An elderly KwaZulu-Natal man has been found tied to a tree after being robbed.

Durban - An elderly KwaZulu-Natal man has been found tied to a tree after being robbed.

The Ladysmith man, whose name has not yet been established as he could not make a police statement due to his state after the ordeal, is currently recovering at the Ladysmith Hospital.

Sharaj Ambulance Services paramedic, Nishon Mahabeer, who attended the man, said they saw him in the bush where he had been untied by police.

“The man had been spotted by someone passing by. He was clearly dehydrated,” Mahabeer said. He said the man had been tied from the front with his hands around the tree.

“His hands had been tied up very tightly. You could see the marks and his hands were swollen and pale. He didn’t have major injuries on the body, only the rope marks on his hands,” Mahabeer said.

He was wearing a jacket when found.

“He was not speaking much, but said he had been robbed last Friday,” Mahabeer said.

KZN police spokesman, Major Thulani Zwane, said details of what had happened were not yet clear.

Daily News

Jay Singh will have to wait until at least the end of May before he finds out who might be prosecuted in connection with the Tongaat mall collapse.

Durban - Jay Singh, the man behind the ill-fated Tongaat Mall, will have to wait until at least the end of May before he finds out who might be prosecuted in connection with the mall's collapse.

Singh, who spent four days before a department of labour commission of inquiry, defended himself and his company and repeatedly laid the blame for the mall's collapse on design engineer Andre Ballack.

But only after Singh's lawyer, those of the municipality and that of Andre Ballack have delivered their closing arguments on March 27, will labour department occupational health and safety manager Phumudzo Maphaha begin drafting his report for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Maphaha heads up the three-month commission that was tasked with investigating the events that led to the partial collapse of the mall which killed two people and injured 29 on November 19, 2013.

He said it would take him about a month to finalise his report before submitting it to the DPP and it could take the DPP another month to decide whether anyone should be prosecuted.

During the commission's sessions over the past year it emerged that concrete at several places was below strength and the reinforcing steel from one beam was missing.

However on Thursday, Singh, who was the last witness to testify, told the commission that the mall was always going to collapse, even if the concrete had the required strength and steel bars.

Singh said he still believed that poor design by engineer Ballack meant the mall would collapse.

“Even if it had the full bars or the strength it was still going to collapse,” he said.

Singh is the chief executive of Gralio Precast (Pty) Ltd which was building the mall.

The inquiry has heard that the beam that collapsed, called beam seven, only had seven of the required 19 steel bars. Many of the concrete samples taken from the site failed to meet the required strength of 30 megapascals.

Maphaha suggested that a column, identified as column 319, cracked, causing greater load on beam seven, which it could not support because of the weak concrete.

Singh maintained the problem was with column 243 which his experts had said was poorly designed. It was then that Singh said the mall would have collapsed in any event.

On Wednesday it emerged that Gralio may have been using old drawings while building the mall. Singh was ordered to bring the drawings his company used to the commission on Thursday.

Singh on Thursday said he had newer drawings, but because there had been no changes to the columns, the old drawings were used for the columns.

During re-examination by Singh's lawyer Saleem Khan, Singh said he had trusted his foreman Ronnie Pillay, backed up by inspections by Ballack, to ensure the job was completed properly.

Asked if he accepted personal responsibility, he said he did not.

Singh was told by Maphaha that he would have to wait about 90 days before he could take possession of the site and that would be subject to the DPP's approval.

Sapa

Rajivee Soni’s lackey has revealed more bizarre details of the plan to ruin a doctor for allegedly having an affair with Soni’s wife.

Durban - A Pietermaritzburg businessman, intent on ruining a doctor’s reputation for allegedly having an affair with his wife, not only trumped up a sexual assault charge against him, but also paid people to protest outside court.

And to make it look realistic, Rajivee Soni and his lackey, former policeman Sugen Naidoo, bought “poster paper and markers”, on which slogans to the effect of “Sex doctor leave KZN”, “Dr Sewram, leave KZN” and “Sex Pest” were written.

Naidoo continued testifying on Thursday in Soni’s Pietermaritzburg High Court trial. Soni faces six charges of defeating or obstructing the course of justice, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and for the killing Dr Bhavish Sewram in May 2013.

Naidoo’s lengthy evidence focused on a fabricated second sexual assault charge against the doctor, which was eventually withdrawn.

The day before, he had testified on various plans Soni came up with from February 2012, for a year, to embarrass, injure and ruin the doctor’s reputation. He wanted to “drive” him out of town.

Naidoo said that on the day the doctor was meant to appear in court, he and Soni drove past to see the protest.

While chatting, Soni told him that his contact – who Naidoo referred to as Captain Hafejee – had been paid R30 000 to R50 000 to “get the press or photographers to court to ensure that the doctor was exposed in the newspapers”.

The alleged assault victim’s stepfather, fireman Zaheer Khan, had been given R3 000 to R5 000 to hire people to protest, said Naidoo. When Soni and Naidoo drove past the court, Soni complained that the protesters looked lazy and told Naidoo to call Khan and tell him to “tell his people to get more energy”.

Soni and Naidoo initially approached Khan to assault the doctor. But when Khan told them that a few years back, the doctor had interfered with his stepdaughter, Soni “became excited”, abandoned the assault plan and came up with a new one – for the woman to lay a false sexual assault charge against the doctor.

