On Friday, Magwala was in the dock with teenagers Thuso Thelejane, Mlungisi Ndlovu and 32-year-old sangoma Sbonakaliso Mbili.

All were found guilty of killing Murugan and are awaiting sentencing.

A fifth accused, Falakhe Khumalo, confessed and is serving a life sentence. A sixth accused, Vusumuzi Jabulani Gumede, was acquitted of being an accessory to the murder this year, after he served two-and-a-half years in prison.

Judge Thoba Poyo-Dlwati ordered that a psychologist’s report be compiled on Magwala after her lawyer, Rema Mahabeer, grilled probation officer Mahoshni Naidoo over her pre-sentencing report that recommended all four receive jail terms.

“Your report is completely opinionated and biased,” Mahabeer put it to Naidoo, pointing out that it was possible for murderers to get correctional supervision and that Magwala, now 19, had been a minor when Murugan was murdered.

“She was a child offender with a child.”

The court heard that Murugan, who was a prostitute, aged 37, had been lured to the Shallcross sports grounds for sex, stabbed 195 times and decapitated. Municipal workers found her body.

The lawyer told Naidoo that her client was not at the murder scene, was not part of the sexual assault and was not a participant of the stabbing. “She was also not part of the beheading of the victim and not part of the conveyance of the head to the relevant parties.”

Naidoo responded that Magwala had assisted in luring a number of potential victims for her co-accused.

Mahabeer stressed that Magwala had participated in the crime under duress, but Naidoo said she acted out of fear but also for financial gain.

The two also disagreed on Magwala’s behaviour profile.

Naidoo said Magwala was sent to stay at various homes because of her deviant behaviour after her mother’s death. Her grandmother had then fostered her. Mahabeer’s version was that Magwala had been moved between Bizana in the Eastern Cape, Harding and Durban for educational and financial reasons.

Mahabeer said once she had a child she displayed responsibility, creating her own home for herself and her infant in an informal settlement and was working as a cleaner.

INDEPENDENT ON SATURDAY

Johannesburg - The South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) has lauded a combined total of 16 life sentences and 110 years imprisonment handed to five gang members for the rape of a Jouberton, Kleksdorp mother and her three daughters.

"The harsh sentence will serve as a deterrent and send a strong message to perpetrators of heinous sexual violence that there is no place in our society for those who violate, defile, and abuse women and children in the sanctuary of their homes," Sanco national spokesman Jabu Mahlangu said.

Mahlangu commended police who carried out the investigation and the prosecutor for the successful prosecution. He urged communities to unite in intensified action against rape and gender-based violence.

"Women, girl children, including the elderly, must feel safe in the sanctuary of their homes and free to walk their streets as well as neighbourhoods at any time of day without looking over their shoulders in fear of being victims of vile and despicable acts," Mahlangu said.

According to North West police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone, the Gauteng North High Court sitting in Klerksdorp had established that the accused, aged between 20 and 30, had on August 22, 2015 kicked in the door and gained access to the house where they found a 50-year-old mother asleep with her children.

“The accused, who were armed with knives, had ordered the mother to undress and one of them raped her. She was taken to the bedroom where the accused gang raped her together with her three daughters, including a six-year-old minor," Mokgwabone said.

The incident occurred in front of her two sons who were threatened with knives. They left after taking household goods, including cosmetics, clothes, and a cellphone to the value of R6 000.

"The matter was reported to the police who worked hard and arrested the first three accused and charged them for house robbery and rape," he said.

The convicted gangsters, members of the "Dog for money" gang, were also linked to a case of theft in extension 14 in which they had stolen a school bag and a pair of shoes belonging to a school pupil.
African News Agency

An employee, together with an “agent” in KwaMashu, were arrested, and more arrests were expected.

KwaZulu-Natal Home Affairs provincial manager Cyril Mncwabe said the employee would appear in court soon, facing charges of fraud and corruption, relating to issuing fraudulent passports.

An “agent” finds a South African citizen, who, desperate for money, agrees to apply for a passport. When the person arrives at the branch, the official uses all the details of the South African, but swops their photograph for that of a foreigner.

“The passport is then issued in the South African’s name, but with the foreigner’s image, making it easy for the foreigner to pass off as a South African,” said Mncwabe.

The South African was promised a job or about R500.

The agent is believed to charge up to R30 000 for finding a South African citizen and paying the Home Affairs official to push through the passport.

“The official who was caught said she was paid R1000. We will be doing more investigations,” he said.

About 44 cases have been linked to the employee, but a source said this could rise to more than 200.

The foreigner, usually from another African country, uses the fake passport to apply for clothing and cellphone contracts, clothing on account, opening a bank account, and in some cases applying for a visa.

“The implications for the South African is that they can have huge credit taken out in their names, or when they do want to open a bank account, they will not be able to do so,” said an official.

To report suspicious activity, e-mail cyril.mncwabe@dha.gov.za

INDEPENDENT ON SATURDAY

Port Elizabeth - Police in Port Elizabeth are investigating another double murder case and three of attempted murder following a shooting in the city's northern areas, Eastern Cape police said on Saturday.

