Ninety nine corporal punishment cases involving Western Cape teachers were reported to the SA Council of Educators in under a year.

Cape Town - Ninety-nine cases of corporal punishment involving teachers in the Western Cape were reported to the SA Council of Educators in under a year.

The cases were reported between April last year and March this year.

The council, the professional body which registers all the country’s teachers, probed 525 misconduct cases in that period, it said in its annual report presented to Parliament last week.

It said in the report that the majority of cases had come from the Western Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

There were a total of 174 cases reported during that period, involving sexually abusing pupils and assaulting co-workers on school grounds.

It showed an increase in reported cases, up from 120 complaints the year before.

The annual report said there had been “a sharp increase in the number of reported cases, especially in respect of educators who still apply corporal punishment, abuse learners sexually and educators assaulting one another within the school environment”.

The council had found that men were more likely to be accused of misconduct than women and that the largest proportion of offenders were aged between 35 and 54 years old.

The report said provinces often failed to report cases to the council.

“While it is a statutory requirement that all disciplinary matters reported to the employers be brought to the attention of the SA Council of Educators, such still remain a challenge as many provincial education departments still fail to report such matters that have been received, processed and finalised by them.”

Paddy Attwell, spokesman for the Western Cape Education Department, said the figures might not indicate a higher incidence of misconduct in the Western Cape.

He said the department referred the outcome of disciplinary hearings to the council.

“The council records these cases as complaints and considers them for further action, for example, to remove a teacher from the council’s register of teachers.”

Attwell said the statistics reflect the department’s success in investigating, prosecuting and reporting these cases to the council, as required by the act.

More than half, 57 percent, of the Western Cape cases involved corporal punishment.

“The department defines corporal punishment as assault.

“Typical sanctions include final written warnings and a fine, depending on the nature of the case. Our internal prosecutors normally argue for dismissal for repeat offenders.

“Corporal punishment is illegal in terms of the South African Schools Act. The department views corporal punishment in a serious light.”

The Cape Times reported earlier this year that the Western Cape had the lowest number of pupils who had experienced corporal punishment.

A total of four percent of pupils in the Western Cape had experienced corporal punishment at school, compared to the Eastern Cape where 30 percent had experienced it, according to the Stats SA General Household Survey 2011.

michelle.jones@inl.co.za

Cape Times

An anti-vigilante campaigner has been arrested and detained in connection with a vigilante killing.

Cape Town -

An anti-vigilante campaigner has been arrested in connection with a vigilante killing in Mfuleni.

Angy Peter, 32, a founding member of the Social Justice Coalition (SJC), was arrested with her partner, Isaac Mbadu, 26, in connection with the murder of Siphiwo Rowan Mbevu.

According to the SJC, police allege Mbevu was necklaced. He was found on October 14 severely burnt and beaten.

Peter has worked for the SJC since its formation in 2008 and was instrumental in the bid to have a commission of inquiry look into the reasons for the vigilante killings in Khayelitsha this year.

Premier Helen Zille established the commission in August to look into allegations of police inefficiency and a breakdown in relations between police and the community. There have been 19 reported cases of vigilante killings in the city.

The commission was formed after a comprehensive report on the breakdown in the criminal justice system in Khayelitsha was submitted by the SJC, the Treatment Action Campaign, Equal Education, the Triangle Project and Ndifuna Ukwazi, all represented by the Women’s Legal Centre.

At a press briefing yesterday, Gavin Silber, of the SJC, condemned Mbevu’s murder, but claimed he was a known criminal.

“He is reported to have regularly stolen from and assaulted residents and, despite their regular reports to the police, action was rarely taken. Frustrated by this, community members had on more than one occasion attempted to assault or kill Mbevu. Peter and Mbadu intervened on several occasions to prevent this from happening,” Silber said.

Silber said Peter had recently reformed Mbevu who had started working as an activist for the SJC.

Police spokesman Colonel André Traut confirmed that Peter and Mbadu had been arrested with two other residents, Christopher Dina, 25, and Azola Dayimane, 24.

They were charged with murder and kidnapping.

Traut said the matter was still under investigation.

The four accused made their first appearance in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court last Tuesday where the case was postponed for a bail application until November 1. They are in custody in Pollsmoor.

l A member of the SJC alleged police officers beat a Khayelitsha boy with plastic pipes last night.

The member, who did not want to be named, said there had been a commotion just before the 8.30pm incident during which shots were fired in Green Point, Khayelitsha and two police vans chased a group of teenagers across a field.

“The officer had the teenager of about 13 and beat him with a pipe. Another officer joined in hitting him.”

Traut said he had not been informed of the incident and would make inquiries today.

zara.nicholson@inl.co.za

Cape Times

Three people, including a four-month-old baby, were injured in a shooting in Athlone.

Athlone - Three people, including a four-month-old baby, were injured in a shooting in Athlone, Cape Town, on Wednesday, Western Cape police said.

“Two armed criminals opened fire at two adult victims at their residence in Athlone,” Lt-Col Andre Traut said in a statement.

Traut said the 39-year-old woman and the 29-year-old man were each holding a four-month-old baby in their arms.

