Three SA students have been sent home from Turkey after two of them were involved in a brawl and one fell pregnant.

Durban - Three KwaZulu-Natal students who were part of a group that studied education and medicine at Turkish universities have been sent back home, the Witness reported on Friday.

According to the paper, two of the students were involved in a drunken brawl and one fell pregnant.

The students were part of a group of 33 who went to study in Turkey after the provincial department partnered with a Turkish NGO, Horizon Educational Trust, to train science and maths teachers in that country.

In all, 31 of the students were pursuing a teaching honours degree.

“It's embarrassing. At the end of two months one child is pregnant,” education MEC Senzo Mchunu was quoted as having said.

According to the report, Mchunu promised to conduct pregnancy tests before sending bursary students overseas. - Sapa

A man was killed when his bakkie crashed into the back of a truck on the R103 in Inchanga, KwaZulu-Natal paramedics said.

Durban - A man was killed when his bakkie crashed into the back of a truck on the R103 in Inchanga on Friday, KwaZulu-Natal paramedics said.

The bakkie caught alight with the man still trapped inside, Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha said.

He died before paramedics arrived on scene. The cause of the accident was still unclear. - Sapa

A man died after reportedly being hit by a train at the Umhlali railway station in KwaZulu-Natal, according to paramedics.

Johannesburg - A man died when a train allegedly hit him at the Umhlali railway station in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday, paramedics said.

“Paramedics arrived at the scene and found the man lying on the tracks,” said Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha.

The incident happened at around 7am.

The man died before paramedics arrived. - Sapa

Champa Manooa, the face behind Russian-born South African artist Vladimir Tretchikoff’s The Hindu Dancer, is delighted her portrait has found a home in Durban.

Champa Manooa, the face behind Russian-born South African artist Vladimir Tretchikoff’s The Hindu Dancer, is delighted her portrait has found a home in Durban.

“It is where I grew up and where I was married,” she told The Mercury from her home in Florida in the US last night.

The painting was auctioned in Cape Town on Tuesday for R1.3 million. It was bought by a Durban man who has not made himself known.

Manooa, who was then Champa Chameli, was a 17-year-old Indian dancer when she sat for the artist in the 1950s. Last night she was surprised to hear the painting had fetched R1.3m.

“I knew Tretchikoff was famous when I sat for the portrait,” she said, “but I certainly never thought a picture of me would sell for so much.”

She recalled how the artist had decided he would paint her with multiple arms.

“I showed him all my dance moves and he liked them all so much he could not pick one,” she explained. “So he suggested incorporating all of them into the painting.”

Decades of searching for Manooa, who will be 80 this year, ended in Durban this week when newspaper articles calling for information on the mystery beauty’s whereabouts were seen by her Merebank relatives.

A phone call from them to her daughter in Cape Town solved the puzzle that baffled Russian author Boris Gorelik, who penned Tretchikoff’s biography, and who had searched for the woman who inspired the The Hindu Dancer for years.

Manooa had no idea anyone was looking for her.

“I tried to get in touch with Tretchikoff again a few times while he was alive, but he was such a busy man,” she said.

Tretchikoff was known for featuring the faces of beautiful – but mysterious – women in his work.

Yesterday, one of Manooa’s four daughters, Chameli Jain, said relatives in Durban had seen an article in The Mercury’s sister paper Post about the search for her mother.

An article was also published in The Mercury.

“The picture in the newspaper showed my mom being handed a signed copy of the painting by Tretchikoff. My mom still has that painting hanging in her home in Florida.”

Jain, whose sisters live in Florida, said she was surprised and excited that there had been such a long search for her mother.

“They obviously didn’t look hard enough,” Jain laughed.

She explained that her mother, who was living in Merebank at the time, had met Tretchikoff at one of his exhibitions at Stuttafords, in West Street, which is now Dr Pixley ka Seme Street, in Durban.

Manooa attended the exhibition after she “fell in love” with another one of the artist’s paintings, The Dying Swan.

While there, she asked him why he had never painted an Indian woman.

“He told her he had never found one before, to which she replied that she was Indian. He told her she had beautiful eyes. When he heard she was a dancer, he was even more interested in painting her,” Jain said.

A few weeks later Manooa met Tretchikoff in Cape Town after he had paid for a train ticket for her and her sister. He had time constraints and, although he painted the major parts of the picture while she sat for him, he did not complete it. He kept the painting with him and added details such as jewellery, and then decided it didn’t need more work as it was beautiful the way it was, Jain said.

She said she thought it would have sold for more than R1.3m, considering some of his other paintings had fetched more, including The Chinese Girl which had sold for about R14m.

