The family of Blanche Brown blame Grey’s Hospital staff for her death after she was allegedly turned away from the hospital.

Durban - The family of Blanche Brown, 35, blame Grey’s Hospital staff for her death after she was allegedly turned away from the hospital, despite being gravely ill.

They claim the ambulance that was taking her to the hospital first picked up a number of other patients, resulting in her arriving at the hospital in Pietermaritzburg late.

They also claim her operation was previously delayed for two weeks because the machine needed to remove her gallstones was broken. They were told it was the only hospital in the province that had the machine needed to perform the operation.

Brown’s cousin, Lynette Behr, who was at her bedside when she died, said they were devastated at her death because they believe it could have been prevented.

“I cry every day,” said Behr. “I don’t think time will heal this. Her mother raised me, so we grew up as sisters. And no matter what was happening in either of our lives, we were there for each other.”

She said Brown suffered from gallstones and had seen a doctor in January, who told her she needed an operation urgently. The gallstones were outside her gall bladder and were poisoning her system.

“The money was raised and she had the operation at a private hospital. But she was still ill and went to a public hospital in Newcastle, where she lives. When the doctors tried to book her in at Grey’s Hospital they were told the machine was broken and she would have to wait to have the gallstones removed.”

Behr said Brown waited the two weeks for the machine to be fixed and went to Grey’s Hospital on February 5. She was given a date for the operation in May.

However her condition worsened and she called for an ambulance to take her to the hospital on February 16, when she was allegedly turned away and told to come back the following Monday.

“He (the doctor) obviously looked at her and decided that because she could talk and sit up she did not seem critical. After she was sent home that Thursday, her condition deteriorated rapidly over the weekend. By Sunday she was unable to talk or walk. Her family left Newcastle at 4am on Monday morning to take her back to the hospital. She was admitted, but doctors said they couldn’t perform the operation because her vitals were all over the place,” a distraught Behr said.

“Doctors told me there was nothing they could do for her. She was moved into the critical care ward that Monday and died the following afternoon.

“If the doctor had given her five minutes of his time she would have had the operation, she would have had a fighting chance. But he turned her away, he turned her away to die! We are speaking out because we don’t want this to happen to another family. I know government hospitals and doctors are under a lot of pressure, but at the cost of people’s lives? If you use government hospitals you are at their mercy,” said Behr.

She described Brown as loving, bubbly and very kind.

“The hundreds of people who turned up for her funeral is testament to how many people’s lives she has touched.”

She said Brown had left behind a 16-year-old daughter and a two-month-old son.

Department of Health spokesman Agiza Hlongwane said the management of the hospital would be making an appointment with the complainant this week to give them the opportunity to explain exactly what had happened.

He said any loss of life within any of the department’s healthcare institutions was regrettable. “The Department is waiting for a full report from Grey’s Hospital.”

Sunday Tribune

The Durban harbour cop accused of drug trafficking in Hong Kong, is “well and in good spirits”, said a chaplain who visited her.

Durban - Sergeant Busisiwe Zungu, the Durban harbour’s SAPS operational response unit member accused of drug trafficking in Hong Kong, is “well and in good spirits”, said a chaplain who visited her this week.

Zungu made her first appearance in a Hong Kong court on Thursday. The case was adjourned to next month for further investigation, including DNA samples.

Father John Wotherspoon of the Roman Catholic Church based in Hong Kong met Zungu on Wednesday. He said Zungu told him she had been arrested on the border of Hong Kong and China while travelling in a cab arranged by a hotel in Guangzhou, and not at the airport as initially reported.

“Busi says she is innocent. We chatted for nearly an hour. She was in a taxi-van with three other people travelling from Guangzouh to Hong Kong. I have met the three others (in jail), all men – an Algerian who lives in South Africa, a white South African and a Tanzanian.

“All four say they did not know each other before using the taxi. They and their driver were arrested at the border because in one piece of luggage was a bag with 500g of drugs (cocaine, I think). The driver was released on bail but was expected to appear in court with others,” he said.

Wotherspoon described the conditions at the detention centre as excellent. He said the country’s prisons were among the best in the world.

“Free meals, free medical care, free clothing. No violence, no bullying, no drugs. A firm but friendly relationship with a caring staff. After a period at Tai Lam, most inmates are transferred, so Busi’s address might soon change to Lo Wu Correctional Institution, Sheung Shui, but her prison number will stay the same,”

He said Hong Kong was thorough but slow in investigations of this type and if none of the four admitted guilt, the case could drag on for months. “But if one admits guilt, the case could be over quickly.”

Wortherspoon said there were more than 50 South African prisoners serving long sentences in Hong Kong, most for drug offences. However, there was hope that the South African government would agree a transfer agreement with Hong Kong so inmates, after serving part of their sentence, could serve the rest of their sentence here.