Police spokeswoman Colonel Priscilla Naidu said two people were killed and three others were wounded in a shooting on Friday night in Windvogel.

"It is alleged that at about [9pm] last night [Friday], a group of males were standing talking and drinking in 2nd Street in Windvogel when a white LDV bakkie approached them. According to police information, the vehicle stopped next to the group, the passenger alighted, and started firing at them," said Naidu.

David Kokora, 26, a Dustlife gang member, and Aartjie Kok, 23, were shot dead and three other people, aged 23, 29, and 39, were wounded. Naidu said among the injured was an off-duty policeman.

The shooter was unknown and police were investigating two cases of murder and three of attempted murder. No arrests had yet been made.

Police were believed to be on high alert on Friday night after a spate of shootings were reported around the city's northern areas. Gun shots were heard in the Malabar informal settlement area and it was reported that a murder had taken place.

This was the second double murder case reported in the city's northern areas this week. On Thursday night two gang members - Hillerion Jacobs, 27, and Dane Oosthuizen, 27 - were shot dead in a drive-by shooting along Standford Road.
African News Agency

Janna Ayyad Jihad didn’t flinch.

The soldiers may have been double her size, and armed with rifles and gas canisters, but she refused to back down.

“Of course, I was fearful of what may happen,” says the 11-year-old. “If you don't have fear, you're not normal. But you should never let your fear control you.”

The young Palestinian activist, who was just nine at the time, was taking part in a peaceful demonstration in her village of Nabi Saleh in Palestine in 2015, when she was approached by a group of Israeli soldiers.

“They tried scaring me and intimidating me at first, but I stood firm and did my best to put on a brave face.

“They then took their guns out and started hitting me with it on my legs. They beat me up so badly that I was unable to walk for a week.”

But the child's violent assault did little to discourage her from continuing to demonstrate against military occupation in her home village on the West Bank.

The next week, Janna was back on the streets of Nabi Saleh.

“If we let fear control us, we will never achieve our dream of enjoying freedom and peace in Palestine,” she says. “There are a lot of innocent children that are suffering and that are being killed.

“Too much blood is being shed. So we have to make sure that the next generation lives in a world of peace, a world of love, and a world of quality.”

Since 2009, village residents of Nabi Saleh have marched every Friday to protest against the continued expansion of the settlement of Halamish on privately-owned Palestinian land, settler attacks and the take-over of their village.

However, the Israeli army have countered these marches with tear gas, rubber coated steel bullets, and live ammunition, causing injuries and countless deaths.

“Life in Palestine is incredibly hard because of the Zionist occupation,” says Janna. “Living in a war-torn country, losing lots of people you love, seeing their blood on the streets, is not the way anyone should be living.”

Janna, and two other young Palestinian activists, Ahed Tamimi (16), and Muhammed Nawajah (13), arrived in South Africa last week to create awareness about the plight of Palestinians.

The trio will also be taking part in the Tricon Film Fest, and are the focus of a documentary called Radiance of Résistance.

The documentary tells the story of Janna and Ahed who live under military occupation in Nabi Saleh.

The group is being hosted in SA by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation among several other foundations.

“I try to live my childhood as best as I can, but it's hard. When we're playing outside, Israeli soldiers come and start shooting at us. We get pepper sprayed and have gas canisters thrown at us.

“Occupation is a thing that you cannot even imagine. They are stealing land, killing children, burning children, arresting my friends and injuring loved ones.

“They don't let us go and see the sea. I've never even gone to the Palestinian Mediterranean Sea.”

Janna goes to bed each night fearing she might never see her loved ones again. “I'm very afraid to lose my friends, to lose my mom, to lose someone that loves me. I'm never safe. I feel like I'm not in a safe place because a lot of times settlers just come in and just kill children with their cars.

“We have humanity, we have mercy, not like them.”

Apart from being at the forefront of demonstrations in Nabi Saleh, Janna is also one of the youngest journalists in the world. She reports from her village in the West Bank on the ongoing conflict.

The young reporter from Nabi Saleh, which has a population of 600, captures footage daily of locals pushing back against Israeli occupation.

“I started doing my work as a journalist when I was seven ... when I saw there weren't enough journalists to cover the things that happened in Nabi Saleh especially and in all of Palestine.

“My uncle and one of my best friends had been killed by soldiers and no one in the world had reported on it. I told myself why not be that journalist who covers everything?”

Janna dreams of one day studying at Harvard University, and then hopes to work at news broadcaster CNN.

“I want to go to work for CNN because they don't tell the truth and I want to go and tell the truth to the whole world ... I want to show the whole world that even under war and under occupation you can achieve anything.”

Ahed, who doesn't live too far away from Janna in Nabi Saleh, says her dream was to become a professional footballer.

But it seems impossible. “It's so hard to live in an occupied village and occupied country. Your dreams won't stay as you want.

