It was his cries from hunger and severe sunburn that alerted a man to an abandoned newborn baby who was just minutes old.

Durban - A baby boy is lucky to be alive after being abandoned in suburban Westville just minutes after he was born on Thursday.

“Another hour and he might not have made it,” said ER24’s Tabitha Nicholson, who was among the paramedics who responded to the incident.

According to Nicholson, a Woodlands Avenue resident heard cries coming from the road. When he went outside to investigate he found the baby, who appeared to have been abandoned in the street.

He contacted Westville police and officers sent to the scene contacted the paramedics.

“He could not have been more than an hour old when we arrived at the scene,” said Nicholson. “His umbilical cord was still attached. We had to cut it off.”

Nicholson said paramedics had named the baby “Mandla”, which means “power”. He was taken to the Life Westville Hospital, where he was assessed in the trauma unit and then taken to the nursery. He had been left in the sun and was suffering from sunburn.

He was also hungry, but otherwise appeared to be doing well. “It looks as though he was carried to full term – meaning the mother gave birth to him naturally – and all of his vital signs are stable,” Nicholson said.

Little Mandla will remain in hospital for the next few days and Life Hospitals, as a group, will carry the cost of his stay. After he is discharged, Mandla will be taken to a place of safety.

Westville police station spokesman Stephen Clarke confirmed that a case of child abandonment had been opened. He said that, as of Tuesday afternoon, no arrests had been made. - The Mercury

Durban’s hai.bo restaurant, cafe and bar closed this month, little more than a year after it opened in a double-storey house

KwaZulu-Natal - Durban’s hai.bo restaurant, cafe and bar closed this month, little more than a year after it opened in a double-storey house in Lilian Ngoyi (Windermere) Road.

Operating partner Theuns Smuts, the chief operating officer for the hai.bo group, said it closed for “financial reasons”.

The national monument building where it was situated was previously home to Bean Bag Bohemia (BBB) – a well-loved hangout for Durban’s alternative crowd for more than a decade.

Smuts took over the premises and opened hai.bo in November last year. Its quirky decor and contemporary cuisine made it popular with locals and visitors.

But Smuts said that although the restaurant was full on Friday and Saturday nights, the rest of the week was “very quiet”.

“We were running a full kitchen from 11am until 2am every day and the costs involved just became too high,” he said. “We kept hoping the situation would change, but it just did not.”

At this stage it is unknown what will become of the building that hai.bo was occupying, advertised by the restaurant as an ideal venue. - The Mercury

A National Freedom Party (NFP) councillor, who allegedly killed an IFP member outside court, will apply for bail on Friday.

Durban - A National Freedom Party (NFP) councillor, who allegedly killed an IFP member outside the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court, is expected to apply for bail in the Durban Regional Court on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Mzonjani Zulu, an eThekwini city councillor, made a brief appearance in court and the case was adjourned for a formal bail application.

The court heard that prosecutor Blackie Swart would be dealing with the bail application, but a court still had to be allocated to hear the case.

A few NFP members and Zulu’s relatives were present in court.

Zulu was arrested in October when Siya Dlamini was shot dead in front of police and journalists.

Both men were among IFP and NFP members who were attending the court appearance of NFP councillor Mgezeni Gwala, his son, Bonginhlanhla, and their friend, Sibusiso Ncengwa.

They were facing charges of killing IFP supporter Cebile Shezi, who was gunned down when the IFP members were marching against the abduction and murder of eThekwini IFP councillor Themba Xulu.

Another man, Skhumbuzo Nxumalo, and Gwala’s other son, Celimpilo, have also been charged in connection with Shezi’s murder.

The five will appear in court tomorrow for a bail ruling. - The Mercury

At least 676 people have lost their lives in road-related accidents, just nineteen days into December.

KwaZulu-Natal - Since the beginning of this month, at least 676 people have died on South African roads from 564 crashes.

This was revealed by the Road Traffic Management Corporation on Tuesday.

More than 280 000 cars have been stopped and screened so far.

Of these 594 vehicles have been impounded.

The corporation also highlighted that more than 1 000 people had been arrested for various infringements on the roads over the same period.

Among those, 301 people have been arrested for drunken driving, 42 for speeding, and 15 for reckless and negligent driving.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation has issued 44 788 tickets to motorists. - The Mercury

Anyone using laser beams to blind pilots would face prosecution by the authorities, warns the Civial Aviation Authority.

Durban - The South African Civil Aviation Authority has warned that anyone using laser beams to blind pilots would face prosecution by the authorities.