“The two adult victims were each hit in the chest. The one baby, a girl, sustained a superficial wound to her arm, and the other baby, a boy, escaped unharmed.”

The condition of the two adults was not known, and the baby was “doing well under the circumstances”.

No arrests had been made yet.

A public meeting would be held on Thursday at 5pm at Anemone Court in Athlone to discuss gang-related problems. - Sapa

Around R6.5 million worth of contraband cigarettes were destroyed by the SA Revenue Service.

Cape Town - Around R6.5 million worth of contraband cigarettes were destroyed on Wednesday, the SA Revenue Service (Sars) said.

“These illicit cigarettes were seized during various attempts to bring them into South Africa illegally through various methods of concealment and smuggling,” Sars said in a statement.

A total of 800 master cases of cigarettes were shredded in special hammer mills at a dump site outside Stellenbosch, in the Western Cape.

The majority of cases were of the Pacific, Mega, and Chicago brands.

According to the Tobacco Institute of Southern Africa the illicit trade in cigarettes comprised more than 25 percent of the total cigarette market in South Africa.

This equated to more than 15 million cigarettes being sold illegally every day, or more than six billion per year, defrauding the fiscus of around R4 billion in unpaid excise duties this year. - Sapa

A girl, 14, screams out in pain as a group of teens take turns raping her. One of the boys records the attack on his phone.

Cape Town - The helpless 14-year-old girl screams out in pain as a group of teenage gangsters take turns raping her.

One of the attackers records the sick sex attack on his cellphone as his pals look on laughing.

The brutal gang rape continues for a full 20 minutes.

The Daily Voice has obtained disturbing cellphone footage of the teenage gang rape, which has been circulating among youngsters in Khayelitsha.

One harrowing clip shows the terrified little girl crying out in pain as she is repeatedly raped.

Her head turns from side to side as she tries in vain to stop her attackers.

But her cries go unheard as the thugs joke and laugh while encouraging each other to rape her again.

The victim has claimed she was raped by four teenagers, while six others took pictures.

The disgusting images show the girl surrounded by teen boys who are taking turns to rape her while others look on.

In another sickening sequence, the girl begs her captors to let her go.

But they ignore her pleas and continue their savage attack.

The footage was recorded inside a family house in H section in Khayelitsha last Thursday.

The Daily Voice has learned that four of the attackers – aged between 14 and 15 have been charged in connection with the attack.

But the young victim’s family say her life will never be the same again.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Voice, her granny reveals she is being forced to relive her horror ordeal every day at school where she has been cruelly teased by learners.

The harrowing video clip has now gone viral on social media websites.

The girl’s distraught grandma – who is also her legal guardian – collapsed twice after she was shown the images of her little granddaughter being gang-raped.

“This is really touching me – I couldn’t bear it when someone showed me the video images [of her] being raped,” the 74-year-old tells the Daily Voice.

“I collapsed and came back from hospital and collapsed again.

“What worries me even further is that none of the boys’ parents had come to see me.

“The kids that raped my granddaughter live in the same street and area.”

The grandmother now has to accompany her traumatised granddaughter to school every day because she fears she will be attacked again.

And she hit out at the parents of the young thugs who raped her little girl – who have still not visited her to apologise for what happened.

“I am so embarrassed about this whole thing, and at least I had hoped the parents would come and show some form of remorse about what their children did to my daughter,” she adds.

“I don’t know if I will ever forget this, it’s really draining me.

“Now my daughter lives behind closed doors and her behaviour has changed.”

Speaking in the presence of her grandmother, the Grade 7 learner says she was walking in the street when she was approached by a 15-year-old boy who is known to her.

“He asked me to watch movies at his home,” the slim and shy girl says.

“When we got there I noticed his friends standing outside his home.

“I then refused to enter the house, but he told me that his friends were not going to stay.

“He forced me into the room and started undressing me, his friends then followed and they took turns raping me.

“Four took turns raping me while others were taking photos on their phones.

“There were six of them who watched them raping me.

“Some were putting their finger in my private parts and swearing at me.

“I felt pain all the time and I begged them to stop but they would push me back and rape me.

“This has caused a strain because children at school are laughing at me.”

Furious residents want the girl’s teenage attackers to be banished from their neighbourhood.

“We can’t live with children that behave like monsters in our community,” Mzwandile Stemele, 38, says.

“The community is very much hurt and angry about the incident.

“And I am sure this is not the first time that these boys are doing this.

“The residents should come together and deal with this matter urgently”.

Lingelethu West police on Wednesday night confirmed the shocking gang rape, but they refused to disclose any further details about their ongoing investigation.

*This article was published in the Daily Voice

A Cape Town man was seriously injured when his hand was caught between the rollers of a machine.

Epping, Cape town -

A Cape Town man was seriously injured when his hand was caught between the rollers of a machine in Epping on Tuesday morning, paramedics said.

“(He) was working on the machine when his right hand got caught and pulled into the rolling machine,” ER24 spokesman Andre Visser said.