“I wanted to be a football player, but when they arrested my father, my mother, and both my brothers, I wanted to become a lawyer so I can defend them.

“My dad has been in jail nine times, my mom has been arrested five times, my older brother two times, and my younger brother has been in jail more than one time.”

Ahed has also been injured several times in clashes with Israeli soldiers and was even shot in the leg last year with a rubber-coated steel bullet. “I go to bed each night fearing I may never see another day. The thing that Israeli occupation does to us is it gives us the strength to fight and resist. When you see someone you love getting killed in front of your eyes, it gives you more strength to resist.”

Muhammed Nawajah, who hails from the village of Sussiya in the South Hebron Hills, says most days he is unable to go to school because of the military occupation.

“While going to school they start chasing us and making us scared. They don't want us to go to school and educate ourselves because we are the next generation that could make Palestine free,” he says.

He and his family live in a tent in Sussiya after Israeli soldiers demolished their entire village.

“Sometimes the rain gets so bad it blows our tent away and we have to sleep out in the cold.

"When it rains the water seeps through and wets the few possessions we have.”

Nawajah dreams of becoming an English translator. “English is the language of the world. I want to learn it properly so that I can tell the whole world how we are suffering."

The three Palestinian activists tell how they have drawn great strength from South Africa's struggle for freedom.

“I think SA is one of the best countries that has given me hope, because South Africans lived the life we live in,” remarks Janna.

“After I learnt about South Africa's history and how the country was freed, it gives me great hope that one day Palestine will be free too.”

The Saturday Star

With these words, a Molweni resident tried to comfort partially paralysed Sheila Pilling, who had minutes earlier been thrown out of their hijacked vehicle.

The New Germany domestic worker did not wish to be named or photographed, fearing her good actions may incur the wrath of the hijackers who are still at large. But today she will meet the Pilling family who want to convey their gratitude.

Last Thursday, a massive search was launched for 87-year-old Sheila after the hijacking. She and her husband, John, had been in the driveway of their friend’s home in Sanders Road, New Germany, when five men confronted them.

John had been at the back of the vehicle taking out a wheelchair for his wife when the men struck. He was shot in the jaw, and the hijackers drove off with Sheila.

Their son, Adrian, flew in from Johannesburg and feared the worse for his disabled mum. “There were so many people involved in bringing this shocking story to a fairy-tale ending,” he said.

A New Germany resident called The Independent on Saturday this week to say her domestic worker had been the first to run to Sheila’s aid.

“Last Saturday, I asked her if she had heard about the incident, because the hijacking happened a few roads away, and she said ‘I know, I know’.

“I asked her how she heard about it, and she told me that she had gone to help the lady on the road and gave her water to drink. She is an incredibly caring person, if someone needs help, she is always there,” the woman said.

The Independent on Saturday put Adrian in touch with Sheila’s “Good Samaritan”, who are all expected to meet today.

The “Good Samaritan” told the Independent on Saturday what had happened. “My family and I were sitting outside when we heard someone screaming for help. We saw some men holding a white lady near the road, then they dropped her and ran away so quickly in the car,” she said.

The lady’s grandson ran towards Sheila, with his grandmother close behind.

“I saw this lady on the ground screaming, I told my daughter to bring water for her. I told her she must not worry, we will help her, she was shaking so much. I asked her if she would drink water and she said no. Then a man pulled up in a van and called the ambulance because I had no airtime.

“Last week when I went to work, my employer asked me if I had heard about the lady and I told her about what happened. When she brought the paper I told her it was the same woman. I am so happy she is okay now.”

Sheila and John Pilling were both released from hospital earlier this week, and Adrian said they were doing fine.

“We are determined to find the people involved in finding mum and bring closure to the incident and finish off this wonderful story of community co-operation and purpose. We are extremely grateful.”

INDEPENDENT ON SATURDAY

However, as a criminal case against well-known entrepreneur Wandile Motlana has been launched with the Joburg Commercial Crimes Unit, he told the Saturday Star the “scandalous, vexatious and spurious” allegations were part of a corporate conspiracy designed to oust him from the consortium.

The case originated last September when Motlana’s cousin, Gosego Dingake, launched an urgent application to prevent him from accessing the Toka Trust, a major Kensani shareholder.

According to Dingake’s court papers, she discovered that she was a beneficiary of the trust only in August last year after apparently being informed by Kensani chief executive Kelley Starke-Dow.

As one of the trust’s four beneficiaries, Dingake believed she was due to 25% of all amounts paid to the trust - about R22m.

Dingake claimed Motlana had used his status as a trustee to pay out upwards of R80 million to himself.

She claimed he had “gifted” her R150 000 over the past few years, sometimes at her request.

“Little did I know that these gifts bestowed upon me resulted in Wandile unlawfully and illegally misappropriating funds from the trust,” Dingake said.

She also claimed Motlana had tried to intimidate her adult daughter, Khumo, during a meeting with her at a Daveyton petrol station.

“Wandile handed Khumo a pre-prepared document, informing Khumo that if she did not sign the document he would make sure I was arrested and would go to jail,” Dingake said.