Naidoo said she and Khan would be paid R20 000 to lay the charge, R20 000 if the doctor appeared in court and R2 500 each time they went to court. They agreed and went to the family violence and sexual offences unit where they opened the case.

Soni’s contact (Hafejee) looked at the statement to see if it was strong enough for the doctor’s arrest. It was.

Khan’s wife was later “being put under pressure to withdraw the charges”.

“The accused told them if they made the case stick, they would become rich people and would not have to work again… he told them if it came out they made a false statement, they would be charged and would lose everything,” said Naidoo.

Soni also told them if anyone offered them money to withdraw the case, they should tell him and he would set them up and have them arrested.

Naidoo also spoke about how Soni had hired an attorney to represent the “victim” and take down a good statement from her.

The case against the doctor was eventually withdrawn. Naidoo said it was because the plan that the “victim” be examined and then run out of the surgery hysterically – so that it was captured on cameras the doctor had installed at his surgery – was not stuck to.

When the footage was viewed, it did not show her running out.

“The accused was absolutely furious when the charge was withdrawn,” said Naidoo.

He continues testifying on Friday.

The Mercury

A KZN couple could soon be reunited with their 11-month-old son who was kidnapped and sold for R5 000.

Durban - Five months of despair for a Mariannhill couple might be over – their 11-month-old son, who was kidnapped and sold for R5 000, could be reunited with them soon.

On Thursday the couple, who are not being named to protect the identity of the child, came face to face with the people who allegedly organised the kidnapping.

Tazley Msweli, Sbongile Ndimande, Thembi Cele and Catherine and Rajendra Ramlatchman appeared briefly in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on charges of kidnapping and child trafficking.

Police spokesman Thulani Zwane said in a statement that the baby was kidnapped in October last year by two women who had posed as social workers and had told the mother to accompany them to Pinetown.

In Pinetown, the women gave the mother money and told her to buy something for the child while they kept him for her.

When she returned from the shop, the women had disappeared with her child.

Zwane said the case had been assigned to the Pinetown family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit, which arrested the five this week.

It is alleged that Msweli and Ndimande had posed as social workers and that the Ramlutchmans had bought the child with the help of Cele.

The baby was found in a flat in the Durban CBD this week.

The couple told The Mercury it had been a “difficult” five months without their child. “I was not coping. I could not sleep or eat. I would just sit and think about whether he was alive. If he was getting fed or not,” said the mother.

The parents said they had seen the baby on Tuesday this week and believed he was their child.

“I was so happy to see him. He has grown up, but he is our son. We just have to be patient and wait for he DNA tests to be done,” the mother said.

The father said he wanted justice.

In court, Msweli, Ndimande and Cele applied for legal aid and the State applied for the case to be adjourned to next week for bail consideration.

Attorney Arvina Haricharan, acting for the Ramlutchmans, opposed the adjournment and asked for her clients to be released on bail as they had co-operated with the police investigation and might consider pleading guilty.

The case was adjourned to March 9.

The Mercury

A matric class accused of cheating in their exams have gone to court to force the Education Department to release their results.

Durban - The matric class of 2014 of an Ndwedwe high school – accused of cheating in their exams – have gone to court in an attempt to force the Education Department to release their results so they can “get on with their lives”.

The 139 pupils from Mashiyamahle High School say they have done nothing wrong, there is no evidence against them and the department is “flouting the rules”.

“This is causing a serious impediment to us undertaking the next chapter of our lives… any further delay will be totally calamitous for us,” they said in an urgent affidavit before Durban High Court Acting Judge Vusi Nkosi on Thursday.

They were seeking an order directing the national and provincial education ministries and education control body Umalusi to release their results within a week.

Being “poor students”, they wanted the minister and MEC to pay costs, on a punitive scale, of the court action.

However the minister, MEC and Umalusi sent lawyers to court to oppose the application and it was adjourned by consent for them to file papers.

Basic Education Ministry spokesman Elijah Mhlanga said: “We are studying their court papers and working on our responses.”

In his affidavit before the court, pupil Thabo Mokoena, said all the exams were conducted under strict supervision of a full-time monitor sent by the Education Department and a chief invigilator, assisted by eight others.

There was one invigilator for every 30 pupils and occasionally the chief invigilator would visit the examination rooms.

He said when the matric results were released on January 6 this year, the names of 59 candidates from the school, including himself, were listed in the newspaper as having passed.

But when he went to school to get his result, the principal told everyone their results had been “blocked” because of irregularities.

“We were shocked and traumatised. He could not explain why it was in the print media that some of us had passed, yet there was just a telephone statement by the authorities to the principal that our results were blocked.”

Mokoena said the invigilators were subjected to a grilling in early January – some individually and some in groups – but they were never shown the suspect exam scripts.

He said hearings for candidates accused of “copying” were set down for January 20 and 22.

They were told the subjects involved were maths, English, life science and physical science.

The candidates were “interrogated”.

“The distinct impression was that the interviewers wanted us to implicate the invigilators and their tactics were almost third-degree in nature with them screaming and threatening us with harsh penalties. Some were harsh and others were soft, promising that nothing would happen to us.

“I later learnt we were entitled to have legal representation.

“We were not shown our examination papers, nor was anything specifically contained in them raised,” he said.

During the hearings, their principal was shown three maths scripts “with only one small part of the answers which they claimed to be similar”.