“The guilty person can face a sentence of around 10 years. They were lucky not to have been arrested in China. There are tens of thousands of Africans doing “business” in China, meaning drug trafficking. This is a very high adventure because of the death penalty,” he said.

He warned many Africans also did “business” in Hong Kong but the chance of not being detected were diminishing rapidly because of tight security at the airport and the country’s border with China.

“Hong Kong customs officials are being informed of drug traffickers. At least three cases have happened in the past two months, involving a group of four Africans, in two other cases, one African each. When they arrived, authorities were waiting for them.”

Wotherspoon mentioned that some felt a sense of betrayal while others thought they had been set up by a “gang or personal rivalry or revenge or already-convicted inmates with inside information” seeking a cut in their sentence by giving authorities information.

Patricia Gerber of Locked Up, the South African organisation that assists locals arrested abroad, said if Zungu was found guilty there was no chance of her returning unless the government signed a prisoner transfer agreement with Hong Kong. “Hong Kong sends all the other foreigners back to their respective countries to complete their sentences close to their families but our citizens have to remain there, isolated from their loved ones.”

“Every one denies knowledge of the package. It is going be interesting to see what is going to happen.”

A senior police officer who cannot be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media, said Zungu would also be served with a letter of suspension which would be forwarded to the embassy in China.

Zungu was a member of the SAPS for 11 years and also runs her own business. She is a partner and managing director at Impunga Holdings, a business development consulting company with branches around the province.

A retired Captain Bheki Mathenjwa, who worked with Zungu described her as a good officer who hated drugs.

“I can put my head on the block, I think she was with the wrong people. I always keep her in my prayers. She was a devoted Christian. I treated her like one of my daughters. She often visited my home when she had a chance,” he said.

Mathenjwa said Zungu had started her clothing business years ago. She would travel by bus to Cape Town to buy stock before discovering that clothes were cheap in China.

A spokesman for the Department of International Relations did not respond to queries.

Sunday Tribune

The launch of a branch of the IFP in Durban has been overshadowed by a shooting incident that left one person dead.

Johannesburg - One person died and another was injured after a shooting at a hostel in Durban following the launch of an Inkatha Freedom Party branch, the party said on Sunday.

“Our members held a very successful branch inauguration, and as people were leaving the venue, shots were fired by an unknown person,” chairman Blessed Gwala said in a statement.

“Tragically, one of our members was killed and another wounded and taken to hospital.”

The incident happened at Jacob's Hostel in Durban.

Gwala condemned the incident.

“This incident smacks of political intolerance and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. We do not want to go back to the dark days of political violence after over 20 years of democracy.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of our member who lost his life. We pray that our injured colleague will recover fully.”

No further details were available regarding the incident.

Sapa

A black car is suspected to have caused the crash in which President Jacob Zuma's children were injured.

Durban - A black car suspected to have caused the crash in which President Jacob Zuma’s children were injured on Friday morning was allegedly driven away after the accident.

A relative of Zuma’s wife Nompumelelo Ntuli-Zuma, the mother of Zuma’s two injured young daughters, said the children were still at a hospital in Pietermaritzburg.

Ntuli-Zuma’s son, from a previous relationship, was also believed to be injured and in hospital. They were getting better and were eating and talking.

“The children said a black car appeared out of nowhere and bumped their vehicle, leading to the crash. They said the other car did not stop,” said the relative.

However, police spokesman Thulani Zwane said police could not confirm or deny the allegation that the second car failed to stop.

“We are not going to discuss the details, except to say police are investigating. We confirm a case of reckless and negligent driving was opened for investigation. No arrests have yet been made,” said Zwane.

The accident happened near Copesville as the children were being taken along the R33 towards the city about 6am.

“It is a miracle that the children are recovering very well; those who witnessed the accident said they should not have survived,” he said.

The Sunday Times reported that Zuma was seen entering St Anne’s Hospital about 7pm on Friday, and left in high spirits an hour later.

It said Ntuli-Zuma was also at the hospital.

The relative said Ntuli-Zuma’s relatives and Zuma’s family members had been in and out of the hospital since news of the accident.

Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha said that four children had sustained serious injuries while a child and two adults had minor injuries.

“We went inside the ward to see the children. We then held a prayer service to thank God that the children’s condition was not bad, said the relative.

“There was a fourth child who was also injured and is a relative of Ubaba (father – in reference to Zuma).”

Asked about Ntuli-Zuma’s reaction to the accident, the relative said: “She is a God-loving woman, and has been consoled by God. She is strong.

“But the children are still shocked,” he said.

The children were being driven by a state driver when the accident happened.

“They are always driven by state security. I’m not sure what they were going to Pietermaritzburg for,” he said.

The Mercury

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife is in trouble again, this time for “wendy houses” and its involvement in a development project.

Durban - The Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife environmental conservation agency is facing a fine of up to R5 million for its involvement in another illegal development project done without prior environmental authorisation.