The 42-year-old man's colleagues dismantled the machine and freed him. He sustained serious injuries to his right hand up to his wrist.

He was treated at the scene and taken to a local hospital. - Sapa

The owners of unroadworthy public transport must also take the blame for causing road fatalities, the United Democratic Movement said.

The owners of unroadworthy public transport must also take the blame for causing road fatalities, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) said on Tuesday.

“Allowing the drivers to be fall guys for road fatalities is extremely unfair,” said UDM chief whip Stanley Ntapane in a statement.

Western Cape bus driver Sisa Nonoma was found guilty on 23

counts of culpable homicide by the Cape Town Regional Court on Monday. He would be sentenced on December 3, after his conviction under a plea agreement.

He was the driver of the bus that crashed on the N1 near De Doorns in the Western Cape on May 5, 2010, leaving 23 people dead.

Charges were provisionally withdrawn against his brother, Malinga Nonoma, the bus owner. Both were initially charged with 23

counts of murder.

Ntapane said the party agreed with the verdict and that it would send a clear message that road safety was not negotiable.

“However, we are concerned that the bus owner has taken no responsibility.”

He said the owner was partly to blame for allowing an unroadworthy vehicle that had a number of faults onto the roads. Brake problems, poorly insulated wiring and malfunctioning lights were among the problems he identified.

“We also appreciate the remorse shown by the bus driver for the unnecessary loss of lives,” he said. - Sapa

Western Cape residents are better off than those in most other provinces, Census 2011 has shown.

Cape Town - People living in the Western Cape are better off than those in most other provinces. Most live in brick houses, have access to running water, flushing toilets and a better education than the average citizen, according to census figures released on Tuesday.

There are 5.8 million people living in the Western Cape, of whom 2.8 million are coloureds, 1.9 million are black African, 910 600 are white and 58 000 are Indian/Asian.

The Western Cape and Gauteng have been confirmed as the provinces that attract the most people (numbering in the millions) because of greater economic activity.

Seventy-one percent of people living in the Western Cape were born here, while 16 percent come from the Eastern Cape and the remainder from other provinces.

Census statistics showed that the flood of people from largely rural provinces to Gauteng and the Western Cape was unceasing, said Statistician General Pali Lehohla at the release of the figures on Tuesday.

The Western Cape population has grown by 29 percent, making it the fastest growing region, outpacing Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North West, which grew collectively at 26 percent. The rest of the provinces grew at 6 percent.

People who live here are more than likely to be better off than in other provinces. For example, while the expanded unemployment rate rides at 40 percent nationally, it is only 29.3 percent in the Western Cape.

Census figures show people here and in Gauteng earn more money and have access to better services.

White people, however, earn six times more than black people and white people are more likely to be employed.

White households earn an average of R365 134, a year, while black households earn a meagre R60 613.

The average national income is R103 204 a year, while the annual average annual income in the Western Cape is R143 460.

There are 1 313 637 brick and mortar houses across the Western Cape and 320 363 informal and traditional houses.

An average family of three or four live in a four-roomed house, which they own, but are still paying off the bond.

There are 164 houses which boast 20 rooms. Stoves are high on the list of priorities with most households and 1.47 million people owning one.

More people own cellphones than fridges: 1.452 million households have at least one cellphone, but there are only 1.315 million fridges in the province.

More than 95 percent of children aged between seven and 14 go to school, but only 14.4 percent of adults in the province have post-school qualifications. This is, however, higher than the national average of 12.1 percent, but lower than Gauteng, where 18 percent of adults have tertiary qualifications. Only 7.5 percent of people in the Northern Cape have studied beyond matric.

White people have the highest level of education – 36.5 percent have tertiary qualifications while 39.5 percent have a matric certificate.

Census 2011 puts the country’s average age at 25, an indicator that South Africa continues to have a youthful population, even though it is ageing slowly. The average age according to the 1996 and 2001 census was 22 and 23, respectively.

In line with global trends, there were more women in the country than men. On average, there were 95 men to every 100 women.

Stats SA estimated a 14.6 percent undercount in the 2011 census.

Cape Argus

Members of UWC’s alternative lifestyle rights group 'Gayla UWC' claim security failed to intervene in an assault on a transgender student.

Cape Town - Members of the University of the Western Cape's (UWC) alternative lifestyle rights group 'Gayla UWC' claim university security failed to intervene in an assault on a transgender student, according to a report on Wednesday.

The Times reported that a security guard stood by while three people attacked the student.

Law student and gay rights activist Glenton Matthyse described the assault as “severe” and said he and two friends tried to stop the beating.

Matthyse said campus security allowed the assailants into a student residence to hide.

University spokesman Luthando Tyhalibongo said the matter was being investigated.

“(UWC) does not condone violence or approve of action that discriminates against any person's constitutional rights.”

He said staff and security broke up the fight, and claimed Gayla UWC members insulted the guards.

Tyhalibongo claimed Matthyse and his friends were drunk and unruly, and because of this, police were unable to take statements from them.

Matthyse said he and his friends were not unruly.

“A Constable Smith, from Bellville South police station, grinned and chuckled when I tried to explain what happened.