“The principal argued that this did not mean the candidates copied… for example, it could be that the candidates wrote what was learnt by rote.

“One of the investigators told the principal that the candidates could not prove how they arrived at the answer… how could they expect the candidates to remember something they wrote 11 weeks prior?”

Mokoena said the outcome of the investigation was supposed to be released at the end of January in time for enrolment for higher education. But it had still not been released.

Instead, they were told that those alleged to have cheated must rewrite the exams, starting two days later, which was “patently unfair”.

“We were told our results were withheld because of reports by whistle-blowers. Who are they? When did they blow their whistles?”

It appeared the authorities were on a fishing expedition for information against the invigilator.

The case was adjourned to March 30.

The Mercury

A KZN businessman was shot dead and his sons injured in a robbery while returning home from work.

Durban - A businessman was shot dead and his sons injured in a robbery while returning home from work on Thursday night.

Mohamed Saleem Ahmed Suleman, 45, owner of Mack’s Food Zone in Moses Kotane (Sparks) Road in Overport, had locked up his business and left with his two sons for home nearby.

A police source said he drove into Booth Avenue and as he was entering his complex he saw three men with guns running behind the car. He reversed and tried to get away.

The men fired at the car. He continued driving towards Browns Avenue, but the car stalled. His son pulled up the hand brake to stop the car.

Suleman was struck in the head.

As shots continued to ring out, the suspects opened the car boot and doors and took a basket containing food and a box containing cash.

The men then jumped into an awaiting car, parked nearby.

Suleman, shot three times, was rushed to hospital, where he died. His one son was shot in the arm, the other in his side.

Police spokesman Major Thulani Zwane said a case of murder and attempted murder had been opened at Sydenhem police station.

Daily News

Over a month has passed since the crash that killed 8 kids, and the families of the victims still have no answers.

Durban - More than a month has passed since the accident that claimed the lives of eight Fezokuhle Primary School pupils, and the families of the victims have yet to hear what caused it.

Parents of the victims, who spoke to the Daily News this week, said they were frustrated and disappointed with the police and the Department of Transport for not keeping them informed of the progress of the investigations, or the fate of the driver, Lungi Mthimkhulu.

Mthimkhulu, 33, who suffered serious injuries but has been discharged from hospital last month, has not been charged or arrested in connection with the accident.

The police’s Major Thulani Zwane confirmed that the investigation was continuing and could not say if or when Mthimkhulu would be charged.

Transport department spokesman, Kwanele Ncalane, said the accident was now the subject of a police investigation, and the role of the Transport Department was to monitor the inquiry’s progress.

“Once the investigations have been completed, the docket then goes to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who will make the decision on whether to charge and prosecute the relevant party. It is not for the Transport Department to make that call. It is now out of our hands,” Ncalane said, adding that he empathised with the frustration of the families.

According to a well-placed police source, an expert’s report on the condition and roadworthiness of Mthimkhulu’s Toyota Hilux bakkie forms part of the docket, and will play a crucial role in determining whether she is charged.

The source confirmed that if the expert determined that the bakkie’s brakes had failed, and the cause of the accident was a “mechanical fault”, that would reduce Mthimkhulu’s blameworthiness, and she might avoid being charged at all.

Mthimkhulu was a well-known transporter of Fezokuhle Primary School pupils for more than five years.

The January 28 tragedy was the first accident she had been involved in.

Sibongiseni Dladla, the father of critically injured Wandile Dladla, 12, who suffered multiple fractures and internal bleeding, resulting in the removal of one of her kidneys, said he believed the families of the victims deserved closure.

“Immediately after the accident, government officials were all over us.

“A month down the line, it seems we are forgotten. We don’t want anything, except to be kept in the loop with the investigation,” he said.

Thabisile Shezi, whose daughter, 10-year-old Yolanda Shezi, was killed, said she had not heard from either the police or the Transport Department on what the outcome of the investigation was.

“I have lost my only child. I need to know what is going on,” Shezi said.

When asked how she would feel if Mthimkhulu was not charged, Shezi said she believed that whatever happened would be God’s will.

After the crash, the transport and education departments were given six months by the provincial cabinet to come up with a “policy proposal” on the use of bakkies to carry schoolchildren.

The issue was also included in Premier Senzo Mchunu’s State of the Province address in Pietermaritzburg last week.

The premier indicated that plans were under way to ban bakkies from transporting children to school, and that it was an area that required government’s “urgent attention”.

Daily News

Anger is mounting in Wentworht over remarks that a series of murders in the area was not linked to gangs.

Durban - As a mother prepares to bury her son on Saturday – the victim of a Wentworth shooting – anger mounts in the south Durban community over a senior policeman’s remarks that a series of shootings and murders was not linked to gangs.

Brigadier James Sayer, the Brighton Beach cluster commander who oversees the operations in Wentworth, denied gangs were to blame. He was being interviewed on television news programme, Carte Blanche, about the escalating drug turf war plaguing the community.

Sayer said the shooting incidents in the area over December were linked to Christmas “festivities”.

“There are no gangs in Wentworth, just groups who commit crime,” he said.

Devon Lochenberg, 25, who featured in the Carte Blanche insert after he was shot in the back on Christmas Eve, died in Wentworth Hospital last Saturday from complications arising from his injury.

His mother, Jenny Fynn, said on Thursday that she was disgusted at the police denial of a gang problem.

“They are lying. They get bribes from these gangs so that is why they are covering up for them.”

