talking to workers to try and find a resolution to their grievances.

People against Suffering, Oppression and Poverty (Passop) said about a third of some 10,000 workers in De Doorns had been able to go to work on Tuesday morning.

“The majority are striking and some have opted to go to work. It seems like it's been peaceful,” Passop director Braam Hanekom said.

“There have been one or two very isolated incidents of intimidation but by and large, the community's rights to go to work weren't infringed.”

Western Cape police commissioner Arno Lamoer last week said all security agencies in the province were on standby and ready to deal with any eventuality.

The provincial government had set up a hotline for people to report unrest or plans to cause violence or destruction.

The 24-hour hotline, 0860-142-142, could also be called to find out which areas and roads were affected by protests. - Sapa

Intravenous heroin use is becoming more and more popular on the cape flats, burdening limited drug rehabilitation services.

Cape Town - Intravenous heroin use is becoming more and more popular on the Cape Flats, burdening limited drug rehabilitation services.

Shafiek Davids, head of the Sultan Bahu rehabilitation centre in Cape Town, warned that while tik was a problem, more attention needed to be given to heroin use, which was placing a burden on rehabilitation resources.

Popular drugs such as heroin and tik are generally smoked, but a new trend appears to be developing in Mitchells Plain, according to Davids.

In some parts of the city tik remains the drug of choice.

At the Hesketh King Treatment Centre in Muldersvlei, administrator Valerie Potgieter says 60 percent of patients are being treated for tik addiction, and about 10 percent for heroin.

“Tik is definitely still the drug of choice, with dagga as an underlying drug,” Potgieter said.

According to Davids, heroin usage has increased to 18 percent.

“Everybody’s talking about tik, but since about 2005 there has been a clear indication that there has been an increase in heroine usage,” he said.

“And now we’re slowly starting to move to intravenous usage - we’ve recently had three patients coming forward who have been injecting the heroin.”

Davids said studies showed that in 2000 there was 4 percent heroin usage, but by the first half of 2007 the proportion had increased to about 11 percent.

By this year the figure had jumped to 18 percent.

“We’re now seeing a new generation of users coming in and we need to start taking good care, especially because in the past people predominantly smoked heroin,” Davids said.

“If we keep going at the rate we are, in the next three to five years we will probably see people sitting in [the] Town Centre injecting the drug.”

Since the beginning of the year the Sultan Bahu centre had seen 646 patients, of whom 320 were heroin users.

“We saw that there was an increase a while ago already,” Davids said.

“Now we need to get people to understand how serious [the problem] is.”

Of the 7 307 people who went to the centre for treatment, 1 506 named heroin as their drug of choice.

“And these are only people who came in for treatment. Imagine how many others there are without treatment,” Davids said.

He said it was a lot more difficult to manage the treatment of heroin users. Also, the costs for the city would be high if heroin users were not treated effectively, relapsed and returned for help.

To treat heroin users effectively, they needed to be admitted to complete detox programmes.

Davids said the injecting of heroin using shared needles put users at risk of contracting HIV and hepatitis.

There was also a chance of their indulging in risky sexual behaviour.

The Sultan Bahu centre had beefed up its programmes in response to the growing use of injected heroin, Davids said.

“When we read about or watch movies about the drug being used in places like the United States it seems like a fairy tale, but now we see our own youth with needle marks in their arms. It’s so unreal.”

natasha.prince@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

The doctor who performed stem cell transplants on a quadriplegic patient have been slammed by two professional bodies.

Cape Town - The doctor who performed groundbreaking stem-cell transplants on a quadriplegic patient has been slammed by two professional bodies.

Tommie Prins, 32, from Milnerton, told the Cape Argus last week he was “honoured” to be the first known patient to receive the transplant in South Africa.

He had been paralysed while on a holiday on the Garden Route six years ago, when he plunged into the ocean, hit a sandbank and broke his neck.

Now, since operations at Melomed Private Hospital by Franschhoek-based neurosurgeon Adriaan Liebenberg on October 10 and 24, an extraordinary recovery had begun.

“I am very optimistic. Every day there are new muscle groups which wake up. We can see flexes in muscles which wouldn’t move before,” he said.

But on Monday, two professional organisations expressed concern.

Robert Dunn, a professor of orthopaedic surgery at UCT and head of orthopaedic surgery and orthopaedic spinal services at Groote Schuur Hospital, said in a statement to the Cape Argus: “These patients are extremely vulnerable and desperate for any improvement in their functional state.