“I am so absolutely proud of my mom and I am so glad she is finally getting this recognition.

“Although Tretchikoff did two more sketches of her, she was never painted again, although she was photographed many times. She was strikingly beautiful,” Jain said.

Tretchikoff had a stroke in 2002 that left him unable to paint, and he died in Cape Town in 2006.

The men accused of fatally beating rugby fan Brett Williams have had their bail conditions relaxed by a Durban judge.

Johannesburg - Bail conditions for four men allegedly involved in the fatal beating of a rugby fan were relaxed when they appeared in the Durban Magistrate's Court on Friday.

The four will have to report only once a week to their respective police stations.

Magistrate Vanitha Armu reduced the reporting conditions following a request from the men's legal counsel.

Brothers Blayne and Kyle Shepard, Andries van der Merwe and Dustin van Wyk were granted bail of R5 000 each on April 8, and were required to report to their local police station twice a week.

They are accused of beating to death former Royal Marine Brett Williams, 29, at a Super XV match in Durban in March.

They are each charged with one count of murder, three of assault with intent to commit grievous bodily harm, and one of crimen injuria.

They have also been banned from contacting the fifth accused, Grant Cramer, who was released on bail of R2 000.

He is charged with one count of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

On Friday, the case was postponed to August 27 for further investigation.

Prosecutor Krishen Shah said some of the witnesses still needed to be interviewed.

He said a decision still needed to be taken on whether the five would be prosecuted in the Durban Regional Court or the Durban High Court.

During the bail application, Shah said Williams had an altercation with Cramer outside Kings Park Stadium on the night of March 23.

Cramer “had a choke hold” on Williams, and he lost consciousness, Shah told the court.

Paramedics revived him, but the other four “kicked and punched” him in a second altercation later on, he alleged.

Paramedics were unable to revive Williams again, and he was declared dead at the scene.

Sapa

A KZN man is counting his lucky stars after he escaped from hijackers who held him hostage for an hour.

Durban - A Malvern man is counting his lucky stars after he escaped from hijackers who held him hostage for an hour on Wednesday while they drove around Durban before letting him go on the M19 near Westville.

Aldrin Samuel, 44, was on his way to buy cigarettes when a car behind him started flashing its lights.

At a stop street, a neatly dressed man got out of the car and came towards him, asking for directions to the Industrial Park in Stellawood.

While talking to the man, his passenger window was smashed. “I was still in shock when the first guy snatched the key and switched off the car.”

Samuel was bundled out of his car and moved to the robbers’ red Polo. There they asked him if his car had a tracker, which it did not.

“During the whole incident, not once did I try to retaliate. I tried to stay calm… I must have said every prayer under the sun,” he said on Thursday.

The three men, all armed, then dropped him off and told him to run or they would shoot.

“I’ve never run so fast before,” he said. Samuel made it to the Reservoir Hills Shell garage where he raised the alarm.

“The police arrived about five to 10 minutes later.”

Police spokesman Thulani Zwane said a hijacking case was being investigated at the Malvern police station but no arrests had been made. The vehicle has not been recovered.

Hernus Vermeulen, from the security firm Matrix, warned drivers to to be aware and check if they were being followed.

“If you feel unsure or unsafe, drive to your closest police station and hoot when getting close to it,” he said.

The Mercury

A bogus security guard who terrorised couples in Umlazi for two years has been sentenced to 45 years in jail.

Durban - A man has been sentenced to 45 years in jail by the Umlazi Regional Court, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Friday.

“A bogus security guard who was terrorising couples at Umlazi Mega City Park in 2011 and 2012 has finally been convicted and sentenced to a total of 45 years imprisonment,” spokesman Captain Thulani Zwane said.

Sipho Gladman Mkhwanazi, 40, was found guilty of four counts of rape on Tuesday.

Mkhwanazi would pose as a security guard at Mega City Park in Umlazi, approach couples at the park, and threaten to arrest them, Zwane said.

He would assault the men with a knife, chase them away, and rape the women in nearby bushes.

He would then keep the cellphones and let the women go, Zwane said.

“In the last incident, in January 2012, a woman who was with her boyfriend was raped by the same accused in the bushes. When she was released by the accused, she saw a Durban metro police van in the vicinity and reported the matter to them.”

“They started their search in the bushes using their police dogs and the accused was found and arrested. He was found in possession of seven cellphones suspected to be taken from other victims he raped,” Zwane said.

No further rape cases were reported in the area after his arrest.

