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DUNCAN GUY NEIGHBOURHOOD watches in the crime-plagued Highway area have proposed that the taxi industry be on the invita- tion list for a high-level meet- ing to address the scourge. “We want all role-players to take part, including the taxi service,” said Nikki Mohlmann, who is on the exec- utive committee of the Kloof Community Policing Forum. “Criminals often use taxis to escape.” Rick Crouch, the Democra- tic Alliance councillor for Kloof and Gillitts, said he had spent yesterday morning at a plan- ning meeting for the event, scheduled for Wednesday at Hillcrest’s City Hill Church. He said the provincial premier and the entire cabinet were ex- pected to attend. Crouch questioned the effec- tiveness of police reinforce- ments, saying they were acting reactively instead of proac- tively. “It hasn’t stemmed the tide at all,” he said. “I still receive daily reports of housebreaking and busi- nesses being broken into, and people going around casing out houses. I don’t think the task force is making a dent. “They should have the names of everybody out on bail and on parole. They are the number-one suspects. They should be harassing them,” Crouch said. “They’re a small minority, these repeat offend- ers.” Police spokesman Lieu- tenant-Colonel Vincent Mdunge hit back, calling Crouch’s remarks “discourag- ing and irresponsible for a leader” and said he was insti- gating public panic. He said the task team had brought a high degree of police visibility and included the Hawks, a highly-trained techni- cal police deployment and highly-experienced investiga- tors and docket handlers. “In the past eight days, since the deployment started, there have been only unsuccessful (break-in) attempts.” Citing two incidents, he said police had immediately made it to one crime scene, where they arrested four people. In an- other, the owner of the prop- erty refused to charge a sus- pect. He said that the provincial police commissioner had toured the entire Highway area, up to Hammarsdale. “Feedback we have received from the general public is that there is peace of mind and some people even sleep with their windows open.” Meanwhile, a Neighbour- hood Watch spokeswoman in Waterfall said there was still no sign of extra policing. Karen Baxter of the Water- fall Three watch said this week two people who claimed to be “just walking” one night this week were suspected of having thrown house-breaking equip- ment – hammers, spanners and a crowbar – into the bush upon seeing a patrol. “Meanwhile, Mohlmann added that “incidents keep on happening”. One of the latest was at a garage in Kloof where attendants were held up at gun- point in their locker room. Pro-dagga gathering at market SIHLE MTHEMBU PATRONS at Essenwood Flea Market may encounter more than the usual fare in the park this morning. Organisers of a protest for the legalisation of marijuana feel they “have turned the cor- ner” and are hoping hundreds of people will gather in public areas around the country in a display of solidarity in the national 4/20 campaign. According to Sarah-Jane Bow, who is the spokeswoman for the Durban chapter of the event, they expect a few hun- dred people to make their way to the gathering, which will take place in Durban’s Essen- wood Park at 10am today. This year will not be the first time the gathering will take place – last year a similar event was held at the same venue. “But we’re expecting a slightly bigger crowd this year because more and more people are becoming open to the sub- ject – from housewives to pro- fessionals. It’s no longer as taboo as it used to be,” said Bow. The term 4/20 has been a code word among marijuana users for decades and is a refer- ence to a song by The Grateful Dead as well as Quentin Taran- tino’s Pulp Fiction movie, which makes mention of the phrase in connection with smoking dagga. The 4/20 gathering is the first of two major events that are scheduled to take place this year to support the legalisation of the drug. Cape Town, where more than 1 000 people are ex- pected, and Johannesburg will also be hosting similar events, according to national co-ordi- nator Imiel Visser. News Page 2 THE INDEPENDENT on Saturday 20 April 2013 snapshots 1 killed, one hurt A MAN was shot dead and another wounded when four men opened fire at the Ballito taxi rank, KwaZulu-Natal police said yesterday. “Four armed unknown men fired shots at a vehicle that was parked at the Boulevard shopping centre on Thursday afternoon,” Colonel Vincent Mdunge said. A 27-year-old passer-by died at the scene and another man was wounded. Police are investigating cases of murder and attempted murder. No arrests have been made. – Sapa New SAA chief SA AIRWAYS had appointed seasoned corporate leader Monwabisi Kalawe as its new chief executive, the state-owned airline said yesterday. “The board worked tirelessly to find a suitable leader who will lead by example and stabilise the internal environment while working towards ensuring good corporate governance within the airline,” the board’s acting chairwoman, Dudu Myeni, said. Myeni