“It is up to the doctor to protect them and act in their interest. In the case of stem cells in spinal cord injury, there is only animal model evidence of any benefit. This procedure is nowhere near the level that it should be used in humans outside of a strictly controlled scientific trial.”

Dunn said there were also recognised risks of implanting stem cells, including immune rejection and tumour development issues.

“It is also offering false hope at this point,” he charged. “In my opinion, the procedure should not be performed on current evidence.”

Asked about Prins’s apparent optimism, he said: “It is unfortunately false expectation. He is desperate and will believe anything, possible ignoring all risks, in the hope of functional improvement. We see this every day in our Acute Spine Injury Unit.

“Even if the stem cells were to initiate ‘new nerve’ growth it’s likely to be chaotic and non-functional. In addition it takes months to years for the nerves to reach their target, growing at 1mm a day. After 18 months or so, the muscle motor endplates (receptors) die and (should) the nerve reach them, they are unlikely to respond to stimulation in any event.”

Asked if patients should have the option of electing to have such transplants even if there are no scientifically proved benefits, Dunn said: “Only in a scientific study based on a probability of improvement from successful animal studies. There is no place for ad hoc, uncontrolled experimental surgery with wild claims and no evidence.”

The Cape Argus learnt on Monday that a number of South Africans had travelled to countries such as Brazil and India to have the operations.

But Dunn said: “We would discourage this based on the fact that there is no conclusive evidence of benefit in humans. One is never sure what is being injected as this can vary from animal stem cells to human. In addition there is risk of immune response and neurological deterioration, infection and tumour growth.

“These patients often make huge financial sacrifices to try this sort of intervention, with no chance of improvement.

These funds would be better spent on their supportive care.”

Sameer Nadvi, president of the Society of Neurosurgeons of South Africa, said the society was in complete agreement with Professor Dunn. “At present there is no scientific evidence that stem-cell therapy improves outcome in patients with spinal cord injury. In view of the vulnerability of patients, the costs involved and the ethical and legal issues around stem-cell therapy, we urge caution.”

Dr Liebenberg responds:

“I am not aware that Professor Dunn has any experience in embryonic stem-cell work. There is a wealth of literature to support the treatment. There are a multitude of animal models and… several human trials as well. Embryonic stem-cell derived cells have been implanted in human patients… in the US. The embryonic stem cells used in the US are non-autologous and therefore have another person’s DNA…There has been legislation in other countries that [has] hampered use of autologous embryonic stem cells but this has now changed in several countries. There is no law against use of autologous embryonic stem cells in South Africa. There is no risk of immune rejection as Professor Dunn claims as the cells we use in our technique are autologous.

“I do not believe we are offering false hope. I would not have performed the procedure if I did not believe there was a chance of improvement. The patient has the legal right to self-determination. This is a novel procedure with no other known treatment, there has been no prejudice against the patient [who] gave full informed consent [and who] had a full understanding of the potential risks and benefits… as did his family. We spent months in consultation with them and presented our findings to them in detail in helping them to make an informed decision.

“This operation is the culmination of seven years of laboratory work, animal studies, cadaveric studies and exhaustive research of international literature results. We are hoping the work we have done will prove conclusively that this kind of work MUST continue.”

Cape Argus

A couple briefly appeared in court following the death of the woman’s three and a half-week-old son, of multiple injuries.

Pretoria - A Sinoville couple briefly appeared in the Pretoria High Court on Monday following the death of the woman’s three-and-a-half-week-old son, of multiple injuries, including skull and various rib fractures.

Juanita Oldewage, 25, and her husband Christiaan Dydelief Oldewage, 27, are facing a charge of murder and another of child abuse.

The pair were not asked to plead and the matter was postponed to July 29, as they want to obtain their own expert evidence regarding the injuries the baby had suffered.

It is claimed that on December 11/12 last year they murdered little Christiaan Oldewage at their Marico Street home.

It is further claimed that, during this time, they intentionally abused or deliberately neglected him by “repeatedly causing him injury or harm”.

The baby was the biological son of Juanita Oldewage, who married her husband shortly before the baby’s birth.

He was born on November 16 last year, and was three-and-a-half- weeks old at the time of his death.

According to the indictment, the accused, in circumstances unknown to the State, repeatedly assaulted the baby, and or allowed him to be assaulted or failed to protect him from being assaulted.

He was taken for hospital treatment on December 10. He was admitted a few days later and died a few hours later on the same day.

Pretoria News

Dogs have been banned from three of the Cape Town’s most popular beaches - and more dog-free beaches are in the pipeline.

