KwaMashu residents who are angry at the continuing violent crime said police had been slow to respond.

Durban - Police came in for stick from KwaMashu residents on Tuesday as Police Minister Nathi Nhleko and his Justice counterpart, Michael Masutha, toured the township’s notorious hostel area.

The visit by the ministers and Hawks head, Lieutenant-General Berning Ntlemeza, was in the wake of the Sunday evening execution-style killing of four men at a house they shared in the vicinity of the hostel. Two other men were shot in the area on Monday. One died, while the other is fighting for his life in hospital.

Police are investigating cases of murder and attempted murder.

Nhleko said poverty and poor living conditions played a big role in the rampant crime in the hostel area. But hostel dwellers, angry at the continuing violent crime, said police were not doing enough and had been slow to respond.

Residents, who declined to be named, said police were “dragging” their feet in responding to distress calls.

“They don’t arrive at all and if they do, they do so very late. Even when they do come, they make a noise with their sirens as if to warn the criminals to run. When they finally arrive at the scene, the criminals are long gone, leaving lifeless bodies behind. Police visibility in the area could make a huge difference in reducing the rate of killings,” said the residents.

They said they were reluctant to co-operate with police because they feared individual officers would report back to the criminals.

“If arrested, criminals get bail almost immediately, only to come back and terrorise the community. Why give a suspected murderer or a drug pusher bail without ensuring the security of the community they are destroying? Keep them in jail, save the innocent, poor and destitute people,” they said.

But Nhleko said community structures and the government needed to get involved to find solutions.

“The solution to the problem does not solely lie with the police. If you don’t deal with the socio-economic issues then you are likely to fail. But looking into a multi-disciplinary and co-ordinated approach which seeks to look into all the underlying causes, including housing, can help in bringing a lasting solution to the problem. We should also take action to curb the proliferation of drugs. There’s a tendency to think that (the) drug problem is to be dealt with by the police alone, and that’s a fallacy,” Nhleko said.

Ntlemeza said the soon-to-be-launched SA Narcotics Enforcement Bureau (Saneb) and the Firearms Control and Priority Violent Crime Unit, would bring relief to citizens.

Saneb is apparently similar to the specialised narcotics unit closed down by former national police commissioner Jackie Selebi.

“There’s a call from the president to re-establish some of the units that were closed down, and the above two are just some of them,” said Ntlemeza.

Hawks spokesman, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, said there had been progress with the launch, and it would take place soon.

Asked whether the units would make an impact in the fight against drug dealing and illegal firearms, Mulaudzi said: “We as the Hawks deal with syndicates and organised crime.

“It’s the duty of the police to deal with individual cases on the streets.”

chris.ndaliso@inl.co.za

Daily News

Passengers were stranded for hours when an Intercape bus was stopped near Harrismith, just days after R5 million in illegal abalone was found on a bus in Cape Town

Durban - Scores of passengers were stranded for hours on Tuesday after a bus belonging to the country’s largest intercity transport service, Intercape, was stopped near Harrismith.

This came just days after the Daily News’ sister paper, the Daily Voice, reported that the long-distance bus company could lose its licence after Western Cape police found R5 million worth of illegal abalone hidden on an Intercape bus at the Cape Town bus terminus.

Thirty-eight-year-old Bonginkosi Ndaba, who is confined to a wheelchair, was among those stranded Tuesday near Harrismith.

Ndaba, from Durban, had been visiting family in Johannesburg. He was on his way home when police stopped the bus.

“The driver got out and spoke to them and it turned out, he did not have the correct permit,” Ndaba said. “It seemed as though the driver knew the bus wasn’t supposed to be carrying passengers.”

As a person with a disability, Ndaba was left without access to ablution facilities for several hours, and felt his rights had been violated.

“It’s a terrible situation, it’s incredibly uncomfortable,” he said.

More than 20 people were aboard the bus, among them a child, Ndaba said.

The bus was pulled over at about noon, and Intercape was understood to be sending a second bus. But by 3pm, it had still not arrived. Intercape on Tuesday confirmed the incident.

“The unfortunate situation has its origins in Intercape’s continued struggle with the administrative disarray at the Gauteng Provincial Regulatory Entity (GPRE), which operates under the auspices of the Department of Transport,” it said in a statement.

“Long before the expiry of the permit, Intercape made application for the renewal of the permit.”

Ordinarily, the renewal was received within a few days, the statement went on. However, this was apparently not the case and Intercape said the GPRE subsequently advised it the provisions of regulation 25 of the 2009 Regulations to the National Land Transport Act applied.

These provisions, the statement read, provided that so long as a receipt could be produced, showing application had been made for the renewal of the permit, the permit would be considered to remain valid until the renewed permit was either refused or issued.

“We can confirm that after managing to get hold of management at the Harrismith traffic department, they let the bus go.

“The bus left Harrismith about three hours later and we do apologise to our passengers for the inconvenience they suffered,” Intercape said.