She said the document alleged that she was an alcoholic and drug addict. Khumo crossed these sections out but felt that she had to sign the document.

“Wandile is a powerful, wealthy and connected man. I’m indeed fearful of Wandile and his reputation

“I wish to place on record that should anything happen to me or any other directors of Kensani during these legal proceedings, it will undoubtedly be perpetrated by or at the instruction of Wandile,” a distraught Dingake said.

In October last year, Motlana was interdicted from accessing the trust, with a further application then launched by Dingake to have him removed as a trustee entirely.

According to Dingake’s lawyer, Ian Levitt, the day before the application was set to be argued in the Pretoria High Court, Motlana resigned as a trustee.

While two interim trustees were appointed, Dingake has since launched an application to be made a full trustee, alongside the interim pair.

In Motlana’s answering affidavit to the newest application, he explained his resignation as a trustee as being “for the good of the trust” and to help foster relations between the Motlana and Dingake families.

He denied all the allegations against him, but admitted that as a trustee he was entitled to the millions paid out from the trust as it was a “discretionary trust”.

In an interview with the Saturday Star on Friday, Motlana declined to comment further on the allegations of intimidation, fraud and theft, wary that this could affect future court proceedings against him.

However, he said he was confident that the courts would vindicate him.

As in his answering affidavit, Motlana painted a picture of a divided Kensani board, triggered by a planned settlement from the end of 2015 for Starke-Dow and her husband, Robert, to leave the firm.

According to Motlana, a series of court applications were under way between himself and the couple as both sides vied for control of Kensani.

He believed this current application was a “racist ploy” to push his cousin into opening up cases - civil and criminal - against him, and remove him from his position.

Motlana claimed he had been on the receiving end of anonymous death threats triggered by the upheaval at Kensani, with a colleague, Indiran Pillay, also claiming his life was at risk.

The two claimed that after a “significant” business meeting together on Thursday, Pillay was followed to his home, where an attempted hijacking took place.

While he managed to avoid being hijacked and any serious harm, both believed the incident was linked to the battle for Kensani.

Saturday Star

Amanda Durand Michau, who claims she lives in Paris, France, and runs a home industry, responded that the young woman must call a farmer.

In Afrikaans, she wrote: “Black snake begs for food on Facebook and then I tell her she must phone a farmer!”

After a barrage of criticism from members of the group, she responded: “Now I’m famous because I said I don’t feed houtkoppe.”

She later wrote: “Kill a farmer, go hungry. And that’s that.”

The administrator of the group deleted all her comments, but Michau took to her page, writing in Afrikaans: “They want to eat but they make farmers dead. Wtf now they are begging online nogal. I won’t feed them.”

Parkhurst group member Dianne Bayley reported her to Facebook, telling her: “What you have done is considered hate speech, and is unconstitutional.

“I’d get a lawyer if I were you. Penny Sparrow also thought she could get away with disgusting racism.”

Another user, Alison Sutcliffe, wrote: “What an atrocious excuse for a human. Apartheid is over, Ouma. You need to wake up.”

In a post, Facebook user Sammy Parrish described Michau as a “revolting, hateful human!” But Michau termed the response from the “kugels of Parkhurst” the “best soapie, which I in years couldn’t write”.

She insisted she could write what she wanted on her own Facebook page.

“I am not hiding! I see and read all the comments. I have a right just like any other in this country and I’ll be dammed if you take it from me! My voice gave you freedom! I can take it back! My comments are now on Twitter, the radio and f*** knows what else. I won’t withdraw my comments. Kill a farmer, go hungry!”

She later wrote that there were 76 notifications on her timeline.“I got enough k*k today, I’m going to lie down, otherwise there’s a hit on my life.” 

Saturday Star

This fighter(pictuted) takes a nap while waiting for the CIC #EFFTurns4 #EFFAnniversary @SundayTribuneSA pic.twitter.com/BMVkIaVibT

— Lungani (@lunganizungu) July 29, 2017

The project involves burning of waste and conversion of produced energy.

It came under sharp criticism this week when local businesses and residents met to discuss its effect.

Not only is the process through which the tender was awarded incorrect, the effect of the project on the region’s environment and people is potentially dangerous, said Keith Roman, spokesman for the Wellington Association Against the Incinerator.

He said the municipality was “bulldozing” the incinerator project through without considering other options, including waste reduction, recycling and re-use.

The ash and smoke produced in burning waste would have health risks for residents, Roman added.

Furthermore, the proposed site for the incinerator is on land which has a valid claim by the residents of Sakkieskamp, who were forcefully removed in the 1970s. The municipality has not handed over the land to the claimants, saying it is not suitable for restitution.

Roman said the Wellington Association Against the Incinerator has resorted to taking the matter to court to try to have the municipality’s decision reviewed.

Among the issues raised in the association's court papers is that the municipality first issued a request for proposals to bidders and then adjusted the requirements when it told the four shortlisted bidders to conduct feasibility studies and to take on the operation of the Wellington landfill site.

