Three men are behind bars after they were caught selling counterfeit tickets at the Vodacom July.

Durban - Three men are behind bars after they were caught allegedly selling counterfeit tickets at the Vodacom July.

Major Thulani Zwane said the men were caught allegedly selling counterfeit tickets for the race on Saturday.

They were arrested and charged with fraud at the Berea police station.

National Prosecuting Authority KZN spokeswoman Natasha Kara said the accused, Luwanda Rai, 34, Petros Marcus, 33, and Maele Ndlovu, 45, appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

The matter was adjourned to Monday for a formal bail application.

Daily News

A South Coast family had a traumatic ordeal returning from an arts festival when their light aircraft crashed.

Durban - A South Coast optometrist and his wife are still at the Life St Dominic’s Hospital after being seriously injured in a plane crash at East London Airport on Wednesday.

The couple, Willem and Sanja Nieuwenhuis, and their children Ruan, Liandri and Talita, were flying to Margate on their way back from the Grahamstown National Arts Festival in the Eastern Cape when the accident happened.

After leaving Grahamstown they stopped over at East London Airport to refuel.

During the landing, the plane crashed and the main runway of the airport had to be closed while emergency services attended to the accident.

The second runway was kept open to allow for the arrival of other planes.

On Thursday night the couple’s spokeswoman, Magda Meyer, said they were waiting for a report on their progress from the doctor who was treating them.

The couple’s friend, Herman Pretorius, who is in contact with the pair, said on Thursday Willem had been placed in a ward while Sanja was still in intensive care.

Pretorius said Willem, who had been flying the plane, injured his right knee, chest and forearm. Apparently both Sanja’s legs were injured.

Pretorius said they were still in the dark about what had caused the crash.

“Nobody knows. They were coming in for landing and what we know is that there was strong wind.

“It could be the wind, but we are still waiting to know what exactly caused the accident,” he said.

Pretorius said Ruan, 17, pulled his sisters out of the wrecked plane after it had crashed and then helped his mother out. Willem, meanwhile, managed to crawl out of the wreck himself.

The couple own the aircraft and Willem, who has a practice at Shelly Beach, is an experienced qualified pilot.

“Willem has a commercial pilot’s licence and he is an above-average pilot who is very proper when piloting.

“This was the first accident they had had,”

Pretorius said.

The three children are still in East London after being treated for minor injuries.

There were plans to get the couple to Durban for surgery, so they could be close to friends and family.

Transport Minister Dipuo Peters said the circumstances leading up to the accident would be examined and further details would be released in due course.

“Sincere commiserations to those injured in the ill-fated aircraft crash.

“We also thank the Eastern Cape health and emergency services for their rapid response in tending to the victims,” she said.

The Mercury

The body of a Ballito man who was shot dead during a robbery in Malawi has arrived in Durban.

Durban - The body of the Ballito man shot dead in a robbery in Malawi has arrived in Durban.

The remains of father and grandfather Harry Wakeford, 63, arrived at King Shaka International Airport on Thursday night, five days after he was killed by robbers near a lodge in Karonga, in the northern border district of Malawi, early on Saturday.

He had been travelling with his son-in-law’s brother, Warwick Chapman, a former Glenwood councillor and now director of information with the DA in Cape Town.

Chapman’s father, Richard, and Wakeford’s cousins, Anne Croasdale and Geoff Richardson, were also on the road trip through Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania and Rwanda to Virunga, Africa’s oldest national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

They had been on their way back to South Africa when one of their vehicles broke down last Wednesday and they camped while awaiting parts to fix it.

Warwick yesterday told the Daily News that Croasdale had accompanied Wakeford’s body on the flight from the capital city, Lilongwe, which landed in Johannesburg in the late afternoon. The remains were transported on a connecting flight to Durban.

“We have a lot of people to thank for the fact that we got Harry home so quickly,” Warwick said, thanking the South African High Commission in Malawi and the department of health for acting quickly in issuing the required permit to have the body repatriated.

He also praised the service of Wakeford’s insurance company and other people who had given them “support and encouragement”.

He said they were now anxious to get back on the road to South Africa.

He said it would be good to be back up to five again on the road trip and have some “young blood, energy and humour back in the mix.”

Warwick’s youngest brother, Barry, is married to Wakeford’s daughter, Nicole.

On Facebook, he wrote “RIP Uncle Harry. I can’t believe that this has happened to such a kind, gentle and happy man. Always had a smile on your face and that infectious laugh. Going to really miss your presence. Love you Lots and I will look after your ladies. We will meet again one day, father-in-law. Until then, have fun and enjoy the white fluffy clouds.”

Daily News

Murdered Mount Edgecombe businesswoman Nalin Naidu’s husband is expected to apply for bail.

Durban - Murdered Mount Edgecombe businesswoman Nalin Naidu’s husband is expected to apply for bail on Friday in the Durban Magistrate’s Court.

Gonaseelan Naidu faces a charge of conspiracy to commit his wife’s murder.

He was due to appear in court on Thursday, following his admittance to an uMhlanga hospital with cardiac problems, but had undergone an operation on his leg and was only due to be discharged on Friday.

Naidu recently handed himself over to police and had briefly appeared in court last week before returning to the holding cells at the Durban North police station.

The former police officer had then complained of chest pains and was taken to hospital, resulting in him missing his court appearance last Friday, where bail was to be considered.

Magistrate Vanitha Armu had then adjourned the case until on Thursday for a bail application. Naidu’s attorney, Siven Samuel, said he had come out of ICU, but had to have an operation on his leg and would be discharged on Friday.

Nalin Naidu, 47, had forgiven her husband once before for trying to kill her. She had testified on his behalf, which led to him receiving correctional supervision and a four-year suspended sentence for her attempted murder in 2006.

She was shot four to five times in 2006, while dropping off her youngest son at school.

Two other men were arrested last month for Naidu’s murder.

Zwelakhe Maphumulo, 41, pleaded guilty to kidnapping Naidu on October 29, 2014, and for his role in her murder.

He was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment, while his accomplice, Gcina Magwaza, 37, was jailed for 22 years for the killing. Both men had implicated Naidu’s husband in their respective guilty pleas.

According to Maphumulo’s guilty plea, he was contacted by his friend, a policeman, and told there was a job they needed to do.

He said he met the friend and three others to discuss killing Naidu for her husband, and they were promised payment afterwards.

The provincial task team had recently arrested Kholekile Sithole, an alleged accomplice, but she was granted bail on condition she assist in the arrest of others said to be involved in the kidnapping and murder.