The authority said in a statement on Tuesday that “a safety hazard which is increasingly becoming a nuisance to our pilots is the use of laser beams to blind pilots on approach at airports in areas such as Lanseria and Durban”.

“The continued use of laser beams on pilots can have devastating consequences for the industry, and anyone found to be engaging in this activity will face prosecution by the authorities,” said the authority’s acting director of civil aviation, Poppy Khoza.

The authority urged all industry players, especially those engaging in flying, to exercise caution by adhering to all civil aviation regulations, especially during the festive season.

“The festive season is generally a very busy period for flying, and therefore I would like to urge the flying community to practise caution and adhere to safety standards during this period,” said Khoza.

“In times like these, we are all encouraged to go back to basics and do proper planning before flying,” she said.

Passengers were also encouraged to abide by the aviation security regulations by adopting safe flying habits by observing the required weight for their luggage and hand luggage taken into the cabins.

According to Khoza, this year has been a safer year in terms of fatalities resulting from aircraft accidents in the civil aviation space.

Khoza said that, generally, flying was known to be the safest mode of transport, “and we encourage our industry to uphold this record as we work towards protecting the lives of our passengers”.

She said the objective of reducing aircraft accidents by half by 2014 remained a target for the rest of the South African civil aviation industry.

“However, this target can only be achieved if the industry adheres to the required safety and security standards as prescribed,” she said. - The Mercury

A nearly 20% increase in national park fees for visitors may force South Africans to take rhino poaching more seriously.

KwaZulu-Natal - Gate entry fees will go up by between 15 and 25 percent in some national parks from next year, partly because of the rhino poaching crisis.

The cost of staying in 20 national parks will also rise by an average of 10.1 percent from November next year, when SA National Parks (SANParks) introduces a new three-tier tariff system.

SANParks spokesman Joep Stevens said conservation fees (daily gate entry costs) would be higher than expected mainly because of higher operational costs.

For example, nearly 100 new rangers had been employed to combat rhino poaching in the Kruger National Park while about 85 new rangers had also been hired in the Table Mountain National Park to reduce tourist muggings on mountain pathways.

This meant that the daily conservation (entry) fee for South Africans visiting Kruger National Park would rise from R50 a day to R62 a day (an increase of almost 20 percent).

The new system has different charges for the high, low and shoulder seasons.

Statistics released last week showed that at least 618 rhinos have been poached nationwide this year. Most of the deaths were in Kruger, where 380 rhinos were killed, with another 60 killed in KwaZulu-Natal.

Although bookings through central reservations opened on Tuesday for accommodation after November 1 next year, the new tariffs for individual camps have yet to be published online. - The Mercury

NFP councillor Mzonjani Zulu was defending himself when he shot dead an IFP supporter outside a court, the Durban Regional Court heard.

Durban - National Freedom Party councillor Mzonjani Zulu was defending himself when he shot dead an IFP supporter outside a court, the Durban Regional Court heard on Wednesday.

Zulu said a man was carrying an assegai (spear), and holding it the way people in faction fights do. He was speaking during his bail application, and responding to questions from his lawyer.

Zulu is accused of killing Siya Dlamini in October outside the Ntuzuma Magistrate's Court. Two shots were fired at him, in full view of police and bystanders. This took place after the appearance of four men in connection with the shooting of an Inkatha Freedom Party supporter.

Zulu said after the court proceedings he was talking to a police officer when he saw three people approaching him. He said one of the men pulled him by the jacket, after asking him what he was saying to the police officer about the assegai.

“I tried to pull myself out of his grip by moving backwards,” Zulu said.

The officer tried to stop the man, but he avoided him and moved towards Zulu. Zulu said he tried to move back and run away, but the man continued advancing.

“It was then when I took my firearm out of the holster, but at first it got stuck. I eventually managed to pull out the firearm and pointed it at him.

“I ordered him not to come close. I told him if he does I'll shoot him, but he continued advancing towards me.”

Zulu continued to retreat until he ran out of space as there was a car.

“After he noticed I could no longer move backwards, he advanced towards me. Then I fired a warning shot directed at his lower part of his body.

“He continued to come at me in a forceful manner, wanting to strike me. Then I shot him in the head.”

Zulu said as he was being put into a police van he heard someone warning him, and jumped to avoid being stabbed with an assegai.

Zulu asked the court to grant him bail as he was taking care of his unemployed wife, paying off a bond and running a taxi business.

He told the court he intended to plead not guilty.

The bail application continues. - Sapa

An investigation into the murder of a UK man will continue in SA, where police believe a suspect has connections.