The municipality further registered the project as a private public partnership, but this was rejected by the National Treasury, which required the municipality to conduct its own feasibility study, among other requirements.

However, the municipality went ahead and signed a memorandum of understanding with its preferred bidder.

Another concern raised by the association is the volume of waste to be transported to Wellington and the proximity of the proposed incinerator site to residential areas and schools.

The court papers read: “Hundreds of tons of waste could be imported daily into Wellington and this waste would be burned to generate electricity to offset the municipality’s power bill. I understand that the idea is to import the waste from neighbouring towns and possibly even from abroad.”

Municipal manager Johan Leibbrandt said the project was necessary or the landfill would run out of space by 2022.

“Transporting waste to a Cape Town landfill site will be an exorbitant cost. Various impact assessment studies have been completed for the proposed project and the ongoing project process will include full community consultation before a final decision is taken,” he said.

He denied there was a land claim where the proposed incinerator would be built.

“The memorandum of agreement which the Drakenstein Municipality signed with Interwaste implies that all the waste collected by the municipality from households and businesses will go to the recycling facility at the Wellington landfill site once this facility has been built by Interwaste as part of the proposed waste-to-energy project.

“The municipality exercises no control over the waste in Drakenstein prior to its collection thereof.

"The recycling companies in Drakenstein may make use of recycling opportunities prior to municipal collection of waste. Nothing is prohibiting them from doing so," said Leibbrandt.

noloyiso.mtembu@inl.co.za

Weekend Argus

Pretoria - Ronnie Mamoepa could not be tempted to betray the moral precepts with which he had been raised, nor the revolutionary morality that had become an essential part of his being, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Saturday.

Delivering the eulogy at the official funeral at St Alban's Cathedral in Pretoria of his spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa who died at the age of 56 last weekend from complications after a stroke a few weeks before, Ramaphosa said that as the corrosive effects of power and authority took hold of many within the African National Congress "Ronnie remained steadfast".
 
"He remained honest, true to his word, and true to himself. Above all Ronnie was a loyal and disciplined cadre of the movement. His discipline was expressed not in blind adherence to organisational authority but in an appreciation that the power of any revolutionary movement lies in the commitment of its leaders and members to serve the people," he said.
 
Without that commitment, the ANC was ineffective; the struggle futile. He understood this because he was steeped in the history, traditions, and values of the ANC. He knew the struggles that had been fought by those who came before him, he knew the sacrifices they had made, the difficult choices they had faced and the political debates that had raged.

"Having witnessed the destructive power of racial prejudice, Ronnie was a firm champion of non-racialism. For him, non-racialism was fundamental to the struggle for a free and equal society. It wasn’t a concession. It wasn’t an act of magnanimity. It wasn’t an olive branch extended by the oppressed to the oppressor in the hope that it may reciprocated.
 
"For him, non-racialism – like non-sexism – was an inviolable principle that he would defend, fight for and, if need be, for which he would give his life," Ramaphosa said.
 
He took upon his shoulders the responsibility to liberate not only those who had suffered so severely at the hands of apartheid, but also those who had perpetuated the system and who had been its beneficiaries.
 
He understood that he had a role to play to liberate them from the false ideology of racial superiority, which brought great material reward but which eroded their own humanity. He sought a country where all people would be free, where all people would be complete, fulfilled and at peace.
 
"Ronnie has left us with an awesome responsibility, to prove ourselves worthy of his confidence. He has left us with the responsibility to unite our movement and unite our nation," he said.
 
"Through his vitality, his passion, his essential integrity and his abiding love for his people he reminded us of what it means to be human. The way he lived his life and the effect he had on so many of us makes us appreciate the immutable ties that bind one person to another.
 
"We have gathered here to give comfort to [his wife] Audrey, his children Olefile, Muriel, Sakhile, Ntando, and Ofentse, his siblings and all the members of the Mamoepa family. We wish to express our deep and abiding gratitude to them for having shared Ronnie so generously with the nation.
 
"As we ease your pain with our presence, prayers, and messages to you as a family; we who knew and worked with Ronnie are also here to comfort each other, for we have, each of us, suffered a great loss. We have each lost a friend, a colleague, a confidant, a teacher, a mentor, a comforter, and a constant presence," Ramaphosa said.

African News Agency

Pretoria - A woman, believed to be in her 30s, sustained burn wounds when she fell into a fire in Olievenhoutbosch in Centurion, Pretoria, early on Saturday morning, paramedics said.

ER24 was called to the Olievenhoutbosch police station just after 5am. Once there, they assessed the woman for her wounds. She sustained moderate burns, ER24 spokeswoman Ineke van Huyssteen said.

"It is believed that the woman was walking next to a fire where a group of people were seated. She allegedly fell backwards into the fire. She was transported to Kalafong Hospital for further medical care. The details surrounding the incident are not yet clear to our paramedics," Van Huyssteen said.
African News Agency 

Stellenbosch - One person died and at least 15 others were injured when a minibus taxi and a bakkie collided at the Welgevonden estate intersection in Stellenbosch in the Western Cape on Saturday morning, paramedics said.