The R3.5 million tourist lodge development, inside the Ezemvelo-controlled Hlathikhulu Forest, near Jozini, is also mired in controversy over “sub-standard workmanship” and structural stability.

Although it was supposed to incorporate rustic log cabins, the development ended up with prefabricated wooden “wendy houses” nailed precariously on to gum poles.

And when members of the board of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife called for a detailed report on the stability of the structure, its projects unit head bluntly refused to provide any information because he said the board had been “misinformed” and was trying to place the blame on his department unfairly.

While the company that built the lodges is listed as Mabhucu Construction Suppliers of Marble Hall, Mpumalanga, Ezemvelo’s partnerships and projects manager, Ntsikelelo Dlulane, is listed as the contact person for the project’s “owning agency”.

Yet when former Ezemvelo chief financial officer Bonga Ngoma questioned the stability of the wooden cabins and called for a detailed report in August 2012, Dlulane responded:

“I am not in a position to give you the report. I am of the opinion that you have not gathered the facts correctly and would therefore afford you the opportunity to do that prior to engaging in any discussion.

“I also note with great disappointment that even the honourable board member Ms Di Dold has made deliberations about this project without facts, or she was misinformed.”

Dold raised concerns in her capacity as a board member after she inspected the partly completed lodge in 2012 during a site visit by Ezemvelo’s conservation committee.

Dold, whose term of office as a board member has since expired, confirmed to The Mercury she had raised several concerns but said she did not feel at liberty to disclose further information about confidential discussions of the board.

However, Ezemvelo has now applied to the national Department of Environmental Affairs to rectify the construction work, after the fact, which was done illegally without the environmental authorisation required under Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations.

Ironically, the project was funded by the national Department of Environmental Affairs social responsibility office.

Ezemvelo is already facing separate criminal charges and hefty fines for its involvement in the illegal drainage of the Balamhlanga wetland near Jozini last year – also without prior environmental authorisation.

According to a new background information document on the illegal Hlathikhulu Forest camp project, several parts of the development were not authorised in terms of EIA and conservation laws.

Barry James, the independent environmental consultant who was appointed by Ezemvelo to seek official rectification of the illegal project, said a decision would now have to be taken on whether to demolish the whole camp, or to repair it before it was marketed to the public.

James said that while the environmental impacts of the project were “not significant” and could be mitigated, “the issue at stake is that the lack of procedural correctness in this matter has set a precedent for uncontrolled and unauthorised development in other protected areas managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife”. He has called for an independent architect’s report.

Ishaam Abader, the head of authorisations and compliance in the national Department of Environmental Affairs, said Ezemvelo was now liable for an administrative fine of up to R5 million and the application to rectify illegal development would not necessarily be approved.

l A public meeting will be held at the site at 10am on March 17 to discuss the future of the development. For more information, e-mail Barry James at brousse@sai.co.za or telephone 033 330 4984.

Body ‘applying for rectification’

Ezemvelo’s spokesman Musa Mntambo said: “It is true that Ezemvelo is the landowner. It is also important that I indicate to you that the building of a log cabin can be done within a short space of time. Ezemvelo is applying for rectification not because it is liable for the encroachment that happened during the building of the cabins.

“When we realised the encroachment we stopped the project and demanded that it be rectified.The implementing agent went missing and we could not allow the illegal ‘buildings’ to stand idle. A steering committee was established consisting of the Ezemvelo division responsible for EIAs and the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). The steering committee recommended that Ezemvelo should apply for rectification which we have now done.”

He insisted that Dlulane’s Partnership and Projects Unit (PPU) was “never involved”.

“It only became involved when the project was complete and DEA wanted to hand it over to Ezemvelo. The PPU went to investigate the quality of the project at the request of the board. The unit was not happy with the quality as well as the encroachment. It informed DEA of its unhappiness and requested that DEA instruct the implementer to resolve the issue.”

Nevertheless, Mntambo confirmed that Dlulane was suspended from Ezemvelo after a disciplinary hearing late last year in connection with a separate issue.

Dlulane had since returned to work after “normal disciplinary processes as governed by the Labour Relations Act”.

Humphrey Sithole, listed as the managing director of the Mabhucu Construction company that built the wooden lodges, could not be reached for comment.

The Mercury

Rajivee Soni gave former cop Brian Treasurer R150 000 to arrange the murder of Dr Bhavish Sewran, a court heard.

Durban - Murder accused Rajivee Soni gave a former policeman Brian Treasurer R150 000 to arrange the murder of doctor Bhavish Sewran, the Pietermaritzburg High Court heard on Monday.

Sewran, a former friend of Soni's, was shot dead as he emerged from his surgery in Pietermaritzburg in May 2013. Soni, 37, had suspected Sewran of having an affair with his wife.

After the murder Soni told State witness Sutendran Naidoo that “God is good and my prayers have been answered”.

