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2 NEWS News in brief Murder accused appears Busisiwe Cwala (29) the policewoman accused of murdering her prosecutor boyfriend appeared briefly in the Port Alfred Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. She is facing a charge of murder. The case was postponed to 15 September until when she will remain in custody. The charge against Cwala stems from a shooting incident that claimed the life of a state prosecutor based at the Port Alfred Magistrate’s Court. Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said earlier this week that the prosecutor was shot shortly after 9pm on Sunday. “When police arrived at the scene, they found the body lying face down in a pool of blood in the doorway of the bedroom,” said Govender. Cwala was arrested at the scene. Police also found and confiscated a 9mm pistol and 13 live rounds of ammunition. – KABELO MASHEGO Toy gun robbery foiled On Sunday, 6 September at 8pm, an unknown man entered a Ncame Street spaza shop and pointed a firearm at the owner. The robber also demanded R500 from the 37-yearold owner, who managed to press a panic button before the suspect could rob him. The matter is still under investigation and no arrests have been made. In an earlier incident last week, a 55-year-old man was counting money before banking it in his office. Police spokesperson Captain Pumla Yobile said that the man had R17 000 on the table when three young men walked into the office. “The complainant put the money under the table. The youngsters took out a firearm and demanded the cash. He fought with them and managed to take the firearm only to find out that it was a toy,” said Captain Yobile. A case of attempted armed robbery is being investigated. – KM Car kills toddler A 29-year-old male who was driving a white and cream Isuzu Bakkie, collided with a two-year-old child in Extension 6 last week. Police arrived at the scene and the child was taken to hospital. The police then went to the hospital and were informed that the child had passed away. They are investigating a case of culpable homicide. – KM EMERGENCY NUMBERS Ambulance:............................ 10177 Aids Helpline:............ 0800 012322 AA Rescue: ................ 0800 111997 Medical Rescue: ........ 0800 033007 Grahamstown Child and Family Welfare: .. 046 636 1355 Electricity: ................ 046 603 6036 a/h 046 603 6000 Eskom:...................... 086 014 0014 Fire Brigade: ............ 046 622 4444 Police: ...................... 046 603 9152 Hi-Tec........................ 046 636 1660 Raphael Centre: ........ 046 622 8831 SPCA: ........................ 046 622 3233 Traffic Services: ......... 046 603 6067 Water: ........................ 046 603 6136 Hospice: .................... 046 622 9661 Settlers Hospital: ...... 046 622 2215 Day Hospital: ............. 046 622 3033 Fort England Hospital: 046 622 7003 Legal Aid Board: ....... 046 622 9350 Locksmith: ................ 082 556 9975 or 046 622 4592 Sunny. Wind moderate northerly. Temperature: Min 8 ◦ C, Max 24 ◦ C Tides: Low tide: 1.56am and 2.15pm High tide: 8.15am and 9.17pm Partly cloudy with 30% showers. Wind moderate north westerly. Temperature: Min 9°C, Max 25◦C Tides: Low tide: 3.44am and 5.23pm High tide: 10.39am and 11.33pm KWANELE BUTANA AND DARREN BOND THE local department of Education is appealing to communities to help protect our schools by immediately providing information about any possible leads regarding burglaries. Seven classrooms were broken into at Ntsika High School on Sunday night and the perpetrators made off with electric heaters, copper pipes, coffee mugs and some cutlery. “In classrooms where they did not steal, they spread documents all over the classroom or break the furniture,” Grade 11 teacher Nothini Sokuyeka explained. “We’re losing items at a high rate – the weekend before last, iron covers were removed from our sewer manholes, something which puts the lives of our learners at risk,” she said. She added there have been three break-ins at the school over the last term. The school’s caretaker Welile Kamana showed the Grocott’s Mail team a tap which he said was broken because the cop- Partly cloudy. Wind light south easterly. Temperature: Min 7°C, Max 22°C Tides: Low tide: 6.12am and 6.56pm High tide: 12:35pm Partly cloudy. Wind moderate north westerly. Temperature: Min 8°C, Max 20 ◦ C Tides: Low tide: 7.17am and 7.47pm High tide: 12.58am and 1:31pm Source: www.weathersa.co.za and www.satides.co.za Grocott’s Mail Friday, 11 September 2009 Armed robbers hit High Street business LUVUYO MJEKULA Two men pretending to be selling jewellery entered a High Street money-lending business and held staff at gunpoint before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash