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Illegal Shacks Demolished |
30th July 2007, 12:44 | |
| Metro police last week demolished another 40 illegal shacks in Crossmoor. Allegations of councillors instigating residents to invade municipal have since surfaced. Minority Front, Councillor J Singh alleged that some councillors were trying to curry favour with potential voters by allowing them to occupy municipal land. Police moved swiftly on last Tuesday afternoon and evicted at least 40 families from makeshift shacks before demolishing the structures. Fuming residents said they are very upset because Metro police are continually harassing them. “Why don’t the police use their time to find criminals? Why are they only targeting us?” one of the residents said, sacred to reveal her name. She said that there are so much of robberies, murder and hijacking in the area. “Maybe they (police) should concentrate their time on more critical issues than trying to rob us of a home and place to sleep. We are not hurting anyone. I have children and the weather has not been too good these last few weeks. Every time the police destroys our home, we have to rebuild it and it is a lot of hard work. We just want to live peacefully,” she said. The initial 14 shacks that were built on the land last year were not destroyed by Metro because the owners had obtained a High Court interdict preventing police from breaking them down. Police only broke down the illegal shacks. eThekwini Municipality's housing portfolio committee chairman, Nigel Gumede, welcomed the demolition and said that some councillors are involved in housing issues. He did not elaborate further. |
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Mother Demands Justice |
30th July 2007, 12:43 | |
| Distraught Overport mother, Nadia Harmse, appeals for witnesses to testify against her son's murderer. After five months, no witnesses have come forward to testify against the man accused of murdering her son earlier this year. Her son, Bilal `Blows` Harmse (23) of Ayesha Court, Brickfield Road, was stabbed once below the right shoulder on Sparks Road and bled to death an hour later on 1 March. Nadia Harmse has gone to great lengths to find anyone to stand witness against her sons murderer, whom she believes is an Overport drug dealer. The case was heard on 3 July at Durban Magistrates Court and remanded to September for further investigation. An intense standoff ensued between Harmse and the accused at the court. Sydenham SAPS Station Commissioner Senior Supt. Glen Nayager ensured that witnesses would be offered protection. "The investigating officer has indicated to me that the accused and no witnesses have come forward to give statements to the police as yet, however eyewitnesses are welcome to give statements. Their identities will be withheld and their protection will be ensured." "As any parent in this position, I am concerned justice will not prevail. I plead with the community to assist me in ending my family’s suffering,” begged Harmse. Harmse vowed that the accused would not get away with her sons murder. Woman wants witnesses to testify against son’s killer. |
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A dream come true for Lamontville |
30th July 2007, 12:42 | |
| A dream came true on Friday 25 May when the Lamontville Thembalethu Care Centre was officially opened. The centre has been a dream of Sister Florence Madlala since 1996 when the Lamont Health Forum was formed to identify health needs of the community. Sister Madlala and a dedicated team of doctors, care givers, teachers and social workers from the Lamontville community conceptualised the Lamontville Thembalethu Care Centre from which various health care programmes could run. "The process to obtain a 20 year lease to the dilapidated municipal offices in Lamontville needed for the operation was long and difficult because the country was going through transformation and Councils were changing," says Sister Madlala. "In addition, new plans needed to be drawn up to meet the Estates and City Engineers Departments requirements as the old plans could not be found". Meanwhile the building was deteriorating as it was being vandalized, but there was nothing Sister Madlala could do. After several delays due to different councils needing to approve the project, the long term lease was approved in January 2005. The original building was the covering and refurbishment work had escalated considerably. The Health Forum embarked upon a massive fundraising campaign. As a result of a friendship which had developed during 2001 and 2002 when two American missionaries worked in the area, Sister Madlala visited Massachusetts where the missionaries introduced her to organisations and members of the Catholic Church who donated funds for the refurbishment. Thereafter a drive was held to obtain material donations to equip the clinic. Half way through the construction, Good Samaritans from Bethel Chrisadelphian Church visited to see what was being done. What followed will remain memorable, "a convey of cars drove down Mhlongo Road on a beautiful morning, into the gates of Thembalethu, a cross-cultural team of volunteers from Business Connexion with painting equipment and paint had come to paint the whole building. "In one and a half days the building was completed and looked beautiful. We were very touched by this gesture", continues Sister Madlala. "We were approached to assist and didn't hesitate. Our staff willingly volunteered for the