Daily News

A Westville couple was left R120 000 out of pocket after being robbed outside a local bank.

Durban - A Westville couple was left R120 000 out of pocket after being robbed outside a local bank on Tuesday morning.

According to a police source, they were accosted outside the FNB on Lancaster Terrace in Dawncliffe.

Police spokeswoman, Lieutenant Nqobile Gwala, said the man and his wife were going to the bank to deposit money when they were held up at gunpoint by two men.

No injuries were reported, but shots were fired before the men grabbed hold of a bag, containing cash, and the couple’s iPhones and fled in a silver Toyota RunX.

The iPhones were tracked to some bushes about a kilometre away, but there was no sign of the cash. Gwala said no arrests had been made yet.

Daily News

Seven people were killed after the brakes of the taxi they were in failed, causing the driver to lose control.

Durban - Funeral arrangements were discussed on Tuesday as members of the Zwartkop Taxi Association and officials from the Msunduzi Municipality and KwaZulu-Natal Transport Department empathised with the families of the victims of Monday’s horror taxi crash.

Seven people lost their lives after the taxi they were travelling in, crashed into another car and a tree in Linwood Drive, Pietermaritzburg.

Police have confirmed the brakes of the taxi failed, causing the driver to lose control.

Six people were declared dead at the scene, while another died later in hospital.

The victims have been identified as Mbuso Mtolo, 32, Mbali Lamola, 36, Mbali Mvulani, 21, Thabisile Ndlovu, 34, Bongiwe Lembethe, 32, Spangelo Dlamini, 29, and Thandeka Ngubane, 40.

Nine others, including the driver of the taxi, were still recovering in hospital.

Lamola, a mother of one and an office administration student, was on her way to write her Msunduzi TVET College exams when the tragedy occurred. Her uncle, Brian Lamola, said the family was devastated by her death.

A joint funeral for the victims has been suggested, with expenses to be covered by the taxi association and the transport department. Details have yet to be confirmed.

sherlissa.peters@inl.co.za

Daily News

Two top officials of the department of transport held in contempt of court for disobeying a string of orders.

Pretoria - Not only must the department of transport pay the company that operates the electronic National Traffic Information System R176.6 million, but its two top officials have been held in contempt of court for disobeying a string of orders.

Judge AC Basson of the high court in Pretoria ordered that the 30 days' imprisonment would not come into effect if the department paid Tasima, which operates eNaTIS, by Wednesday. It wasn't known if the money had been paid.

Judge Basson also committed the director-general of the department, George Mahlalela, and his deputy, Chris Hlabisa, to 30 days' imprisonment for contempt of court.

Makhosini Msibi, head of the Road Traffic Management Corporation, was also held in contempt of previous court orders and slapped with a 30-day imprisonment.

This will also not come into effect provided that he ensures that Tasima is given full access to the premises from which the eNaTIS system was being operated. RTMC spokesman Simon Zwane said it was appealing the judgment.

Judge Basson launched a scathing attack on government officials and departments that simply ignore court orders.

Legal battle threatens eNaTiS system

In a long standing battle between Tasima and the department, a number of courts ordered that the government had financial and other obligations towards the eNaTIS operator to ensure that the system did not totally collapse.

The department ignored these orders, arguing that it contested the amounts allegedly outstanding. It said an investigation was being launched into fraud and corruption claims and it was thus not obliged to pay the amounts to Tasima.

The department said it was justified in ignoring the court orders. It also stated that while it lost a Supreme Court of Appeal battle against Tasima, the war was far from over as it was now approaching the Constitutional Court.

The SCA overturned a high court order in which Judge Wendy Hughes held that the five-year extension of the contract between the department and Tasima signed in 2010 was invalid.

But Judge Basson said the department and its officials’ actions displayed a total disregard for the string of orders against it. She said they may hold the view that these orders were misconstrued, but this was irrelevant.

”These orders stand, irrespective of whether the respondents may hold this view,” she insisted. “The conduct of the respondents is even more egregious as they are state entities in breach of their obligations under the Constitution.”

The respondents may want to approach the Constitutional Court, the judge said, but as things now stood these orders were still in place and thus enforceable.

“Insofar as the department and its officials have failed or refused to comply with the various high court orders, including the SCA, they are held in contempt.”

HOW IT WORKS

The judge added that while the police were investigating fraud and corruption allegations, nothing in this regard had been proven yet.

She said courts had the power to ensure that orders were complied with by all, including State organs.

Tasima was awarded a contract in 2001 to develop, manage and operate the eNaTIS system which operates across the nine provinces and records the licensing of all motor vehicles, driver's licence tests, learner drivers tests, contraventions of road traffic legislation and the roadworthiness of vehicles.

The agreement between Tasima and the department was for five years starting on 1 June 2002, and expiring on 31 May 2007. Tasima asked for the extension of the agreement, but the previous director-general of the department refused and said that the contract was in the transfer phase.