yesterday morning. When the robbers entered Kwik Cash Loans and Financial Services next to CNA at about 8am, two female staff members, assistant manager Zinziswa Mathondolo and consultant Bukiwe Pongolo had just opened up. They were cleaning their offices in anticipation of their employers who were expected to arrive later in the day. The two women did not question the two men who entered the office to show them some watches and chains they said they were selling. When they showed no interest in buying anything, one of the two men said he had more merchandise in his backpack and pulled out a gun. He rushed towards Mathondolo and put the gun to her head and shouted “Where are the safe keys, where is the safe?” Mathondolo started trembling and crying and the man told her aggressively to keep quiet. “Please bhuti, don’t kill me I’m pregnant,” she pleaded with him. Mathondolo is six months pregnant. She said the men used cable ties to tie their hands together. One of the men forced Mathondolo to sit in a chair but moved her away when he realised she was too close to the window. “He tried to tie me to the chair but the cable was too short,” she said. The other man forced Pongolo to open the safe which contained a cash box full of coins and a bag full of notes, which they stashed in the backpack. They had apparently planned to lock the women in the toilet but could not find the keys. Still visibly shaken, the women told Grocott’s Mail that after hearing a big bang as the door closed, they believed that the robbers did not want them to see how they escaped. Grocott’s learnt that the men fled in a getaway car that had been parked nearby. “That’s when we came out and pressed the panic button and phoned the police,” said Mathondolo. She said it was her first robbery experience since she joined Kwik Cash in 2006. SAPS spokesperson Captain Pumla Yobile confirmed the robbery. When Grocott’s Mail arrived at the scene, police were still investigating. Police apparently detained two men but the women confirmed they were not the robbers. Yobile said that no suspects had been arrested but that the robbers were believed to be foreigners as they could barely speak English or Xhosa. They have been described as being very dark in complexion, one of them was dressed in black while the other wore a blue and white t-shirt. The robbery has brought the business to a standstill. One onlooker said he was surprised that there were still businesesses that keep large amounts of money on the premises. Ntsika fed up with burglars VANDALISM... Ntsika High School caretaker Welile Kamana shows a tap that was broken by copper thieves, resulting in water fl ooding parts of the school. Photo: Luvuyo Mjekula TARGETED... Grahamstown police spent hours investigating the scene of an armed robbery at Kwik Cash Loans and Financial Services in High Street yesterday. Photo: Stephen Penney per pipes had been stolen. Because of this, water was spewing all over the campus. Kamana added that the school has been without a night watchman since the last one retired in 2002. “Hiring a night watchman is the duty of the education department; filling of the post has been on the school management’s agenda for years now but to no success,” he said. Nosisa Ntlangushe, who teaches Grades 8 and 12 at the school, complained that metal recycling companies be dissolved in Grahamstown because they “encourage theft of our metals”. “We’ll continue to lose our metal for as long as there are people who buy stolen metal,” she added. Grade 11 learner Lifa Gedze said the break-ins have seriously hampered the functioning of the school as they have lost teaching equipment and documents. “It disrupts lessons because now we are not in class due to the burglary,” he added. Education department spokesperson Loyiso Pulumani said they are concerned about the burglaries at the school as it is state property which is being stolen or damaged. He added that the hiring of nonteaching personnel such as security guards is provided “in a standard fashion as and when there is availability of funds”. “The establishment of the Community Policing Forum also assists in this regard as it helps unite the communities to be able to attend any unawful trespassers in our schools,” he explained. “Additionally, we have asked the SAPS in this area to conduct patrols during the night, this we believe will help because if these culprits are caught during these patrols, they will have to face the law.” Pulumani also said that the department provides each school with a maintenance budget which allows schools to buy or replace the damaged or stolen property. “Where the damage is beyond their maintenance budget the matter is reported to the district for further or additional financial assistance,” he said.