“When I asked him about this he said it was a form of 'stress relief'.” - Sapa

WP rugby players caused some chaos during their victory parade when they threw money at the crowd in Khayelitsha.

Cape Town -

Western Province rugby players caused some chaos during their Currie Cup victory parade on Tuesday when they threw money at the crowds lining the road in Khayelitsha to see their local heroes.

The team paraded their new silverware throughout the city on Tuesday.

When the procession reached Khayelitsha, the team found their route lined by thousands of fans.

Players, including star winger Bryan Habana, nearly caused a stampede when they threw paper money, including R50 notes, at the crowd.

As the money was thrown from the bus, people jostled each other to get their hands on the cash. There were no reported injuries.

After an 11-year drought, the team brought the Currie Cup back to Cape Town. They beat the Sharks by seven points in a thrilling Durban final on Saturday. Juan de Jongh’s 33rd minute try was the moment that separated the two teams.

On Tuesday, it was De Jongh, who was first to break away from his team-mates as they arrived at City Hall – his was the name that fans were chanting. He walked over to the cheering crowd and immersed himself in hugs and kisses, before walking the length of the low fence shaking hands and taking pictures.

The last of the pictures was taken with Sally Jacobs, a Mitchells Plain mother who snuck out of her office in Buitenkant Street to come for a glimpse of her hero.

“Oh my! I’m not even going to be able to sleep tonight. This will have to be framed, and sit along with the family photos. I came here just for him, and look at this,” she said, turning her BlackBerry around to show off to the other fans surrounding her.

De Jongh said: “Its an unbelievable feeling, to bring the cup back after 11 years. This is for all our supporters, especially those who came out week after week to cheer for us at Newlands. I want them to know how much that support has meant to me personally, and to the rest of the team.”

Fans who came to see De Jongh’s famous Gangnam Style dance, a celebration which has reached cult status in this year’s tournament, weren’t left disappointed. His best performance of the move definitely came as he stood on the hand railings of City Hall’s lower balcony.

It was from here that Western Cape Premier Helen Zille and Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille added their voices to the congratulations.

“Even though it was they who played on Saturday, I’m sure that the team will agree that the cup belongs to the entire Western Cape and to the people of Cape Town. It’s been away for 11 years, I hope that it stays here now for just as long,” said De Lille.

Zille opted to forego a speech, saying that “to sing is much better than to speak”.

She lead the crowd in a chant of “WP you lekker ding” using the microphone/speaker system as an impromptu drum to sustain the beat.

The team moved through the streets of the CBD, greeting fans from an open air double decker bus.

They moved on to Elsies River and later to Khayelitsha where massive crowds surrounded the bus cheering their heroes on. Autographs aplenty were signed on school shirts, and clothing of all sorts, which rained on to the bus’ upper deck.

daneel.knoetze@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

The Cape’s four major tertiary institutions have received more than 95 000 applications for about 22 000 first-year spots on offer.

Cape Town -

The Western Cape’s four major tertiary institutions have received more than 95 000 applications for about 22 000 first-year spots on offer.

UCT, the University of the Western Cape, Stellenbosch University and Cape Peninsula University of Technology have all received more than twice as many applications from prospective first-year students as the places they have available.

Information provided by the four institutions shows that:

* UWC, which has space for 3 800 new students, received 34 000 applications for the 2013 application cycle.

* Stellenbosch, which can accommodate 5 000 first-year students, received about 16 000 applications.

* CPUT, which will be able to admit about 9 281 first-year students, has received about 25 000 applications so far.

* UCT, which can accommodate about 4 200 first-years, received about 20 000 (first time entering undergraduate) applications.

“Demand for places exceeds the space available. The challenge is not unique to UCT,” said Gerda Kruger, executive director in UCT’s communications and marketing department.

Neels Fourie, a deputy registrar at Stellenbosch University, said providing lecture rooms, laboratories and other facilities to accommodate the number of students enrolling were among the logistical challenges the university had to deal with.

“Various projects are currently undertaken to address the challenges. These include building new and upgrading existing facilities on campus, as well as upgrading laboratories,” said Fourie.

UWC has also embarked on several projects to expand its facilities, and UCT has similarly invested in a number of projects to help alleviate congestion on campus.

Kruger said all programmes of study were highly sought after. The demand for places at UCT was spread across all faculties.

At Stellenbosch, the MBChB (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) programme had received the most applications, while the BCom was most popular at UWC.

At CPUT, nursing and radiography and general education and training were the academic departments with the highest number of first-year applications.

UWC spokesman Luthando Tyhalibongo said not all applicants would be accepted.

Some students also applied to more than one institution.

Earlier this year, the mother of an applicant died during a stampede at the University of Johannesburg while accompanying her son to apply for a place at the institution.

The numbers:

* UCT: Places available: 4 200 Applications received: 20 000

* Stellenbosch: Places available: 5 000 Applications received: 16 000

* CPUT: Places available: 9 281 Applications received: 25 000

* UWC: Places available: 3 800 Applications received: 34 000

What it costs:

* UCT: Parents can expect to pay about R34 000 for the first year of BA studies, according to the 2012 UCT fees handbook.