The transfer of the system back to the department was never finalised.

The agreement was, however, then extended from 1May 2010 to 30 April 2015 but it provided for a phased handover of the system to the department, which wasn't done.

The validity of the extension has been the subject of fierce litigation. There is also a criminal investigation.

Pretoria News

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Snenhlanhla Gumede is haunted by the image of the man she once thought she loved, smashing their 3-month-old son against the ground.

Durban - Snenhlanhla Gumede is haunted by the image of the man she once thought she loved, smashing their 3-month-old son’s tiny body against the ground, over and over again.

“After he was finished, he just walked away,” the 16-year-old told the Daily News on Wednesday.

The horror attack occurred at Snenhlanhla’s parents’ home on the KwaMoyana reserve in Ingwavuma, Zululand, on Tuesday, apparently after an argument between her and the child’s father.

In a desperate bid to save her son’s life, Snenhlanhla rushed him to hospital but he died early on Wednesday morning.

“He wasn’t even crying,” the young mother said of little Skhulile, when she went to pick him up.

She called the baby’s father “a monster” and gave a harrowing account of severe abuse which she said she had suffered at his hands.

She moved in with the man, who is 10 years her senior, when she was just 14 and remained with him for two years, despite the abuse.

But then in January, Skhulile arrived.

Snenhlanhla said she decided it was time to leave when her partner became aggressive towards her, just a month after she had given birth.

She took her newborn son and returned to her parents’ home, not far from where she had been staying.

On Tuesday, the father arrived at their home, demanding to see his child.

Snenhlanhla obliged, but later he said he would be taking the baby home with him.

“When I tried to reason with him, he just smashed the child to the ground repeatedly,” she said.

Snenhlanhla’s mother Buyiswa Khumalo said the man who killed her grandson deserved to rot in jail. She had been out at the time of the incident, but when she heard what had happened, she rushed home. By that time, Snenhlanhla was already en route to hospital.

“What he did was heartless and barbaric,” Khumalo said.

She said the man was a known dagga user and alcoholic.

Police spokesman Major Thulani Zwane confirmed the incident.

Police believe the child died as a result of the head injuries he suffered when he was thrown on the ground.

A case of murder was opened at KwaMsane police station, he said.

The 26-year-old father was arrested on Wednesday night, Kwazulu-Natal police said.

Spokesperson Major Thulani Zwane said police received a tip off about his whereabouts and he was arrested.

KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Mmamonnye Ngobeni said: “It is so shameful and shocking to know that the person who should have been protecting the child was the one responsible for his death.”

Daily News and ANA

The KwaZulu-Natal Health Department is taking an aggressive stance against backstreet abortions, while expanding access to legal abortions.

Durban - The KwaZulu-Natal Health Department is taking an aggressive stance against backstreet abortions, while expanding access to legal abortions.

In his 2016/17 budget speech at the provincial legislature on Wednesday, Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo announced the scourge was no longer a departmental issue, but one requiring a multi-faceted approach, which was receiving support from various organisations and individuals.

He said the department had teamed up with private and public sector organisations, including the provincial National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the police to fight illegal abortions.

“Our first campaign took place in November 2015 in the uMgungundlovu district. Since then, eight anti-illegal termi-nation of pregnancy marches have been conducted at Ugu, Amajuba, uThungulu, Zululand (Ulundi, Nongoma, Vryheid) and Harry Gwala District municipal areas.”

He said the department’s efforts were having a positive effect judging by the number of women who were coming forward for legal termination of pregnancy at the their facilities.

“In quarter two of 2015/16, 2 912 women presented themselves for termination of pregnancy in health facilities increasing to 3 375 in quarter three.

“The number of facilities providing access for the termination of pregnancies increased from 14 at the beginning of the campaign to 40,” said Dhlomo.

He applauded the Ugu District police for the recent arrest of an illegal abortion practitioner who has been operating in that area.

He said two weeks ago the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) officially pledged its direct support for the anti-illegal abortion initiative.

At the end of last year, department spokesman, Sam Mkhwanazi, was reported as saying records showed that from 2014 to November last year, 20 013 women were admitted to various hospitals within the province as a result of incomplete abortions and a further 1 455 abortions were septic.

In January, Dhlomo applauded the police, who were working together with Health and Home Affairs officials, for their arrest of three foreigners in Port Shepstone for allegedly impersonating medical practitioners and offering their services to perform illegal abortions.

These people, according to Dhlomo, were found in possession of illegal promotional pamphlets, herbs, instruments, tablets as well as ointments which were believed to be used to conduct backstreet abortions.

At the time, Dhlomo said: “We cannot allow unscrupulous people to put the lives of innocent people at risk by performing these illegal abortions... the arrests follow our anti-illegal abortion launch at Port Shepstone in December. This gives us more impetus to continue working closely with authorities to squeeze out the space for all illegal abortion practitioners, who are actually health murderers, and those who aid and abet them.”