Cape Town - Dogs have been banned from three of the city’s most popular beaches - and more dog-free beaches are in the pipeline.

According to new city regulations, Camps Bay, Clifton Fourth and Mnanadi beaches became dog-free from December 1. Heavy fines will be levied on dog-walkers using these beaches.

In the next week, the city will publish a full list of beaches where dogs are not allowed for the summer season.

Previously “free-running dog areas” were Mouille Point, Sunset Beach in Sea Point, the middle section of Hout Bay beach, and the eastern section of Sunrise Beach.

People could walk their dogs on most other beaches between 6pm and 9am.

The city has now prohibited dogs from being on popular beaches and this includes free-running dogs and dogs on leashes.

Mayco member for community services Tandeka Gqada said: “High density nodal beach points, where the highest number of beach-users gather, have been identified and allocated as dog-free zones.

“These dog-free zones amount to a very small percentage of the coastline (approximately 10 percent of the beaches). The rest of the coastline, in excess of 200km, is dog-friendly.”

People are allowed to walk their dogs:

* West of Gordon’s Bay main beach.

* On sections of Sunrise, Blue Waters, Strandfontein, Clovelly, Fish Hoek, Glencairn, Mackerel, Long Beach (Simon’s Town), Windmill, Frank’s Bay, Fisherman’s, Long Beach (Kommetjie), the middle section of Hout Bay Beach, Glen, Clifton First, Sunset (Sea Point), Mouille Point, Sunset (Milnerton), Dolphin, and Van Riebeeckstrand.

* Witsands, Misty Cliffs, Duinefontein, Noordhoek, Nine Miles and Macassar.

Gqada said although the key coastal recreation points where most people gather had been designated dog-free zones, the city had allocated areas adjacent to these beaches for people to walk their dogs on the coastline.

She said the presence of dogs on the city’s beaches was at times a contentious issue which sparked much public debate.

“For many, dog-walking is an important part of their coastal experience as well as a form of social recreation.

“However, the city also recognises that dogs can, at times, negatively impact on the experience of other beach-users.

“In addition, there have, unfortunately, been reports of incidents of conflict between dogs and beach-users,” she said.

Last year two-year-old Meeka Riley Lackay from Bridgetown was attacked by an unleashed Rottweiler on Clifton’s First Beach.

She had surgery and the owner of the dog, James Lech, was fined R1 500 for contravening the regulations governing the walking of dogs on beaches.

The city’s executive director for safety and security, Richard Bosman, said metro police would conduct regular patrols on the beaches to monitor the city’s by-laws.

Owners can be fined between R500 and R2 000 for offences that include permitting a dog to be in a public street or public place without being on a leash and under control, and permitting “any dog which is ferocious, vicious or dangerous to be in any public street or public place, unless humanely muzzled and held on a leash and under control”.

Gqada said the decision was not a new policy, but rather a system the city was applying during the peak season.

In the past the city had demarcated areas where dogs were allowed on beaches during certain times of the day, but Gqada said that system had been ineffective because compliance by dog-walkers was poor.

She said the sport, recreation and amenities department would review the new measures after summer.

zara.nicholson@inl.co.za

Cape Times

Animal organisations have warned of an increase in illegal animal trading across Cape Town this festive season.

Cape Town - Animal organisations have warned of an increase in illegal animal trading across the city this festive season.

Jessica Perrins of the Cape Animal Welfare Forum (CAWF) said on Monday they had noticed a significant increase in the sale of puppies and other animals such as baby rabbits and kittens on the city’s streets.

The illegal sale of animals was a problem throughout the year but escalated over the festive period, she said.

“Buying any animal from the side of the road is not an act of kindness, it’s perpetuation of the cycle of animal cruelty,” Perrins said.

The hot spots for illegal animal trading include Kenilworth/Rosemead Avenue, the city centre, N1 Klapmuts/R44 turn-off, and Philippi.

Puppies are sold for as little as R10.

“Some people naively believe they are getting a bargain, whereas they are taking on an enormous responsibility,” said Perrins.

“Given the poor condition of many of the younger animals for sale, it is assumed they are being bred by unscrupulous backyard breeders. If the public are offered a pedigreed puppy there is every likelihood it was stolen.”

Perrins said a deadly consequence of unlawfully buying young animals was the spread of zoonotic diseases - transmitted from animals to people - since most of these animals have not been vaccinated or dewormed.

“Many of them are also far too young to be separated from their mother and are susceptible to potentially fatal diseases because their immune system is compromised.”