Fynn, forced to flee her flat in Hime Street because the man who allegedly shot her son lives nearby, said he was shot because he did not want to hang out with a particular gang.

“He was shot by people he knew and grew up with because they thought he was moving with boys from another area. It is all related to gang wars. I cannot understand why the police would want to deny that this is going on.”

Fynn said after burying her son, she planned to see that the man who allegedly shot him is brought to justice.

“He was charged with attempted murder but he made bail. He needs to be charged with murder now that my son is dead. We need justice,” she said.

Community activist, Desmond D’Sa, who helped quell the Wentworth gang wars in the 1980s, said the police denial of gang war was “sad”.

“What that says to the drug lords out there is: continue. You are protected. We are burying our children every week because of the gang wars and yet the police choose to hide behind such denials.

“It shows that they are out of touch with the everyday reality faced by this community.”

Pastor John Bailey, who along with the ministers of all denominations has organised “peace marches” to known drug hot spots, said he was angered by the police response.

“When I saw that (interview with Sayer) I could not understand where he is coming from as he knows nothing about what is going on in the community. Gangsterism is a way of life for people in Wentworth. It is just ridiculous for him to go on national TV and say that,” he said.

Bailey said the churches held meetings with police regularly and were pleased with the progress being made by the Hawks, who have made several arrests in recent months. The Hawks have set up a task team to investigate cases linked to the drug trade.

“The police, including the station commander at Wentworth who we are in contact with, do not give the impression there is no drug or gang war going on. They understand the issues facing the community and we hope they continue making progress,” he said.

In December, after the Christmas Day murder of soccer player Tremaine Marais, 22, gunned down near his home in Cycas Road, Community Safety MEC Willies Mchunu vowed to crack down on the “drug scums” and gangsterism in Wentworth.

His department has developed a plan to deal with drugs and gangsterism in the neighbourhood and he announced that a task team would be set up.

By the time of publication, the police had not responded to questions.

Daily News

Hospital staff unable to show compassion to patients at KZN's provincial hospitals and clinics should leave and allow others to do the work, health MEC says

Durban - Hospital staff unable to show compassion to patients at KwaZulu-Natal's provincial hospitals and clinics should leave and allow others to do the work, health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo said on Friday.

“Healthcare workers either take an oath or pledge that they will do their best. If they cannot do this they must move aside to allow others to take their place,” he said.

Dhlomo made the comments after addressing hospital chief executive officers and public relations officers in Durban.

He highlighted a number of media reports in recent months that had exposed the poor care some patients had received.

The briefing was aimed at reducing the number of complaints about staff's bad attitude.

Dhlomo said one of the measures put in place was so-called “mystery patients” who would visit hospitals and report on the treatment they received from hospital staff.

“They just come and ask for a (hospital) service. I don't know who they are. I don't see the people (the mystery patients); I just see a report.”

He said he would then have to act on the reports.

Asked about vacant senior posts, he said the department was making progress in filling them.

Sapa

A man died when his bakkie overturned on the N2 south near Park Rynie, on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast.

Durban - A man died when his bakkie overturned on the N2 south near Park Rynie, on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, on Friday, paramedics said.

The driver, who was alone in the vehicle, was ejected, ER24 spokesman Pieter Rossouw said.

He died on the scene. The cause of the accident would be investigated.

Sapa

Three of President Jacob Zuma's children and a cousin are in hospital following an accident in Pietermaritzburg.

Durban - Three of President Jacob Zuma's children and a cousin are in hospital following an accident in Pietermaritzburg on Friday, the presidency said.

“The children and the driver are in a stable condition after being treated for various injuries,” spokesman Mac Maharaj said in a statement.

He did not give any further details.

“The presidency wishes the family all the best during this period and wishes the children a speedy recovery.”

KwaZulu-Natal premier Senzo Mchunu wished Zuma and his family "all the best" and the injured children a speedy recovery.

Sapa

Seven women brave the iMfolozi wilderness for five days, living among the Big 5, raising funds to save the area from coal mining.

Durban - For five days, seven women will brave the iMfolozi wilderness, living among the Big 5, as they raise funds to save the area from coal mining.

The Women in Wilderness trail will traverse the territory that is home to lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino.

According to conservationists, the area is under threat from a mining application from Ibutho Coal, which it says would not only affect the ecosystem, but threaten the rhino population in the area.

The women are: Sheelagh Antrobus, head of Project Rhino KZN, Micah van Schalkwyk, co-ordinator of the World Youth Rhino Summit held last September, Bronwyn Laing, campaign leader for Rhino Art “Let our Voices Be Heard”, Gwendolyn Isaacs, of Ashton College in Ballito, Jacomé Pretorius of Glenwood House in George, Western Cape, Kelly Dramos, of the American International School of Mozambique in Maputo, and Penny Parker, of Cape Union Mart.

Starting today, they will carry supplies in backpacks, sleep in the open, and take turns on night watch to guard the single fire on which they will prepare meals.

They do not have mobile communications.

“Dr Ian Player’s support for women in conservation was the idea that sparked Women in the Wilderness,” said Antrobus.

“This trail is in honour of his lifelong work and will also raise funds to support his final campaign, the Save Our iMfolozi Wilderness campaign, which is fighting to stop Ibutho Coal’s application for the open cast mine…”, adding that KZN had lost 18 rhino since the beginning of the year.