Naidoo, an alleged accomplice of Soni's testified that Soni had told him Treasurer would not be able to refuse the offer.

The only condition Soni wanted was that he should be warned when the hit on Sewran was to take place so he could arrange an alibi.

Soni allegedly ran a campaign to run Sewran out of Pietermaritzburg by denigrating and harassing him.

Treasurer, who will stand trial for Sewran's murder later this year, was allegedly the conduit of money to hitmen who agreed to kill Sewran.

Sapa

Four construction workers were injured when the structure they were renovating at the Durban harbour collapsed.

Durban - Four construction workers were injured in an accident at the Durban harbour on Monday, paramedics said.

Part of a coal storage container structure they were renovating collapsed and they fell about six metres, KZN Emergency Medical Services spokesman Robert Mckenzie said.

They were taken to a local hospital. It was unclear what caused the structure to collapse.

Sapa

Durban beat Cape Town and Johannesburg to be named the South African city with the highest quality of life.

Durban - Durban has done it again: added another accolade to its growing list of honours.

Now it has beaten Cape Town and Johannesburg to be named the South African city with the highest quality of life.

International company Mercer has released the results of its 2015 Quality of Living survey, placing Durban in 85th spot, ahead of Cape Town’s 91st and Johannesburg’s 94th place.

The ranking covered 230 cities around the world and a press release stated that Durban’s ranking was mainly due to its “high-quality housing, plentiful recreational offerings and good consumer goods availability”.

It was kept out of the top 50 because of crime problems.

But the city was also highlighted as one of the world’s evolving business centres.

The Quality of Living survey helps multinationals and other companies compensate their employees when placing them on international assignments.

City manager, Sibusiso Sithole, said the city was “thrilled” that its efforts to improve quality of life were being noticed and benchmarked against the best in the world.

“At the same time the blight in relation to crime issues remains a challenge. We will continue to work with law enforcement agencies especially in police station precincts where crime, especially violent crime, is considered to high.”

Daily News

A KZN guard escaped with his life after coming face to face with a robber's AK-47 during a cash-in-transit heist.

Durban - A security guard escaped with his life after coming face to face with the barrel of a robber’s AK-47 during a cash-in-transit heist in Morningside at the weekend.

The guard was parked at an Engen petrol station in Peter Mokaba (North Ridge) Road just after 7am on Saturday when he was shot at point-blank range.

The robbery, the latest in a string of attacks on petrol stations, has prompted a call for a more co-ordinated response from police.

In CCTV video footage of the heist posted on social media platforms, two of five robbers can be seen climbing out of a Toyota Corolla and running towards the van.

One man disappears out of the frame while the other shoots directly at the cash van driver’s side window.

Plumes of smoke rise each time he shoots. By the third shot, the driver reverses the van towards the exit of the station where it stops.

It is not clear if he stopped because of his injury.

Rescue Care’s Garrith Jamieson said paramedics treated the driver, who had been shot in the elbow.

Video footage also shows what happened inside the petrol station’s convenience store before the shooting on the forecourt.

A robber can be seen jumping across the counter, brandishing a handgun. He pays no attention to three cashiers, who nervously make their way out.

His attention is on a guard from the cash van.

According to petrol station owner, Fiona Howard, this guard, who was unharmed, had been emptying the safe of the previous night’s takings.

Two more men appear, one with a gun, who hand over a bag to be filled with money, taken from the guard.

The robber behind the counter waits until he hears gunshots. He then peers out of the store before bolting out the door to the waiting Corolla.

None of the suspects wore a mask.

Rescue Care also took another security guard to hospital. He had been on duty as the lookout for the van and was injured while trying to shield himself from the gunfire.

Four petrol station employees were also treated for shock but had since been discharged from hospital and would receive trauma counselling, Howard said.

The petrol station was quiet on Sunday with some services unavailable because of unrelated construction, so staff had a chance to come to grips with the incident. “This was so shocking. It’s (crime) really getting out of hand,” Howard said.

The chairman of the Regional Advisory Council for Engen Petroleum Dealers, Richard Critchlow, said he was shocked at the nature of the robbery, “but not surprised as fuel sites have experienced an increase in shop robberies, or till robberies”.

A big concern was that the robberies put staff and customers in danger. “The criminals do not care about a person’s life. Now they find they can hit both parties - the business and the CIT (cash in transit) unit,” Critchlow said.

“What if a stray bullet hits the petrol dispenser? The result would be a big explosion and definitely lives would be lost.

“Fuel sites have increased security monitoring devices, improved and reduced cash handling procedures, (are) linked up with (SAPS), private reaction units, community police forums in the areas,” Critchlow said.

Critchlow called for the police to be more co-ordinated in their investigation of these robberies. He said from video footage, the modus operandi was similar and some faces were recognisable, but police investigated cases separately.