Sapa

A Durban father wants a controversial Comrades runner banned for allegedly snatching his son's pacifier.

Durban - A Durban father is calling for controversial Comrades runner, Tshokela Maphori, to be banned from the race after he allegedly snatched his 18-month-old son’s pacifier from his mouth, popped it into his own and ran off.

Dave Schilt described Maphori’s behaviour as “disgusting and disappointing”, and not in keeping with the spirit of the Comrades Marathon.

On Tuesday, the Daily News reported that Maphori admitted to taking a Mickey Mouse stuffed toy from a five-year-old child in Durban during the race, claiming that it had been offered to him.

A day later, he was accused of snatching a pair of pink ear muffs from a 10-year-old girl’s head during Sunday’s race.

Comrades Marathon Association chairman, Dave Dixon, said yesterday he had received the written complaints from the children’s parents and was taking the matter “very, very seriously”.

He said such behaviour would not be tolerated.

“Our investigation has already started. We have pictures of him at the finish line with the bear, dummy and ear muffs,” Dixon said. “I have already contacted his running club in Limpopo and they will have to deal with him.”

Dixon said a decision would be taken in coming days whether Maphori would be allowed to participate in the race again.

“He could face a ban. We will not accept such behaviour.”

Schilt, a two-time Comrades runner himself, said he had gone to cheer on friends taking part in the marathon, when the incident happened.

He had been carrying his son, Dylan, and was standing along the roadside in Gillitts at about 9am when he spotted Maphori with the Mickey Mouse.

“He stood out in the crowd because of the bear and he had a dummy in his mouth. There were hundreds of runners passing through at the time. He suddenly moved away from the stream of runners and came towards us.”

Schilt said as the athlete came towards him, he moved back.

“He suddenly lunged forward and tried to pull the dummy out of Dylan’s mouth. I moved further back and asked him what he was doing.”

Schilt said that did not deter Maphori. “He just did not give up. He lunged forward again – this time a little more forcefully – and yanked the dummy out of Dylan’s mouth. I thought he was just fooling around and would return the dummy,” he said.

“But he then did the most disgusting thing ever. He removed the dummy he had in his mouth and replaced it with Dylan’s dummy.”

Schilt said he was flabbergasted and watched in disbelief as Maphori disappeared with the pacifier into the crowd of runners.

By this time, Dylan was hysterical.

“He calls his dummy a nanu. He began screaming ‘nanu, nanu’… He was traumatised.”

Schilt said his son was fond of the pacifier. “He is attached to it. For a few hours after that we had to deal with a screaming child. We could only go to the shop and buy another one after the surge of runners had eased.”

The Comrades Marathon was a huge part of their family tradition, Schilt said. His wife Claire and father-in-law, Allen Charlesworth, had also taken part in the historic race.

“Allen ran the Comrades 12 times. We know what the spirit of the race is about. Maphori certainly does not capture it.”

He said he had written to the Comrades Marathon Association and hoped they would take Maphori to task.

“He should be banned from the race. While to some it may be a laughing matter, I view it in a very serious light. His victims have all been children,” he said. “I am glad that one of the complainants is considering charging him with theft.”

On Tuesday, Maphori had said that he had been given three pacifiers by bystanders during the course of the race.

Schilt said: “The dummy was not offered as is suggested. It was forcefully removed.”

Maphori, of the Marula Marathon Club, left five-year-old Arman Moodliar of Overport bawling after the runner snatched his Mickey Mouse toy earlier in the race. Arman was at 45th Cutting cheering on athletes at about 6am when Maphori took his toy.

The Limpopo runner was then going down Josiah Gumede (Old Main) Road in Pinetown, when he removed Ryanne Toll’s ear muffs and placed them on his head.

The Grade 5 pupil bought them for the Johannesburg leg of the Justin Bieber concert with money she had earned doing household chores.

Maphori was identified as the runner who took the Mickey Mouse toy, ear muffs and pacifier after his picture appeared in the Daily News on Monday.

Daily News

The eThekwini Municipality has begun repairing excavation patches and potholes that have angered motorists, some of whom reported damage to their cars.

Durban - The eThekwini Municipality has begun repairing excavation patches and potholes on the city’s roads that have angered motorists, some of whom have reported that their cars have been damaged by the holes.

Roads Department workers were sent to Edith Benson Crescent opposite the Botanic Gardens where they repaired a hole that had damaged a motorist’s car on Wednesday.

This came after the Daily News reported that motorist Ross Daykin estimated that he sustained R30 000 worth of damage to his car when his tyre and rims hit a pothole.