task and enjoyed two great days of team-building in the achievement of a good cause," says Will Heygate, regional chief executive of Business Connexion's KwaZulu-Natal Regional Office. "Getting teams working together for the greater good is far more fulfilling than traditional corporate team-building exercises. Also the impact on the community was massive. The willingness of more affluent people to assist those who are less fortunate brings a very positive message about the future of this country. Although the clinic is now operating there will be an ongoing need for assistance and we are looking to giving further support to this worthy cause," concludes Heygate. Other corporate companies also responded requests for support by donating mattress, bed linen, pillows, office chairs, a large table and filing cabinets. "This donation enabled us to start operations in January 2007", concludes Sister Madlala. Poverty in the Lamontville community is so high that many people find it easier to obtain their prescription for anti-retroviral drugs than basic food. The drugs are so powerful that they cause potent side effects if not taken with a filling meal. The Medicine with a Meal programme, which now operates from the centre, was established to provide HIV and AIDS sufferers with a good meal before drugs are taken. Sister Madlala also plans to educate people on how to live with illnesses like AIDS or TB. Training on the care of the sick will also be given to family members. While at the clinic patients will have access to social workers and church groups for spiritual care. These and other health care programmes will be introduced at the new centre so that as many members of the community can benefit from the work that commenced in 1996. |
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Churches Scammed - Con Artist On The Run |
30th July 2007, 12:39 | |
| A scheme has left hundreds of South Durban churchgoers drained of millions of rands and the fraudster is on the run. More than 400 residents from Wentworth, Isipingo, Merebank and surrounding areas have lost an estimated amount of R38 million. The man whose name is known to Southern Star is now on the run from investors and the police, after he architected the scheme. The con artist who is on run has tried to justify his actions and he admitted that he has gone into hiding because he feared for his life. In Durban the scheme was being run through one of his additional companies operated by a Wentworth pastor and his wife. The scheme was called "upliftment for Christians" and church leaders had opened their doors to presentations on the investment. It called on the faithful to invest voluntarily and promising returns of up to four times their investment in a period of three months. Anton Whitebooi, from Wentworth said that he gave a cheque in order to invest in his future. "I want my money back", he said. In Wentworth, people in the hierarchy of these pyramids, mostly church leaders, have made millions of rands from the scheme over the past few months, causing many more to invest their hard-earned money in the hope of also making a ‘quick buck’. According to a pastor who wanted to remain anonymous said, "One pastor in the community has bought a house worth R1.3 million for cash, a BMW 330ci and VW Golf GTI for his son and his wife drives a Volvo S40". Another person who declined to be named invested R13 000 and got back R40 000 after three months. He then reinvested R52 000, hoping to get back more than R200 000 by the end of May, but has not yet received anything so far. It is unlikely he will get anything. KZN police spokesman, Superintendent Vincent Mdunge said that they were aware of the schemes. "We talk about these things on public radio stations and newspapers but people still become victims and are easily tempted." He said in many cases church leaders knew exactly what they were doing when introducing these schemes. |
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More Than 6 000 Firearms Destroyed |
30th July 2007, 12:37 | |
| The proliferation of firearms in KZN has been of extreme concern to the communities, hence several operations were planned and executed with the objective of recovering unlicensed firearms and ammunition. More than six thousand firearms that were recovered by the SAPS during various operations and firearms that were handed in, in terms of the Firearm Control Act were destroyed on Tuesday at a company in Isipingo. These firearms had first gone through the entire judicial processes and had been ballistically tested. This year, several crime prevention operations were launched resulting in the recovery of several thousands of firearms through strategies such as cordon and searches, roadblocks and vehicle check points. Crime Intelligence played a prominent role in gathering intelligence on the presence of illegal firearms. “The aim and objective of the current Firearm Control Act is geared towards responsible firearm use and ownership. This clearly indicates the commitment and dedication of our police officers to ensure a safe and secure environment,” said SAPS provincial spokesperson, Senior Superintendent P Radebe. “The negligent loss and theft of firearms continues to occur and I urge licensed firearm holders to ensure the safety of firearms. When people are not carrying their firearms, they should store it in a safe so that children are not allowed easy access to these weapons,” said MEC of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Bheki Cele. The main object of using this method of destruction was to ensure that firearms are never circulated in the community. The process of destruction will continue at regular intervals as soon as the judicial process has been completed. “To ensure that the process is fast tracked we have commenced with a number of programmes to ensure that etching and ballistics processes are provided with the necessary capacity,” concluded Radebe. |