Those studying towards a BCom can expect to pay R37 500 to R46 500 in the first year and BSc R40 500 to R42 000.

* UWC: The first year of BA studies will cost about R19 030 (2013 fee increase not included). To study BCom will cost the same, while BSc will cost from R19 030 to R26 490 (depending on the stream).

The top three programmes for 2013 were BCom ( 2 466 applications), BSc (2 145), BA Social Work (2 119).

* Stellenbosch University: The first year of studies towards a BA costs about R28 252, R27 327 for BCom and R35 382 for BSc. The MBChB programme has received the most applications, while the BCom programmes in the faculty of economic and management sciences are also very popular in terms of number of applications.

* CPUT: Nursing and radiography (4 176 applications) have received the most first-year applications so far, followed by general education and training (3 151), information technology (1 353) , human resource management (1 060), civil engineering and survey (1 044), electrical engineering (1 017) and financial accounting and taxation (1 001).

ilse.fredericks@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

They urinate on the fence, toss bottles in the street, drink alcohol from the boots of their cars… and all this on a Sunday afternoon.

Cape Town -

They urinate on the fence, toss bottles in the street, drink alcohol from the boots of their cars… and all this on a Sunday afternoon.

Woodstock residents are fed up with Cape Town’s most hardcore party animals, and these are some of the gripes they list. Revellers who set out for a good time at aMadoda’s in Strand Street, Woodstock, on Sundays have become an unwelcome headache for residents.

The parties can draw crowds of up to 1 000 people to surrounding streets, and residents of Harbour View say they are plagued by “persistent noise” from aMadoda’s. The popular “Cold Turkey” parties are particularly bad, they say.

Residents said numerous complaints to the city and police had fallen on deaf ears and the club owner was not doing enough to control patrons.

The management of aMadoda’s told the Cape Argus they were committed to co-operating with the residents and wanted to address any problems. A notice on their website’s home page highlights the complaints, and asks patrons to “Pleez respekt aMadoda rules!!”

Leo Rust, a trustee at the Harbour View complex, said the situation had become steadily worse in the past six months.

“Tenants are parked in, fire escape doors blocked regularly by cars parked in front of them by patrons, loud noise into the early hours, broken bottles in the road and patrons driving the wrong way in Bromwell Street.”

André Potgieter, of aMadoda, said when the first complaints were lodged, he had a meeting with law enforcement officials and members of the block’s body corporate, where grievances were aired.

He said the Cold Turkey movement had moved to aMadoda’s about a year ago. “It is a hugely successful event and draws a calibre of young professionals.”

Potgieter said that because of the genre of music played – particularly “dubstep” – bass was a requirement. But aMadoda’s had introduced technology to monitor the decibels.

It was also looking at options for a new parking area, while DJs had stopped playing at 11pm instead of midnight.

Potgieter showed off posters, displayed at the Cold Turkey events, that pleaded with people not throw their bottles in the street. “Where they get the booze from I don’t know – they are not allowed to take alcohol out of here,” he said.

The city’s director of safety and security, Richard Bosman, said a compliance notice had been issued to the owner when the initial complaints were lodged.

He said it was found recently “the activities that prompted the complaint” had recurred and the city would be “reinvestigating” to submit a report to the Western Cape Liquor Authority. It would ask that the owner be summonsed for a meeting about the problems. A fire inspector would be designated to carry out a fire safety inspection.

natasha.prince@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

The SA Social Services Agency managed to help only 30 people after hundreds queued overnight for food vouchers.

Cape Town -

The SA Social Services Agency (Sassa) managed to help only 30 people on Monday after hundreds had queued overnight for food vouchers.

Hundreds of people from Dunoon, Bo-Kaap and Joe Slovo in Milnerton slept outside the Sassa offices in the hope of getting their hands on a R1 200 food voucher after word got around in their communities.

Several residents from Dunoon said they heard the news from someone who had driven around announcing it by loud hailer, but when Social Development MEC Albert Fritz met the head of Sassa, Waldie Terblanche, it emerged there had been no campaigns to promote or advertise the social relief of disaster grant.

“Rumours of free food voucher handouts seem to have spread through communities, resulting in people flocking to Sassa offices in mass numbers. Sassa will be containing the situation as best it can,” said Melany Kuhn, spokeswoman for Fritz.

She said Fritz had asked that Sassa make officials available to address the crowds in all three official languages of the province.

“A huge frustration yesterday was lack of communication and people not knowing whether they would be assisted. We stressed how vital it is the right message goes out,” Kuhn said.

yolisa.tswanya@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

DA chief whip Watty Watson has accused his ANC counterpart of going on a “Zuma charm offensive” at Parliament’s expense.

Cape Town -

DA chief whip Watty Watson has accused his ANC counterpart, Mathole Motshekga, of going on a “Zuma charm offensive” at Parliament’s expense after it emerged that the legislature hosted a conference on “Nation Building through Social Dialogue with the Religious Sector” at a cost of R2.1 million on Tuesday.