He said it was shocking that these illegal abortion practitioners went to the extent of attempting termination on women whose pregnancies were at the advanced stage of five months or more.

On Wednesday, Dhlomo said he would report, in due course, on the mechanisms involving all the stakeholders in forging ahead with the programme.

Spokeswoman for the NPA in KwaZulu-Natal, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara confirmed her unit had joined forces with the department against illegal abortion.

“The provincial head of NPA, advocate Moipone Noko, met the MEC (Dhlomo) recently about the issue. They strategised on how, as a team involving other stakeholders, the lives of women, old and young, can be saved from these bogus practitioners.”

Daily News

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Police are hunting three men who held up a manager at a Durban North restaurant as he was opening the business for the day.

Durban - Police are hunting three men who held up a manager of a Durban North restaurant on Wednesday morning.

The men, posing as job seekers, accosted the manager as he was opening the restaurant in the Kensington Square shopping centre.

“One man allegedly held the manager at knife-point while another with a firearm demanded money and his cellphone. The suspects later fled on foot after assaulting the manager with the butt of a firearm, Marshall Security said in a statement.

“It is alleged the suspects made off with a large sum of cash along with a cellphone and a laptop. Marshall Security members along with the Durban North SAPS stood off on scene within minutes, however the suspects could not be located and remain at large”.

Police spokesman, Major Thulani Zwane, said detectives were investigating the incident.

He said no arrests had been made.

“A robbery case will be opened at Durban North police station for further investigation,” he said.

The manager of the restaurant did not want to speak to the Daily News on Thursday.

Workers in the centre said that the incident happened very quickly.

“Nobody knew there was even a robber until we saw the police and the security people. It’s quite scary,” a restaurant employee said.

Daily News

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A new study shows that the price of fresh vegetables at supermarkets catering to lower income consumers dropped month on month, possibly because of the affordability crisis.

Durban - The price of vegetables at supermarkets targeting the low-income retail market in Pietermaritzburg dropped month on month, possibly because of an affordability crisis, according to research by the Pietermaritzburg Agency for Community Social Action.

Although the study was based in the city, Mervyn Abrahams of the agency said the same was likely to be playing out across the province.

The NGO started tracking food prices in 2006 by comparing a basket of food items monthly at six supermarkets in the city serving the low-income market.

The latest figures revealed that while the food basket as a whole increased, when looking specifically at vegetables, prices dropped from February to March.

“The decrease in the vegetable price was an artificial one, driven by a drop in demand for vegetables on the supermarket shelves. Consumers, under financial stress, switched from the supermarket to street traders where vegetables were available for purchase in smaller volumes and could be individually hand-picked.

“The drop in demand on the supermarket shelf - caused by the affordability crisis in the pockets of the target market - forced the vegetable prices (perishable foods) down as an attempt to push up demand,” he said.

Three managers in charge of the fruit and vegetable section at supermarkets, who did not wish to be named, said they were still buying vegetables at high prices.

The agency’s data showed that between February and March, the price of a 10kg pocket of potatoes had dropped from R70.63 to R60.32; 3kg tomatoes from R47.39 to R35.38; and a 10kg pocket of onions from R59.16 to R50.66.

Abrahams said despite attempts by the supermarkets to induce demand, consumers could still not afford the reduced prices.

“A handful of supermarkets were found to be removing over-ripe tomatoes and green, sprouting potatoes from their shelves.

“The significant price drop of vegetables in our barometer is a reflection of how the affordability crisis in low-income households is now resonating in supermarkets which target the low-income retail market. It suggests that elasticity around food prices, particularly perishables, has declined steeply,” he said.

Abrahams said households with low incomes were unable to absorb price increases by spending more money.

sharika.regchand@inl.co.za

The Mercury

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A durban magistrate was surprised to heard that Shakila Singh’s domestic worker would not be pleading guilty to the former teacher’s murder.

Durban - Shakila Singh’s domestic worker appeared briefly in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, when magistrate Mothala appeared surprised to hear she would not be pleading guilty to the Musgrave widow’s murder.

Nonjabulo Mteki, 35, had been expected to enter a guilty plea, but the court heard on Thursday that she had changed counsel and would plead not guilty.

Mteki appeared alongside Kennedy Amon Ngongi, 28, and Ally Juna Abdullah, 34, both from Tanzania.

The three face charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.

Singh was murdered during an armed robbery in February.

A retired teacher, Singh was found bound and gagged on the floor of her Musgrave home in a secure multi-unit complex.

There were apparently no signs of forced entry.

Mteki was also in the house at the time and had called for help.

The three will apply for bail later this month.

Daily News

A Taxi Association vice-chairman was killed in what is thought to be related to tensions over illegal operators.

Pietermaritzburg - Northern Suburbs Taxi Association vice-chairman, Vinesh Singh, was gunned down early on Friday in what is thought to be related to tensions over illegal operators in the area.