Another pothole, which business owners had covered with a municipal rubbish bin last week, was also being repaired yesterday.

The pothole and an uncovered Telkom manhole were attended to by two workmen contracted to the phone company.

Benson Marlon of Rossburgh HI-Q, who said he did a brisk trade in tyres thanks to the city’s many potholes, alerted the department to the massive hole about three weeks ago.

Yesterday, Marlon was relieved to see workers finally attending to it.

“At last they are doing something about it, after the Daily News wrote a story,” he said.

Meanwhile, both holes on Musgrave and Peter Mokaba (Ridge) roads which had angered motorists since last month, have also been repaired.

The Daily News previously reported that Marco Accolla’s car was damaged by a pothole in Musgrave Road.

A frustrated Accolla was still waiting for a response from the city after he submitted a claim for damages two months ago.

He said barely a week passed without the municipality asking for more quotes or paperwork. But all he had received from the roads and insurance departments was a reference number.

“My claim totals approximately R45 000 for two Mercedes-Benz S class AMG rims (imported from the UK). It took me two months to save for the rims, but now they have just disappeared because eThekwini fails to properly maintain roads. I am also aware that my attorney also suffered damage to his SLK AMG rims.

“The pothole in Musgrave Road was 15cm deep. I took a photo with a ruler placed inside it,” said Accolla.

His mother, Olga Accolla, also has an outstanding claim with the city after her car hit an excavated patch in Peter Mokaba (Ridge) Road in April, causing nearly R2 000 in damage to a tyre and rim.

nkululeko.nene@inl.co.za

Daily News

Eight policemen who forcibly removed a colleague’s private vehicle from an eManzimtoti repair shop will be charged with intimidation and business robbery.

Durban - The eight policemen who forcibly removed a colleague’s private vehicle from an eManzimtoti repair shop will be charged with intimidation and business robbery.

KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Mmamonnye Ngobeni confirmed yesterday that all eight policemen had been on duty at the time and had used state vehicles to commit the alleged offence.

“Their mere presence at Barry’s Auto Clinic intimidated Collen Ballard (the workshop manager) which enabled them to fulfil their actions,” a statement from Ngobeni reads.

Community Safety and Liaison MEC, Willies Mchunu, said yesterday that none of the policemen had been authorised by their commanders to give support or assist their colleague in retrieving his vehicle.

Ngobeni said the policemen who drove the vehicles had been identified as being from the uMlazi TRT and eManzimtoti police station. She confirmed a case of house-breaking of a business premises and intimidation was being investigated.

In a statement to police, a warrant officer admitted taking his vehicle for repairs to Barry’s Auto Clinic in December. He was quoted R25 000 for the repairs, which he said he accepted.

The work was completed in January and the policeman paid a deposit of R8 000.

He was then informed that a fee of R300 a day would be charged for storage, which he agreed to, but he said the workshop owner told him after 120 days that he was going to hand the matter over to his attorneys and sell the vehicle to recover his costs.

The policeman said he then paid the owner for repairs undertaken, but did not pay the storage fees.

The owner of the workshop, Barry Male, said the policeman owed him R39 000 in storage fees.

“He agreed to the payment arrangement but then he backtracked.” Male said he had proof that since January he had made 185 cellphone calls and eight landline calls to the policeman to tell him to fetch his vehicle.

He also sent him 16 SMSes.

Male said only after the Daily News highlighted the story on Monday did police management act on the incident.

“Now the MEC is involved too. I am really relieved. I hope this nightmare is over soon.”

He said two senior policemen had visited him yesterday to take statements.

A Lieutenant-Colonel Govender has been appointed to investigate the alleged misconduct in terms of the SAPS disciplinary regulations.

Mchunu called on Koekie Mbeki, the acting executive director of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, to also investigate the allegations.

He also commended Ngobeni for her prompt actions in dealing with the matter.

Daily News

A KwaZulu-Natal prosecutor accused of raping a woman appeared in the Dundee Magistrate's Court.

Durban - A KwaZulu-Natal prosecutor accused of raping a woman appeared in the Dundee Magistrate's Court on Friday, the NPA said.

The 38-year-old man would be back in court on July 5, KwaZulu-Natal National Prosecuting Authority spokeswoman Natasha Ramkisson said.

He was denied bail and would remain in custody.

A 23-year-old woman was at the Dundee Magistrate's Court with her boyfriend when the prosecutor, who may not be named until he has pleaded, called her into his office and allegedly raped her last month.

She told her boyfriend what had happened and the matter was reported to the police.

When the prosecutor found out he was under investigation, he allegedly offered the woman R3 000 to withdraw the case.