“We need to find ways to fight the crime and put an end to this before lives are lost.”

Daily News

Two Town Hill cops have been fingered as the culprits behind a brutal paintball attack on slain doctor Bhavish Sewram.

Durban - Two Town Hill police officers have been fingered as the culprits behind a brutal paintball gun attack on slain doctor Bhavish Sewram in 2012.

This was revealed by ex-Mountain Rise detective, Sugen Naidoo, at the Pietermaritz-burg High Court on Friday.

Naidoo, a self-confessed drug addict, who has admitted to assisting murder accused Rajive Soni in his obsessive bid to exact revenge on Sewram after discovering that Sewram had allegedly slept with his wife, named Sergeants Ricky Naidoo and Nichal Maharaj as the men behind the paintball attack on Sewram.

Naidoo relayed a long tale of how he had approached the two sergeants on Soni’s behalf to assault Sewram.

Naidoo revealed that Soni had first asked Ricky Naidoo to vandalise Sewram’s surgery and the boundary wall of his residence with the words “sex pest” and “sex doctor” with neon spray paint for R500.

“Rajive and I had a good laugh while we watched Ricky doing this. He was ecstatic, like a small child. He was even more excited that it only cost him R500 to show Sewram’s patients and neighbours what kind of person he was,” Naidoo said.

Prominent Mountain Rise policeman Captain Pipes Haffajee was also named as Soni’s police “contact”, who assisted Soni in his attempt at a smear campaign against Sewram, falsely charging the doctor with sexual assault.

Haffajee was first identified as Soni’s contact on Thursday, but only by surname.

On Friday, Naidoo confirm-ed that the contact was “Captain Pipes Haffajee”.

Naidoo alleged that Haffajee was tasked with checking the false victim statement made by Sonali Khan, who had consult-ed with Sewram on the pretext of being a patient.

Haffajee would then tell Soni if the statement was of a good quality, which would result in Sewram being prosecuted. Haffajee was allegedly also paid R30 000 to tip off the media to Sewram’s court appearance.

Haffajee made a fleeting appearance in court on Friday, seated in the court gallery, listening to Naidoo’s evidence.

He left court during the morning tea adjournment after spotting media photographers in the building.

Naidoo said after Haffajee advised Soni that the sexual assault case against Sewram had been thrown out of court, Soni became incensed.

“He said he was f***ing tired of Sewram and wanted him dead. That is when he asked Ricky if he would shoot Sewram,” Naidoo said.

“Without hesitation, Ricky agreed, but I intervened and reminded Soni that killing Sewram would put the spotlight on him, because everyone knew of the vendetta between them.”

Naidoo said Soni had often told him that if anyone pointed fingers at him for Sewram’s death, he would get the best defence attorney that money could buy, and nothing would ever be proved against him.

Naidoo revealed that he, Soni and sergeants Ricky Naidoo and Nichal Maharaj, eventually brainstormed the idea to use a high-powered paintball gun, loaded with solid projectiles, to assault Sewram outside his surgery.

Solid projectiles would cause the most injury. The four men then went on a road trip to Pinetown in search of a high powered paintball gun, which they eventually found and purchased.

After the purchase, the four went to a scrapyard owned by Soni for some “target practice” with the weapon.

The next day, the two police sergeants carried out their task and Sewram was shot with the paintball gun loaded with solid projectiles outside his surgery.

He suffered multiple injuries to his face, neck and torso as a result of the attack and opened a case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm at the Mountain Rise police station.

Naidoo said he had placed himself “strategically” in the Mountain Rise charge office around the time of the paintball incident and saw Sewram enter to report the assault.

“He looked totally disorientated and dazed, and had red marks on his face and neck,” he said.

The trial continues.

Daily News

A suspected Wentworth gang member has been arrested for the murder of Tremaine Marais who was killed on Christmas Day.

Durban - A suspected Wentworth gang member has been arrested for the murder of Tremaine Marais, 22, gunned down near his home in Cycas Road on Christmas Day.

Rashaad Esau appeared briefly in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

Members of the Hawks arrested him at his home in Wentworth’s notorious “G-Section”.

Esau was not asked to plead and the case against him was postponed until later this month for a formal bail application. He is in custody at Westville Prison.

His arrest forms part of a series of breakthroughs by a task team led by investigators from the Hawks investigating shootings and murders in the south Durban community believed to be linked to the control of the lucrative illicit drug trade.

Marais’s mother, Agnes Marais, who went to court on Friday, did not get to see her son’s alleged killer because she had walked out of court during a brief adjournment.

Esau’s case was called while Marais and several of Tremaine’s friends were waiting at the cafeteria.

She said while she was disappointed, she was also happy that someone had been arrested.

“I was very angry on Friday because we assumed court had adjourned for tea, only to be told that while we were outside they called the case. We faced so many hurdles in trying to get someone brought to justice for my son’s killer, only to face another when we got to the court,” she said.