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Threat Of Pier Closure Angers Fishermen |
30th July 2007, 12:35 | |
| Thousand of subsistence fishermen from the surrounding communities who fish regularly off the Durban Bay and beaches including major deep water piers, have their backs to the wall with the announcement that the National Ports Authority’s intention to close the last known deep water south pier. The Acting Communications Manager, Mrs Jyothi Naidoo stated in a press release that access to the south breakwater would be closed for the harbour channel to be widened and deepened. She also stated that there was no need to negotiate with their representatives rather that the management had decided to meet face to face to inform that the south breakwater would be closed and all access to fishing would be denied. A request by the subsistence fishermen to minute the meeting was turned down because it was unecessary as the only reason to meet was to inform of the closure. Over 15000 subsistence fishermen hail from all the poor suburbs of Clairwood, Wentworth, Merebank, and Isipingo, and surrounding areas. "We are very angry with the sudden cut off, of a livelihood that has been going on for generations," expressed Jack Naidoo, a fisherman from Merebank. He said that most fishermen have been fishing for 50 years and have no other trade or skill they know. One of the subsistence fishermen, Essop Mohammed stated, "My father fished off this breakwater and this has been passed onto me and I in turn have passed this onto my two sons who also teach their children how to fish." All subsistence fishermen are crying, why in a country like South Africa, where the unemployment rate is over 40%, must they be victimised and forced to join the growing band of unemployed people? They stated that they were using their God given skills to fish to provide food for their poor families and not turn to crime. Bonny Adams (33) representing the fishermen from Wentworth stated that he works on maintenance shutdowns at the refineries and at present was not able to secure a job.He has a young family to support with school going children. His wife works and her salary is not enough and therefore fishing brings much needed food to his home and without this his family will barely survive. The subsistence fishermen stated that they are for development. The only thing that they ask is that the National Ports Authority and TransNet include them in their plans of development. "All we want to do is just fish, and earn a living. They are putting profits before people, all the development that they are doing on the pier will benefit only the rich," said Adams. He concluded that the council speaks about poverty alleviation, but the poor are suffering more. "We are not saying to them (Ports Authority) that they must stop their construction, we just want a part of the beach so that we can fish," he said. At time of going to press, the Ports Authority spokesperson was not available to comment. |
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Threat Of Pier Closure Angers Fishermen |
30th July 2007, 12:35 | |
| Thousand of subsistence fishermen from the surrounding communities who fish regularly off the Durban Bay and beaches including major deep water piers, have their backs to the wall with the announcement that the National Ports Authority’s intention to close the last known deep water south pier. The Acting Communications Manager, Mrs Jyothi Naidoo stated in a press release that access to the south breakwater would be closed for the harbour channel to be widened and deepened. She also stated that there was no need to negotiate with their representatives rather that the management had decided to meet face to face to inform that the south breakwater would be closed and all access to fishing would be denied. A request by the subsistence fishermen to minute the meeting was turned down because it was unecessary as the only reason to meet was to inform of the closure. Over 15000 subsistence fishermen hail from all the poor suburbs of Clairwood, Wentworth, Merebank, and Isipingo, and surrounding areas. "We are very angry with the sudden cut off, of a livelihood that has been going on for generations," expressed Jack Naidoo, a fisherman from Merebank. He said that most fishermen have been fishing for 50 years and have no other trade or skill they know. One of the subsistence fishermen, Essop Mohammed stated, "My father fished off this breakwater and this has been passed onto me and I in turn have passed this onto my two sons who also teach their children how to fish." All subsistence fishermen are crying, why in a country like South Africa, where the unemployment rate is over 40%, must they be victimised and forced to join the growing band of unemployed people? They stated that they were using their God given skills to fish to provide food for their poor families and not turn to crime. Bonny Adams (33) representing the fishermen from Wentworth stated that he works on maintenance shutdowns at the refineries and at present was not able to secure a job.He