Ramkisson said the man faced charges of rape, corruption, and defeating the ends of justice.

“The NPA views these offences in a serious light and takes a zero tolerance approach to illegal activities, even if the accused is one of our own,” she said.

Ramkisson said the man had been suspended from duty. - Sapa

A former policeman described how he murdered his pregnant daughter after he was charged with raping her.

Durban - A former Durban policeman has described in chilling detail how he murdered his 14-year-old daughter after he was charged with raping her.

 The girl was pregnant with his child when she died in a hail of bullets as she tried to flee from her father, who was armed with his semi-automatic Walther P99 service pistol, 15 rounds of ammunition and a spare magazine.

Yesterday, Simo Mgobhozi, 41, pleaded guilty in the Scottburgh High Court to charges of raping and murdering his daughter, Nontobeko Zandile Mgobhozi.

He was sentenced to life in prison for the murder and an additional 15 years for the rape.

“He knew his daughter was the only witness to implicate him on the rape charge.

“He killed her because he knew the baby would have proved fatal to his conviction,” prosecutor Khatija Essack argued in aggravation of sentence yesterday. “Clearly, the murder was premeditated.”

In a plea statement read out by defence lawyer Theuns Botha yesterday, Mgobhozi admitted that when he went to see the girl’s mother, Zinhle Khuzwayo, about the rape charges, his intention was to kill his daughter.

Mgobhozi learnt that his daughter was about 34 weeks pregnant with his child when he was arrested and charged with her rape in January last year.

The girl had lived with her mother, who had been estranged from Mgobhozi since Nontobeko was about four years old.

In June 2011, Nontobeko visited her father at his home in Isipingo, which he shared with his wife, their three daughters and another daughter from a previous relationship.

Mgobhozi said Nontobeko, who was 13 at the time, asked to sleep in his bed because she was scared. He said he later joined her and raped her in her sleep. She awoke during the intercourse, he said. He described having sex with his daughter as “a moment of weakness and sheer stupidity”.

In his guilty plea, he stated: “This charge of rape of my own daughter caused havoc in my marriage and had a negative impact on relations with my immediate and extended family.”

After the rape charge, Mgobhozi, based at Reunion in the railway police section, was suspended after 17 years’ service with the SAPS.

On March 1 last year, he armed himself and confronted Nontobeko and her mother at their home in uMlazi.

“I entered the room and explained my reason for my visit. I warned them that nobody was going to leave the room. I was very emotional, stressed and angry,” he said.

“I told them that we are all going to die and drew my firearm.”

He said that as Khuzwayo begged him not to kill them, he heard a door opening and saw Nontobeko trying to escape.

“I fired several shots in her direction. Zinhle tried to stop me but failed. I moved towards the door and continued shooting outside.”

The court heard that of the eight shots fired, five hit Nontobeko.

The Grade 8 pupil died at the scene of “perforated gunshots to the head”, according to the post-mortem report.

Mgobhozi said that after the shooting he panicked and left in a state of shock.

He had car trouble and said he stopped when he was approached by a group of people at an undisclosed location.

“I remember telling them that I had shot my girl,” he said. He said he handed his firearm, car keys and cellphone to the group and asked them to call the police.

He was subsequently arrested and charged with murder, after which he resigned from his job.

While awaiting trial, Mgobhozi was informed that a DNA paternity test conducted on the foetus confirmed that he was the father.

Mgobhozi, who has been in custody since his arrest, said he was truly remorseful and accepted full responsibility for his actions.

“I was ashamed of my behaviour and to this day regret what I had done to my daughter. It happened once and never again,” he said, adding he had tried to be a good father to Nontobeko by paying maintenance to her mother and assisting with other expenses.

Handing down sentence, Judge Gregory Kruger said: “The most shocking feature that strikes one is that you raped your own daughter.

“The consequences of your actions were made known in that your daughter fell pregnant. You found yourself in a horrible situation where you were going to be a father and grandfather to a child.”

However, Judge Kruger said while the rape was serious, it was “not one of the most serious I’ve seen”.

Turning to the murder, he said he accepted that Mgobhozi had been angry.

“You wanted answers and that is understandable. But the difference lies in the fact that you armed yourself to seek those answers. Your intentions were quite clear.”

The court also noted the distance of 6m between the door of the home and where Nontobeko fell.

“She was very close to you. As a trained cop, you fired eight shots at her. Five shots struck her, two of those in her head. The gruesomeness of the murder and your actions preceding it cannot be offset by mitigating factors submitted by your counsel,” the judge said.