Durban - A British police team is heading to South Africa to trace relatives and friends of a local man wanted for the alleged murder of his gay friend in the United Kingdom.

A £5 000 (about R70 000) reward is also being offered for any information leading to the arrest of Ricardo Pisano, who police say is a man of many guises, and who is also known as Brandon Victor Pillay, Ricky and Ree.

Pisano, who has been on the run from New Zealand police for 11 years, is wanted for the murder of Michael Polding, 62, in Brighton, Sussex.

Sussex police said they believed Pisano had family in South Africa and confirmed they would be coming to the country, at a date to be confirmed, to conduct further investigations.

The British team’s destination in South Africa is unclear.

Pisano has not been placed on Interpol’s red alert list for wanted criminals.

Polding was discovered in his flat on July 16 with multiple injuries. Police believe he may have been dead since May.

Pisano and Polding had known each other for four years, police said.

This week, Sussex police launched a website to track Pisano.

Sussex police spokeswoman, Emily Bridges, said the website – www.brandonvictorpillay.com – was created to assist in gathering information from the public regarding his whereabouts.

She said it was the first time that Sussex police had created such a website.

Detective Chief Inspector Nick May of the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team is leading the investigation, known as Operation Journal.

May said: “It has been nearly five months since Michael’s body was found, but our investigation into his death continues. We are determined to get justice for Michael and his family and this case will remain open until we do so.”

He appealed to the public, locally and internationally, to look at the website.

“We would also like to hear from anyone who has had contact with him in the past. Any information, no matter how small you think it may be, could be the vital piece in the jigsaw to trace Ricky’s whereabouts.”

He said Pisano had links across the world – including the UK, New Zealand and South Africa.

The last positive sighting of Pisano was in the Marlands shopping centre in Southampton at the end of July.

“He changes his appearance and his identity, so it is important that people take a good look at the photographs and don’t assume he will be introducing himself as one of the names currently known to police.”

May said they believed Pisano was the last person to see Polding alive.

“Ricky described himself as Michael’s carer even though he (Michael) did not medically need one.”

He said Pisano changed his name, appearance and spoke with a South African accent.

He described him as aged about 35, about 1.7 metres tall and of slim build. He may have grown a beard or disguised himself in other ways, May said.

On August 10, 2001, Pisano escaped from Rangipo Prison in Waikato, New Zealand. He was serving a 15-month sentence for extortion. He fled to the UK.

“We are liaising closely with other UK police forces and also with law enforcement partners in other countries to find Pisano,” May said.

According to the website, Polding had met Pisano several years after the death of his partner, Henry, in 2001. Polding sold his flat in London and moved to Brighton with Pisano last year.

A posting on the website from his family read: “We miss our brother terribly. He was a good man and despite living at the other end of the country would always keep in contact with us. It’s very difficult for us not to know how Michael died.”

Anyone with information about Pisano’s whereabouts is urged to contact Sussex police at 0044 1273 470101 or to leave a message for the Operation Journal team at op.journal@sussex.pnn.police.uk - Daily News

The investigation timeline

July 16, 2012: Sussex police received an e-mail from Michael Polding’s sister in Scotland who was concerned that the family hadn’t heard from him for two months. They visited his flat and found his body.

July 21: A post-mortem was carried out on Polding’s body and a number of injuries were found. A murder investigation – known as Operation Journal – was launched.

July 22: Detectives became aware of a suspect, Pisano, who was living with Polding.

September 27: BBC Crimewatch featured Pisano on their wanted faces board.

December: A reward is offered for Pisano’s arrest.

Looking bewildered and tired, Johannes Joubert said he was relieved to be back on home soil after being jailed in Brazil.

Durban - Looking bewildered and tired, Johannes Joubert said he was relieved to be back on home soil after a terrifying time fending for himself on the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The drug mule and former Durban car guard said he was stranded penniless in Brazil for nearly a year after completing his jail term.

However, he now faces a bleak future alone.

Joubert, 54, arrived at King Shaka International Airport on Friday, nearly five years after his arrest in Brazil for trying to smuggle cocaine into the country.

He was to have sought temporary accommodation at a shelter because the woman who was his fiancée until he was arrested, is in another relationship. He said he did not keep in touch with his family, who live in Potchefstroom.

Joubert admitted that the drug mule journey that had led to his arrest in February 2008, had not been his first.

“He had stopped doing this for a while and was a car guard when he was approached to go to Brazil,” said his former fiancée, who was at the airport to welcome him back. She did not want to be named.

He said he had shared a cell with four South Africans who were caught for drug smuggling.