She is due to appear in court again later this month.

noelene.barbeau@inl.co.za

Daily News

The parents of a 14-year-old girl accused of marrying her off to an older man for 15 sheep, have been granted bail.

Durban - The parents of a 14-year-old girl accused of marrying her off to an older man for 15 sheep have been granted bail.

The mother testified on Thursday that her daughter had left voluntarily to meet her husband-to-be and had ignored a call to come home and return to school.

Her mother was arrested last Friday and charged with sexual exploitation of a child and human trafficking for sexual purposes. Her name is known to the Daily News, but cannot be revealed to protect the identity of her daughter, who is in a place of safety.

In the dock in the Hammarsdale Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, the mother joined her husband and the 26-year-old man accused of kidnapping and raping their daughter, and his brother.

Taking the stand to give testimony in her bail application, the 36-year-old mother denied there had been a forced marriage arranged by the girl’s parents without her consent.

She told the court she intended to plead not guilty to the charges because her daughter had not been taken forcibly, but instead had left her Eastern Cape home voluntarily to meet her husband-to-be.

The teenager had phoned her mother to tell her she was at the man’s homestead in a nearby village and wanted to marry him.

“I asked her to come back and return to school, but she refused. I phoned her father to talk to her.”

At the time, the mother was at their home in the Eastern Cape while her husband was at his workplace in Durban where he lived. The girl’s “husband” also lives and works at the same place.

The court heard that the mother had received news that a delegation would visit to negotiate lobola for the girl. She informed her husband who organised elders from his family to meet them.

Once concluded, the lobola of 15 sheep was presented to them and their daughter was considered married.

The daughter visited her mother twice before phoning to tell her that her husband wanted her to come to Durban, but did not know when she would go.

The mother testified that she had not seen her daughter for about a month, when they met by chance in Mthatha. The girl was on her way to Durban. The daughter said she would ask the taxi driver to drop her where her husband had directed her to.

The mother and daughter travelled to Durban, then Pinetown and then to his place of work, where mother and “son-in-law” met for the first time, she told the court.

“Her (daughter’s) husband was phoning her along the way. There was nothing strange or out of the ordinary with her,” said the mother when asked if she noticed anything “untoward”.

However, she said she had not expected her daughter to want to get married but said it was common for girls her age to do so.

The women said their goodbyes and went off to their husbands.

“She would visit me where I was living with her father,” the mother said.

Reviewing testimony given by the girl’s “husband” when he started his bail application earlier this week, Magistrate, Zimasile Tikilili, said the man had testified that he married the girl after he had proposed to her and she had agreed.

The man said he had taken her physical maturity into consideration and deemed her fit to marry, not bothering to consider or even ask how old she was.

The man denied taking her forcibly by arrangement with her father, saying the girl had agreed and only reported her whereabouts to her mother the next day to allow the man time to inform his elders.

The girl had been at liberty to approach the police because she had free movement in the Eastern Cape and in KwaZulu-Natal, the court heard.

The man also denied raping her, but admitted assaulting her after he had told the girl not to associate with an unmarried neighbour, who eventually raised the alarm, leading to the arrest of the man and the girl’s father last month.

Retelling the father’s testimony, Tikilili said the father’s version had been corroborated by that of the mother.

The father had told the court that he had not taken the matter further because he felt it would be abusive of him not to allow his daughter to get married because she had told them it was what she wanted.

He denied having “sold her off” because he no longer wanted to take care of her, saying he had cared for her since she was born.

He and his daughter’s “husband” were granted bail of R1 500 while his wife and the man’s brother were given bail of R500.

The trial continues.

Daily News

Slain KZN couple Maliga and Balaram Reddy’s son Nivashen declined to testify on the impact his parents’ death had on him.

Durban - Murdered oThongathi couple Maliga and Balaram Reddy’s son, Niva-shen, on Thursday declined to testify on the impact of his parents’ deaths, because he was too afraid.

He still lives with the trauma of when they were brutally attacked and robbed in their Burbreeze home in December 2013, a home that has since been abandoned.

The four men responsible for the couple’s murder were sentenced to life on Thursday in the Durban High Court.

Acting Judge Eric Nzimande also sentenced Sibusiso Mthimkhulu, 28, Senzo Sello Ndluli, 20, Lucky Ernest Njoko, 31, and Vusi Ngxumeshe, 37, to eight years for attempted murder, 15 years for housebreaking with intent to rob, and 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances.

These sentences are to run concurrently with their life sentence.

Shortly after sentence was passed, the men, through their legal counsel, successfully applied for leave to appeal against their conviction and sentence.

Mthimkhulu and Ngxu-meshe are appealing both their conviction and sentence, while Ndluli and Njoko intend to appeal their conviction only.

Outside court, Nivashen said that while he was happy with the sentence, he would wait to see what happens at the appeal.

His uncle, and Maliga’s brother, Parmanandan Naidoo, said while they could not get their loved ones back, this sentence helped give them closure.

“We can now focus on investigating my niece and Niva-shen’s sister’s death,” he said.

The Reddy couple, Nivashen, his sister Prishini Rammanan, and her husband Rishal, were all at home when they were attacked and robbed.

The couple were killed in their respective bedrooms.

Balaram Reddy, 59, died of a blunt-force head injury and bullet wound to the abdomen, and his wife, Maliga, 53, died of a bullet wound to the head.

Nivashen was stabbed and assaulted in his bedroom and his heavily pregnant sister and Rishal were also confronted in their room. They were visiting before the birth of their child.

Naidoo said Prishini had gone missing on the anniversary of her parents’ death in 2013.

Her body was found on railway tracks in January 2014.

On Thursday the State argued for a life sentence for the couple’s murder, saying the family was attacked in their home for no apparent reason.

State advocate ZG Mshololo also told the court the family home had since been abandoned because of the trauma which is still felt today.

She felt the men were not capable of being rehabilitated.

All four men were first offenders and all of them had children who were not in their care.

“The victims were killed in cold blood, while sleeping in the privacy of their own home at night. From the evidence, there was no clear motivation to commit such a crime,” said the acting judge.

When handing down judgment, in May, Nzimande found both Rishal Rammanan and Nivashen to be reliable and satisfactory witnesses.

The acting judge had also said there was overwhelming evidence against Mthimkhulu.

He said Rammanan had placed Ngxumeshe at the crime scene, and this was corroborated by Ngxumeshe’ s confession to the police.