The white rhino was rediscovered and saved from extinction by Player and other Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park game rangers in Operation Rhino’s relocation effort in the 1960s, which reintroduced this rhino species to game reserves throughout southern Africa, including the Kruger National Park.

The three pupils who were chosen to be part of the trail, participated in last year’s first youth rhino summit, which young people from Vietnam also attended.

Antrobus said KZN possessed the rhino population with the furthest reaching genetic pool and the Imfolozi Wilderness area formed part of the greater Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, which has one of the highest concentrations in the world and is a constant target for rhino poaching syndicates.

Isaacs will celebrate her 18th birthday on the trail.

“I can’t wait to go on the wilderness trail.

“I am so excited but also a bit apprehensive.

“I feel that going on this trail will give me a deeper connection to the wilderness and it will also give me first-hand experience of the bush and sincerity in promoting wildlife conservation.”

To support the trail and contribute to the Save Our iMfolozi Wilderness campaign, visit: www.indiegogo.com/projects/women-in-the-wilderness/

Independent on Saturday

Black gay couple who tied knot in traditional wedding dismiss reports that one of them impregnated a woman

Durban - A black gay couple who set tongues wagging and sparked criticism when they tied the knot in a rare traditional gay wedding have dismissed reports that one of them has impregnated a woman, resulting in them heading for divorce.

Tshepo Cameron Sithole-Modisane said there was no truth to rumours and a report that he and Thoba Sithole-Modisane were headed for a break-up.

“That report is nothing but a pack of lies. There’s no truth to it,” said Tshepo in an SMS on Friday.

When asked where the rumours and report stemmed from, the audit manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers said he would address the issue when he had time.

A weekend newspaper, Sunday World, reported that the two men, who tied the knot in 2013, had gone their separate ways after Tshepo allegedly impregnated a woman.

There were then rumours the woman in question had agreed to be a surrogate mother for them.

While Thoba, a Joburg-based IT specialist from Shakaville, confirmed in the report that he had moved out of the pair’s flat and had been living with a friend for two weeks, he also rubbished claims that his partner’s alleged sexual relationship with the woman was the cause of their unhappiness.

“It has nothing to do with rumours that he impregnated a woman. In fact, when we both heard those rumours, we laughed them off because Cameron is so gay and there was no way that could have possibly happened,” he said.

Posting on their joint Facebook page (Tshepo and Thoba Sithole-Modisane Journey of Love) Tshepo said: “Dear Facebook friends and fans, I understand you all mean well in flooding my inbox with questions. All I ask for at this moment is some personal space.”

While most of their Facebook friends said they would respect their request, Sexa Maphumulo said: “No, tell us what went wrong. You must talk, dude – we can’t wait. Where there is fire, there is smoke.”

The couple, both 29, were also dodging reports of physical abuse last year.

The pair made international headlines after their traditional Zulu and Tswana wedding – billed as a groundbreaking, beautiful ceremony – attracted hordes of uninvited curious locals.

Their nuptials also sparked criticism from Zulu cultural and religious organisations.

But the couple, who had known each other for years before deciding to walk down the aisle, remained defiant, saying they were unfazed by the barrage of condemnation, which had made their bond even stronger.

Independent on Saturday

A man was seriously injured when a wall collapsed on him in Chatsworth, KwaZulu-Natal.

Durban - A man was seriously injured when a wall collapsed on him on Saturday in Chatsworth, KwaZulu-Natal emergency medical services (EMS) said.

He was rescued from the rubble by officials from the eThekwini fire department, said spokesman Robert Mckenzie.

“Once stabilised he was transported by paramedics from KZN EMS to RK Khans hospital for continued medical care,” said Mckenzie.

It was unclear what caused the wall's collapse.

Sapa

Three men allegedly found in possession of stolen goods were arrested at the Dalton hostel in Umbilo, KwaZulu-Natal.

Durban - Three men allegedly found in possession of stolen goods were arrested at the Dalton hostel in Umbilo, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Saturday.

Police, responding to a tip-off, went to a room in the hostel on Friday and found the three men inside, said Major Thulani Zwane.

“The room was searched and 88 boxes containing glassware, two boxes containing artificial flowers and 20 boxes containing photo frames were found,” said Zwane.

“The suspects could not give satisfactory explanation as to how they got the property.”

The men were arrested and were expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate's Court on Monday.

Sapa

Drugs know no barriers of race, affluence or religion

Durban - Hard drugs hit their users hard. But the term “hard drug” is misleading, says director of the South African National Council for Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Durban, Ishara Poodhun.

“It is generally used to refer to heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine (tik). Yet, for the alcoholic, alcohol could be considered a ‘hard’ drug.”

You only need to go to Durban beachfront to see how people who have fallen for these substances eke out a living.

Well spoken “Dolphin Dave”, 37, as he calls himself, says alcohol rather than drugs consumed him in his past life in the textile and clothing business when he would “easily spend R3 000 a month on drink”.

Now he’s a beachfront hustler, with a territory no other hustler has the “right” to use.

He claims to be off the sauce but remains far from returning to the life he left. “But my opportunity will come. All hustlers believe that.”

He must also obey hustlers’ rules. That is never to use another’s territory nor use another’s pitch. “Everyone’s got a pitch and your pitch is your secret. You develop your pitch by doing lots of eavesdropping.”