According to initial police reports, Singh allegedly travelled to the corner of Bombay Road and Balhambra Way in Northdale to pick up one of his drivers, when he was confronted by an unknown gunman.

As the sound of gunshots disturbed the peace at about 5:20am, shocked residents and family members gathered at the scene where Singh, who had been driving a white bakkie, was declared dead by paramedics.

Association chairman, Nazeer Khan, who was also at the scene, said it was believed the murder stemmed from the recent spate of protests over a move to curb illegal taxi operators in the area.

“This is deeply disturbing and shocking. It is hoped that the police work fast to bring these criminal elements to book,” Khan said.

Family who rushed to the scene after hearing of the shooting were too traumatised to speak to the media.

They stood crying and consoling each other as police and officials went about their business.

sherlissa.peters@inl.co.za

Daily News

Despite recent rains, parts of KZN are still experiencing difficulties dealing with the ongoing water crisis.

Durban - The drought crisis in KwaZulu Natal continues to affect Ntsimbini, south of Durban, where water is only available in the early hours of the morning . Some schools are now depending on JOJO water tanks for to supply their needs. Even though water tanks are scheduled to visit the area at specified times, they sometimes do not come.

IOL spoke to Mcebisi Gwala, a pupil from Isibongindlela High in Ntsimbini, on how this water crisis affects him at school.

“ We have to wake up at 3 am as thats the only time we have running water because by 5 o clock the water is finished for the day so if you don't bath by that time or put water in buckets for the day you wont have any water. When you come back from school you need to wash your uniform with water everyone in the house has been using and its probably dirty by then,” says Mcebisi.

There is no clean drinking water at his school therefore he brings a 2 litre water bottle from home every day to drink and wash his hands.

He says that he is probably drinking dirty water now as he drinks water from a JOJO tank at school.

“In a JOJO tank you're not sure what is up on the roof and because there so many pupils at school the water quickly finishes from the tank.”

A community working together

Happiness Ndlovu, a resident of Ntsimbini, says the water crisis has taught communities to help each other.

“If my neighbour is lucky and has some water we will share but it is still difficult and we are suffering for water. We went to our councillors but they do not tell us what to do or help.”

In Umlazi K section residents have been experiencing water cuts since last year , but recently have the cuts have escalated. Residents of Nyathi Road and Phumula Road have not had any water since April 3. Although water tanks supply water in the area, they come in the afternoon when school children are at school and most adults are at work.

“I live in ward 78, and we haven't had any water in two weeks. The tanks don't have a particular time that they come which is sometimes frustrating as we don't get water and when they do come they come at midday. Its been two weeks without flushing the toilet and when we tell our councillor we are not being taken seriously they do not get back to us. Even if the water trucks come by, they pass our area and attend eNgonyameni,” says resident Peteros Mkhize .

While recent rains may have created the impression that the situation is improving , KwaZulu Natal residents are still urged to save water.

IOL MOJO

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The Red Meat Producers Organisation has lamented livestock theft in KZN, singling it out as a threat to farming.

Pietermaritzburg - The Red Meat Producers Organisation (RPO) has lamented livestock theft in KwaZulu-Natal, singling it out as one of the main threats to farming in the province.

KZN Community Safety and Liaison MEC Willies Mchunu revealed on Thursday when he tabled his department’s budget at the KZN Legislature that millions of rands were lost annually due to livestock theft.

He told Members of Provincial Legislature (MPLs) that stock theft had increased by 3,5% in the 2014/2015 financial year, amounting to losses of R90 million when compared with the 2013/2014 financial year.

“We remain concerned that the emotional and tangible value attached to stock poses a potential to trigger conflict if stock theft is not contained in this province,” the MEC told MPLs.

RPO spokesman Hendrik Botha said that livestock theft posed a huge threat to the survival of emerging and commercial farmers. “The situation is out hand in the province at the moment because whoever these people are they work in a very organised fashion,” said Botha, who applauded the police for the work they were doing.

“You need to understand that if these thieves take over ten cattle from an emerging farmer that could be his entire livelihood, so this is a serious matter.”

According to the MEC the overall recovery rate by the police was 42.3%, a rate which he admitted was low when considering the impact on the economy. It was mainly cattle (14 308) that were stolen, although Mchunu added that “Honourable members, pigs are not being spared by criminals”, with some 377 having been stolen. Three hundred and eighty one horses, donkeys and mules were also stolen, with 159 being recovered.

Mchunu said government was encouraged by the positive impact being made by the collaboration of the police and farmers in the battle against stock-theft in the province.

According to Mchunu, Amangwe Estcourt, Bulwer, Utrecht, Ladysmith and Bergville were the most affected areas when it came to stock theft.

African News Agency

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The eThekwini Municipality is owed R6.8 billion in outstanding debt - 78% of which is more than 90 days in arrears.