All the men had made confessions, but had pleaded not guilty.

The confessions were allowed to be submitted as evidence.

Nzimande had found these confessions to be admissions of guilt, as all four men had placed themselves at the crime scene and associated themselves to what happened.

In their application for leave to appeal on Thursday, the defence counsel argued that another court would come to a different conclusion about Rammanan and Nivashen’s testimony. They also argued that Nzimande erred in finding these confessions admissible.

Both Nivashen and his uncle had regularly attended court throughout the trial and told the Daily News that he had no reason to lie when he testified.

noelene.barbeau@inl.co.za

Daily News

The future remains uncertain for 146 foreigners who are living at Hope Farm, after the Chatsworth refugee camp closed.

Durban - The future remains uncertain for 146 foreigners who are temporarily living at Hope Farm after a government camp for victims of xenophobia in Chatsworth closed down last week.

The group moved to the Cato Ridge farm on Monday after the state dropped charges of trespassing against 85 parents.

They were arrested at Chatsworth’s Westcliff Stadium on Friday after they refused to leave the ground.

“We refused to leave because when the government moved us from Isipingo camp in April they promised they would not close down all the camps until all the victims of xenophobia had been assisted. We haven’t been given the help we need,” said Kabange Kaji on Thursday.

Her sentiments were shared by a fellow Congolese, Patrick Lubojha. During their detention, the Department of Social Development took their children to a place of safety and they were only reunited on Monday after Hope Farm owners Andrew and Rae Wartnaby committed themselves to accommodating them on their property.

“This is a temporarily situation, but we are grateful both to them and their family for opening their doors and hearts to us,” said Lubojha.

The adults at the camp refused to take the UN High Commissioner for Refugees financial assistance for those who were reintegrated back to the communities or be resettled elsewhere.

“It is hard to go back to a community where you don’t feel safe. I’ve tried resettling after the 2008 xenophobic attacks and that hasn’t helped me because I suffered the same fate this year,” said Kaji.

“The government keep telling us that they’ve had dialogues with the communities, but how can they be certain the process was successful when we have never been part of those dialogues,” she said.

Andrew and Rae Wartnaby went to the Chatsworth camp on Friday when they heard the immigrants had spent Thursday night with no shelter, but the police had already arrested them.

“Our main concern was the children and so on Monday we made a decision to bring them home with us when the state said it would only drop charges against them if they provided an address of where they would be taking the children,” said Andrew.

The couple had to ask family and friends for assistance.

“Everyone has been really supportive - not just the local community and the people we know but also the KwaZulu-Natal Council of Churches, the Gift of the Givers and others,” said Andrew.

“We need baby supplies, food, medicine, clothes, blankets, mattresses, cooking pots, plants, water tanks, and so on,” he said.

While the future remained uncertain, both Kaji and Lubojha said they were hopeful their lawyers would help them out of their current situation.

A meeting between all the stakeholders, including the government and lawyers, is planned for Friday.

For more information contact Dr Lucas Ngoetjana at Lngoetjana@kzncc.org.za or 033 345 4819.

The Mercury

A court in Durban heard of how a policeman-turned-businessman conspired to kill his wife three times.

Durban -

A policeman-turned-businessman had conspired to kill his wife three times, the Durban Magistrate’s Court heard on Friday.

This emerged during a bail application by Gonaseelan Naidu, 48, whose wife, Nalin, 47, a Mount Edgecombe businesswoman, was killed in October last year.

Supporters of Gonaseelan and Nalin packed the court. Among them was a minor.

Investigating officer Detective Warrant Officer Rajen Govender told the court there was a history of violence towards the deceased.

He said in the first attempt Gonaseelan had been sentenced in 2007 to four months’ correctional supervision for attempted murder.

He told magistrate Vanitha Amru that Gonaseelan had made another attempt to kill his wife last year, but had been unsuccessful.

“It would appear that he (the would-be hit man) did not want to carry out the act.”

Instead the would-be hit man had tried to counsel the troubled couple. He was willing to testify for the State.

Then, in October, a passer-by found Nalin’s body in the bush in Shongweni. Her throat had been slit.

Two men have already pleaded guilty to killing her. They are among the State witnesses.

Zwelakhe Maphumulo, 41, who slit her throat with a knife, is now serving 30 years. Gcina Lloyd Magwaza, 37, who held her by the legs during the murder, has been imprisoned for 22 years.

Two further suspects - a Pinetown policeman, Sifiso Nkosi, and his wife, Phumla, who referred business to pharmacies owned by the Naidus - are on the run.

Another accused, Kholekile Mariah Sithole, 41, charged with conspiring to kill Nalin, is out on bail of R5 000.

Defence attorney Siven Samuel challenged Govender over why his client should not be granted bail.

The investigating officer said Gonaseelan was a flight risk.

“He has the means to abscond. He is a successful businessman. He has a lot of money,” said Govender.

In an affidavit, Gonaseelan listed his assets as a R1.4 million house in Kharwastan with an outstanding bond of R300 000, three pharmacies valued at R3m, three cars worth R300 000, jewellery to the value of R100 000 and household furniture.

He also listed acknowledgments of debt to the tune of more than R2.3m.

Gonaseelan said he intended to plead not guilty.

His bail application hearing was originally set down for Friday last week. It was postponed to Thursday to be heard in absentia after he was released from the Durban North police cells and admitted to hospital suffering chest pains.

However, he was discharged before Friday’s hearing and brought to court on crutches.

The court heard that he suffered from chronic diabetes, intense depression, recent cardiac pain and degenerative arthritis. He required a cocktail of medication every day.

He was boarded from the SAPS in 2010 and had bipolar disorder.

His general practitioner, Dr Avinash Ramkissoon, told the court that medical facilities at Westville Prison would not be adequate if he needed urgent attention.

“There is no full-time doctor,” he said. “There is only one from 9am to 1pm on weekdays.”

After that, only a nursing sister was present, he said.

“If somebody suffers a serious problem, they have to be transferred to a state hospital by a high-care ambulance.

“I worked in the public sector for three years and I know ambulances would take a long time to get there.”

Further reasons Gonaseelan submitted as to why he should be granted bail were that his two sons, aged 24 and 13, lived with him.

He saw to the daily needs of his younger son, and the elder one had a drug-addiction history for which he had twice been in rehabilitation.

He also said his elderly mother, who had health problems, had moved to Durban to live with him.

Gonaseelan requested that he be granted bail of R20 000.