“I am, however, looking forward to seeing this man when he comes back to court.”

Marais applauded the Hawks for the arrest.

“The Wentworth police did sweet nothing to find out who shot my child. If it were not for the Hawks, I would have never known who (allegedly) killed my child.”

Meanwhile, Devon Lochenberg, 25, shot in the back in Wentworth on Christmas Eve, was buried on Saturday after succumbing to complications arising from his injury.

His mother, Jenny Fynn, blasted the police as “liars” over a senior officer’s remarks that a series of shootings and murders were not linked to gangs.

Brigadier James Sayer, the Brighton Beach cluster commander who oversees the operations in Wentworth, told the television programme, Carte Blanche, that the shootings over December were linked to Christmas “festivities”.

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

Police spokesman, Major Thulani Zwane, defended Sayer’s comments, saying the broadcast contained only “a tiny portion of the interview so as to portray a specific negative message”.

“Our concern is that these so-called ‘gangsters’ are from Wentworth and live there with their immediate and extended families who form part of this close-knit community. Why are these members of the community not able to control their children and always require police intervention? Also, they are very aware of who is behind crimes in the area but refuse to come forward to resolve criminal investigations,” Zwane said. “This and many other concerns were conveniently omitted in the Carte Blanche insert.”

Daily News

A pedestrian was killed and a motorist injured in an accident on the M13 near the Westville Mall, in Durban.

Westville - A pedestrian was killed and a motorist injured in an accident on the M13 near the Westville Mall, in Durban, on Monday, paramedics said.

The man was trying to run across the road when he was struck by a car in the fast lane, Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha said.

The motorist was injured when a car crashed into a stationary car at the scene of the initial accident.

The pedestrian died on the scene. The motorist was taken to hospital.

Sapa

The murder trial of Rajivee Soni was adjourned as State witness Sutendran Naidoo concluded his testimony.

Pietermaritzburg - The murder trial of Rajivee Soni was adjourned until Tuesday in the High Court in Pietermaritzburg as State witness Sutendran Naidoo concluded his testimony.

Naidoo's cross-examination is expected to last the rest of the week.

Earlier, the court heard that Soni gave former policeman Brian Treasurer R150 000 to arrange the murder of doctor Bhavish Sewran.

Sewran, a former friend of Soni's, was shot dead as he emerged from his surgery in Pietermaritzburg in May 2013. Soni, 37, had suspected Sewran of having an affair with his wife.

Naidoo testified that after the murder Soni told him: “God is good and my prayers have been answered”.

Naidoo, an alleged accomplice of Soni's, testified that Soni had told him Treasurer would not be able to refuse the offer.

Soni wanted to be warned when the hit on Sewran was to take place so he could arrange an alibi.

Soni allegedly ran a campaign to run Sewran out of Pietermaritzburg by denigrating and harassing him.

Treasurer, who will stand trial for Sewran's murder later this year, was allegedly the conduit of money to hitmen who agreed to kill Sewran.

Sapa

A creche principal in Pongola was tortured with burning plastic during an attack on a farm, a report said.

Durban - A creche principal in Pongola, KwaZulu-Natal, was tortured with burning plastic during an attack on a farm, Beeld newspaper reported on Tuesday.

According to a neighbour, four robbers descended on Armand and Doulina Slabbert's farm at around 2pm on Saturday.

Armand runs a nursery and Doulina the creche on the property.

Their neighbour Jess Strumpfer said on Monday that the robbers grabbed Doulina and took her inside the house where Armand was showering.

They tied up Armand's disabled brother and took the couple to their bedroom.

They took money and firearms from the safe.

“They tied Doulina up, set plastic on fire and let it drip on her stomach,” said Strumpfer.

This was apparently to force Armand to say where their valuables were kept.

They took the keys to two bakkies but Armand managed to free himself and confront them, forcing them to leave without the bakkies.

Doulina was treated in hospital and later discharged.

The Slabberts were not available at the time of going to press.

Provincial police spokesman Colonel Jay Naicker said no arrest had yet been made.

Sapa

The KZN transport department has started paying the victims of a fitness test in which eight people died, a report said.

Durban - The KwaZulu-Natal transport department has started paying the victims of a fitness test in which eight people died and several more were hospitalised, the Witness newspaper reported on Tuesday.

According to the report the department paid R10 000 on February 26 to 18 people injured or hospitalised following their participation in a 4km run at Pietermaritzburg's Harry Gwala stadium in December 2012.

This formed part of a fitness test for Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) job applicants.

More than 40 000 people qualified to apply for 90 advertised RTI trainee posts.

Of these, 20 000 applicants attended a fitness test on December 27 and a similar number on December 28.

Department head Sbu Gumbi was quoted as saying the payments “were straightforward payments with no legal issues”.