Durban - The eThekwini Municipality is owed an eye-watering R6.8 billion in outstanding debt - 78%, (R5.3bn) of which is more than 90 days in arrears.

Of this amount, R3.1bn amounts to “doubtful debt” which the city fears will be hard to recover.

The figures are contained in the eThekwini Municipality’s budget statement report for the end of March, presented to councillors at a Finance Committee meeting on Thursday.

The statement revealed that the R6.8bn was R1.3bn more than it was in March last year because of an increase in tariff for services and rates, coupled with an increase in the unemployment rate which had resulted in a number of customers defaulting on their payments.

Despite the massive debt, City Treasurer, Krish Kumar, said there was no need to panic.

“That debt is mostly consumer debt which is electricity, water and other debts. But our collection rate is still the highest in the country which is 104%. Therefore we are okay (to collect the debt).

“The second issue is that we have made a provision for bad debt which is about 50%, so there is about R3bn provided for that.

“If you look at it in context, our collection rate and our consumer debtors, it is not bad.

“In future months, however, we will just be reporting on consumer debts separate to our other debtors,” he said.

A report in the March statement said however that while a provision had been made for R3.1bn in bad debt, the debt would not be necessarily written off.

“It will still be pursued until it is not feasible to recover.

“Part of this provision is made up of Debt Relief Programme (DRP), Ingonyama Trust, bodies corporate, deregistered companies and interdicts against the municipality.

“The categories mentioned, except DRP have proven difficult to collect from. The debt collection process will continue including legal process eventually.

“These doubtful debts form part of the total debts over 90 days. The balance of about R2.2bn is recoverable,” the report said.

The report revealed that R950 million of business debt was the subject of litigation and had been handed over to the city’s attorneys.

From July 2014 to March 2016, 1 315 matters were handed over to lawyers.

Households where the property value was less than R250 000 owed R552m, the report said while R13.6m of “irrecoverable” debt was written off between July last year and March this year as all “reasonable notification and cost-effective legal avenues had been exhausted”.

Government departments, however, were among the top defaulters.

The report revealed that total government debt equated to R224m of which more than R153m was outstanding for more than 90 days.

Properties owned by Ingonyama Trust - which administers communal land on behalf of the Zulu nation - made up 7% of the R153m.

The report said the city had tried to get the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) to resolve the arrears but “no positive response has yet been received from Cogta”.

In addition to the Ingonyama Trust, the biggest defaulter was the Department of Water Affairs which was R17.8m in arrears with the city followed by the Housing Department which owed R7.6m and Public Works, R6.5m.

The report also revealed that 1 706 city employees owed the municipality R10m, while 12 councillors owed R12 392.

The report said R423 070 was deducted from employees’ salaries for bad debt while a total of 20 949 customers had had their electricity disconnected. This included staff and councillors.

lee.rondganger@inl.co.za

Daily News

The charges of intimidation levelled against controversial businessman Rajiv Narandas have been dropped, but he is far from out of the woods.

Durban - The charges of initimidation levelled against Rajiv Narandas last month, have been dropped but he is far from out of the woods.

Narandas was supposed to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Friday but the State said on Thursday that, after meeting the complainants in the intimidation case, it had decided to provisionally withdraw the charges.

“The State does have a prima facie case but the complainant - who is 72 - has a 65-year relationship with the (Narandas) family and no longer fears for his safety now that the accused is behind bars,” the court heard on Thursday.

Narandas is currently being held at Westville Prison.

The intimidation case related to a “family dispute” between him and his cousin, over who had the right to use a number plate.

But Narandas has also been convicted of stabbing 32-year-old Veenand Singh to death, outside a Sandton nightclub, in 2008.

The Supreme Court of Appeal has dismissed an application to overturn his 18-year prison sentence and he is in the process of approaching the Constitutional Court.

He is expected to appear in the Alexandra court next week to apply for bail during this process.

bernadette.wolhuter@inl.co.za

Daily News

Emotions ran high in the Durban High Court when three men were found guilty of killing 22-year-old Stephen Coetzee during a house robbery.

Durban - Emotions ran high in the Durban High Court on Thursday, when Acting Judge Madlala Xolo found three uMlazi men guilty of killing eManzimtoti’s Stephen Coetzee.

Coetzee’s loved ones wept as judgment was delivered.

Coetzee, 22, was killed taking a bullet for his father when a gang of heavily-armed men stormed their home and tried to steal Stephen Coetzee senior’s car.

He was shot in the head and was taken to hospital, where he later died.

Coetzee senior was among those in court on Thursday.

He was visibly emotional, pacing up and down, and sobbing in front of the courthouse, when proceedings broke.

In delivering his judgment, Xolo said the court had been confronted with conflicting evidence and had had to look at its totality.

The facts of what had happened that fateful day were not disputed, he said, only who was responsible for Coetzee’s death.