He worked while in jail, but said he was robbed at the bus stop minutes after his release in February.

“The people there are not friendly and not willing to help you. It was hard for me to find a job because I spoke little Portuguese. It was very scary on the streets. I was robbed and beaten up three times.”

He said he slept at a shelter, but had to leave at 6am every day and could only return at 4pm, so he wandered the streets during the day.

“I had no contact with anyone back home. I spoke to no one because of the language problem.

“I begged the South African embassy to please, please help me. I told them I wanted to go home, but they didn’t help.”

Joubert said he had lost a lot of weight, as he had had only one meal a week.

When asked if he would be a drug mule again, he said: “Never again. I’m tired. I just want to stay here in South Africa.” - Daily News

Hundreds of South Africans released from foreign jails after completing their sentences are battling to return home.

Durban - Hundreds of South Africans released from foreign jails after completing their sentences are battling to cope with their freedom, with many unable to even scrape up flight fares to return home.

Durban man Johannes Joubert, who quit his job as a car guard to become a drug mule, is one of the lucky few. Stranded in Brazil after completing his jail term in February, he flew back on Friday, thanks to a generous donation.

Two other South Africans in similar circumstances are also hoping to return, courtesy of kindly benefactors, but for hundreds of others, there’s little prospect of them being reunited with their families any time soon – they simply cannot afford the airfare back to South Africa.

According to the Department of International Relations and Co-oper-ation (Dirco), there are 969 South Africans in foreign jails and about 60 percent of them are serving time for drug-related crimes. They are mainly in prisons in Brazil, Thailand and Mauritius, with a few in China, said Clayson Monyela, a Dirco deputy director-general and spokesman.

While the department said it was aware of released persons awaiting deportation, some countries, including Brazil, expect foreign nationals to leave the country under their own steam.

Monyela said the South African government would not pay for released prisoners’ return flights home. “No government would do that, as it wouldn’t be sustainable.”

Lynette Welgemoed, from Locked Up in a Foreign Country, an NGO assisting South Africans convicted in foreign countries, has been liaising with a Brazilian woman, Silvanete dos Santos, who runs a women’s shelter in Sao Paulo and has been helping stranded female South African ex-prisoners.

“As there are no halfway houses or shelters for the men, many of them have been living on the streets,” said Welgemoed. “Silvanete has been trying to help by providing them with meals, but she is running out of funds. We were able to find the three South Africans we’re helping through Silvanete, whom we speak to through a Portuguese translator.”

Welgemoed said Joubert cried when she told him he was coming home. “He’s been living on the streets and surviving on one meal a week,” she said. “They are like scared little children when they are released from prison.”

The ticket for the other South African man could not be booked, she said, as he accepted a job out of town to install Christmas lights to raise funds for his trip back to SA. A South African benefactor who has relocated to Dubai agreed to purchase two return air tickets, priced at about R10 180 each, and Locked Up has been appealing for donations to buy the third ticket.

Welgemoed, whose daughter served time in a Peruvian prison, estimated there were 500 South Africans stranded in foreign countries, saying that many of their families contacted Locked Up for help. She said there were approximately 20 South Africans still in Brazil, and many of them were unable to return home because their families could not afford the fare.

Temporary passports in Brazil cost R250 each, she said, and a return ticket costs about R10 180, which is cheaper than the approximately R17 000 for a one-way ticket. They are still raising funds for the South African woman’s ticket and are R6 000 short.

On average, Welgemoed said about six families contact them every month for help with South Africans jailed for smuggling drugs into foreign countries. Both Welgemoed and Locked Up’s founder, Patricia Gerber, whose son Johann is serving an 11-year sentence for drug smuggling in Mauritius, said Dirco did not have accurate figures of the number of South Africans in foreign jails.

“They estimate it to be in the hundreds, but we believe it is actually in the thousands, based on the number of families that contact us,” said Welgemoed. “The problem is that many SA drug mules travel on a foreign passport, so the department would not want to get involved.”

“As far as we know, from October 2011 to October 2012, 14 South Africans were arrested in Asia for drug smuggling alone,” said Gerber, who raised the issue of the government introducing a prisoner transfer agreement. This would allow for foreigners to be sent home to serve their sentence.

Welgemoed said the Brazilian government did not deport foreigners once they completed serving their jail sentences, and expected their families to pay for their return.

“South Africa pays approximately R470 million to keep foreigners in South African prisons, and once these prisoners complete their sentence, government pays for them to be deported, but South Africa doesn’t pay for South African prisoners in foreign jails to be brought home,” she said.