thanked Nico Bezuidenhout for acting as chief executive. – Sapa JZ’s surprise visit PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma arrived unannounced at the Sunnyside police station in Pretoria yesterday morning to inspect the quality of service to the public. He said afterwards the station was struggling to cope with the number of residents in the area. “I think it is the busiest police station in Pretoria. I also think it is overwhelmed by the population here,” he said. Astonished police officers stared at the president and his entourage. – Sapa Rape dad jailed A KWAZULU-NATAL father has been jailed for 15 years by the Empangeni Regional Court for raping his daughter, police said yesterday. Colonel Vincent Mdunge said the man was sentenced on Thursday. He raped his then 14-year-old daughter twice in May last year at his house in the Macekane area, where she had gone to visit him with her two siblings. “She escaped after the second rape and was later rescued by a neighbour,” he said. – Sapa Call for action CELL C chief executive Alan Knott-Craig has warned of legal action if the telecoms regulator does not cut mobile termination rates by the end of the year, according to a report yesterday. “I will use everything in my power to get Icasa (the Independent Communications Authority of SA) to do its job,” Knott-Craig told Business Day newspaper. “We have to protect our company and the industry. It is also in the interest of consumers.” – Sapa Signs of times THE TSHWANE metro was ordered yesterday to stop removing old street names in Pretoria for the time being. The Pretoria High Court instructed the metro to refrain from removing street names pending the finalisation of an ongoing adjudication process. The court also ordered that the old names back be put back. Civil rights group AfriForum brought the application, arguing that the change would cause inconvenience to people. – Sapa There was no jackpot winner. The estimated jackpot for Tuesday’s draw is R11 million. Last night’s payouts: Match 5 R255 392 4 + PowerBall R17 354 Match 4 R368 3 + PowerBall R383 Match 3 R17 2 + PowerBall R19 1 + PowerBall R11 10 13 26 28 39 2 RELIEVED: Durban pensioner Thembekile Shange’s electricity was disconnected last week after she received two exorbitant bills of close to R18 000 and R19 000 owed to the eThekwini municipality. The power was reconnected after The Independent on Saturday highlighted her plight. PICTURE: SANDILE MAKHOBA SARAH-JANE BOW Bid to involve taxi industry in Highway crime fight Booze ban: Fans would stampede NONDUMISO MBUYAZI T HERE would be a stam- pede if the multitude of Durban rugby fans were expected to drink alcohol only inside liquor out- lets, police have said. In a statement released on Thursday, Sharks management said it would be business and beers “as usual” for rugby fans at this afternoon’s clash with the Cheetahs. The management said pa- trons and supporters will be able to bring alcohol into the outer fields precinct during to- day’s game. “Going forward, patrons and supporters will still be able to enjoy having braais and con- suming alcohol on the outer fields. However, they will have to purchase alcohol from Sharks outlets on the outer fields precinct.” Responding to the earlier purported alcohol ban on the Kings Park Stadium outer fields after British citizen Brett Williams was beaten and killed, allegedly by a group of drunken men, provincial police spokesman Colonel Vincent Mdunge said there would be a heavy police presence at the stadium “as per usual” but offi- cers would not be “hunting down” rugby fans who con- sumed alcohol on the outer fields. “The outlets that the rugby fans buy their liquor from are licensed,” he said. “Why than would you arrest someone who bought their liquor from a licensed place? There is obviously not enough space in these outlets to accom- modate the fans. “There would be a stampede if the thousands of rugby fans were all expected to consume their alcohol inside where they purchased it.” When asked if the police would turn a blind eye to pa- trons drinking on the outer fields, Mdunge said: “If there is any infringement of the law, police will deal with it. “But they (police) will not be hunting down people who drink on the outer fields.” The KwaZulu-Natal Liquor Authority has, however, re- mained adamant on the alcohol ban, saying four inspectors would be deployed at the sta- dium to enforce compliance with licence conditions. Board chief executive Stella Khumalo said the inspectors, with the assistance of a strong police contingent, would moni- tor all licensed premises within the stadium precinct to ensure that there was no drinking on the outer fields. Warning liquor outlets, she said the board would not renew their licences if they were found to have transgressed the stipulated conditions. Khumalo said that while the legislation applied to all en- tities trading in liquor, the board had held meetings only with the Kings Park manage- ment. “We will be engaging man- agement of Moses Mabhida Stadium soon,” she said. Berea Rovers chairman Wayne Scott said it was sad that “things had got to this”, but nevertheless the club “to- tally understands what’s going on” after Williams’s murder and had prepared for extra liquor sales. It was allowed to sell alcohol only in a demarcated area around its clubhouse. He said the club would ad- vise people in writing that drinking in public is not per- mitted. “The signs are up,” he said. SEE PAGE 6 Drinking on outer fields okay IOS helps Durban pensioner turn light on NONDUMISO MBUYAZI A DURBAN pensioner who re- ceived two exorbitant electric- ity bills last month was forced to cook on an open fire for 10 days after the city disconnected her electricity. The power was reconnected on Thursday after The Inde- pendent on Saturday high- lighted Thembekile Shange’s plight, prompting an interven- tion by city manager S’bu Sit- hole. “My electricity was dis- connected last week on Monday and I had to start a fire outside my house every day to cook,” said Shange, who has been in and out of hospital after her health took a turn for the worse soon after receiving the first bill. Shange was twice admitted to hospital after complaining of heart palpitations. Speaking from her Umlazi K section home, the 73-year-old diabetic grandmother said she was still making inquiries about the two accounts for amounts of about R18 000 and R19 000 when the service was abruptly cut. Shange’s nightmare began early last month when she re- ceived the first letter, which in- dicated that she had an out- standing bill of R17 962. Her shock was exacerbated when the second bill was deliv- ered two weeks later, reflecting a sum of R18 962 owed. The amounts she reportedly owed were 36 times more than her usual monthly bill, which she said ranged between R300 and R500. Soon after her electricity was disconnected, the paper brought Shange’s plight to Sit- hole’s attention. He immedi- ately contacted the city’s head of electricity, Sandile Maphu- mulo, who instructed his unit to investigate the bill. Maphumulo said the city had decided to reconnect the electricity, pending an investi- gation of the two amounts. Shange expressed her grati- tude to the paper. “It is all thanks to you guys that my power is back on and I can cook my morning porridge again.” ‘Considerable force’ needed for beheadings, court told CONSIDERABLE force is needed to behead someone, the Durban High Court heard yes- terday. Pathologist Nonhlanhla Shamase – who carried out post-mortems on four men for- mer Blue Bulls flanker Phindile Joseph Ntshongwana allegedly killed – told the court that to chop a head clean off, an attacker would have to cut through skin, muscle and bone. Three of Ntshongwana’s al- leged victims were decapitated. Asked by prosecutor Rea Mina whether the head of one of the murder victims “was at- tached to the trunk only by two strands of skin”, Shamase agreed. Asked how much force would have been used in the at- tack on Thembelenkosini Ce- bekhulu, who was 1.69m tall and weighed 83kg, she said: “It would have been quite a consid- erable force since the neck bone was severed.” Apart from being charged with murdering Cebekhulu in Montclair on March 20, 2011, Ntshongwana is also accused of murdering Paulos Hlongwa in Lamontville on March 22, 2011, and Simon Ngidi in Umbilo on March 23, 2011. The fourth victim, whose decomposing body was discov- ered near a railway line 500m from Ntshongwana’s home on April 1, 2011, appeared to have been beaten with a blunt in- strument. Ntshongwana is also ac- cused of kidnapping and rap- ing a woman on November 28, 2010, and faces a charge of as- sault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Shamase said the dimen- sion of the wounds on three of the bodies were compared with an axe police brought her for comparison. “The dimensions of the wound matched the axe,” she said. Under cross-examination from Ntshongwana’s advocate Themba Mjoli, she conceded that while she had measured the length of the wounds, she had not measured the axe. The trial continues on Mon- day. – Sapa Gasa’s lover given car, money, friend claims FROM PAGE 1 Gasa’s associates have said that during the short-lived rela- tionship, the businessman had given the man one of his cars. One of his mother’s friends said the young man had been seen driving the car in the Groutville area but the family didn’t think much of it, assum- ing it belonged to one of his friends. A long-time business associ- ate of Gasa said he was “openly gay” hence his separation from Sinenhlanhla. Another business associate said: “I was acquainted with him and yes he was openly gay. It was not a secret.” Describing him as a giving, humble and ethical business- man the associate said it was an open secret that Gasa had sexual relationships with young men, particularly stu- dents. “He would give them loads of money,” she said. “Most peo- ple who knew him were aware of his sexual preferences, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was a generous and humble man.” A Durban gay socialite said there is a “large” community of gay married men who are known as “after nine”. The term is coined from the SABC TV mini-series that fol- lowed