Magistrate Amru postponed the hearing to Monday and ordered that Gonaseelan be held at the police cells at kwaNdengezi, near Pinetown.

Independent on Saturday

A Durban family was left scrambling to find alternative accommodation in Cape Town after realising they were scammed.

Durban -

A Durban family was left scrambling to find alternative accommodation in Cape Town this week when the flat rental agreement they had made turned out to be a scam.

Vilash Maharajh arrived in the city on Wednesday to move into a flat he had rented.

His mother, Jayshree, and sister, Mayuri, had come along from KwaZulu-Natal to help him move in and to spend a few days sightseeing in the city.

But when the Maharajhs arrived at the block in Wigtown Road in Green Point to pick up the keys and move in, they found the place occupied.

And the man who had let it to them had disappeared.

The building manager at the complex told them he had never heard of the man who had let the flat.

The fake lessor, who called himself Niko Roberts over the phone, pocketed R11 000 in deposit and rent money.

Jayshree Maharajh spoke on Friday about how her family had desperately phoned hotels on Wednesday evening to find a room for the night.

Now, instead of enjoying sightseeing in the city after her son’s move, she was having to deal with the police and banks.

She said her family was “totally shocked” to hear they had been conned.

“The building manager confirmed there was no Roberts listed at that block of flats.”

Maharajh is convinced Roberts is a false name, part of a scam that started when her son answered an ad on a free online classifieds site.

The post advertised a “furnished bachelor apartment in Green Point available from 1st of July”.

Vilash, who works in banking, was looking for a flat having got a job in Cape Town.

The man who posted the advert sounded convincing on the phone and sent him pictures and details by e-mail. He also answered Vilash’s queries on WhatsApp.

The lease agreement - which our sister newspaper, Weekend Argus, has a copy of - appears to be well drafted.

The man also sent Vilash a certified copy of what he claimed was his daughter’s ID, and asked that a deposit and one month’s rental be paid into a bank account.

But a day before the Maharajhs drove to Cape Town from Durban, he went quiet. Calls and e-mails went unanswered, and his WhatsApp was deleted.

Weekend Argus tried the number repeatedly but a message said the subscriber was “not available”.

Enver Duminy, chief executive of Cape Town Tourism, said he had heard of a number of short-term accommodation rental scams in the city.

“Unfortunately, this does take place on community websites, as no one is responsible for ‘fact-checking’ offers.

“There is no real route of recourse when an incident occurs,” he said, advising consumers to view properties before renting, and to meet owners before signing lease agreements.

Maharajh lodged a complaint on Thursday at Cape Town Central police station.

“Our main goal is to get the money back,” she said.

“But we also want to expose this, so that this scammer doesn’t get away with it again.”

The police had not replied to a request for comment by the time of going to press.

Independent on Saturday

A Durban doctor says she stood in disbelief as a woman neighbour called her an "Indian b****" while assaulting her.

Durban -

A Durban doctor is “shocked and disgusted” after allegedly being physically and verbally attacked by a woman neighbour while walking her dogs.

Priya Maharaj, of La Lucia, said she still didn’t understand why the woman punched and shoved her, causing her to sustain several injuries, including a dislocated jaw and bruises to her chest and abdomen.

The 33-year-old from a family of prominent Durban medical practitioners said she stood in disbelief as the woman called her an “Indian b****” while assaulting her.

Recalling the events which led to the attack a week ago, Maharaj, a pulmonologist at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital, said she had been walking her two 12-year-old dogs - Hamlet, a Labrador, and Delle, a chow - at about 6pm along Burnham Drive.

“I was actually walking back home and I was close to my house when the neighbour’s dog started barking at my dogs,” she said.

Maharaj’s dogs barked back.

“That’s when the lady stuck her head out, shouting at me to get my dogs off her property.”

Maharaj said she explained to the neighbour, whom she had never met before, that she and her dogs were walking on a pavement, meaning they were on public property.

“That’s when she lost it and started calling me an Indian b**** and threatened to open the gate and set her dog on me.”

Because one of her dogs, Hamlet, suffers from hip dysplasia, Maharaj said he couldn’t move too quickly.

“I was approaching the next house when she came out screaming and swearing, telling me I didn’t have a right to be on her lawn.”

The neighbour allegedly started shoving her and hit her on the jaw.

“She than shoved me to the ground and started kicking me,” she said, adding that at one point the woman had grabbed one of her dogs’ leashes and started pulling it.

Extremely frightened and shocked, Maharaj said she froze before calling out for help.

Hearing her daughter’s anguished cries, her mother came to her rescue.

“I’m a very tiny woman and this lady is quite big, so I didn’t know what to do. I had never been attacked before, so I just froze before shouting for help.”

The attacker, said Maharaj, left when her mother came out.

“My parents and I went to her house to speak to her, but she refused to let us in.”

Police spokesman Major Thulani Zwane confirmed that an incident had been reported.

“The victim was walking her dogs when she was allegedly assaulted by the suspect with a fist on her left jaw.

“She called for help and the suspect fled the scene. A case of common assault was opened for investigation and no arrest has been made,” he said.

Attempts to contact the neighbour were unsuccessful, as she did not answer her phone.

Maharaj said she had to take several days off work after the attack, to recover.

“I just get angry and disgusted every time I think about it. We’ve had these dogs for 12 years and we’ve stayed in that neighbourhood for just as long,” she said, adding that she had always walked her dogs during those years and had never had an incident.

The fact that the woman had not yet apologised to her, although she lives close by, had infuriated her even more.

“She clearly doesn’t see anything wrong in what she did.”

Independent on Saturday

Metered taxi businesses in Durban are demanding the government clamp down on the new kid on the block, Uber.

Durban -

Metered taxi businesses in Durban are demanding the government clamp down on the new kid on the block, Uber, which they claim is operating illegally, flouting regulations and putting passengers’ lives at risk.

They say Uber, which operates using an online app instead of a metered system, has flooded the market with cheap fares and that none of their vehicles in Durban is legal in terms of South Africa’s National Land Transport Act.

This may result in accident victims being unable to claim from the Road Accident Fund (RAF) because Uber is an IT company acting as a public transport company without the right legal requirements.

The Durban taxi operators have joined the chorus of complaints nationally and internationally. Durban taxi companies rely on the fares of revellers, sports fans and conference delegates for business.

Metered taxi operators claim the internet ride-sharing service is unfair competition because they do not carry the overheads of a bona fide public transport company.