Welgemoed said those stranded in Brazil were battling to survive without money. One man, who was believed to have been living on the streets, had died from malnutrition, she said, adding that others could not find jobs as they did not speak Portuguese. “But we’re not going to give up on these guys,” she added. - Daily News

The fate of Zweli Mkhize as KwaZulu-Natal premier is to be decided by the new national executive committee of the ANC.

Durban - The fate of Zweli Mkhize as KwaZulu-Natal premier is to be decided by the ANC’s new national executive committee (NEC).

Mkhize was elected treasurer-general of the ANC on Tuesday, and taking this new position might mean that he has to relinquish both his positions as premier and chairman of the party in the province.

Mkhize, who declined to grant interviews, was only prepared to say that he was “grateful and humbled” by the faith shown in him by ANC members.

Sihle Zikalala, the ANC KZN secretary, said the NEC had the power to determine which positions were full-time. This would affect whether Mkhize may continue to serve as premier, but Zikalala would not say whether the province would make submissions to the NEC on the matter.

“This is really not an urgent issue for us as the province,” he said.

It is understood that some ANC members in the province want Mkhize to finish his term as premier, which ends in 2014.

But even if he remains premier, he will have to relinquish his position as party chairman if delegates at the conference adopt the proposal that members who get elected to a higher structure should relinquish their positions in lower structures.

KwaZulu-Natal is among the provinces pushing for this position.

But party insiders have said that even if he was to relinquish his position, the party might choose to have deputy chairman Willies Mchunu as acting premier. Zikalala said members in the province were not thinking about positions and were “not really concerned about who becomes chairman”.

He said allegations that there were divisions in the province and that some senior leaders wanted Mkhize removed from office had been “manufactured”.

Speaking on the province’s role in delivering a victory to President Jacob Zuma, Zikalala said KZN delegates did not see this as their victory. “We see it as rather a victory for the entire movement”.

KZN would continue to work with other provinces, including Limpopo and those individuals it differed with in the run-up to the Mangaung conference.

“Even if Tokyo (Sexwale) were to be elected into the NEC and again get deployed to KZN, we will work with him. We will not have any problem with that.” - Daily News

After being on the run for four months, a murder suspect has been arrested in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

KwaZulu_Natal -

A suspected murderer who had been on the run for four months has been arrested in Ngwelezane near Empangeni.

The 20-year-old was arrested on Monday afternoon after he allegedly shot and killed Njabulo Zulu, 38, at the KwaMashu men’s hostel on July 29, Captain Thulani Zwane said. He was shot in the head.

Police were tipped off that he was in the Mtubatuba area for the Christmas holidays. Investigations led police to the Ngwelezane area where he was arrested. He was expected to appear in the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court soon to face a charge of murder. – Sapa

National Freedom Party councillor Mzonjani Zulu says he was defending himself when he shot dead an IFP supporter outside court.

Durban - National Freedom Party councillor Mzonjani Zulu was defending himself when he shot dead an IFP supporter outside a court, the Durban Regional Court heard on Wednesday.

Testifying in his bail application, Zulu said a man was carrying an assegai and holding it the way people did in faction fights.

Zulu is accused of killing Siya Dlamini in October outside the Ntuzuma Magistrate's Court.

Two shots were fired at Dlamini in full view of police and bystanders. This happened after the appearance of four men in connection with the shooting of an Inkatha Freedom Party supporter.

Zulu, responding to questions from his lawyer, said he was talking to a police officer when he saw three people approaching him. One of the men grabbed his jacket after asking him what he was saying to the police officer about the assegai.

“I tried to pull myself out of his grip by moving backwards,” Zulu said.

The officer tried to stop the man, but moved towards Zulu. Zulu said he tried to move back and run away, but the man continued advancing.

“It was then when I took my firearm out of the holster, but at first it got stuck. I eventually managed to pull out the firearm and pointed it at him.

“I ordered him not to come close. I told him if he does I'll shoot him, but he continued advancing towards me.”

Zulu said he continued to retreat until he ran out of space as there was a car behind him.

“After he noticed I could no longer move backwards, he advanced towards me. Then I fired a warning shot directed at his lower part of his body. “He continued to come at me in a forceful manner, wanting to strike me. Then I shot him in the head.”

Zulu said as he was being put into a police van, he heard someone warning him, and jumped to avoid being stabbed with an assegai.

Zulu asked the court to grant him bail as he was taking care of his unemployed wife, five children, paying off a bond and running a taxi business.

He told the court he intended to plead not guilty.