To claim his territory, he walks it constantly, from early to late. “When someone intrudes, he is stealing your way of life, stealing from your mouth.”

Denying that he would ever take extreme action, he speaks of another beachfront hustler who did and is now in a bad way. “They threw acid at him,” he says.

Dave, who lives in a shelter with a mixture of people who work, as well as down-and-outers, also says that drugs such as heroin now sell at prices that compare with alcohol, making them more accessible to people.

But Sanca’s Poodhun explains this may also be because individual users are abusing a wider range of drugs, complicating the picture.

“The cost of any illegal drug will vary considerably, depending on availability, purity and popularity. The cheaper the drug, the more likely it has been adulterated or “cut” with other substances to bulk it up to increase the seller’s income. Therefore, the belief that one is getting a cheap ‘high’ is often an illusion and short-lived.”

One person, who used heroin and claims to be “clean”, spends his nights in a shelter and his days on the promenade, is 26-year-old former motor mechanic Stephen van Vuuren. “It all started smoking cigarettes ‘skelmpies’ at school. Then it’s dagga, then substances that are stronger, like heroin. You smoke it in whoonga but then you need something stronger so you start injecting. After injecting, the feeling is much different to smoking.”

Poodhun says the trend of drug abuse in Durban does indicate an increase in the use of heroin, particularly in the smoked form, known colloquially as “whoonga” or “sugars”.

“There is considerable interest, and even hype, around the use of this drug, but treatment statistics continue to reflect that the major primary drugs of abuse in KZN are alcohol and cannabis (dagga).”

Van Vuuren says it’s easy to get into drugs when you’re stressed. “You find a friend. He’s smoking something and he tells you it gets rid of your stresses. He gives you two pulls of whoonga and the addiction starts. You enjoy it so much you don’t worry about anything any more.

“The next day, the withdrawal symptoms are so bad, you have carry on with it, just to stay alright and not get sick.”

Like “Dolphin Dave”, Van Vuuren is well spoken.

Poodhum explains: “One thing is certain: drug dependence is not confined to specific groups or categories of people.

“Every level of society is affected, and drug users are at risk, irrespective of affluence, education, class, race, or religion.”

Van Vuuren makes a humble living selling bookmarks made from palm fronds he gathers on the beachfront.

They could double up as crosses so he is expecting to get orders for Palm Sunday.

“My uncle taught me how to make bookmarks. He survived selling them for five years.

“I can make them well because I am good with my hands, from my years of working in engineering.”

But those were the good old days, before the drugs hit so brutally hard.

Independent on Saturday

Former Paralympic swimmer Natalie du Toit has joined several other SA athletes in backing Durban’s bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

Durban - Former Paralympic swimmer Natalie du Toit has joined several other South African athletes in backing Durban’s bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

The 31-year-old gold medallist, who retired from swimming after the London Olympics in 2012, believes hosting the Games would inspire young athletes here.

“Hosting an event like this would go a long way in uniting our nation, just like the World Cup did,” she said.

National government and Durban city officials submitted a 600-page bid document at the Games headquarters, Mansion House, in London on Monday.

Durban was the only bidder after Edmonton, Canada, pulled out last month, citing financial constraints.

The South African delegation was led by Sports and Recreation Minister Fikile Mbalula, his KwaZulu-Natal counterpart, Ntombikayise Sibhidla-Saphetha, eThekwini mayor James Nxumalo, Sascoc’s chief executive, Tubby Reddy, and the bid committee chairman, Mark Alexander.

Durban will know in six months if its bid has been successful.

Independent on Saturday

Sporting heroes and celebrities have come out overwhelmingly in support of Durban's bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Durban - Sporting heroes and celebrities have come out overwhelmingly in support of Durban’s bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which is expected to be approved unopposed after the only other city in the running, Edmonton, Canada, backed out.

At the start of the week, members of the Commonwealth Games Co-ordinating Task Team returned from London where they had lodged the city’s formal bid to host the Games.

The event is expected to come with a price tag of around R6 billion, with R1bn to come from the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee and some funding from the national government. An evaluation committee will visit in July and a final decision will be announced on September 2.

Speaking at a press launch for the city’s bid on Friday, deputy mayor Nomvuso Shabalala said: “We believe this is in the bag and the city is very much ready. We want to allay the fears of the prophets of doom. We understand that a lot of money will be spent, but we don’t believe it will be wasted. We have a big commitment from government.”

In the official bid document presented to the selection committee, chairman and chief of the Durban Commonwealth Games Bid Committee Mark Alexander said: “South Africans are passionate about their sport, which has played a leading role in building social cohesion and bringing to life the concept of a rainbow nation. Many a time it is sport that has not only reminded us of our common nationhood, but equally continues to revive our positive outlook on the country.”

”Golden Boy” Chad le Clos said no price tag could be put on the value that hosting the Games would confer on Durban and the rest of Africa. “This is something that local athletes have wanted for a long time. We have hosted a number of small events, but the Commonwealth Games are huge. And to be supported locally will definitely help athletes and add to the general feel-good factor.”

Le Clos said youngsters like his younger brother Jordan – also a swimmer – would benefit enormously. “They will work harder because the goal will be staring them right in the face,” he said.

“When I won my Olympic gold medal in 2012 I was just a kid with a dream but I beat the greatest (swimmer) in the world. I want to get aspiring athletes to that level; where they are competing at their best.”