Allan Perrins, chief executive of the Cape of Good Hope SPCA and chairman of CAWF, said they received complaints every week about illegal animal trading, mostly from suburbs in the north and south. Last week an eight-week-old puppy had been handed in by a concerned person. He was extremely hungry and thirsty and is now in a foster home awaiting adoption. Perrins said street sellers preyed on people’s emotions.

“Some of their sales pitches and techniques are crude and border on the obscene - some threaten to throw the already traumatised animal into oncoming traffic if one does not buy the animal… these are not animal lovers but an uncaring minority obsessed with money,” he said.

“Callous” backyard breeders thrived because they were persuasive. “They have no set routine or set sales patterns and appear to quickly set up shop where they are of the opinion they are most likely to find a soft victim.”

Perrins added: “If you want to acquire a pet, rather adopt one. You will be spoilt for choice and by doing so you will be giving an animal a second chance,” he said.

Should you come across individuals selling any small animals, call Law Enforcement at 021 596 1999.

nontando.mposo@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Five people have appeared in court for allegedly selling a teen for sex, and a doctor is set to be arrested next.

Cape Town - A well-known doctor is allegedly involved in a child sex ring first exposed by the Daily Voice.

And five people have now been arrested for selling a 13-year-old Atlantis girl for sex – including her own mother and stepfather.

The shocking revelation emerged as the girl’s mother, stepfather and three others appeared in court on Monday charged in connection with the child sex ring.

Three other women were charged with child trafficking at the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

The accused cannot be named to protect the identity of the abused child.

It also emerged on Monday that cops are expected to make more arrests soon – including people from as far as Mossel Bay.

And in a shocking twist, it has emerged that a Cape Town doctor is also allegedly part of the paedophile ring.

The Daily Voice has learned that police are preparing to arrest the doctor – who works at one of the city’s top public hospitals – soon.

Police did not want to reveal more details about the doctor as they fear he could flee the country.

Lotrict, Fortuin and Muller have allegedly confessed to police to selling the young girl to the doctor.

The Daily Voice first exposed the child sex ring last month.

It is alleged the teenage girl’s mother sold her to men, including her stepdad, for sex – sometimes for as little as R20.

The stepfather is accused of raping her, while the women have been charged with selling the girl to men for sex.

The mother was arrested four weeks ago, about a week after the girl told a friend and teacher about her ordeal.

Last week, Table View police arrested the man and three women in quick succession.

The child said the men would have sex with her in bushes outside Atlantis, and sometimes her mother would watch.

The mom was meant to apply for bail on Monday, but due to the other arrests, her bail hearing was put on hold.

Her lawyer Chantall Gillon tried to argue that her bail hearing was an urgent matter.

But Magistrate Zwelindumile Sogwagna said he wanted to try all the accused simultaneously.

“We must deal with all accused as one matter and not start running around,” he said.

The court also heard that the police would be making more arrests “in the next few days”.

“We are very close to arresting three people in Mossel Bay for their involvement in the sex ring,” the investigating officer told State Prosecutor Vusi Tshabalala.

As the number of arrests grows, Atlantis Ward Councillor Barbara Rass said she’s shocked at the reach of the sex ring.

After her mother’s arrest, the teen was placed in Rass’s care. The girl has since been taken away by the Department of Social Development.

“I didn’t think this sex ring stretched as far as Mossel Bay,” Rass said. “I’m glad that other children won’t fall prey to unscrupulous people.”

*This article was published in the Daily Voice

The man accused of repeatedly raping his 13-year-old stepdaughter could barely raise his voice during his court appearance.

Cape Town - The man accused of repeatedly raping a 13-year-old girl could barely raise his voice in court on Monday.

The 48-year-old man was the girl’s stepfather and allegedly paid the child’s mother - his own partner - so he could abuse her.

He was arrested soon after the mom and was charged with rape.

During his first court appearance on Monday, he could barely make himself heard to the magistrate to record his address.

The rape accused stood staring blankly ahead for most of the time while his fate was decided.

The four other accused also lined up in the dock and hardly said a word. One of the women accused was the only one who tried to communicate with the legal aid lawyer while standing in the dock. The others nervously waited to hear the court’s outcome.

They stood and listened as the magistrate decided when they could apply for bail.

All the details of their alleged crimes have not yet come to light. Cops are now following up leads as far away as Mossel Bay to arrest everyone involved in the sex ring.

The traumatised girl has also been assisting cops with the investigation.

Social Development spokesperson Melany Kühn says the girl has been taken to a place of safety and is settling in well.

“She is processing her traumatic ordeal and is receiving much-needed counselling and support,” Melany told the Daily Voice.