All three accused - Nkululeko Mkhize, 23, Nhlakanipho Sikhonde, 25, and Mxolisi Zwane, 25 - pleaded not guilty to charges of robbery and murder.

During their trial, their counsel had argued that the State’s witnesses were part of a “conspiracy” against them, but this was not supported by the evidence, Xolo said.

“It was too wide and too farfetched (an idea),” he commented.

It was impossible that police from Gauteng - where accused one and two were arrested - police from KwaZulu-Natal and witnesses were all involved in such a conspiracy, Xolo said.

The accused had also taken issue with the manner in which the ID parade was conducted, but Xolo dismissed their objections.

Coetzee senior had identified four men at an identity parade in August 2012.

He also identified the alleged shooter, who was also arrested, but has since died while in custody.

Under cross-examination, Mkhize’s lawyer, HM Zulu, put it to Coetzee senior that it would be impossible to be able to identify his client and the others while a gun was being pointed at him.

But Xolo said on Thursday that Coetzee senior’s explanation that he knew to look at them because he had been hijacked recently, made sense.

Zwane had provided an alibi for the day of Coetzee’s murder and said he was with his girlfriend, in Gauteng, but Xolo did not believe him.

He called all three “hopeless cases” on the stand, but said, on the other hand, he had found the State’s witnesses credible and reliable.

The accused’s versions were found to be false and found all three guilty of both counts.

Sentencing was expected on Friday.

Daily News

The KwaZulu Natal provincial government has announced plans to clamp down on violent protests using existing laws.

Durban - People participating in violent protests that cause massive damage to property are in for a surprise in KwaZulu-Natal.

The provincial government has announced plans to clamp down on violent protests using existing laws.

Tabling a R210-million budget for his department, Community Safety and Liaison MEC Willies Mchunu warned that organisers of and participants in violent protests would be held liable for millions worth of damage caused by their actions.

Last month, protests turned violent in Mandeni when factories, a truck, two vehicles and five containers were torched after the community protested against the nomination of a former mayor as ward councillor.

Damage was also caused in Folweni when a municipal building, a grader, a light delivery vehicle, a tractor-loader and two police vehicles were set alight when ANC members went on a rampage protesting against the nomination of a councillor.

Mchunu said the majority of protests in the province were not only unlawful, but were characterised by violent behaviour.

“The unlawful nature of the protests avoids prior notice to authorities and the consequent ability of authorities to exercise control over the protests,” he said.

Mchunu also said the government was duty-bound to act decisively against those behind the protests.

He said the government has been responding to protests by sending response teams, deploying the police and also charging those responsible with common law offences.

“However, we also now exploring other legal remedies,” Mchunu said.

The Gatherings Act would now be used to clamp down on the violent protests, he told lawmakers.

This law states that should any riot damage occur as a result of a protest, the participants and conveners would be held liable.

In enforcing this law, Mchunu said a legal task team was devising strategies against unlawful and violent protests.

“We say this financial year, people will have to be careful when they embark on illegal and violent protests. Where there is damage to property in terms of violent protests, there will have to be consequences,” he insisted.

The ANC was the first party to welcome the tough measures during the budget debate.

“This is not a banana republic. There are laws governing this country, the ANC’s” Mxolisi Kaunda said.

Kaunda said there was no way people could burn tyres and block roads as well as destroy facilities in the name of protests.

“We urge the police when there are public protests to ask: Have you been granted permission to march? Police should focus on that, and deal with that behaviour,” he said.

Opposition parties cautiously welcomed the stance on violent protests.

EFF’s Vukani Ndlovu said: “We must agree that you can’t organise a strike and become violent. That must not be allowed,” Ndlovu said.

The DA’s Rishigen Viranna said his party has long called for people to be held accountable for destruction of property during protests.

“There must be consequences. However, we do not want it selectively implemented,” Viranna said.

He also said the ANC was to blame for the protests, because of its failure to deliver on services.

“If there was proper delivery of services, people would not protest,” Viranna said, adding that this response should also apply to strikes by unions.

The NFP’s Erickson Zungu said his party partly concurred with Mchunu’s proposal, because a closer look at the service delivery protests showed they were caused by ANC internal squabbles that have now escalated to embarrassing levels to the ANC.

mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za

Daily News

Parents of a KwaMashu school have pledged to pay out of their own pockets for night watchmen to guard the school.

Durban - Parents of Mzuvele High School pupils, in KwaMashu, have pledged to pay out of their own pockets for night watchmen to guard the school, which has been hit by rampant theft for more than 10 years.

School governing body chairman Bongani Khumalo said parents at a meeting on Thursday, agreed to each contribute R20 a month for three nightwatchmen.

Khumalo also said a school safety forum had been formed and all parents would be encouraged to pay towards the costs of guards.

Representatives of a British school which had donated 30 computers that were stolen visited the school on Thursday, only to be shown an empty computer lab.

Georgina Lambton, a maths specialist at Garforth Academy in Leeds, said they vowed to continue their support.