The defence had submitted the murder was not premeditated but was “triggered” by Nontobeko’s attempt to escape.

Before sentencing Mgobhozi, Judge Kruger said: “Society… to these courts to punish offenders of these crimes, severely. If the court doesn’t, society might take matters into their own hands. This we cannot let happen.”

rizwana.umar@inl.co.za

Daily News

A man accused of killing a Marikana sangoma appeared in the Bizana Magistrate's Court.

Durban -A man accused of killing a Marikana sangoma appeared in the Bizana Magistrate's Court on Friday, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said.

The case against Lindelani Mkhize, 28, was postponed until June 27 for further investigation, said NPA spokesman Luxolo Tyali.

Mkhize was arrested in his hometown of KwaMaphumulo, KwaZulu-Natal, last month.

He is accused of killing 69-year-old sangoma Alton “Ndzabe” Zikhuthele Joja at his home in Ludeke Holt village, in Mbizana, Eastern Cape on March 24.

Joja was to have testified before the Farlam Commission of Inquiry about his role, and that of his sons, in rituals performed on striking miners on a hill near Lonmin's platinum mine in Marikana in August

The rituals were apparently supposed to make the miners believe they were invisible and invincible in the face of gunfire.

Five armed men shot Joja when he walked up to their vehicle, parked at his home, to ask them what they were looking for.

The gunmen fled. Their car was later found abandoned and burnt out with a rifle inside.

Joja died on arrival at a local hospital.

The Farlam Commission of Inquiry is probing the circumstances of the deaths of 44 people - including 34 killed by the police - in strike-related violence in Marikana last year. - Sapa

A man whose car broke down was hit by a car and died on the M4 freeway, near Jacobs, in KwaZulu-Natal.

Durban - A man was hit by a car and died on the M4 freeway, near Jacobs, KwaZulu-Natal, on Friday, paramedics said.

“The man's vehicle broke down and when he got out of it, he was knocked over by a passing by vehicle,” Netcare 911 spokeswoman Santi Steinmann said.

He died on the scene. - Sapa

Couple allegedly abused four street children in their flatlet for weeks, exposing their genitals, beating and raping them.

Durban - A Hillary couple charged with kidnapping four street children, as well as rape and exposing their genitals, were refused bail in the Durban regional court yesterday.

The woman, a freelance journalist, and her partner, both 32, sat alongside one another in the dock. Neither may be identified until they have pleaded to the nine charges against them.

Magistrate CM Mkhaliphi noted that the four children in question were aged between 12 and 15.

He rejected a submission by defence lawyer Mfanafuthi Biyela that the investigating officer who testified had not even been at the crime scene and that the court had relied on the work of a private investigator, Mark Hardwick, hired by I Care, a non-profit organisation that helps street children.

 In her application for bail, the woman said she had fully co-operated with police, earned R5 000 a month and supported her sickly mother.

She tearfully hugged family members who had been in court, including her sari-clad mother, before returning to the cells.

At their last hearing, her partner had said he was just doing his bit for humanity when he took the street children home and provided them with food and shelter. In return they were to protect his property from criminals.

Three boys – two aged 15 and one 13 – positively identified the man, when he was arrested by the Bellair SAPS, as the person who had picked them up from the street and promised them employment.

Instead, they alleged they were locked in a granny flat and regularly assaulted.

The investigating officer, Sergeant Samantha Paul, said that in April last year four boys were picked up from the street and held captive for weeks in a granny flat until they escaped.

The 15 year old was approached by the man in the Point area, and said he was promised work and was paid R50 after he had completed chores at the accused’s home.

When he asked to go back to the city centre later that day, he alleged the man assaulted him and forced him into the granny flat and locked the doors.

The teen claimed he was forced by the man to touch his girlfriend on her private parts and when he did not comply, he was beaten. This occurred several times a day until the boy escaped about a month later, Paul said.

The second boy, also 15, was picked up by the man in June last year under the same circumstances and was allegedly forced to steal from shops while the man kept the shopkeeper occupied. The boy escaped in August when the accused forgot to lock the door to the flat.

It was unclear how the 13-year-old boy, who was picked up from the city centre in January, had escaped, she said.

The fourth boy, aged 12, was held captive in April and was still on the property when the accused were arrested.

Paul said that when one of the boys was recaptured after he had tried to escape, the man assaulted him and cut him with a knife on his leg. The boy said the man had told him if he tried to escape again he would cut off his leg, she said.

On Wednesday in the witness box, the man said he didn’t know why the complainants would accuse him of such acts.