*This article was published in the Daily Voice

Strikers in Robertson and Ashton clashed with police as shot were fired during morning protests.

Cape Town - Strikers in Robertson and Ashton clashed with police on Tuesday morning and were shot at with rubber bullets, but most Boland towns were quiet on Tuesday as the farmworkers’ stayaway appeared to have had limited support.

In and around Ceres, community sources estimated that the majority of the workforce had gone to work.

The stayaway seems to have been better supported around Ashton and Robertson, where strikers clashed with police early this morning.

“We are assisting people to get to hospital so that injuries sustained due to rubber bullets can be treated,” said Merchia Adams of Mawubuye Land Rights, an NGO which has been helping farmworkers in Ashton.

“We have also received at least 27 notices of dismissal from workers who have supported the strike today [Tuesday].”

In Paarl a march by strikers to the Agri SA (which represents the majority of farmers) offices was scheduled for late morning.

Farmworkers in De Doorns heeded the stayaway call and started gathering at the local sports field for a meeting set for late morning today.

Many others returned to work. Farmworkers who spoke to the Cape Argus said that they were concerned that they would lose their pay if they supported the strike.

“It is almost Christmas, New Year is coming and the children will need new school clothes. We need our money this time of year,” said a woman who did not want to be identified.

De Doorns farmer Gerhard de Kock, the chairman of the Cape Orchard Alliance, which owns 12 farms in the valley, said labour relations on Normandy farm had improved in the wake of recent strikes.

De Kock said he had paid his workers out for the two weeks that they did not work due to the strike last month.

“But from now on I will be working on a no work, no pay basis,” he said.

De Kock, who lost 6ha of vineyards at the hands of arsonists on November 5, said he remained an “optimist”.

“All change is painful, but to resist change can be more painful. I have tried to see the unrest as an opportunity for better relations rather than a tragedy,” he said.

De Kock maintains his workers were intimidated into staying away and that “political elements” trying to destabilise the province were behind the “civil unrest”.

He said he was not intimidated by reports that the “unrest” was due to start again today. He trusted police and security firms would prevent his workers from being intimidated into joining the stayaway.

Another farmer, Jacques de Kock, said he had given his staff the day off work today because he wanted to protect them from the threat of intimidation.

On Monday Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies told workers that “it was (their) choice” whether or not to support the strike.

This was at odds with some stakeholders in the community, including local ANC councillors and Cosatu, who actively encouraged workers to strike.

Those who did return were not subject to violence while they were travelling to work.

By mid-morning there had been no reports of unrest in De Doorns.

Strikes in the region a month ago saw the looting of shops, arson and vandalism of private property.

The Cape Argus interviewed a group of Sotho men and women in De Doorns who said they would not becoming involved in mobilising workers.

Many said they had been dismissed since workers in De Doorns returned to work two weeks ago. In the past, farmers have tried to blame “illegal Sotho immigrants” for the unrest.

The group said documentation issues were being used as an excuse to scapegoat them unfairly. Many said they supported the strike peacefully, but were now being lumped in with a “bunch of troublemakers”.

They allege police have been going to Lobisi informal settlement to check people’s papers.

Immigrants rights NGO Passop has been petitioning Naledi Pandor, the minister of home affairs, to grant a three-month moratorium on the arrest and deportation of undocumented workers.

On Monday, Davies supported a call for leniency from authorities on the issue of documentation.

daneel.knoetze@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

A SA man was held in Trinidad for a week, after a yacht he was supposed to work on abandoned him when problems emerged with his visa.

Johannesburg - A South African man has been held in Trinidad for a week, after a yacht he was supposed to work on abandoned him when problems emerged with his visa.

He has spent a week in the country, most of the time locked in a hotel room.

Trinidad authorities told him he would return to South Africa this weekend. They took him to the airport, but he was turned away.

Anthony Knowles left Cape Town for the Caribbean island to work as a crew member on a yacht last week, according to his sister, Sharon Knowles.

He was apparently told by the captain of the yacht that he could apply for a visa when he arrived in the country, only to find that the visa would take 20 days to be processed.

Knowles went on the yacht because he was doing a skippers course and was hoping the trip would give him some experience.

Sharon said the captain told him the yacht could not wait this long and left with the rest of the crew.

She has been in contact with her brother, who she said isn’t allowed to talk on the phone but has access to Facebook.

She has contacted the High Commission in Trinidad in an effort to get her brother back.

Clayson Monyela, spokesman for the Department of International Relations and Co-operation, said he would investigate.

brendan.roane@inl.co.za

The Star

The ANC Women’s League in Gauteng will march to the British embassy to demand that Shrien Dewani to be extradited.