Upon ER24’s arrival at 7.12am, all the patients were out of the vehicles, ER24 spokeswoman Ineke van Huyssteen said.

"Some were lying down, some were seated, and others were walking around on [the] scene. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done for the woman who was lying next to the taxi. ER24 declared the patient dead on [the] scene."

ER24, as well as another medical service on the scene, transported the various patients to nearby hospitals for further care. The circumstances surrounding the accident were not yet known, Van Huyssteen said.
African News Agency

Friday was the deadline for the Department of Health to hand over an action plan to resolve the province’s oncology crisis, but any intervention will come too late for a nine-year-old boy who died while waiting for radiotherapy treatment. 

Qalokusha Msweli died at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital from a cancerous tumour in his brainstem on Thursday morning. His mother, Thandi Khoza, said he was wheezing and coughing on Wednesday night. She was by his side as he let out a final cough, then took his last breath. 

“I was shocked. I could see the machine (heart monitor) drop down to zero but I didn’t expect him to die, just like that” she said. 

Qalokusha was admitted at the beginning of June, after a CT scan and MRI confirmed he had a brain stem glioma. 

“I noticed his hand was stiff in January while helping him with homework, he could barely grasp,” said Khoza. 

Qalokusha had recently taken off a cast after breaking his arm – she thought his condition was an aftereffect of that injury. But when it progressed, she took him to Ngwelezane Hospital where he was referred as his condition got worse, eventually leading to paralysis. 

At Albert Luthuli Hospital, Qalokusha was scheduled for five days of radiotherapy, but only went once, on June 29. 

Khoza left him in hospital, confident that the potentially lifesaving treatment would continue. 

After receiving no word she returned, leaving her two other children, and a job in Mtubatuba to sleep in a chair by his side. 

Qalokusha was again given a date for this month. However when they arrived, they were told a mask to keep his head in place had been lost and his treatment would be rescheduled. 

This did not happen. 

His father, Jabulani Msweli, said as recently as Monday, they were promised Qalokusha would be given a radiotherapy date. 

“He got weaker, stopped talking, when he cried, sometimes tears would just come out of his eyes and no sound at all. It was painful to watch,” said Khoza. 

She said at one point, a doctor in the ward asked her when Qalokusha was going for radiotherapy. 

“I went to the oncology department to ask but no one could answer me. The nurses in the ward were really nice but they couldn’t tell me anything. The surgical department told me the truth, that they could not operate on him because the tumour was in a bad place. The oncologist said they were going to treat him, why couldn’t they do that, at least try and leave the rest to God? If things were too bad, why didn’t they tell me there was nothing else they could do?” said Khoza. 

“We would have wanted him to be around his siblings, for us to pray for him and have a chance to say goodbye to him as family. But the way things were handled hurts me,” said Jabulani. 

Unemployed due to epilepsy – he said he was at a loss for words to describe the pain of losing his son.

Lorraine Govender, the national advocacy co-ordinator of the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa), which provided counselling and support for Khoza after being contacted by her employer, said they shared the family’s concern about bringing Qalokusha’s body home and hoped the public would support their plea for help. 

“Children in public health care always have first priority.”

Although he lost his battle with cancer, Qalokusha’s diagnosis and initiation on treatment had been relatively fast considering that cancer patients waited up to eight months for treatment as reported in the South African Human Rights Commission report released last month. 

The Commission’s Gushwell Brooks said following the 10-day deadline they also imposed a 30-day deadline, ending on Friday for the department to provide a plan on how they would implement recommendations. “Once we have received it we will study it and determine whether it is appropriate and if we need to take it further, more serious steps,” he said. 

The Mercury could not get comment from the Health Department on this article in time for publication.

The Mercury

Clinical training at hospitals has also been halted.

The school’s student representative council (MSRC) wants management to hand over the R1.4 million KPMG forensic report into bribery and corruption allegations.

It has been calling for the report since the arrest of three suspects linked to the selling of sought-after places at the institution in May.

They also want management to intervene in the decentralisation programme, saying it compromised the quality of their training.

MSRC president Nkosinathi Ndebele said UKZN must come clean about the report and questioned why it was hiding it. 

“They said nearly two months ago they would give it to us, but where is it? We will continue strike action until we get this report. Medical school has come to a standstill. We will meet on Monday to see if our demands will be met.”

With regard to the decentralisation programme, the council said sending students to peripheral sites, where there aren’t enough consultants and registrars, would not result in a high level of training.

They are against the programme and believed management was pushing the programme to accommodate the influx of Cuban students, who they have been told are to join the medical school.

Voices

In an e-mail sent to all medical school students, the council said: “Some issues have been raised for a number of months and the MSRC felt that the only way for our voices to be heard is to go on strike. Let our voices be heard. United we stand, divided we fall. We have sent our grievances to management and await their response. When we revolt, it’s not for a particular culture. We revolt because, for many reasons, we can no longer breathe.”