The man, who buys and sells cars for a living from his home in Hillary, told the court that he had met the first complainant in 2011 at a set of traffic lights in Greyville.

Then one day, the boy asked him where he lived and a few days later the boy arrived at his home. The couple let the boy stay in the granny flat.

One day, after an errand to a nearby Spar, the boy never returned.

He took in the second complainant who approached him, saying he was a friend of the first complainant.

A few weeks later, a fire gutted the Wendy house on his property, destroying his car and partially burning the flat.

The incident was not reported to the police, he said.

A few months later a 13 year old he had never seen before arrived at his home asking about the fire and looking for a place to stay, he said. A few weeks later, he said the teen ran away after taking R600 in cash, watches and a cellphone.

The fourth boy, aged 12, who was at the accused’s home at the time of the arrest, had been picked up after he had begged the man for a place to stay.

He said when the police burst into his home last week they took the boy aside and “put things in his head”.

The case was postponed to June 27 for further investigation.

Independent on Saturday

The "King's Park five" returned to the dock for the murder of a British man, having been out on bail for nearly two months.

Durban - The “Kings Park five” returned to the dock yesterday after nearly two months out on bail.

At the end of their brief appearance, Durban regional court magistrate Vanitha Armu amended four of the five’s bail conditions to allow them to report to the police once, rather than twice, a week.

One of them, Andries Jacobus van der Merwe, from the Bluff, was allowed to leave KwaZulu-Natal if he informed the investigating officer.

“But you are not allowed to go to Kings Park until the finalisation of this trial,” were Armu’s final words before adjourning the case. The State had asked for more time to investigate.

The others who are accused of murdering South African-born former British marine Brett Williams at the stadium on March 23, after the Sharks-Rebels match, are brothers Blayne, 23, and Kyle Shepard, 25, from Umbilo, and Dustin Steven van Wyk, 24, from Glenwood.

Grant Cramer, 24, from Escombe, was in the dock with them, but charged only with assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

The court heard that Van der Merwe needed permission to leave KZN because his parents had moved to Centurion, in Gauteng.

Absent from court and halfway across the world, Williams’ fiancée, Louise Scott, told The Independent on Saturday by phone last night she had expected an adjournment.

“It’s going to be a long, long process.”

Scott added she had met her local MP, Jeremy Brown, a former minister in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

“He gave me some good information and contacts in South Africa. I haven’t had any of the authorities contact me.”

Scott said she depended mainly on Facebook to receive updates.

She also elaborated on her planned expedition across Norway next March to coincide with the first anniversary of his death and her birthday, which was the same day. Williams knew that part of the world through marines’ exercises.

“I chose to do this as Brett always talked of Norway. He intended to take me to see the Northern Lights,” she said.

“Now I will do this in honour of him, hopefully see the lights and maybe get to be close to him.

“I’m hoping to get funding to help me do this and also I’m intending to not stop until I’m satisfied that everything that can be done for Brett and Lailah his daughter has been done.”

The accused will once again be in the dock on August 27.

Independent on Saturday

Ticket holders will not be allowed to leave Kings Park between the Scotland-Samoa and Springbok-Italy Tests.

Durban - Rugby fans who watch both tests today are in for a long afternoon. Ticket holders will not be allowed to leave Kings Park between the Scotland-Samoa and Springbok-Italy Tests.

This means they will be confined there for more than four-and-a-half hours - from 2.15pm to 7.55pm. And if there’s injury time, it will be longer.

According to SA Rugby Union director of corporate affairs, Andy Colquhoun, fans must stay in the stadium in the interval after the first game if they wish to catch the second match. “We are planning to have an interval of an hour and half between the games,” said Colquhoun.

“There will be some light entertainment and then the teams will warm up before the second Test.”

Asked if this might not irritate fans, Colquhoun said he did not expect fans to leave the stadium before the Boks’ match.

“Durban has always been a Bok-supporting city. So we don’t foresee any disruptions because of the double header format.”

Meanwhile, a question mark remains about whether the liquor outlets on the outer fields at Kings Park are licensed or not.

Outlets in this area were not officially licensed two weeks ago, the Sharks, which run the property, told their supporters club. At the time of going to press they could not be reached to confirm.

The KZN Liquor Board did not respond when asked about the sale of alcohol at the game.

Marquees had nonetheless been erected yesterday afternoon and liquor-selling outlets were being set up on the outer fields.

SA Rugby Union was unable to give a confirmed answer.

“I understand it would be a licensed premises,” said Colquhoun. “But it’s Sharks managed,” referring comment to the franchise.

On the rugby jersey front, retailers of the new Springbok replica jersey said they were optimistic sales for the team jersey would pick up today.