In the latest development Gauteng’s Roads and Transport MEC Ismail Vadi said in an interview yesterday Uber was illegal in Gauteng.

But the service has outsmarted transport authorities leaving them scrambling to explain how it has brazenly continued to break the law. Uber drivers and passengers have also been threatened with violence in Gauteng from angry metered taxi drivers.

“At the moment there is a lacuna in the legislation between a metered taxi association under chartered services, it does not accommodate Uber from a legal point of view,” Vadi told Talk Radio 702. “In principle we’ve told them they have to register, if not they will not be allowed to operate. They will be an illegal operator. I think there is willingness on their part.”

But independent transport analyst Paul Browning said the only law - the draft National Land Transport Amendment Bill which has provision for “e-hailing” has yet to go before Parliament.

Browning said the compromise that was being suggested that Uber partner-drivers should apply for metered taxi operating licences was “clearly a fudge” because the National Land Transport Act defined a metered taxi to be “equipped with a sealed meter”.

Uber spokesman Samantha Allenberg said the regulations had been drafted in a time before smartphones, so there was no clear category for Uber driver-partners.

“Uber continues to partner with operators who have been taking guidance from the provincial department of transport on how best to obtain licences,” she said. “The National Department of Transport has issued a Practice Note that serves as guideline to provinces on how to regulate Uber driver-partners .

“This states that until the act has been amended, driver-partners should apply for chartered service operating licences.”

Adding to the confusion is the decision by Cape Town municipality to licence 145 Uber-linked cars. Uber said this was a step in the right direction, but hundreds of its other potential drivers still don’t know when or whether they will be allowed to operate.

The 145 permits only account for between 10 and 15 percent of the more than 1 000 applications to operate as Uber partner-drivers here.

Uber, which was founded as “UberCab” in 2009, allows consumers with smartphones to submit a trip request, which is then routed to Uber drivers who use their own cars.

According to reports, the service was initially available in 58 countries and 300 cities worldwide.

Its operations were banned in Germany this year after a court decided it violated transport laws and in South Korea nearly 30 people linked to the company were charged with running an illegal taxi firm.

Mexico City could become the first city in the world to limit the number of Uber cars, draft regulation shows, in the latest potential hurdle for the ride-hailing service that has spurred a regulatory backlash around the globe.

The managing director of Durban’s Eagle Taxis, Faye Freedman, said Uber operations were a problem.

“They are not regulated to run as a public transport company and don’t comply with the regulations,” said Freedman.

“They are undercutting prices because unlike us, they don’t have to pay public transport insurance, workmen’s compensation, taxes and training levies. These are requirements that normal registered companies have to adhere to.

“In addition, they are able to flood the market with thousands of vehicles because they do not adhere to the country’s permit requirements. Many of Uber’s customers also don’t know that if they are involved in an accident, they will not be paid out by the RAF. “

She said another flaw was that they did not have set prices and their prices surged when the demand was high. This too, she said, was illegal.

Insurance expert, Lizette Erasmus of IntegriSure, cautioned this week that with services like Uber “when an accident does occur, it becomes difficult to determine where accountability lies.

“Insurance companies need to carefully reassess policies provided in this instance. In the same way, policy holders - whether they are passengers or drivers - need to ensure that they have the appropriate cover.”

Erasmus said according to Uber, each driver was responsible for their own passenger liability insurance, as they were independent contractors. “This type of insurance protects the passenger, should the driver be deemed liable for the accident.”

The general manager of Umhlanga Cabs, Kuben Moodley, said Uber was disrupting the market and this unfairly affected businesses. “We are playing by the rules but they are not,” said Moodley.

He added that the drivers at metered taxi businesses earned a percentage of what the company made.

“There are some evenings when our drivers do not even make R50 or R100 because they (Uber) are flooding the market with cheap fares. One has to ask, if a country like Germany could ban them, surely there must be a problem?”

Peter Lehman, the general manager of Mozzie Cabs, said he was concerned about customers, who used Uber taxis.

“There is no regulatory authority checking the vehicles are roadworthy, so passengers’ lives are at risk.

“Another risk is that their drivers use unmarked cars, so when the city police, for instance, set up road blocks, in most instances Uber’s cars are not pulled over.” He said it could also be unsafe for passengers to get into vehicles, which were not branded.

Lehman added that it was vital for the Department of Transport to clamp down on Uber.

The spokesman for the Department of Transport, Nathi Sukazi, said if an individual or a company transported passengers for commercial purposes, they should have operating permits.

In the case of Uber, he said: “A specific car must have an operating permit. If a car does not have the necessary permit and is found to be carrying passengers for profit, this car can be impounded.”

Independent on Saturday

A businessman described how a blue-light cavalcade rocked the family car as it overtook them shortly before crashing.

Durban -

A Durban businessman on Friday night described how a blue-light cavalcade rocked the family vehicle as it overtook them shortly before crashing, resulting in the death of the deputy mayor of the uThungulu district municipality, Thulani Mashaba, and two bodyguards.

Ryan Cox, 41, had been at his mother’s house in Morningside on Thursday night for supper and he’d had a beer with the meal so his wife then drove the family’s Jeep Compass with their two daughters back to their home in Ballito.

He said the rain was really “bucketing” down after they had passed through the tollgate before Ballito and they were travelling in the slow lane at about 90km/h when the cavalcade with blue lights flashing came hurtling past them going he estimated at double their speed.

He turned to his wife and said: “These guys are really pushing their luck - there’s going to be a crash.”

Shortly after that they came around a corner and ahead they saw one car had gone off the road and rolled while the other was stopped on the shoulder above.

He said the next second they hit the same large puddle in the road and their car also aquaplaned in spite of only doing 90km/h.

He said he was very sad about the deaths of the men but was extremely worried about the fact that his eldest daughter was about to get her driving licence with people travelling at such high speeds.

IPSS Rescue operations manager Paul Herbst confirmed that the accident happened around 10pm on Thursday night near Ballito in the north-bound lane.

He said witnesses told paramedics the vehicle hit a puddle before rolling, ejecting all three occupants.

Mashaba was travelling to Richard’s Bay from the King Shaka Airport.

Earlier this year it was reported that the Hawks were investigating a plot to kill Mashaba.

According to press reports an alleged hitman was shot and killed in a gun battle in Hluluwe.

“Police recovered some damning evidence from the (dead) hitman’s cellphone,” said a Hawks officer who referred further queries to his commander, Major-General Johan Booysen.