Gumbi told the newspaper that actuaries would visit the families of the dead to determine how much they would receive.

Sapa

As armed robbers ransacked his home, taking even the toilet rolls, a KZN man lay on the floor fighting for his life.

Durban - As armed robbers ransacked his home, taking everything from toilet rolls to a microwave oven, a Waterfall father lay on his bedroom floor fighting for his life.

Three days after the April 2013 robbery, Jacques Oosthuizen, 35, died in hospital as a result of a gunshot wound to his abdomen.

Simphiwe Sosibo and Mvuseni Mchunu are now on trial in the Durban High Court for his murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and housebreaking. Both men have pleaded not guilty.

The State, represented by advocate Khatija Esaack, alleges Oosthuizen was shot after he woke up during the robbery and confronted the robbers.

His wife, Samantha, daughter, Claudia, and son, Storm, were also at home during the robbery.

It is alleged the robbers spent about 45 minutes in the home and then loaded 25 stolen items including clothing, groceries, linen and a kitchen clock, into the family’s GWM bakkie and fled.

The bakkie was later recovered with some of the stolen items in it in Link Road, Hillcrest, and the State alleges that the vehicle had been abandoned after it stalled.

Oosthuizen’s wife and daughter, who was 15 at the time of the robbery, testified about their ordeal in court last Friday.

In her evidence, Samantha said they had moved from Newcastle to their Waterfall home and had been there for a month when the incident happened.

She said her husband pleaded with the men to let him go to hospital, but they said they had to leave first. Samantha said she asked the men to leave the keys for the family’s VW Golf so she could take Oosthuizen and they agreed.

The court heard on Monday that both mother and daughter identified Sosibo and another man, Dumisani Mbatha, during an identity parade in May 2013.

Charges against Mbatha were later withdrawn because of insufficient evidence.

In their evidence and statements, they said they had recognised Sosibo because he had been the caretaker on the property before they had moved in.

But the defence has disputed the identity parade evidence because at an earlier parade, they pointed out two men who were not linked to the crime.

On Monday, former police officer Edward Mzimyane testified that he had conducted the identity parade and both Samantha and Claudia pointed out Mbatha and then Sosibo.

Sosibo’s attorney Andile Nohiya questioned the lawfulness of the identity parade.

He said Sosibo claimed his right to have a lawyer present during the parade had not been properly explained to him by Mzimyane.

Mzimyane denied this, saying he had properly explained Sosibo’s rights in Zulu.

Oosthuizen’s death came in the midst of a crime wave in the Upper Highway area in which at least one other person, Rodney Bradley, was killed while he tried to fight off intruders at his Kloof home.

The trial continues.

The Mercury

Preparation for the ANC’s eThekwini regional conference has gone back to square one.

Durban - Preparation for the ANC’s eThekwini regional conference has gone back to square one, with branches to hold branch general meetings in preparation for the rerun at the end of next month.

The ruling party had to start again after the previous conference held last month, and won by city Mayor James Nxumalo, was declared invalid.

Mthunzi Dlamini, the secretary of the disbanded regional structure, said 11 branches would hold meetings to get the required numbers of branches to participate in the conference.

Dlamini said he and his team had left the office, but he was confident that, come the end of April, they would be back.

“We had already started to work, and when we come back we will continue. There is nothing difficult with our work because we have experience from being members of the ANC,” he said.

Facebook users had posted that Nxumalo had pulled out of the race for the rerunning of the conference. The Mercury’s sister weekly publication the Sunday Tribune reported that there was speculation that other members of Nxumalo’s team had also decided not to take part.

However, Dlamini said that was all “propaganda”.

“We are all available,” he said.

“It is all about numbers (of voters). It is obvious that the numbers are on our side.”

Dlamini said the new conference would take place at the end of April, although the exact date would be determined by the preparation process at branch level.

The Mercury

The DA leader in KZN, Sizwe Mchunu, says his party is united and denies that there are any internal camps or animosity.

Durban - The DA leader in KwaZulu-Natal, Sizwe Mchunu, says his party is united and denies that there are any internal camps or animosity created by contestation for the forthcoming provincial party conference.

“I am not aware of (internal) bad blood that exists. I am only hearing that from you,” said Mchunu.

Mchunu is recovering from a car accident on Friday morning while he was driving alone to a party meeting in Port Shepstone.

His denial of internal camps was despite repeated claims by sources in the party that Mchunu had poor relationships with the party leader in eThekwini, Zwakele Mncwango, and MPL Mbali Ntuli.

Mncwango, who will challenge Mchunu for his position during the conference on April 25, had lodged a complaint against Mchunu with the party’s federal executive chairman, James Selfe, who in turn referred the matter to the party’s federal legal commission for investigation.

Recently Mchunu formed a “Sizwe Mchunu for Leader” WhatsApp team to help him campaign for the conference. Mncwango alleged that the team had breached the party’s policy by slandering him, Ntuli and their supporters.