Johannesburg - The ANC Women’s League in Gauteng will march to the British embassy in Pretoria to demand that Shrien Dewani to be extradited to South Africa, it said on Tuesday.

African National Congress Women's League spokeswoman Troy Martens said the march would be held on Monday.

“It must be made clear to the international community that South Africa is not a slaughter-house and justice must be allowed to take its course,” she said.

The ANCWL wanted Dewani to stand trial for the crimes of which he was accused.

Dewani allegedly orchestrated the murder of his 28-year-old bride Anni, who was shot dead in November 2010 during an apparent car hijacking in Cape Town. He has denied the claim.

“We will be handing over a letter to the ambassador in which we will be raising our concerns as South African women and we hope this plea will reach the courts in England when Dewani’s extradition hearing begins again in July,” said Martens.

On Monday, a British magistrate set Dewani's extradition hearing for July 2013 after hearing that he had become a “husk” of a man who suffered from flashbacks of the night his wife was killed, the French news agency Agence France Presse reported.

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

His extradition was halted in March on mental health grounds.

A judge ruled on Monday that he needed several more months to recover, AFP reported.

Chief Magistrate Howard Riddle ruled that there would be a review hearing on April 11, and that a five-day, full extradition hearing would start on July 1 if Dewani had recovered to the point where he was deemed fit to stand trial.

Sapa

The ANC in Limpopo and Western Cape will be allowed to hold their provincial nomination conferences again on Wednesday.

The ANC in Limpopo and Western Cape will be allowed to hold their provincial nomination conferences again on Wednesday, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

The provinces' conferences collapsed amid disruptions at the weekend.

“The (National Executive Committee (NEC)) decided that both of these conferences will be held on Wednesday...,” said Mantashe.

If they fail to hold successful conferences they would forfeit their right to nominate candidates in that way, and will have to nominate candidates from the floor at the African National Congress's 53rd national conference in Mangaung later this month.

Six NEC members would be sent to the Western Cape and six to Limpopo to facilitate the conference reruns.

The NEC would also attend the nomination conferences so they could readily confirm nominations.

Branches which had problems had also been directed to rerun their branch general meetings (BGMs) and had until Friday to do so. This applied only to branches which had been directed to rerun.

“So we are not having an open season for BGMs... only those BGMs that have been directed to rerun,” said Mantashe.

At the weekend conferences, party members were meant to select candidates to stand for leadership posts at the ANC's elective conference in Mangaung.

Mantashe said the North West's nominations were considered finalised.

He condemned an attack on North West provincial secretary Kabelo Mataboge and hoped the police would bring the culprits to book.

These were part of resolutions taken at a special NEC meeting in Tshwane on Monday.

Mantashe said the ANC was “more than ready” for Mangaung. - Sapa

Honeymoon bride Anni Dewani’s father will be in court when her killer Xolile Mngeni is sentenced.

The father of murdered honeymoon bride Anni Dewani was due to arrive in Cape Town on Tuesday to see her killer Xolile Mngeni sentenced at the High Court.

Vinod Hindocha’s overnight flight from England represents a busy 72 hours for the grieving father who Monday attended a London court to hear a provisional date set for the possible extradition of Anni’s husband Shrien back to South Africa to answer murder charges.

Speaking outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court, a visibly exhausted Mr Hindocha said: “Three men have been convicted of Anni's murder and only Shrien has yet to face trial.

“I only want him to answer the police questions and help me as a father to receive closure on this terrible episode.

“Tonight I am boarding a flight to Cape Town to be in court to see for myself the sentencing of Xolile Mngeni who shot my daughter. I want to look into his eyes as he is punished and that will help me a little.

“Mngeni has brain cancer and has stood trial. It shows that the South Africans can treat people who are ill and facing serious charges fairly.”

He added: “I do wonder that two years is a long time to be suffering from post traumatic stress and a lot less serious that a brain tumour, but all I can do is wait for the British Courts to send him back as was decided last year. The delays are slowly killing me. I haven’t slept properly in two years. My heart is broken.”

Mr Hindocha made the trip with son Anish, leaving the UK just hours after Shrien Dewani’s latest court hearing in London. Dewani did not attend the hearing for medical reasons but his family and Anni’s were well represented in the public gallery.

At the hearing District Judge Howard Riddle agreed to loosen his bail conditions, allowing Dewani to attend a new hospital Blaise View in his home city of Bristol because his current one, Fromeside, was too loud and hindering his recovery from depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Psychiatrists for the South African government - which is seeking Dewani’s extradition - and his have both agreed that he needed quieter premises to speed up treatment.