“It’s nothing new. It’s been going on for some time, even before our regional conference,” Mashaba said at the time. “I think it’s now the third attempt.

“It started last year when two heavily armed people broke into my house while I was asleep and stole my documents. There was then a fire which I managed to escape.

“The provincial leadership knows.”

Pretoria News Weeekend

Residents on the North Coast of Durban had water fines totalling millions of rands cancelled by Sembcorp Siza Water this week.

Durban - It was a victorious day for residents of the North Coast this week when water fines totalling millions of rand were cancelled by Sembcorp Siza Water, the district’s water supplier.

The Sunday Tribune was inundated with calls last week, mostly from pensioners who complained about exorbitant water fines they had received for allegedly not reducing their water consumption in line with official directives

They claimed that even though they had reduced their consumption, they were receiving bills for thousands of rand more than usual.

An emergency meeting was convened by the Dolphin Coast Residents and Ratepayers Association on Wednesday to discuss a way forward with Siza Water. It was agreed all water fines would be cancelled provided that residents undertook to reduce their water consumption significantly. The community was given 10 days to come up with a viable alternative to fines.

In an attempt to ensure a constant supply of water despite the severe drought, the company began imposing fines on residents last year.

Infractions such as the use of hosepipes and irrigation systems linked to potable water, were no longer permitted.

In June the company implemented fines for the first time for consumers who had not reduced their consumption sufficiently.

“In the 10 months since the drought was declared, consumers of Sembcorp Siza Water failed to reduce consumption to meet the reduced consumption target.

“The fines had to be implemented so that the community became aware of the seriousness of the water shortage,” said Shyam Misra, Siza Water managing director.

One resident living in the Shakaskraal area, 64-year-old Subramoney Govender, said he had been shocked when he got a R2 600 water fine on a bill of only R117.

“My bill used to normally be around R250. My wife and I have really reduced our water consumption. When we received such a high bill, we were aghast. We are just glad that it has been cancelled,” said Govender.

The mayor of iLembe District Municipality, Welcome Mdabe, who was at the meeting, discussed how far the municipality had progressed with its plans for the desalination of sea water.

He said the idea was still in the discussion phase but might be feasible in the longer term.

In response to queries about the proposed raising of the Hazelmere Dam wall, he said that on Tuesday there would be a handover to a contractor to raise the wall.

He stressed the importance of water conservation, irrespective of whether consumers were being monitored.

“There is no water coming into the dam.

“That is the sad reality. We must learn to save now.

“We must really begin to ask ourselves, ‘What if the drop we are having now is the last drop?’ “ Mdabe said.

At the meeting it was agreed that members of the public had 10 days to come up with a suggested equitable solution regarding the imposition of fines, and to revert to both Ilembe and Sembcorp Siza Water for the proposals to be considered.

Dave Charles, chairman of the ratepayers association, said that residents were in the process of trying to come up with just such a solution.

“One suggestion is for every household to be granted 100 litres of water a day and to be billed a reasonable rate for any amount exceeding this limit. Water is a grave concern for the community and we need to try our best to save,” he said.

nabeelah.shaikh@inl.co.za

Sunday Tribune

An academic says the use of contraceptives is rare for young South African women who had not borne a child.

Durban - South Africa has a huge teenage pregnancy problem, with girls as young as 10 routinely falling pregnant.

Professor Akim Mturi of the North-West University presented a talk “Is South Africa on track to win the war against teenage pregnancy?” at the 10th annual Population Association of Southern Africa conference held at the University of KwaZulu-Natal this week.

Presenting his research from 2007 to 2013, Mturi said in 2013, 22 286 girls had fallen pregnant, slightly fewer than in 2012 when 29 966 girls were pregnant while at school.

In 2011, 36 702 teenagers were pregnant, compared with 45 276 in 2010. The girls were as young as 10 (in Grade 3) and as old as 19 (in Grade 12).

Despite the decrease over the years, the figures were still alarming. Mturi said his qualitative study found that most girls fell pregnant “by mistake” or a result of external pressure from peers and partners.

He said the use of contraceptives was rare for young women who had not borne a child, with most interviewed having a negative attitude towards abortion.

The majority of the participants were still attending school when they got pregnant.

“Teenage pregnancy is a social, economic and health challenge in many countries, both developed and developing. The UN Population Fund reports that 7.3 million girls under the age of 18 give birth every year in developing countries.”

He said the objective of the study was to evaluate the trend of teenage pregnancy in South Africa and assess government initiatives to deal with the issue.

He also hoped to provide suggestions that would help in winning the war against teenage pregnancy.

Mturi said in South Africa the effect of the apartheid system (labour migration, fragmented family structures, poverty and inequality) meant black girls and boys, especially in rural areas, still grew up facing a number of challenges.

As a result they started having sex early, unaccompanied by contraceptive use.

He acknowledged the government’s efforts to deal with the issue by introducing life orientation programmes at schools, and allowing pregnant girls to attend, and to return to complete their schooling after giving birth

Mturi added the government also provided family planning services without any restrictions, and legalised induced abortion.

However, more needed to be done to win the war against teenage pregnancy.

“The curriculum of the life orientation in schools is being revamped and the importance of communication between parents and their teenagers on sexual matters should be reinforced.

“Provision of family planning services to teenagers needs to be improved.

“The negative attitude to induced abortion among teenagers needs to be changed. They should be made responsible for their actions,” he said.

charmel.payet@inl.co.za

Sunday Tribune

A population conference at UKZN this week looked at issues of youth and poverty. Charmel Payet reports

Durban - KwaZulu-Natal is home to the poorest municipality in the country, where thousands of people struggle to buy enough food to survive.

Of the 10 poorest municipalities in the country, five are in the province.

And it is the youth who are the most affected, and without urgent intervention, the country and province face a bleak future, a delegation heard this week.

These facts were presented at the 10th annual Population Association of Southern Africa conference at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), with the theme “Implications of the Demographic Transition in Southern Africa: Past, Present and Future”.

Demographers, popular scientists and statisticians from around the world gathered to engage in dialogue and exchange research on furthering the study of population in southern Africa.

Helen North from Statistics SA presented her research, “Profiling the Poor”, to great acclaim. The findings, however, were sobering. North said 38 percent of the population was comprised of youth (those under 35) with two out 10 young people based in KZN.

She said those who lacked education would be doomed to a life of poverty.

North said 27 million South Africans live below the poverty line, surviving on just R779 a month. This amount often has to feed entire households.