He said other positive spin-offs were job creation and the upgrading of existing infrastructure.

Durban has the facilities to host all 16 sporting codes of the Games, and they will be extensively upgraded, with a new athletics track at Moses Mabhida Stadium and a revamp of the Rachel Finlayson Pool to seat 5 000 spectators.

The athletes village will be built at Cornubia, and the units later converted to subsidised housing for middle-income families. The Games will allow Durban to fast-track development in seven years that would otherwise have taken the city 17, said the organisers.

“Glasgow (host city of the 2014 Commonwealth Games) made a profit from hosting and hopefully we can do it here,” continued Le Clos. “It’s about time there was a national focus on sport. South Africans love rallying behind our teams and are euphoric when we win.”

Speaking via her mentor, Durban sports promoter Ray de Vries, Zola Budd, said: “I am totally and completely committed to the development of sport in South Africa on every level and for every sporting code. The biggest thing in my life has been athletics, but the quality of athletics has gone down and because it is the cornerstone of the Commonwealth Games, we have to get it right.”

De Vries said he was also “100 percent” behind Durban. “I am completely confident we can do an excellent job. But we must not just develop sport in the run-up to the Games as a publicity exercise. We need to get the nuts and bolts right so that we can start achieving the kind of success we did formerly.

“When Zola ran against Elana Meyer in Durban at King’s Park, the city had to erect seating for an extra 4 000 people. We need to get back that winning spirit, then there will be no stopping us.”

Running legend Elana Meyer also gave the Games the thumbs-up, and said: “It will be an unbelievable privilege to host the games. Sport is part of our DNA as South Africans. It uplifts the entire country.”

Alec Moemi, director general of the Department of Sport and Recreation, said the focus on identifying young athletes and grooming them for success in the games would be intense in the next seven years.

“You know how good 2010 tasted,” he said. “We are going to make sure South Africa gets the best deal out of this in terms of economic growth and job creation and we are going to help develop the very best athletes in South Africa. I want gold in 2022.”

Charles Preece, east coast manager of the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa, said if Durban’s bid was successful there would be an immediate cash injection into the city.

“I can’t see this bid not being successful but I hope we haven’t bitten off more than we can chew financially. The Games will be great for Durban; after the Olympics it is the second largest event in the sporting world. And unlike the 2010 World Cup Durban and its surrounds will really benefit economically.”

Preece said if Durban pulled it off, tourists would return and send others to Durban. “The key is making sure that we do this,” he added.

Durban Chamber of Commerce chief executive Dumile Cele said winning the bid would have a number of positive business spin-offs. She said there would be opportunities for joint ventures between businesses and the government in getting stadiums ready.

“There will also be opportunities for small businesses as suppliers. There will also be enormous tourism spin-offs. There will be visitors from all over the world. Large, small and medium businesses will all benefit.”

Cele said as the Durban Chamber they would be hosting a number of forums for businesses to interact with the government about various business opportunities.

East Coast Radio presenter Darren Maule said he was very excited at the thought of Durban hosting the Games and was confident seven years was enough time to prepare.

“We have had major sporting events in Durban before and we should learn from, and build on, those. The cash and status injection Durban will get will be phenomenal.

“Durban has been clawing its way out of the little village stigma and this is one way to do it.

“But the Sports Minister and Durban mayor need to inspire confidence at grass roots level that everything will be handled above board.

“People are most worried about white collar crime,” he said

KZN-based Olympic canoeist Bridgette Hartley was another celebrity who gave the bid her endorsement: “I hope that by then sprint canoe will be part of the Games and there will be a Bridgitte Hartley protégée taking part.”

Sports fanatic DJ Tira said:

“If we host the games we will be the first African country to do so and it is something to be extremely proud of. We need to show the world that Durban is the place to be.” – Additional reporting by Nabeelah Shaikh

Sunday Tribune

A man allegedly used the threat of posting a sex video on YouTube to extort money from a Durban doctor.

Durban - A 29-year-old man made a brief appearance in court this week in connection with a charge of allegedly extorting money from a doctor.

After a session of lovemaking with the doctor at his home in January last year, the accused threatened to post a video of the pair on YouTube.

The man is believed to have taken large sums of cash, totalling hundreds of thousands of rand, from the doctor until he was arrested during a sting by a specialised police task team last week.

The accused made a brief appearance in the Durban Regional Court this week in connection with a charge of extortion. The matter was adjourned to later this month.

The man cannot be named at this stage because he has not yet pleaded.

SAPS spokesman, Major Thulani Zwane, confirmed the incident.

“The 33-year-old complainant alleged that the suspect had been blackmailing him since last year until recently.

“He allegedly paid an amount of money, but the suspect was demanding more. “

A well-placed police source, who asked not to be named because he is not permitted to speak to the media, said the accused was an “opportunist”.

“He preyed on the fact that the doctor came from a prominent family and was not open with his family about his sexual orientation, and he used the doctor’s vulnerability to extort money.”

The source said the police believe the accused might have extorted money from other lovers, using the same modus operandi.

Sunday Tribune

Social media users around the world have joined in the search for yachtsmen missing off the coast of Australia, writes Vivian Attwood.

Durban - Seven weeks have passed with no news of two Durban men and their 20-year-old Cape Town crew member who are believed to have sailed into a cyclone en route to deliver a catamaran to its owner in Phuket, Thailand.