During cross-examination prosecutor Blackie Swart told the court Zulu had asked a police officer to take the assegai away from Dlamini.

“He (the police officer) looked around and saw a man leaning on the spear standing with two other people.

“He told you he would not arrest the man because he wasn't posing a threat to you,” Swart said.

Zulu denied this, saying SABC news video footage would reveal what really happened.

Swart said three witnesses, including a police officer, said Dlamini had not provoked Zulu. He said the police officer described Zulu as rude and emotional.

The bail application continues. - Sapa

A man has been arrested for allegedly killing his ex-girlfriend at a taxi rank in Pomeroy.

Pomeroy - A man has been arrested for allegedly killing his ex-girlfriend at a taxi rank in Pomeroy, KwaZulu-Natal, police said on Wednesday.

The man, 42, was taken into custody on Tuesday after he allegedly stabbed the woman 14 times, in front of their five-year-old daughter, Captain Thulani Ngubane said.

They had an argument over the money he reportedly paid for the 25-year-old woman's tertiary studies. He would appear in the Pomeroy Magistrate's Court on Thursday on a charge of murder. - Sapa

A man accused of being part of a trio who robbed houses after pouring boiling water over the occupants has been granted bail.

Pietermaritzburg - A man accused of being part of a trio who robbed houses after pouring boiling water over the occupants was granted bail in the Pietermartizburg Regional Court on Wednesday.

Magistrate Riaan de Wet granted Siyabonga Mchunu R5000 bail, with Mchunu having to report to a police station three times a week and stay 30km away from the victims' homes.

Mchunu, 28, allegedly led Mvusi Dlamini and Lucky Mbonanbi to two houses in Albert Falls, 26km north of Pietermarizburg, in February this year.

Dlamini, 28, and Mbonanbi, 26, allegedly poured boiling water over the occupants of the two homes, including a 30-month-old baby, to force them to hand over valuables.

Dlamini and Mbonanbi took R5000, a firearm, and two airguns from the one home and took R45 000 and jewellery worth R101 000 from the other.

They were allegedly armed with assault rifles and handguns.

Dlamini and Mbonanbi were denied bail when they appeared in court in May.

The State opposed Mchunu's bail, stating the seriousness of the charges, the violence perpetrated against Dlamini and Mbonanbi's victims, and that his proximity to the victims' homes was concerning.

De Wet said the seriousness of the crimes was not in itself a reason to refuse Mchunu bail.

The trial was set down for May next year in the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court. - Sapa

Murder accused National Freedom Party councillor Mzonjani Zulu was granted R5000 bail by the Durban Regional Court.

Durban - Murder accused National Freedom Party councillor Mzonjani Zulu was granted R5000 bail by the Durban Regional Court on Wednesday.

Magistrate Trevor Levitt said it was in the interests of justice to release Zulu because he was a family man and operating a business which was struggling in his absence.

Zulu is accused of killing IFP supporter Siya Dlamini in October outside the Ntuzuma Magistrate's Court. Two shots were fired at Dlamini in full view of police and bystanders. This happened after the appearance of four men in connection with the shooting of an Inkatha Freedom Party supporter.

Earlier, Zulu told the court that he was defending himself when he shot dead Dlamini. Testifying in his bail application, Zulu said he was talking to a police officer when he saw three people approaching him.

One of the men grabbed his jacket after asking him what he was saying to the police officer about a person outside the court who was holding an assegai.

“I tried to pull myself out of his grip by moving backwards,” Zulu said.

The officer tried to stop the man, but moved towards Zulu. Zulu said he tried to move back and run away, but the man continued advancing.

“It was then when I took my firearm out of the holster, but at first it got stuck. I eventually managed to pull out the firearm and pointed it at him.

“I ordered him not to come close. I told him if he does I'll shoot him, but he continued advancing towards me.”

Zulu said he continued to retreat until he ran out of space, as there was a car behind him.

“After he noticed I could no longer move backwards, he advanced towards me. Then I fired a warning shot directed at his lower part of his body.

“He continued to come at me in a forceful manner, wanting to strike me. Then I shot him in the head.”

Zulu asked the court to grant him bail as he was taking care of his unemployed wife, five children, paying off a bond and running a taxi business. He told the court he intended to plead not guilty.

During cross-examination prosecutor Blackie Swart told the court Zulu had asked a police officer to take the assegai away from Dlamini.

“He 1/8the police officer 3/8 looked around and saw a man leaning on the spear standing with two other people. He told you he would not arrest the man because he wasn't posing a threat to you,” Swart said.