Mchunu said he was “very worried” about sources who were leaking information about goings-on in the party.

“If these people are true members of the DA, why can’t they raise these issues openly and identify themselves?”

He was concerned that it was reported that the accident happened after he had been told about charges of misconduct laid against him. He said this created the wrong impression that learning about the charges had resulted in an accident “that nearly cost me my life”. He insisted that the accident had nothing to do with his learning about charges.

“These are the issue that we are taking up with the ombudsman. These are the issues that we are taking up as the party with some publications,” he said.

He escaped the accident without visible injuries, although he complained of pain.

He said he was negotiating bends on the R603 when an oncoming vehicle cut across a bend towards his car.

“I swerved to avoid this car, lost control and ended up in a ditch. I spent about three and a half minutes trying to open the doors,” he said.

Mchunu says he is looking forward to the conference, and is confident that during his tenure as leader he has performed well for the party.

“If you ask me how I feel about the DA today, I am overwhelmed. The DA has grown significantly under my helm, obviously with the contribution of senior leaders.”

The Mercury

The battle to legalise the use of dagga could reach the Constitutional Court if a Howick farmer has his way.

Durban - The battle to legalise the use of dagga could reach the Constitutional Court if a Howick farmer has his way.

John Lawrence Strydom, 44, on Monday launched a Pietermaritzburg High Court application against the minister of justice and the office of the director of public prosecutions.

Strydom wants criminal proceedings against him for the possession and cultivation of dagga to be stayed.

This was in order for him to approach the Constitutional Court to have certain parts of the Illicit Drugs and Trafficking Act of 1992 and the Medicines and Related Substances Controlled Act of 1965, relating to the use, possession of and dealing in dagga, declared to be in violation of the Bill of Rights.

He was arrested on November 12 for the possession of almost 5kg of dagga on Freelands Farm, Lions River.

Police said they also seized equipment used to grow the plants.

However, Acting Judge Piet Bezuidenhout informed Strydom that the charges against him had been provisionally withdrawn, which rendered his application moot.

But Strydom, representing himself in the criminal and civil proceedings, believes the charges could be reinstated at any time and insisted the application be heard.

The case was then adjourned for a date to be arranged.

In an affidavit to the court, Strydom said the word dagga (from the Khoi word dacha) has been used by the police and media in South Africa to stigmatise the plant and the people who use it.

He said he wished to de-stigmatise the use of the word and ultimately give the dagga plant “its rightful place in society, for the benefit of the citizens of South Africa”.

He admitted that he has been using dagga for 28 years without harm.

“I smoke it and eat it for its known medical benefits and as a part of my own spiritual beliefs and practices.

“I regularly consume it as part of my daily diet and as a health supplement,” he said.

Strydom said he also made medicine from the plant extract for his own health issues, and when necessary, he “shares freely with various terminally ill people who rely on dagga medication to survive or have some quality of life”.

He said personal research into the medical benefits and economic potential of dagga had led him to seek a scientific justification for the law as it stands, which Strydom considers to be a violation of his constitutional rights.

“The law against dagga and the persecution of members of the dagga culture violates the Bill of Rights,” he said.

Strydom said he also wanted to defend his right to use dagga for his own benefit.

“I am dedicated to building a culture and spirituality centred upon the dagga tree as a direct personal access to communion with the Creator.”

Strydom confirmed that he is a member of Iqela Lentsango, the Dagga Party of South Africa, and reiterated that dagga seeds were not narcotic, but instead contained up to 24 percent protein with all the amino acids necessary for human nutrition.

“Dagga is only prohibited because it cannot be patented and because it is estimated that pharmaceutical corporations would lose millions in revenue if the public insisted on their rights to access cannabis for purposes of self-medication,” he said.

sherlissa.peters@inl.co.za

Daily News

A 49-year-old mentally ill man has been killed, allegedly by a police officer, in KwaDabeka, Durban.

Johannesburg - A 49-year-old mentally ill man has been killed, allegedly by a police officer, in KwaDabeka, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal community safety MEC Willies Mchunu said on Tuesday.

“Reports suggest that Sihle Nkumbi, who is said to be mentally ill, allegedly attacked officers at KwaDabeka police station where he damaged property, and when officers tried to restrain him, he apparently became aggressive and stabbed one officer,” he said in a statement.

“Police say, in self-defence, Nkumbi was shot and died at the scene.”

Mchunu said Nkumbi's relatives protested outside the police station following the shooting on Monday, demanding answers.

The MEC said a full-scale probe would be launched.

“We are very disturbed at this unfortunate development where a man, who is said to be mentally ill, has lost his life.

“We wish to urge members of the community to be calm and observe restraint while investigations into this matter are underway,” Mchunu said.

He cautioned police to exercise caution while conducting their duties, especially in sensitive matters.

Sapa