Their scheduled date of arrival was February 2. A search was mounted on February 12 when their concerned families alerted maritime officials. The men’s loved ones are hoping the sailors may still be found alive, but are preparing themselves for the worst.

Anthony Murray, 58, skipper of the Sunsail, Reginald Robertson, 59, of the Royal Natal Yacht Club, and novice sailor Jaryd Payne, 20, left Cape Town harbour on December 14 to deliver the yacht on behalf of leading maritime leisure agency TUI Marine.

Murray was racing against the clock to avoid cyclone Bansi when the Australian shipping router, which had been keeping him abreast of weather conditions via satellite phone, lost contact with the vessel.

No further contact has been made, and the EPIRB emergency positioning-indicating radio beacon) on the catamaran has not been activated.

Had it been, said family spokesman Matthew Thomas – who spearheaded the search for the Durban yacht Moquini in 2005 – a full air search would have been mounted immediately.

As it is, more than 1 800 volunteers from around the world have joined in the online search for any sign of the missing catamaran via the online satellite programme Tomnob, run by DigitalGlobe.

Speaking to the Sunday Tribune on Friday, Murray’s sister, Durban voice coach Philippa Savage, said she was fighting to remain hopeful but believed in her heart that he and the others had not survived the cyclone.

“Anthony is a survivor and he is more at home on the sea than land. But my gut instinct is saying he is gone,” she said.

“I could reconcile myself to that eventually – say that he died doing what he loved, in the place he loved best – but for the sake of that young man on board, we cannot stop searching.

“As the mother of a son, I can imagine the agony Lisa Green is going through as she prays for his survival. We can’t stop searching; the more people who help, the greater the chances of finding them.”

Savage said her brother, a former Thomas Moore pupil nicknamed “The Pirate” by family and friends, had 25 years’ experience sailing around the world, and had experienced plenty of close calls.

“There is no one better to be skippering a ship in a crisis,” she said. “Anthony has criss-crossed the world’s ocean and even traversed the Bermuda Triangle several times. The stories he has to tell would fill volumes. He used to joke: ‘I keep trying to die, but God just won’t let me.’ “

Savage has a copy of the weather router’s last conversation with her brother, as he tried to escape the storm.

“Pity you could not reach W point. It would have made a big difference,” it reads. “Your experience will count here. I am holding thumbs for you.”

Savage praised her sister-in-law, Diane Coetzer, for her work in spearheading the search and making contact with maritime authorities in South Africa and Australia to alert them to the missing vessel.

Coetzer started a Facebook page for the three men and got Thomas involved in the search.

Her efforts also resulted in the Tomnob search site being set up.

Coetzer said that the Tomnob search for the missing sailors was the largest launched since that into the disappearance of a Malaysian plane a year ago today.

“It is an impossibly large body of water; far too big for an air search to be feasible. This is the best chance we have of finding them. We appeal to people to get online and join the search, tagging anything that looks like a boat or life raft.

“We are basing calculations on the last position the catamaran is known to have been in on January 18. By now it could be anywhere in that body of water, but we can’t just do nothing.

“The Tomnob combines incredible technology with human compassion. We are not naïve. We know the chances they are alive are slim, but there is a chance, and you might make the difference.

“Help us bring Jaryd home to his mother. Bring back Anthony and Reginald to their families.”

Lisa Green, Jaryd’s mother, said she was putting her faith in the power of God to return her child to her.

“When he was little, he had this inflatable boat he used to play with in the pool,” she said, before breaking down.

“I can’t. I just can’t bear to remember. My son is strong. He is a fighter. He is out there and he wants to come home. We are so desperate for him to come home.

“So many phenomenal people are helping. I believe that God will restore him to us.”

Thomas said Murray would have been well aware that a cyclone was approaching the vessel, and communications did not indicate he was unduly anxious.

“The wind was around 50 knots at the time and although the waves would have been high, they were probably not unmanageable at the time of his last conversation with the weather router.

“The boat was brand new and it is not likely the mast would have snapped.

“The biggest question on everyone’s mind is why the EPIRB did not go off. But we don’t know where on the vessel Murray had it stored. If it was in an airtight container, then it would not have automatically engaged if the catamaran capsized.”

Thomas explained that the satellite phone would have stopped working if exposed to salt water. He said that it would cost millions to send out a P3 Orion search and rescue plane from Australia, and crew would have no idea where in the ocean to begin their search.

“It is one of those awful situations where you have to hope for the best but prepare for the worst,” he said.

“I am sure that whatever happened, Anthony did his best in the circumstances. He was taking the precautions he believed were appropriate.”

The maritime expert said whatever the outcome for the three missing men, he was confident the vessel would be found.

“Even if it capsized, catamarans don’t sink. The boat will wash up somewhere, but we may never have answers as to what happened – whether they managed to get into the life raft or not, and what became of them afterwards.”

However, he said: “There are tons of precedents when it comes to finding castaways alive on rafts; even months after their vessels sink. If they are able to collect rainwater then with that and the food supplies on the raft, they can live a long time.”

To join the search for the three missing men, Google search www.tomnod.com, and follow the instructions on the page.

“TUI Marine, Tomnod, and Rescue Co-ordination Centre – Australia have been in extensive discussions and it is from these that the area was selected for the Tomnod campaign,” said Thomas.

To help keep up the momentum, join the Facebook site Searching for Anthony, Reg & Jaryd.

Sunday Tribune