She was told how since 2002 criminals had stripped the school, which has 1 191 pupils, of electronic equipment, copper pipes, electrical wires and toilets.

The school only has one security guard during the day.

The school had to cancel most of its lessons on Thursday as the toilets were not working because pipes had been stolen.

Lambton said she was shocked by the theft at the school.

She had been appointed in September to head the partnership between the two schools and was at Mzuvele for a maths project.

Mzuvele maths teacher Lindiwe Mvelase will accompany Lambton back to England to attend a skills development programme at Garforth.

Mzuvele’s governing body secretary, Lungile Mthimkhulu, said her school had requested computers from Garforth because it wanted to introduce computer lessons.

Lambton said pupils at her school had raised the money to buy the computers through sports events.

She said her school would not give up on Mzuvele and she would lobby for more funds to install security at the school.

“We are very a big school - we have about 1 900 students. So there are lots of students who can raise money through their family and friends.

“Hopefully there is room in the future for us to try and help them with steel bars on doors and windows to try to make the place to look more secured.”

Thandokuhle Primary School, which is close to Mzuvele High, had also been a victim of break-ins and theft for years.

A teacher at the primary school, who could not be named as she was not allowed to speak to the media, said the criminals had stolen stationery, toilet paper, water pipes, electricity cables, groceries meant for the pupils’ feeding scheme, a photocopying machine, a number of computers and tools.

“There are people who break in and sleep in the classrooms. They are also doing laundry in the school, which leaves the school with a huge water bill.”

She said the school had been allocated R100 000 for maintenance this year by the Department of Education, but its annual water bill was R82 000, leaving little money for general repairs.

Education MEC Peggy Nkonyeni’s spokesperson, Scelo Khuzwayo, said the department had always been concerned about the lack of security at the schools, but could not provide security because of a lack of funds.

“There are so many schools in KZN that need security, and we need sufficient budget to cover them all. Our ultimate goal is to have 24/7 security in all the schools,” he said.

bongani.hans@inl.co.za

The Mercury

Social media was abuzz with claims that Islamic State propaganda had been handed out to group of matrics at a Durban school.

Durban - Social media was abuzz on Thursday with claims that Islamic State propaganda had been handed out to a group of matrics at Northwood School this week, after a talk by visitors to Muslim pupils.

The school acknowledged on Thursday that an incident had occurred, but denied that it involved material promoting the Islamist militant group.

Social media users speculated that the group had been on a recruitment drive at the school, but in a statement Grant Smith, the chairman of the school governing body, while acknowledging that inflammatory and racist propaganda material was distributed, denied that it was about the Islamic State.

“Material of a religious nature was distributed without our knowledge to a small group of learners on April 13,” said Smith.

He said an investigation had indicated that a delegation of visitors was given permission to address members of the Muslim Students Association during the break.

“Thereafter, without permission, the visitors distributed a number of wrapped gifts that were subsequently found to contain propaganda material that is deeply offensive.”

Smith said they were establishing the exact circumstances that led to the distribution of the material, which was not authorised or condoned by the school.

This would also involve the Department of Education and the SAPS.

“Northwood School is committed firmly to freedom of religion and expression and has a number of religious and cultural societies.

“From time to time guest speakers are invited to address these societies on their interests,” said Smith.

“The school will not tolerate any attempt to indoctrinate or expose our learners to any messages or material that could potentially offend the religious beliefs of learners and parents or incite hatred or disrespect towards any individuals or groups within our diverse society.”

Police spokesperson Thulani Zwane said police responded when they were called by the management, but no one was arrested and no case had been open yet.

He said they were following up on the case.

Social media users commented after the news emerged, questioning what material had been disseminated and how the person or group had been able to engage with pupils.

The Mercury

The Department of Labour has warned about a conman posing as an inspector who demands money after conducting impromptu “inspections”.

Pretoria – The Department of Labour has warned members of the public about a conman in KwaZulu-Natal who was “masquerading as a labour inspector who subsequently conducts impromptu inspections and requests monies to be transferred into his account”.

The department’s acting spokesman Mokgadi Pela said this warning came after an employer in Howick, in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, contacted the department about a suspicious man who claimed to be an inspector and had conducted a spot inspection.

“The man claimed things were not in order and requested an amount of money to be deposited into an account,” said Pela. After the department received the complaint, the department “confirmed the man did not work for the Department”.

Pela emphasised that labour inspectors “always carry their identity cards, which bears their details and photo and the card is produced prior to the inspection”.

“The Department categorically states that this is nothing more than a scam by an opportunistic swindler intent on fleecing the unsuspecting,” said Pela.

He said the department was working with the police in investigating the case and would “leave no stone unturned to ensure that this fraudster is brought to justice and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law”.

Pela urged all employers, stakeholders and members of the public to be alert and to contact their nearest labour centre to verify any inspectors’ credentials.

African News Agency

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