At yesterday’s hearing his lawyer Clare Montgomery said Dewani had become a ‘husk’ of a man who was scared of driving and had flashbacks of a bad-breathed man holding a gun as on the night he claims he was hijacked with Anni in Guguletu in November 2010. Anni, 28, was later found murdered in the back of their taxi for which three South Africans have now been convicted. The latest, Mngeni, will be sentenced on Wednesday.

Hugo Keith, lawyer for the South African government said Dewani had not been a perfect patient at Fromeside and spent most days sitting in a disused camper van in a hospital car park praying or playing on a computer. He said: “He is a product of his own medical situation. He sometimes actively discourages treatment, is rude and discourteous to staff and is also critical and dismissive.”

Dr Paul Cantrell who was called by the Dewani family said he was recovering from depression but the PTSD was still severe. He was optimistic that Dewani would make some kind of recovery by the middle of next year, possibly allowing him to return to South Africa to face trial.

Ms Montgomery agreed: “We hope and believe on the evidence he will recover, in which case there is no battle at all apart from ensuring there are appropriate conditions for him in South Africa. At some point he will became fit to plead, he will no longer require medical treatment and all that will be required is some reassurances on the conditions in which he will be held.”

District Judge Howard Riddle agreed to vary Dewani’s bail to allow him to stay at either hospital with conditions that he continues treatment and is only allowed to leave the premises with the permission of his doctors and accompanied by a nominated person.

His bail surety remained at £250 000, police continue to hold his passport and he remained under curfew from 10pm to 6am.

After discussions with both parties he agreed that Dewani's mental condition would be reviewed again next April ahead of a provisional full extradition hearing on July 1.

Both the Western Cape and Limpopo ANC are ready to hold their nomination conferences on Wednesday.

The ANC in Limpopo and the Western Cape will hold their nomination conferences on Wednesday after being given the go-ahead by the national executive committee (NEC).

“We are more than ready to proceed,” Limpopo spokesman Makonde Mathivha said on Tuesday.

Delegates would start registering at about 9am at the Marco Hall in Polokwane and the conference would be held at the same venue as Friday.

The province had to cancel its conference on Friday night when a group of “violent hooligans” disrupted proceedings, forcing delegates to flee the venue, Mathivha said at the time.

He claimed the event was disrupted by a group wearing T-shirts with President Jacob Zuma's face printed on them.

Mathivha said security had been beefed up for Wednesday's conference.

“Anyone who doesn't qualify (for the conference) must not even think of coming near the conference.”

Limpopo, along with Gauteng, has been one of the provinces calling for change of leadership in the African National Congress.

The provincial executive committee (PEC) wanted Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe to take over from Zuma.

ANC Western Cape secretary Songezo Mjongile confirmed that the province would hold its provincial general council (PGC) in Cape Town on Wednesday.

Delegates would start registering at 1pm and the conference was expected to start by 4pm.

“We have put necessary measures in place to make sure the meeting is not disrupted,” Mjongile said.

Any issues would be dealt with outside the conference by NEC deployees so that nominations could go ahead.

Among the province's NEC deployees was Minister in the Presidency Trevor Manuel, who was the convenor.

Six NEC members would be sent to the Western Cape and six to Limpopo to facilitate the conference reruns.

ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe said the NEC decided during its special meeting on Monday to allow the two provinces to reconvene their PGCs.

“Failure to hold these conference successfully will mean that the provinces will forfeit their right to nominate and will therefore only be able to exercise their nominating right from the floor of the conference (in Mangaung),” he said.

A nomination from the floor has to be supported by 25 percent of the conference members. - Sapa

A 17-year-old boy has laid a charge of attempted murder after he was shot, allegedly with a rubber bullet fired by police in Robertson.

Robertson -

A 17-year-old boy has laid a charge of attempted murder after he was shot, allegedly with a rubber bullet fired by police in Robertson on Tuesday, Western Cape police said.

Lt-Col Andre Traut said the teenager laid the complaint at the Robertson police station following a farmworkers' protest in the area.

Traut said the matter was handed to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).

Ipid spokesman Moses Dlamini said he was not immediately aware of the case, but would respond later in the week.

Table grape harvesters started protesting about their working conditions in De Doorns last month. Most workers earned between R69 and R75 a day. The protests spread to 15 other towns and resulted in two deaths and the destruction of property.