“With KZN being the second-most populous province in the country, a quarter of poverty-stricken people live here. Of that figure, 57 percent of households live below the poverty line. That means hundreds of thousands of people don’t have enough food to eat in KZN.”

North said poverty is measured from poor to non-poor, calculating consumption of food and non-food items essential to daily survival.

Those living below the breadline are further divided into three sub categories;

* Those on the foodline who survive on less than 2 100 kilojoules a day. There are 10 million people surviving on R325 a month per household.

* The next category survives on R501 a month, but these families are able to make trade-offs between wants and needs. There are 8.6 million people who can choose between food items and other needs such as school shoes or airtime.

* The final category is the upper bound poverty line who survive on R779 a month. There are 27 million people who are barely managing, but are slightly better off.

North said of the South African population, 31 percent are non-poor.

Focusing on KwaZulu-Natal, she said in 2001, 28 percent of people were living below the poverty line. However, this number decreased as more people moved into the third tier below the poverty line, which meant while they were still struggling financially, they were able to afford food. This was mainly due to the success of social grants, which ensured a measure of food security.

Currently, there are a million people living in absolute poverty in the province, with the poorest regions being Msinga (also the poorest in the country) and Maphumulo.

North said now that the statistics were available, the question was how to chart the way forward, to improve the lot of the poorest of the poor.

“Poverty is self-perpetuating and its manifestation makes it hard to determine cause and effect. In field work last year, we visited a family in KZN where two adults were caring for 16 children surviving on grants. Is that family poor because they are born poor or are they poor because they did not receive a proper education and skills development to improve their lives?

“The poverty issue is not a statistical issue, but a human one.”

Dr Esther Muia from the UN Population Fund, said young people make a difference in the world and that more investment in their futures had to be made.

She said not enough education and skills resources were being provided for the youth across Africa.

“Someone invested in me a decade ago and believed in me. We need to do that for young people. The largest percentage of the world’s population is under 35 and unless we start investing in them, we have no future.”

Officials from the provincial Department of Social Development were at the conference and said now that they had the statistics they could work towards the provision of social interventions in the province.

Some facts:

* 44% of women are affected by poverty compared with 26% of men in KZN.

* 61% of people in KZN live in traditional settings, of which figure 47.5% live below the poverty line.

* 24% of the population live in urban or formal dwellings, of which 11.9% live in poverty.

* 10% of the KZN population live in informal dwellings, of which 31% live in poverty.

charmel.payet@inl.co.za

Sunday Tribune

After a long day in court, Gonasagren Naidu, 48, accepted hugs and kisses from his supporters, including his sons.

Durban - After a long day in court on Friday, Gonasagren (Seelan) Naidu, 48, accepted hugs and kisses from his supporters, including his sons.

Naidu is believed to have been the “mastermind” behind the murder of his wife Nalin, 47, whose body was found dumped in Shongweni in October last year. Her throat had been slit.

Naidu made an application for bail at the Durban Magistrate’s Court and Vanitha Armu presided over the matter.

The application was not completed and Armu rolled the matter over until tomorrow, with investigating officer Rajan Govender due to continue giving his testimony.

The allegations made by Govender, including a submission that Naidu had made two previous attempts to have his wife killed, drew no reaction from the accused.

Even when Armu referred to him as the mastermind responsible for planning and ordering his wife’s death, the ashen-faced Naidu remained impassive.

Earlier in the day, Naidu’s doctor, Avinash Ramkisson, was called on to give insight into Naidu’s allegedly “dire” medical condition, which has caused the postponement of his bail application on two previous occasions.

Naidu handed himself over to police two weeks ago but, while in custody at SAPS Durban North, he allegedly suffered chest pains and was hospitalised on July 3.

He was declared fit for his appearance on Friday, but hobbled into court with the aid of crutches.

State prosecutor Yuben Archary commented that Naidu was admitted to hospital with a “severe cardiac” condition, but ended up having “elective surgery to his knee”.

“His vitals signs had to be stable if he had the surgery,” Archary argued.

Naidu was represented by attorney Siven Samuel, who read an affidavit on his client’s behalf as he said the trauma of being in the witness box might adversely affect his health.

Samuel also refuted Govender’s allegation that his client, who was an affluent businessman, would be a flight risk if granted bail.

Two men, Zwelakhe Maphumulo and Gcina Lloyd Magwaza, have already pleaded guilty to murdering Naidu’s wife and have been handed hefty jail terms.

Both men implicated Naidu in the murder of his wife.

Sunday Tribune

Owner of petrol-bombed spaza shop shot dead for leasing to foreigners, writes Nkululeko Nene

Durban - Tensions have been running high in Cato Crest since shop owner Sithembiso Shangase was shot dead in front of his children outside the family’s Mayville home.

Last month the Sunday Tribune related how Shangase’s spaza shop, which he let to Somalian traders, had been petrol bombed, allegedly by people from the area who disliked foreigners trading there.

Shangase, 47, who was also a bishop in the Ekuphileni Congregational Church of Zion, died on Thursday when he was shot in the stomach while wrestling with an attacker.

His wife, Nomfundo, said her husband had received a phone call from a friend at around 6pm and stepped outside to chat.

Nomfundo heard gunshots a few moments later and ran to investigate.

“My husband was wrestling with an attacker, and then he collapsed. We rushed him to King Edward Hospital, where he died,” she said.

Shangase’s son, Sibongiseni, said he believed his father had been shot because he resisted calls not to let his shop to foreigners. He alleged a hitman had been hired and his best friend had been used as bait.

“He stood up to the individuals who despised him because he had Somalians running the shop. They threatened him during meetings.

“On a number of occasions he was told that something bad would happen to him. It is clear to me that it was these same people who killed my father,” he said.

He said although his father’s shop had been repaired after it had been torched last month, he did not want to let it to foreigners any more.

“I lost my father because of a rental agreement. Our lives are also in danger. We could be attacked because we know the suspect. If he gets bail, we are in trouble, because he is bad news,” Sibongiseni said.

However, Somalian Osman Mohamud said his brother, Ali Mohamud, had a lease agreement with Shangase. He said that after the funeral he would ask the family to honour the agreement.

Mohamud and his brothers were asleep in the shop when it was petrol-bombed, but fled.

Mohamud disputed the claim Shangase’s killing had anything to do with his family not being South African.

“I have a strong feeling that his death is unrelated to this issue. I do not want more trouble after what we have already been through.