Accusing Motshekga of abusing Parliament for his own political agenda, Watson said he would write to National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu to demand a full account of how the event and its funding had come about.

Watson said on Tuesday that for the event – at which President Jacob Zuma was the keynote speaker – R715 930 had been spent on transport for people and R438 500 on catering.

At least 1 500 delegates from faith-based organisations attended the event at Cape Town’s Good Hope Centre, which included a range of religious leaders.

Only a handful of MPs were in attendance during Zuma’s address – all but the African Christian Democratic Party’s Cheryllyn Dudley were ANC MPs.

Parliamentary spokesman Luzuko Jacobs confirmed on Tuesday night that the national legislature had funded the event at a cost of R2.1m.

Introducing Zuma to the delegates, Motshekga said the president had ensured that the ANC’s association with the interfaith movement had been strengthened. He congratulated Zuma for “working hard to unite the religious people of South Africa”.

“This gathering here, honourable president, is a result of your good work,” he said.

“This morning it came very clear… that everybody wants to see you using your second term as president of the ANC and president of the country to consolidate the good work you have started.”

Zuma received a rousing welcome before he addressed the hall on the importance of dialogue in solving the country’s problems.

Watson said no formal multiparty committee had been convened to establish, co-ordinate and approve the conference and its funding by Parliament, and no MPs had been formally invited.

“Motshekga appears to have put together the entire event by himself for his own political gain.”

Motshekga’s spokesman, Moloto Mothapo, hit back at Watson, accusing the DA of undermining reconciliation efforts.

Political Bureau

A Cape man has admitted he was wrong when he groomed young girls, paid them for naked photos and sexually assaulted them.

Cape Town -

A 74-year-old man has admitted he was wrong when he groomed young girls, paid them for naked photographs and sexually assaulted them.

This was the submission made by Johann Grobbelaar, the lawyer for 74-year-old Johannes Adolph Kleinhans, during closing arguments in the Parow Regional Court on Tuesday.

Grobbelaar argued that his client had admitted his guilt during an earlier guilty plea but that it was overturned when magistrate Amanda von Leeve found he did not admit all the elements of guilt. A fully fledged trial began and on Tuesday closing arguments were heard.

Grobbelaar said his client admitted that he had inappropriately touched a 13-year-old girl between 2009 and 2010 and that he gave her and two other victims gifts and payment in exchange for pornographic images of them.

“It’s not right, he knew it…Your Worship, you saw the photographs, it was explicit. He took it and paid the complainants to take them.

“The accused said: ‘I’ve done a lot of wrong and for that I must be convicted but please don’t find me guilty of something I didn’t do’,” Grobbelaar said in his address.

He was referring to one of the charges where the victim said she had not been penetrated with a sex toy. Grobbelaar added that the girl was the best person to say what had happened to her and what she said should be accepted by the court.

Kleinhans has been charged with 95 counts including sexual assault, indecent assault, sexual grooming, compelled self-sexual assault and using children to benefit from child pornography. Kleinhans was initially out on R50 000 bail, but was back in custody on May 8 this year after he pleaded guilty to the charges.

The indecent and sexual assault charges relate to allegations that Kleinhans inappropriately touched three girls, aged between 13 and 15, between 2009 and 2010. He had also forced one of the girls to use sex toys. There were 89 pornographic images made.

State prosecutor Herculine Swart argued that the State had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and the girls, who did not know one another, did not have a reason to concoct a story.

She said he had planned the crimes as he hired the Parow house where they occurred and had wine, sex toys, condoms and TVs set up.

Judgment is expected on November 13.

jade.witten@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Two Cape Town runners are trying to make their way to to participate in the NY Marathon, which is expected to go ahead.

Cape Town - Two Cape Town runners are desperately trying to make their way to the US to participate in the New York City Marathon, which is expected to go ahead this Sunday despite the mayhem caused by superstorm Sandy.

On Tuesday, Prieur du Plessis of Stellenbosch, and Moyra Makina from Cape Town, who was stranded in Iceland, told the Cape Times they were intent on making it to the starting line of the 42km marathon – one of the world’s biggest running races, which attracts tens of thousands of participants from around the world.

They both intend competing for charities.

Superstorm Sandy has caused widespread damage in the US and resulted in flights being cancelled.

But the marathon’s website on Tuesday said: “At this time we anticipate no changes to any of our public events.”

Du Plessis said he was hopeful he would compete in the race. He planned to fly from Cape Town to Johannesburg, where he would wait and see if he could fly to New York.

He said he needed to get to New York by Thursday and would be “pushing it” if he got there on Friday. He said that because of jet lag, two rest days before the marathon were ideal.

Du Plessis said he had put months of preparation into the race, which he would be running for the charity A Running Start.

The charity focused on disadvantaged children with running potential from Africa, and took care of their schooling and then helped secure athletic scholarships for them.

On Tuesday, Makina, originally from Malawi and who has lived in Cape Town for more than two decades, answered questions via instant messaging. She said she was stuck in Iceland.

“Lots of stranded Americans out and about,” she wrote.

Makina later messaged that she was set to fly to Boston in the afternoon and would then hopefully leave for New York on Friday.