The farmworkers' strike resumed on Tuesday when their demands were not met. - Sapa

Cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro has stuck to his anti-Zionist views after a public spat with a pro-Israel supporter.

Cape Town - Cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro stuck to his anti-Zionist views on Tuesday after a public spat with a pro-Israel supporter.

Addressing the Cape Town Press Club, Shapiro criticised South Africa-Israel Public Affairs Committee chairman David Hersch, who also attended the event.

Hersch challenged the cartoonist, otherwise known as Zapiro, for depicting anti-Zionist views in his caricatures.

“You are an anti-Zionist, aren't you? Why do you do this while you send your children to Herzlea (a Jewish day school)?” he asked.

Zapiro told Hersch to leave his children out of the debate.

“This is classic, classic intimidatory tactics. Do not ever bring up my children again,” retorted an angry Shapiro.

Zapiro later said he was indeed against political Zionism.

“I think that whatever notions of religious Zionism existed in the 19th century were already perverted by Theodore Herzl and company in order to ethnic-cleanse a land that had a lot of people, who were living there over a period of hundreds of years.”

Zapiro said he was, therefore, not in agreement with the way Israel was formed.

“That's not true,” Hersch shouted from his chair.

Zapiro silenced him with the words: “No, it is true and I've got the mike now. You had your chance... give back the occupied land and let Palestine become a country, become a nation; and also, abide by (United Nations) resolutions,” Zapiro said.

Theodore Herzl was the founder of modern political Zionism, in effect the state of Israel.

The UN recently upgraded the Palestinians' status from that of observer to non-member observer state with a vote of 138 in favour, nine against and 41 abstentions. The United States and Israel were among the countries which voted against the move. - Sapa

Police arrested seven armed men as farm workers in the Western Cape winelands resumed strike action.

 Franschhoek - Police arrested seven armed men on Tuesday as farm workers in South Africa's picturesque winelands resumed strike action, with tension enveloping the Western Cape region.

The men, suspected to be members of the far-right Afrikaner Resistance Movement (AWB), were found with one firearm and 60 rounds of ammunition at a roadblock leading to the epicentre of the farmworkers strike.

Regional police spokesman Andre Traut said the suspects aged between 33 and 66 years “were driving in the direction of De Doorns when their vehicle was searched.”

It was in De Doorns - outside Cape Town - that last month's unrest began, leaving two dead and vineyards burnt.

On Tuesday, there were however few signs of a repeat of last month's deadly violence as the strike resumed.

The strike, which comes at the start of South Africa's grape harvest season, turned violent in November when workers burned vineyards, looted shops and blockaded streets with burning tyres in towns close to Cape Town.

Many of the farmers have since hired private security firms to protect their property while the police have sent hundreds of additional officers to monitor the area.

Mario Wanza, a spokesman for the Farmworkers Strike Coalition, said a number of farm workers and protests organisers were arrested after the police fired rubber bullets in the area of Paarl, in the orange farming town of Citrusdal and near the town of Montagu.

“A number of people were shot,” he said. “We expect the strike to carry on for a number of days.”

Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Andre Traut said the situation in farming communities was “under control” late on Tuesday afternoon.

Porschia Adams, a spokeswoman for AgriWes-Cape, which represents farmers in the Western Cape province, said farm workers marched to the group's offices in Paarl to hand over a memorandum of demands.

“About 200 people came in a group,” she said. “It was very small. Most of the areas today were quiet.”

Workers are demanding that their 70 rand ($8) daily wages be increased to 150 rand ($17).

Adams said a strike was unusual for the farming industry, where wage disputes were normally resolved “on the ground”.

“Farm workers do not normally strike. They are partners in business and they realise what their role is. They sort their issues out on the farm with the farmers.”

Adams said farmers were “reassessing their risks and thinking about alternatives” to using labour.

The fruit industry in the Western Cape employs around 200 000 permanent workers and 200 000 casual labourers.

Michael Loubser, a spokesman for Hex Valley Table Grape Farmers Association, said no violence had been reported early on Tuesday.

“About 95 percent of the permanent staff are at work today,” he said.

The only people who were not able to work were those from the nearby Stofland informal settlement, he said.

“The workers there have been told that if they go to work there will be consequences,” Loubser said.

So far talks to end the dispute have remained deadlocked.

Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant has said that the basic wage may only be reviewed one year after it was put in place, according to legislation, with the current level dating to March this year.

Tony Ehrenreich, the general secretary of Western Cape branch of union federation Cosatu, said discussions with farmers had been fruitless.

“So far our discussions have yielded no results.” - Sapa-AFP