Zulu denied this, saying SABC news video footage would reveal what really happened.

Swart said three witnesses, including a police officer, said Dlamini had not provoked Zulu. He said the police officer described Zulu as rude and emotional.

The State opposed bail because of the seriousness of the crime. Lieutenant Michael Goge said Zulu's life could be in danger if he was released on bail.

Zulu's attorney Mdu Mvuni said to Goge that if Zulu was released on bail he would hire bodyguards to ensure his safety. He told the court Zulu would co-operate with investigations and could provide police with video footage of the shooting.

Zulu would be back in court on February 18. - Sapa

Three robbers who triggered an alarm while peering through a window continued to attack a man concrete slabs before fleeing.

Durban - Locked in a bedroom of her family’s Westville North home, Ashleigh Bothma clutched on to her friend, Chevonne Maré, and listened as her father fought off three men who were attacking him with granite and concrete slabs.

Then everything went quiet. The young women heard people running through the passages and the sound of things being smashed.

“I phoned the paramedics and told them that I did not know if my parents were dead or alive and that they had better come quickly,” Ashleigh said.

The 23-year-old was speaking from the scene of the attack on Wednesday. The previous night the Bothmas had become the latest victims of a spate of vicious attacks that have plagued the Highway area in recent months. This time, though, police shot and killed one of the suspects.

Ashleigh’s 57-year-old father, John, survived the ordeal and was recovering in hospital on Wednesday.

Her mother, Sherril, 51, retold the harrowing story.

It was 10pm and she and her husband were watching television in the living room. They had armed the external security beams and heard the alarm go off. Sherril went to the kitchen and saw three men peering through the window.

“I yelled to John, grabbed Ashleigh and Chevonne and ran into a bedroom,” she said. “By that time the men were outside the dining room window. John ran towards them, shouting, but they appeared unfazed. They picked up a granite slab and smashed the window.”

After waiting for a few minutes Sherril ventured out to see what had happened to her husband. Two of the men were standing over John with a slab of concrete.

“I thought he was done for.”

Sherril locked her daughter and Chevonne in the bedroom and, cellphone in hand, headed for the street.

She phoned the police and waited in the road.

In the meantime, Ashleigh phoned paramedics and left the bedroom to check on her father.

The attackers had fled. They had disconnected the television, but dumped it outside. Nothing was stolen.

“There was blood everywhere,” Ashleigh recalled.

Westville police as well as the metro police dog unit responded to the incident.

Police spokesman Thulani Zwane said police followed the suspects into the New Germany nature reserve, near the M19 freeway. A brief exchange of gunfire ensued and one suspect was bitten by a police dog and shot. He died at the scene. The other suspects escaped.

Zwane said a case of house robbery had been opened and that the suspect’s death was reported to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate for investigation.

Meanwhile, John Bothma had numerous gashes to his head. Paramedics took him to St Augustine’s Hospital in Glenwood, where he was held for observation.

A police source said it was suspected that the intruders were also responsible for similar incidents in the area recently. - The Mercury

IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi has endorsed a call for a coalition of opposition parties, ahead of the 2014 general election.

KwaZulu-Natal - IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi has endorsed a call for the formation of a coalition of opposition parties, which is expected to be ready for action before the 2014 general election.

Buthelezi, who supported a vote of no confidence against President Jacob Zuma in Parliament last month, told the media in Durban on Wednesday that opposition parties in the National Assembly had taken a decision to work together to strengthen democracy. Only the African People’s Convention president, Themba Godi, had turned down the idea.

Buthelezi spoke to the media immediately after Cope president Mosiuoa Lekota had briefed him about the outcome of the opposition meeting in Joburg on Friday where they agreed to form the coalition. Buthelezi did not attend the meeting as he was at his party’s conference in Ulundi.

“I fully support the decision that has been taken. This coalition will have a permanent office and a law book, which will make all political parties equal,” said Buthelezi.

He said the next meeting, at which parties would have further discussion, would be next month.

The parties would use the coalition to fight against the “secrecy bill” and corruption.

Buthelezi said although he was initially reluctant to support the DA when it first proposed the idea of a vote of no confidence against Zuma, he later realised that he had many reasons to agree.

“I wrote a letter to Zuma explaining to him that I had taken the decision to support the vote of no confidence in him,” he said.

However, he said, it would have been stupid to say the ANC had not done anything for the people of South Africa.

“But Zuma has disappointed me. When Malema invaded my home he did not say anything. But when there was a visit to Zuma’s house all hell broke loose.

“When Malema called me an ANC factory fault, he (Zuma) did not say anything,” Buthelezi said.