Grocott’s Mail Friday, 11 September 2009 Child Health Week hits the road From Page One KABELO MASHEGO AND DARREN BOND This week saw the launch of the annual Child Health Week, a campaign that provides healthcare for children whose mothers find it difficult to regualrly visit a clinic. The campaign will provide children under the age of five years with Vitamin A, de-worming and immunisations as well as growth monitoring and will continue until 20 September. On Tuesday, 8 September the campaign Muni imposes severe water restrictions MARIA SIBIYA THE Makana municipal council has decided to impose water restrictions in Grahamstown which will come to effect on Monday, 14 September. This is because when the volume of water stored in the system (comprising the Jameson, Milner, Howison's Poort and Settlers Dams) is less than 40% of the total consumption of the municipality for the previous twelve months, the council has to impose water restrictions. Municipal Manager, Ntombi Baart states that the decision is in accordance with the Supreme Court Order of 29 January 1980, the National Water Act (1980), the Makana Municipality Water Supply and Sanitation Services by-laws. The restrictions include not being allowed to use a garden hose and/or irrigation systems as well as prohibiting the washing of cars using water from the municipal supply system. However, an application for special permission to water sports fi elds ”Livestock – buying/selling? Contact For all us your for the best price! Wool advertising needs Livestock Report back for the week… House Break-ins: 5 contact Business Break-ins: 7 Disturbances: “We lead and others 6 follow” Vehicle Break-ins: 1 DAVID FORD on 082 655 2326 or Arrests: 046 636 6 2669 GARY Crime Tip 40 WILLOWS High Street on 082 497 8234 or 046 684 1487 If your contact number changes, Grahamstown 6140 please inform the Hi-tec control Tel: 622 7222 office of your new number so they can get hold of you regarding the Fax: 622 7282 safety to your property. Mohair Property Grocott’s Mail OPTION 1 - R163.95 (incl vat) & less 15% discount ”Livestock – buying/selling? Contact us for the best price! DAVID FORD on 082 655 2326 or 046 636 2669 GARY WILLOWS on 082 497 8234 or 046 684 1487 OPTION 2 - R122.95 (incl vat) & less 15% Dear:______________________ discount You are cordially invited to the annual: R U ENVIRO-SAVVY? SCHOOLS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE QUIZ ”Livestock Hosted by: buying/selling? Rhodes University Environmental Science Department and Coastal and Environmental Services Date: 17 September 2009 Time: 17h30 for 18h00 Location: Eden Grove Red and registered nurseries may be obtained which will then allow such persons to water daily between 7am and 9am and 3pm to 5pm. Baart says a R200 fi ne will be issued to residents who contravene these restrictions. Baart adds that properties or dwellings situated on or near to the catchment system will be restricted on the volume of water that they may extract. “It must also be noted that the complementing of water from the James Kleinhans works is also limited due to the capacity of the works and the raw water supply in that system,” she said. Baart says the Chief Financial Offi cer, Mnikeli Ngcelwane and the director of technical and infrastructural services, Dabula Njilo have been assigned authority to review the restrictions based on the untreated water supply in the municipal systems. According to the report their duties will continue until the restrictions are removed subject to monthly reports being submitted to the council. was stationed at Raglan Road Clinic where nurses in bright orange uniforms were attending to a large crowd of mothers and their children. Originally there were going to be two separate campaigns, one for Vitamin A and de-worming while the other was for immunisation. But this year both campaigns have been combined into one large health drive. Clinics are often full and so it would require mothers to take a full day off from work to attend to this vitally important task. Now mothers can either take the day off to go to the clinic or they can go over the weekend. For moth- NEWS Waar loopbane hul oorsprong vind Waar professionele mense gevorm word P.J. OLIVIER