UKZN spokesperson Normah Zondo confirmed that management had received a memorandum of grievances from the MSRC on Friday.

“Management has been engaging with student leadership to address these matters. A meeting has been arranged for Monday with student leadership to discuss matters raised in the memorandum.”

She said the programme was part of the policy of the National Department of Health and is aligned with objectives of enhancing the training of all graduates. Zondo assured the SRC would be consulted prior to implementation.

“The students’ request for the report has been under consideration and as a result a decision was reached that the chairperson of council would share the contents with the MSRC following a special meeting scheduled for August.”

Zondo said UKZN continued to co-operate with the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority to ensure those implicated in the investigation on fraudulent enrolments are brought to book.

“It’s expected those involved will be removed before the admissions process for the 2018 academic year begins. Management respects students’ rights to protest but is equally concerned about the loss of valuable teaching and learning time as a result.”

The Durban University of Technology embarked on a strike this week over issues relating to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.

nabeelah.shaikh@inl.co.za

SUNDAY TRIBUNE

Millions of KwaZulu-Natal children could go hungry.

A group of businesspeople and companies interdicted the Education MEC Mthandeni Dlungwana, from awarding new tenders for the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) – which feeds 2.2 million children at 5 250 schools in the province – pending the outcome of an internal appeal.

The Pietermaritzburg High Court ordered “current” service providers to continue operating under the terms of their “existing” service level agreements and interdicted new service providers from working. 

But the problem, according to the Department of Education, is that contracts of “current” service providers referred to expired last month.

The department confirmed this in a statement yesterday afternoon.

However, the department said the meals would be provided.

“One way or another, they will have food,” spokesperson Kwazi Mthethwa said.

He said the department's legal team was dealing with the matter and would go to court to challenge the order as soon as possible.

The case centres on allegations of irregularities in the awarding of new tenders, valued at R1.4 billion.

Zimele Kwanele Mthenjana, one of the former service providers, said in her founding affidavit that some companies were incorporated after the closing date for the issue of bid documents, on December 9. She said there was improper compliance. But regardless, she went on, the MEC published a notice indicating intention to award contracts in terms of tenders at the end of June.

“My attorneys on record did preliminary investigations of the companies… A company search revealed there are significant issues in respect of many of them… some (don't exist), some are in the process of deregistration or have not paid annual returns and so on.” 

She said the process was not transparent, calling it “corrupt”. “These are matters which can be clearly ventilated and examined once all the documentation is provided and reasons furnished for the failure to award the bid to (us),” she said.

New service providers took operations this week but the process faltered, with late food deliveries on Monday and Tuesday, meaning some children went without food.

Regarding the interdict, the department said it received no notice that it was being taken to court. “It would also appear that the interim order interdicts the entire tender process, notwithstanding that, only a handful of bids have been taken on appeal.”

The Mercury

A specialised unit of the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs is on a campaign to clean up the acts of businesses operating in KwaZulu-Natal and came in for some nasty surprises this week.

The unit – Consumer Protection Services – carried out inspections in Durban, issuing a R3 000 fine to one business for its “unhygienic actions”.

The motor industry and retailers – or those selling fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) – were targeted by two teams of inspectors.

At one of the premises – a bakery in Isipingo – there was evidence of a rat infestation, as well as cobwebs.

Staff members were also washing up and showering in the vicinity of the baking area, and were not using gloves while preparing the food.

The baking equipment was also found to be in poor condition and the environment was not adequately temperature controlled.

“The conditions were terrible and could have made customers very sick,” said spokesperson for the department Bongani Tembe.

The business would be receiving guidance from the department so that it might resume operations.

“The last thing we want to do is shut businesses down permanently because we are trying to grow the economy.”

Tembe told The Mercury on Thursday that the unit had joined forces with other enforcement agencies, including the municipality, to curb illegal practices.

“Many of these businesses do not comply with the Consumer Protection Act, and some are even unlicensed.”

Confiscate

The unit also monitored informal businesses.

“For example, there are many who sell fish from their vehicles. The fish sits in the car all day without being properly refrigerated. People who buy this fish run the risk of falling ill after eating it.”

In these cases, it was common to confiscate the items and destroy them.

He said many businesses employed foreigners who were in the country illegally. Some workers in shops even slept there. Expired food, some going back to last year, was also found.

“These businesses have been operating with impunity, so drastic steps need to be taken.” He said the financial sector would also be strictly monitored.

“There are many offering ‘financial services’ but are loan sharks. They confiscate people's identification documents and bank cards.”

Tembe said they embarked on the campaign recently, launching it in Nquthu, but were intensifying the drive across the province, particularly in Durban. “These issues have far-reaching implications for health and safety. Strict and regular monitoring is crucial.”

He said consumers also needed to know their rights.

“Some consumers don't read the labels, or complain if there is a problem.”

Similar joint inspections were carried out in March when surprise visits were conducted at stores in Durban. Underpaid workers, non-compliance with employment standards and expired food were some of the transgressions found.