The new jersey is available for R629 at The Sharks sports shop and TotalSports. It sells for R599 at Solly M Sports and Sportmans Warehouse.

Independent on Saturday

UKZN has threatened legal action against raunchy student websites where intimate secrets are confessed.

Durban - The University of KwaZulu-Natal has threatened legal action against raunchy student websites on which intimate, embarrassing and sometimes raunchy secrets of university life are confessed.

South African students have latched on to an international trend where users secretly post their “University Confessions” about sex, drunken behaviour and university politics on Facebook and Twitter.

One confessor on the forum said that he/she regretted joining UKZN because it was an ANC camp. “I wish I hadn’t studied at UKZN coz we spend so much time striking and not studying. I guess this is what happens when you enrol to an ANC camp.”

Others have complained about favouritism shown to certain students by lecturers.

UKZN spokeswoman Nomonde Mbadi said:

“In the case of serious allegations that have no merit, the university is exploring measures with Facebook to close these pages and proceed with legal action against persons who bring the university’s name into disrepute.”

Mbadi also warned students against posting on the site. “We urge all users to exercise common sense and act responsibly.”

This new movement is spreading like wildfire among students at most universities in the country. The most popular is the UCT Confessions page. It was only founded on May 20 and already has 17 490 likes. The Rhodes and UKZN pages, which are even younger, have 8 929 and 8 005 followers respectively. The University of Johannesburg and Wits pages have just under 10 000.

Some of the stories are funny while others are really raunchy. “The number of times I’ve been caught messing around with girls on campus is too damn high. It’s inconsiderate, but I have needs. I’m sorry,” posted one UKZN student.

“I have found a couple of short, curly, black hairs in the breyani at the vegetarian-only stall at Howard College. This is likely pubic hair and I’ve found it more than once,” said another.

One Rhodes confessor said: “I wrote Constitutional Law drunk. I passed. #rebel.” And another confessed that he had been having an affair with an older woman. “I’m staying in a two man’s digs with a woman twice my age. I haven’t spent any money on rent and groceries since I signed the lease, neither have I slept on my own bed. I’m always in her bed. Life’s Good,” read the post.

Officials at UCT said that they had no plans to investigate the legitimacy of some claims in the forums. Spokeswoman Gerda Kruger said although they were aware of the page, the university distanced itself from comments made on it and it was important to remember the statements made on the forum could be false.

 What the confessions also reveal is a lot of division and rivalry among students from different departments within universities and students not being happy with the way institutions are run.

A law student from UKZN said that other students from the university were hogging their facilities. “As a Law student, let it be known that non-Law students need to stay the f*** out of our Law library. Sleeping on the floor in-between bookshelves and using our computers to Google song lyrics is not an excuse for you taking up our space. We are pissed and we are watching you.”

A student from Rhodes posted she was not happy about the fees foreign students had to pay at the university. “The Rhodes University international student fee is too high. It’s not like we get an “international students’ lounge” in which we get served various international cuisine. I have paid that fee every year for five years.”

Despite the supposed anonymity of the forums, some students have posted that the service is not anonymous.

One student from UKZN said that he/she regretted posting on the page. “I regret making these damn confessions coz people figured out it was by me,” said the post.

There is also increasing worry among students that the information posted on there could be false or harmful.

Mkhuseli Bandezi, who is a law student at UKZN, said he was worried about the effect that these websites could have on students’ lives.

 Benita Swanepoel, a computer technology student at Rhodes, said that it would be more worthwhile to have a page that was aimed at helping students at universities.

Independent on Saturday

Three school children were killed and two seriously injured in a bus accident in the Plangweni area near Maphumulo.

Durban - Three school children were killed and two seriously injured in a bus accident in the Plangweni area near Maphumulo on Saturday, the KwaZulu-Natal Road Traffic Inspectorate said.

Spokeswoman Zinhle Mngomezulu said the bus driver lost control of the bus on a sharp bend.

The two injured pupils from Mgezeni Secondary School were taken to Oqaqeni Clinic. - Sapa

Two people died and one was injured when their car veered out of control and rolled down an embankment near Pietermaritzburg.

Edendale - Two people died and one was injured when their car veered out of control and rolled down an embankment near Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, on Tuesday morning, paramedics said.

One person was declared dead on the scene, on Edendale Road, near Henley dam, the second died in hospital, and a third passenger was being treated in hospital, ER24 spokesman Derrick Banks said.

“Paramedics found the car on its roof with all three occupants of the car in different areas near to the accident scene.” - Sapa