She planned to run the marathon, for the fourth time, for the charity Campaign for Female Education and had raised more than R40 000.

“I want to run this race more than anything. Not… for me but for every person who has given to this cause and the girls I’ve raised the money for. This race is not about me, it’s about them so am praying it happens,” Makina wrote.

caryn.dolley@inl.co.za

Cape Times

The Western Cape High Court postponed closing arguments in the trial of tourist Anni Dewani's alleged killer.

Cape Town - The Western Cape High Court postponed closing arguments on Wednesday in the trial of tourist Anni Dewani's alleged killer.

Deputy director of public prosecutions Adrian Mopp asked for the court's indulgence in postponing Xolile Mngeni's trial until Monday, for further time to prepare.

The defence did not object and Judge Robert Henney granted the postponement.

The State was to have presented its case on Wednesday and the defence its case on Thursday.

“It was maybe a bit too optimistic and a bit unfair on counsel to pressure them with their heads of argument,” the judge said, referring to the one-and-a-half days given to the State.

Dewani and her husband Shrien were hijacked while shuttle driver Zola Tonga was ferrying them through Gugulethu on November 13, 2010.

Tonga and the couple were robbed of their possessions. Shrien was ordered out of the minibus and Anni Dewani was shot dead on the back seat.

Mngeni pleaded not guilty at the start of his trial to charges of robbery, kidnapping, murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm.

He made no initial formal admissions, meaning the State had to prove each fact in its case. It called 26 witnesses. The defence put up Mngeni and two alibi witnesses.

Calling the trial very important and robust, Henney said both parties had made good with the time available and it was time to “sit back” and allow them to prepare adequately.

He commended the State for the evidence it had presented and the defence for getting its witnesses timeously to the stand.

Henney hinted the matter would very likely be finalised by November 15. - Sapa

A Khayelitsha paedophile has received three life sentences for raping seven girls.

A Khayelitsha paedophile was given three life sentences on Wednesday for raping seven girls, the SABC reported.

Lawrence Gagu's name would now be recorded in the National Register of Sex Offenders.

The 44-year-old dance teacher was found guilty earlier this month on seven counts of rape, sexual grooming, and three counts of exposing young girls to pornography

The crimes took place between 2009 and 2010 when some of his victims were only seven-years-old. The court heard how he instructed the girls to remain behind after the lessons before raping them.

Judge Nonkosi Saba said Gagu had abused the trust of the girls, some of whom were orphans.

“(Given) the lack of remorse on his part as well as other factors, it is my view that he is a danger to society and there is an urgent need for him to be removed from society for a long time,” Saba was quoted as saying. - Sapa

Ou Kaapseweg in Cape Town has become a greater menace for drivers in recent months.

There were at least 111 crashes on Ou Kaapseweg in the 10-month period between mid-December 2011 and the middle of October 2012 - and that doesn’t include a cyclist seriously injured in a hit-and-run incident this week.

The statistics were provided by the City of Cape Town, and come as residents and ratepayers are demanding answers on why measures recommended over the past decade to reduce major traffic snarl-ups and many crashes on the now severely-congested drive have been ignored – a charge disputed by the city.

Traffic congestion on Ou Kaapseweg has increased significantly in recent years, and become particularly acute in the past two months, because of the rehabilitation of Main Road between Muizenberg and Clovelly.

The city’s statistics reveal that there were no fatalities but two serious injuries in the 111 recorded incidents, and that nine people were slightly injured.

FIVE BLACK DAYS

In a single black five-day period at the end of September/beginning of October, there were nine incidents – including three on one of those five days.

The most recent fatalities on Ou Kaapseweg occurred in June 2011 when two people died in a crash, and in November two bikers were severely injured in a head-on collision with a truck.

While most of the incidents reported in the city’s statistics involved ordinary cars, other vehicles included light delivery vans (one incident involved three of these vehicles), panel vans, a heavy vehicle weighing more than 3.5 tonnes, minibuses and an articulated truck, while pedestrians, a motorcyclist, a cyclist and “fixed objects” were also cited.

The incidents occurred both on Ou Kaapseweg itself and at the intersections with Steenberg Road, Silvermine Road, The Bend, Kommetjie Road, “Four ways” (Kommetjie Road), Buller Louw Drive, Noordhoek Road, Westlake Drive and Frigate Road.

CITY STANDS ACCUSED OF DOING ‘PRECISELY NOTHING’

A group of seven civic organisations from the far south of the Peninsula, the body corporate of the Steenberg office park and the Home Owners’ Association of the adjoining Silvertree Estate at the northern end of Ou Kaapseweg, are now collectively tackling the city about problems on the drive.

They are pointing to remedial and safety measures proposed in three reports between 2002 and 2009 that include eight passing lanes – three in the south-bound and five in the north-bound lanes on Ou Kaapseweg – as well as an arrester bed at its intersection with Steenberg Road at its northern end, and several improvements at the intersection with Silvermine Road where there were 50 incidents in a six-year period between 2003 and 2008.