He also lambasted Zuma for failing to take a clear position against nationalisation.

“Instead, he said there was space for debate on nationalisation. What debate? It ruined Russia, Germany and Tanzania, yet he wants to open a debate on it,” he said.

Zuma had ignored his warning against deploying ANC cadres to head the police force, he added.

“I told him that after the Mr (Jackie) Selebi fiasco and Mr (Bheki) Cele was fired, there should be no further comrade deployment. But he again appointed the current commissioner, Riah Phiyega, then we had the Marikana shooting incident,” he said.

He was sad that Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe had been voted out of the ANC leadership.

“Although I don’t want to be involved in the affairs of other political parties, Motlanthe is a man of integrity. No one can beat him when it comes to credentials. I’m sorry that the ANC has lost someone of his calibre,” he said. - The Mercury

Cash-strapped car owners are falling prey to con artists who offer to buy their cars and continue with making the repayments.

Durban - Cash-strapped car owners are falling prey to con artists who offer to take their vehicles off their hands and make the repayments on their finance schemes, but instead make off with their wheels and leave them liable for the debt.

Fifty such cases a month have been reported, the South African Banking Risk Information Centre has warned.

Bogus companies have been placing advertisements in trade magazines and newspaper classifieds to lure potential victims.

The centre’s general manager, Susan Potgieter, said banks were working with police in cases where victims had filed complaints.

“Banks are concerned about offers made by third parties to vehicle owners promising them solutions to difficulties that they may experience in honouring their finance repayments,” she said.

Many such offers were scams, with owners losing their vehicles and remaining liable for the debt.

A search of the internet on Wednesday showed there were at least three major online classifieds websites with people asking for their car instalments be “taken over” or offering to do so. One website alone had more than 200 advertisements.

A “seller” from KwaZulu-Natal wanted their Mercedes SUV to be taken off their hands before Christmas, while another wanted to “purchase” a BMW 1 Series.

“We urge bank clients who have financed vehicles to approach their banks first before entering into any transactions with third parties regarding their financed vehicles,” said Potgieter.

In some instances, advertisements promised car owners a cash settlement that they could then put towards a deposit on another vehicle.

Keys were handed to a broker, but the vehicle finance agreement with the bank was never transferred or settled as agreed.

“It is not possible to take over car instalments legally. It is possible, though, to negotiate a new finance agreement for the purchaser with the knowledge and assistance of the bank,” said Potgieter.

The bogus advertisements were worded in a way that made promises that seemed too good to be true.

They often offered an end-to-end service that included interaction with the bank on behalf of the seller as well as support for buyers who had poor credit profiles.

“Any advertisements that (purport) to facilitate instalment takeovers should be treated with suspicion,” Potgieter said. - The Mercury

A councillor who allegedly killed an IFP member in full view of police and journalists says he was protecting himself.

Durban - An eThekwini councillor charged with killing an IFP member in full view of police and journalists says he fired at the man to protect himself.

Mzonjani Zulu, a member of the National Freedom Party, is charged with the October 15 murder of Siya Dlamini outside the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court.

On Wednesday, Zulu was granted bail in the Durban Regional Court after he gave a blow-by- blow account of the events that led up to Dlamini’s death. He said he fired two shots in self-defence after Dlamini lunged at him with a spear.

“There were no police officers around to stop him. I tried to pull out my firearm, but it got stuck in my pocket.

“When I got it out, I pointed it at him and I ordered him not to come closer. But he continued to advance… I fired a warning shot, but he kept coming… so I fired again. I shot because I thought I was going to be killed.”

Zulu’s advocate, Mdu Mvuni, said video footage obtained from SABC news corroborated his client’s version of the incident.

Prosecutor Blackie Swart said it was not in the interests of justice to release Zulu on bail.

He added that witnesses, including a police officer, contradicted Zulu’s testimony in their statements.

Zulu disputed this, saying the video footage would confirm his version of events.

Investigating officer Lieutenant Michael Goge, of the political murders task team, testified that he feared that Zulu would be killed if he was released.

Magistrate Trevor Levitt asked Goge why he had not obtained the television news video footage of the murder.

He said there was no legislation preventing a person from being released on bail because his life might be in danger.

“The court is surprised that the video footage of the crime taken by two news channels has not been obtained by the police as this would be the most impartial evidence.”

He granted bail of R5 000 to Zulu and ordered him to stay out of Ntuzuma.

The case was adjourned to February 8 for a decision on whether or not the trial should be heard in the Durban High Court. - The Mercury