Waar Afrikaans leef ers who find both of these options difficult, the campaign is visiting schools and crèches throughout Grahamstown free of charge. All the children need to bring is a signed consent form from their parents. While at the Raglan Road Clinic on Tuesday, Nosimiselo Nombombo, who is one of the mothers, told Grocott’s Mail that she had brought her two-year-old son for a Vitamin A shot and de-worming. “I brought my 5-year-old child to this immunising campaign last year together with my (then) one-year-old son”, she said. She also said that she had brought her Hoërskool PJ Olivier Tel 046-622 3322/082 9229 716 SPECIAL Deep cleanse facial or hotstone back and neck massage R100 GIFT VOUCHERS AVAILABLE Available for mobile treatment Pedicure R80 Lorencia 084 627 6566 Lose up to 4kg per week with three 10-minute sessions per day. 12 Sessions for R120 Caribbean Tan Students R150 Adults R175 3 first born child, who is now 13 years old, as it is still an effective and greatly needed campaign that is showing no signs of stopping. In fact it is stronger now than it has been in previous years. Phumeza Ngumbela, a community worker who has been working for the campaign for the past two years, says that “city clinics run a similar campaign”. The difference is that city clinics do not venture out to immunise children. Sewage leak has far reaching effects JENNA BEYLEVELD A SEWAGE leak near the northern commonage in Grahamstown is posing a potential health hazard for residents in the area. Municipal spokesperson Thandy Matebese says that the leaks are being caused by a lack of manhole covers. People have been stealing the copper manhole covers to sell for scrap metal, leaving the sewage pipes exposed. “Kids throw bricks and other things into the hole, and this leads to blockages,” Matebese says. It is because of these blockages that the sewage then overflows out into the surrounding area. However, clogging is not the only side effect as long term consequences may include damage to the pipes, which will require the replacement of these expensive pieces of equipment. The municipality was not aware of the leaks in the area until Tuesday afternoon, but Matebese says that the problem of manhole cover theft is an ongoing one. He adds that the engineering department is currently processing a request for concrete manhole covers, which should solve the problem. The environmental ef- SLIME GREEN... Raw sewage spewing from the sewage works into a local river can have serious consequences. Photo: Melissa Dobson fects of the sewage leak are also significant. The area currently affected serves as a commonage for those who live in the surrounding area, which encompasses Zion Dam and Gxethu stream. The commange is used for activities such as growing herbs for traditional medicine, grazing for livestock and a playground for the local children. Environmental Manager for the Makana Municipality, Ndumiso Nongwe, says that the leak could cause problems with underground water pollution. “It is not just a matter for the municipality, the commonage plays a vital role in the day-to-day lives of the people who are poor,” he says. The water from the stream is no longer fit to drink, and could lead to disease. “The bacteria in the water from sewage can cause cholera,” he warns. Animals that drink from the stream could also be in danger, and the health of the river will be undermined. Nikki Köhly, secretary of the Kowie Catchment Campaign, agrees. “If the amount of sewage is too large, or the leak happens too frequently, there is a chance that the ecological system will not be able to fix itself, and irreparable damage could be done,” she says. Matebese urges residents to “not throw things into open manholes and to stop stealing the remaining copper lids”.
Page 1: www.grocotts.co.za INSIDE Armed rob
Page 5 and 6: Grocott’s Mail Friday, 11 Septemb
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Page 13 and 14: 2 It OATLANDS NORTh - R850 000 Web
Page 15 and 16: 14 REMEMBERED... The late Madikane
Page 17 and 18: 6 classifieds 1. Personal 2. Announ
Page 19 and 20: 18 Mini Motoring GMSA hits the jack
Page 21: 20 Church Square • Tel: 046 622 7

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