“I am happy that the community around here is supportive of us. They often come to ask if we are fine and offer words of encouragement,” Mohamud said.

Another shop owner, who cannot be named, said he watched his back wherever he went because he had been told by traders he would be killed if he did not cancel the lease he had with Somalians.

“Shangase and I have been threatened many times. I am always suspicious when receiving calls, even from friends. I do not trust anyone because they tried to lure me to a meeting at night a while ago, but I refused to go.

“They tried the same tactic they used on Shangase, using a friend as bait. But I am not a fool. I read between the lines and I knew that something did not add up,” he said.

Shangase was buried yesterday at Cato Crest.

The police have arrested a 33-year-old who will appear in court on Tuesday.

Nkululeko.nene@inl.co.za

Sunday Tribune

Mourners gathered to see Cecilia Brock one last time could not because her body had been cremated the day before.

Pietermaritzburg - A Pietermaritzburg family’s heartache at losing a loved one was made worse when they found out that her body had “accidentally” been taken to Port Shepstone and cremated by the funeral service.

Family and friends from around the country had converged to see Cecilia Brock, 86, one last time on Friday, but could not. Her body had been cremated the day before.

Her daughter, Janet van Niekerk, said everyone was distraught. Brock died on July 5 of natural causes and the family hired Avbob funeral services to help with the funeral.

On Thursday afternoon, they were shocked to learn that Brock’s body was taken to Port Shepstone and allegedly cremated when a funeral had been arranged for Friday, after which she was supposed to be cremated at Mountain Rise Cemetery.

She said Avbob apologised, saying it was a mistake.

“We could not see her one last time and say our final goodbyes,” said Van Niekerk.

The funeral services company gave the ashes to the family, but they did not know for sure if they were Brock’s.

Attorney Siva Chetty, whom the family had approached for advice, said a charge was going to be laid against the funeral services as the matter needed to be thoroughly investigated. At this stage he was uncertain what it would be.

“There is a rigorous paper trail when you take a body,” he said.

Chetty said that close family members had had a private viewing of the body on Wednesday, but had only seen Brock’s face and not her body.

He said that Van Niekerk’s husband, Peter, was chatting to an Avbob employee on Thursday about the programme for the memorial service and corrections that had to be made, when the man said he had “bad news”.

“Apparently the funeral service was arranging the funeral of a Mr Wright whose family was in London. They had asked that his body be cremated and the ashes sent there,” said Chetty.

Avbob uses a sub-contractor to do cremations. Brock’s body was taken to to Port Shepstone, instead of his.

Marius du Plessis, Avbob’s group communications manager, said the company was investigating the incident to determine why Brock was cremated before time.

“We have very strict procedures and control measures in place, but somehow a mistake with the scheduling was made and Mrs Brock’s remains were cremated prematurely.

“Upon completion of the investigation, appropriate action will be taken,”he said.

Du Plessis said Avbob apologised to the family and regretted the incident.

Chetty said the family had many questions and many things going through their minds.

“Was she abused? Were her organs donated? Was it her body cremated, or was it still lying somewhere?”

Chetty said he was going to institute civil action against Avbob.

He said he would quantify the damages the family suffered and then issue a summons.

The Mercury

While considering appealing recent judgment, Outsurance also seeking to ensure that its clients are properly informed.

Durban - Outsurance, which lost a court battle with a former client over its refusal to pay him out for an accident because he had not disclosed two previous accidents for which he had not claimed, said it was still considering whether to appeal against the judgment.

But in the meantime the company would investigate its processes to ensure that clients were “properly informed” of what was expected of them.

Outsurance chief executive Ernst Gouws issued a statement on Friday after studying the judgment which had been handed down earlier in the week and which was reported on in The Mercury.

The legal tussle between the insurance company and engineer Sherwin Jerrier began in 2010 after it repudiated his R600 000 claim for damage to his Audi Quattro.

In the initial trial, Judge Piet Koen ruled that the company had acted correctly because Jerrier, in terms of the policy wording, should have disclosed the two previous accidents even though he had not claimed for them.

WHEN TO SPEAK UP

The policy read: “You need to … inform us immediately of any changes to your circumstances that may influence whether we give you cover, the conditions of cover or the premium we charge … this includes incidents for which you do not want to claim, but which may result in a claim in the future”.

But three appeal judges said the policy did not stipulate any ongoing duty to report incidents which the insured person had decided to sort out themselves.

They said there was uncertainty as to what was expected of an insured person who might not want to lodge a claim in the hope of preserving his bonus.

The company, it said, actively discouraged claiming in order to preserve the bonus.

Gouws acknowledged that the latest ruling “questioned whether the client clearly understood the need for reporting all incidents”.

“It reiterated the importance of keeping our clients properly informed of what we expect of them.

“In order to ensure that we always treat our clients fairly, we are certainly going to investigate our current processes and amend them to ensure we avoid any confusion in future.”

The Mercury

Land claimants from Roosboom, near Ladysmith, received about R56 million in compensation at the weekend.

Durban - Land claimants from Roosboom, near Ladysmith, received about R56 million in compensation at the weekend.

This was one of the largest payouts made by the provincial land claims commission, said the MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Cyril Xaba, on Saturday.

He said two other claims in the same area had been settled in 2006 and 2007. In the first, 350 former tenants had received R12.278m and then 11 former land owners had got R1.68m.

In a function at the Ezakheni C Community Hall, financial compensation vouchers were handed to 581 claim- ants.

They represented 1 250 beneficiaries, 850 of whom were women and 22 of whom were disabled.

Xaba said Roosboom had once been known as a “black spot”.

According to the 1936 Native Trust Land Act, the term referred to farms that were black owned in areas where the surrounding farms were white owned.

The aim then was to remove black spots and a process of forced removals had begun in 1956. At the time, 363 areas in the province were identified as black spots.

Xaba said the removal of the Roosboom community represented an important chapter in the province’s history.

“It is a story that must be taught to our children so that they understand our painful past and appreciate the freedom we enjoy today.”

Xaba said the apartheid government had applied a different tactic to force the Roosboom community out of the area. No new houses could be built and existing houses could not be extended without permission from authorities. When sought, permission was refused and the homes began to deteriorate and fall apart.

By 1972, the township of Ezakheni had been built and expropriation notices had been served on Roosboom families. The majority were then moved to the township.

He said a big blow to the families was the discovery that they could not take their cattle, goats or sheep. They also found the plots of land were so small they could no longer continue with subsistence farming.

The Mercury