has a young family to support with school going children. His wife works and her salary is not enough and therefore fishing brings much needed food to his home and without this his family will barely survive. The subsistence fishermen stated that they are for development. The only thing that they ask is that the National Ports Authority and TransNet include them in their plans of development. "All we want to do is just fish, and earn a living. They are putting profits before people, all the development that they are doing on the pier will benefit only the rich," said Adams. He concluded that the council speaks about poverty alleviation, but the poor are suffering more. "We are not saying to them (Ports Authority) that they must stop their construction, we just want a part of the beach so that we can fish," he said. At time of going to press, the Ports Authority spokesperson was not available to comment. |
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Durban ste for A1 Grand Prix |
16th February 2007, 16:12 | |
| E-Mail article Print Friendly Would you like to share your views on this article? If you're a registered reporter, submit it as a new article and just label it as COMMENT in the headline field. Please just make sure that you clearly identify the article that has prompted your comment. We will display it under Letters to the Editor. Please note, these will not be published for payment because they are straight comment rather than reporting. We would very much like to hear from you, though, and it would also be great for the reporters to hear what you think. Thank you The www.reporter.co.za team City hosts international event for the second time Durban plays host to the A1 Grand Prix for the second time in February. The race was named the "best presented event" of A1 GP 2006, and the organisers have promised South Africa’s motorsport fanatics an even better production this time round. Spectators, who are expected to number in excess of 105 000, will be able to watch the action around the Durban street circuit on 14 giant television screens, compared to last year’s six. There will be 25 grandstands capable of seating 40 000. The street circuit covers 3,2 kilometres. It’s tight, twisting and narrow and provides for exciting viewing for fans, who are packed around the circuit’s boundaries. In 2006, Durban was the only street course on the A1 GP circuit, but this season it has been joined by Beijing. "Last year’s race was a massive success, but it was our first attempt at staging an international street race in Durban and we learnt a great deal," said A1 Team South Africa CEO Dana Cooper. "For this race, we aim to improve wherever possible and ensure that everyone who buys a ticket gets what they paid for." Durban Mayor Obed Mlaba views the event as a great chance to market South Africa’s "Surf City". "It is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our city, its culture, its history and its people to the rest of the world," Mlaba said. "The unparalleled success of last year’s race put Durban on the map in world motorsport and resulted in a massive boost to the local economy." The A1 GP sprint and feature races take place on Sunday, 25 February - with an exciting support programme in the days leading up to the main event, including A1 GP’s two official practice sessions on Friday, and a third official practice and qualifying on Saturday. There will also be practice, qualifying and two races each - one on Saturday and one on Sunday - for the Bridgestone SA Production Car Championship (classes A and T only), the Volkswagen Polo Cup one-make challenge, and the Shelby Can Am sports car series. On Friday, the action starts at 08:30 with free practice for Shelby Can Am, VW Polo and production cars before the first official practice session for the A1 rookie drivers at 11:00. This will be followed by the second and third free practices for the support categories and the second official A1 practice session at 14:00. Saturday morning features qualifying for the support categories before the third official A1 practice at 11:00 and the first Shelby Can Am and production car races from 12:10 to 13:45. Saturday afternoon sees the unique and very exciting four-part A1 qualifying from 14:15 to 15:45, followed by the first VW Polo race. Sunday morning’s programme starts with qualifying for race two of production cars, followed by the second Shelby Can Am race and the second VW Polo race. The A1 GP sprint race, which features a rolling start, gets under way at 11:00. The second production car race is at 12:10 and precedes the opening ceremony for the A1 GP. The A1 GP feature race starts at 15:00 and finishes at 16:10. Although South Africa didn’t finish high in the A1 GP standings in 2006, the team and country picked up three awards. Stephen Simpson snagged the award for "most improved driver", Tokyo Sexwale was named "most supportive national seatholder", and - thanks to the wild support of South African motorsport fans - Durban was judged the best race of the season. In last season’s Durban event, Simpson managed only 20th in the sprint race after experiencing electrical problems before he secured a fine fifth-place finish in the feature race. SA supporters will be hoping for an even better showing this time around. But whatever the result, judging from all the hard work that has been going into the event, they can expect an even greater spectacle than the one produced last season. |
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