At the time, expired baby food was found on the shelves of one of the stores inspected, and officials found that the same store was selling radios and amplifiers illegally, as they were not certified by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa.

Rat and cockroach droppings were also found.

The Mercury

Johannesburg - Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba has extended deepest condolences to the families of the people who died during a stampede at the Carling Black Label Chiefs vs Pirates soccer match at the FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

"The cause of the stampede is under investigation by the South African Police Service (SAPS). The city’s emergency management services (EMS), 100 Johannesburg metro police department (JMPD) officers, and disaster management unit are on site," he said.

All gates had been opened to ensure crowd control and the game proceeded without any further incident. The city would work with the SAPS to ensure that the cause of the tragedy was investigated.

"This sad loss of life at such a highly anticipated event is indeed a tragedy and the city will work with all the relevant authorities to prevent tragedies such as this in future," Mashaba said.

The stampede was believed to have taken place outside the stadium while the match was already well underway. As such, the match was completed with many unaware of the disaster, until various reports starting flooding in just before full-time.
 
Two people died and 17 were injured, one critically and 16 with minor injuries, during a turnstile stampede.
African News Agency

Four patients who were treated by Cuban national Juan Luis Yings Elutil, known as Dr Omar, contacted the Sunday Tribune this week and said they were horrified.

Elutil was arrested by police two weeks ago and charged with fraud by the Health Professionals Council of SA (HPCSA) for practising while unregistered for 14 years.

He worked at Daymed Private Hospital owned by Dr Navind Dayanand, and was caught after an investigation by medical aid firm Discovery Health.

Geoff Wyngard, a patient, said he would be taking legal action against Daymed because of a horrifying incident under Elutil’s watch. He said he was admitted to the hospital on July 1 for a chest infection, and was treated by Elutil.

“He prescribed medication and booked me into a ward. An hour after the medication was prescribed, I had an allergic reaction. I was meant to be treated by a Dr Mohamed, who never showed up. I asked to be discharged the following morning. I then went to Mediclinic where I was placed in isolation. I suffered severe throat tightness and developed spots all over my body,” said Wyngard.

He said he was gobsmacked when he heard Elutil was unregistered.

“To think this man treated me sent shivers down my spine I find it hard to believe management did not know.”

He has also reported his incident to Discovery Health and alleged he was billed twice by the hospital. Wyngard said he requested his file from Daymed this week but the hospital allegedly refused to hand it over.

A second patient, Anisha Simney, said she was also treated by Elutil at the hospital and also planned to take legal action. “To know that this can happen at a private hospital really freaks me out. I think all the patients treated by this doctor need to put their heads together and to find a way to take on this hospital. It makes a mockery of health care in the country.”

Simney said she would lay a formal complaint with her medical aid company.

Dayanand last week denied knowing Elutil was unregistered.

Last week, the Mountain Rise police station sent a statement on a SAPS letterhead to the Sunday Tribune stating that the case against Elutil had provisionally been withdrawn in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court.

However, the National Prosecuting Authority said this week that it was not true and that the SAPS was not authorised to make such a statement on its behalf.

Director of Public Prosecutions in KZN, advocate Moipone Noko, said: “The case was not withdrawn. Rather, it was not enrolled as investigations must still be conducted. The SAPS has been handed the case docket back to investigate, and were requested to give it urgent attention as the suspect’s passport expires in November 2017.”

Both Dayanand and his attorney did not respond to questions sent to them this week.

POLICE TRY TO STOP STORY BEING PUBLISHED

Two Pietermaritzburg police officers have made contact with the reporter in an attempt to stop her from writing stories involving Daymed Private Hospital.

A policeman close to the investigation phoned the reporter last week to ask that she hold back the story as publishing it could jeopardise his investigations.

The reporter told him that the story was based on facts and is backed by evidence and the report was based on an investigation by the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

Then on Friday night, at about 10.45pm, a high-ranking Pietermaritzburg policewoman called the reporter to inform her that the Dayanand family were victims of a personal feud. She claimed to have no links with the family but said she was making a courtesy call to explain the unrelated politics linked to them.

The reporter said she was baffled by the call because the story was about the unregistered doctor and not the Dayanand family.

nabeelah.shaikh@inl.co.za

Johannesburg - The Democratic Alliance has offered its sincere condolences to the family members of the two soccer fans who died during a stampede at the FNB stadium in Soweto, Johannesburg on Saturday afternoon.

Two people died in the turnstyle stampede as the derby match between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates got under way. Seventeen other people were injured in the incident - one critically and 16 with minor injuries.

"We support the South African Football Association’s (Safa) commitment to ask for an investigation into what caused the stampede and the DA will fully interrogate the final report," DA spokesman Tsepo Mhlongo said on Sunday.

"We should ensure that our focus is on making the sports arena a safe environment for our fans. The DA stands together with the families and sports community as they mourn the passing of their loved ones and would like to wish the injured a speedy recovery. They are all in our thoughts during this difficult time," Mhlongo said.

African News Agency