In one of their two legal letters requesting an urgent meeting to discuss the problems and possible short-term improvements to the route, the city stands accused of doing “precisely nothing” to resolve the problems, but this is denied by Brett Herron, mayoral committee member for transport, roads and stormwater.

By Wednesday, the civics and the two associations had still not managed to secure a date with the city.

According to the minutes of a community meeting in Fish Hoek last year to discuss speed control on Kommetjie Road, principal traffic inspector for the South Peninsula Mark Harding revealed that there were only 12 traffic officers for the entire area from Grassy Park and Retreat southwards - six per shift.

Asked by Janet Holwill, chairwoman of the Fish Hoek Valley Residents’ and Ratepayer’ Association, what the key factor was to stop fatalities, he replied “visible law enforcement actions”.

The 2008 consultants’ report stated that Ou Kaapseweg was operating at “close to capacity conditions” and that the introduction of climbing lanes was “considered a critical component in maintaining acceptable levels of access to the Deep South during phases 2 and 3 of the Main Road rehabilitation project” and also to establish “much needed safety projects”.

Herron said the proposal for passing lanes had been “broadly considered” in 2008 but not investigated at the level of detail required to confirm that such lanes were economically viable.

MAIN ROAD SAGA STILL FAR FROM AN END

Long-suffering residents of the Far South will have to wait until at least 2014 before the rehabilitation of Main Road between Muizenberg and Clovelly has been completed – if funds are available.

That’s the word from Brett Herron, mayoral committee member for transport, roads and stormwater, who was responding to criticism of the protracted project that had caused severe traffic problems over more than four and a half years and resulted in “spillover” problems on Ou Kaapseweg.

He said the tender, advertised in May 2006, for work to Main Road between Atlantic Road in Muizenberg and Clovelly Road had noted “surface and structural defects are present and a rehabilitation strategy is required for a 20-year design life”.

After the consultant had completed the required work, a construction contract had been advertised for Phase 1 between Muizenberg and Kalk Bay and a contractor had been appointed in December 2007. The 18-month duration of this contract had been extended for legitimate reasons by 26 months, taking it to close to four years. It had now been completed.

The contract had included the reconstruction of the road; the replacement of water mains and sewers; the installation of sub-surface drains; and the installation of new street lighting, Herron said.

Valid claims for delays included:

The late notification that an environmental impact assessment was required because the bulk water main was being increased from a 500mm diameter to 600mm. This meant that the contractor could not start with the bulk water main and had to work out of sequence, being forced to start on the upper side of the road, and this had caused drainage problems during the wet winter of 2008.

Significant flooding of the excavated upper side had occurred. A huge amount of rock encountered close to the 500mm water main had to be carefully removed for the new water main to be laid.

A contractor for Phase 2, now under construction in the area around the intersection of Boyes Drive with Main Road in Kalk Bay had been appointed on 11 January 2011 last year on a 26-month contract, Herron said.

Phase 3 would involve two sections of Main Road: from the end of Phase 2 to Clovelly Road; and from York Road to the start of Phase 1 near Casa Labia.

“It’s hoped Phase 3 will commence in 2013/14, should funding be forthcoming.” - The Argus

A Khayelitsha traditional dance teacher will effectively serve three life terms for raping seven girls after dance classes.

Cape Town - A Khayelitsha traditional dance teacher will effectively serve three life terms for raping seven young girls after dance classes about two years ago.

Western Cape High Court Judge Nonkosi Saba sentenced Lawrence Gagu, 49, to life in prison for each of the seven counts of rape.

A further four and five years respectively were imposed for charges of sexual grooming and showing pornography to children.

Judge Saba ordered that some of the life terms run concurrently, as she grouped the counts according to the number of times the girls were raped.

Some of the girls, aged between seven and 12, were raped once, twice and thrice. One of Gagu’s victims was raped 12 times.

Between June 2009 and March 2010, the girls were lured to his Makhaza shack in pairs after dance practice under the guise of helping him with household chores. While one of the girls fetched water, the other would stay behind, and Gagu would rape her. He had washed the girls after the rapes and threatened them at knife-point that they must keep quiet or he would kill their parents.

“Rape is one of the most serious crimes… the exacerbating factors are that these crimes were committed repeatedly on young, vulnerable and unsuspecting children. The accused planned these crimes very well. The children obeyed him because they trusted him,” Judge Saba said.

He said the fact the case was heard in the Khayelitsha Regional Court – so the community could attend – was a “blessing in disguise”.

“This case was heard in Khayelitsha so they (the community) can have insight into what transpired and it will serve as a wake-up call for them to be more vigilant, particularly regarding the supervision of children,” he said.

Judge Saba found there were no substantial or compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment for the rape of a minor.

“I’ve tried to look for such substantial and compelling circumstances but I’ve been unable to find any.

“In my view, he Gagu is a danger to society and there is an urgent need to remove him from society for a long time.”

After the sentencing, dozens of residents and Sonke Gender Justice Network members sang and danced outside the court. The organisation’s Aviwe Mtibe said they were pleased with the sentence.

jade.witten@inl.co.za

Cape Argus