the exploits of black gay men in modern society. It delved into the secret un- derworld of a black gay busi- nessman and his inner strug- gles to find a way to deal with the torment of revealing his true sexuality to his wife and family. The socialite said while Gasa had not divulged his sex- ual preferences to the world, he also didn’t hide it, like other wealthy Durban men who went to great lengths to portray themselves as staunch tradi- tionalists who would never en- gage in such relationships. Seeco said Gasa’s two sons had attended this week’s court proceedings. “The sons said they had never seen the suspect before,” he said, emphasising that Gasa’s four children loved their father unconditionally, despite the gay rumours. Ex-ANC councillor goes to court to stop Vryheid election SIHLE MTHEMBU WEDNESDAY’S by-election in Vryheid’s ward 22 is under threat. Andre Lotter, a former ANC councillor in the area, has filed an urgent application with the National Electoral Court to stop the election from going ahead. According to Lotter, the poll would not be fair as he believes the ANC has been bussing in people from as far as Mondlo and Nongoma to register ille- gally. “The ANC in Vryheid is being allowed to get away with corruption and they are doing so and being helped by the IEC. Over 2 400 people have been registered for the voters’ roll who are not from ward 22 and nothing has been done,” said Lotter. Commenting on the issue Granville Abrahams, a senior manager at the IEC, said that they were aware of Lotter’s complaints and were conduc- ing their own investigation. The ANC in the province says the accusations are un- founded. ANC provincial spokesman Senzo Mkhize said that these were just delaying tactics from a former comrade. “We have heard the accusa- tions and as the ANC we cannot stop him from following the procedures he feels are neces- sary to stop the election from going ahead. But we as the ANC know this is not true and it’s just tactics to take our minds off our main goal and we are not really worried.” Lotter had resigned from his post as ward 22 councillor in January citing lack of support from the ANC as well as cor- ruption within the municipal- ity. “I felt like I was not getting support from my fellow com- rades with implementing devel- opment plans and when the municipality got a disclaimer from the auditor-general and there were millions of rand missing that was the last straw and I decided to resign from the ANC,” said Lotter. However, he was not able to register as an independent can- didate due to IEC regulations which Lotter labelled “unfair”. The electoral court is sched- uled to convene on Monday to make a decision on whether the election, which is scheduled for Wednesday, will go ahead. Meanwhile, the ANC is pulling out all the stops to en- sure victory over rivals IFP in the highly contested region. Salt march is reprised STAFF REPORTER MORE than eight decades ago Mahatma Gandhi led thou- sands of people on a 390km salt march from Ahmedabad to Dandi, on the coast of Gujarat in India. Tomorrow thousands of people in Durban will embark on a similar walk, celebrating the reason for Gandhi’s first march – to stand up for the rights of people which in Gandhi’s case was to defy the salt tax imposed by the British government in India. This is the ninth salt march in Durban, held by the Gandhi Development Trust, and thou- sands are expected to take part in the up to 22km, non- competitive walk from the Gandhi Settlement in Inanda to the Kings Park Stadium in Dur- ban. Registration forms for entry will be available on buses and at the Phoenix Settlement. For more information con- tact Kidar Ramgobin on 081 750 1004. SIGN OF THE TIMES: Gary Harty from Perfect Signs puts the finishing touches to one of the many notices at the outer fields of King’s Park. PICTURE: ZANELE ZULU
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DUNCAN GUY
NEIGHBOURHOOD watchesin the crime-plagued Highwayarea have proposed that thetaxi industry be on the invita-tion list for a high-level meet-ing to address the scourge.
“We want all role-players totake part, including the taxiservice,” said NikkiMohlmann, who is on the exec-utive committee of the KloofCommunity Policing Forum.
“Criminals often use taxis toescape.”
Rick Crouch, the Democra-
tic Alliance councillor for Kloofand Gillitts, said he had spentyesterday morning at a plan-ning meeting for the event,scheduled for Wednesday atHillcrest’s City Hill Church. Hesaid the provincial premier andthe entire cabinet were ex-pected to attend.
Crouch questioned the effec-tiveness of police reinforce-ments, saying they were actingreactively instead of proac-
tively. “It hasn’t stemmed thetide at all,” he said.
“I still receive daily reportsof housebreaking and busi-nesses being broken into, andpeople going around casing outhouses. I don’t think the taskforce is making a dent.
“They should have thenames of everybody out on bailand on parole. They are thenumber-one suspects. Theyshould be harassing them,”
Crouch said. “They’re a smallminority, these repeat offend-ers.”
Police spokesman Lieu-tenant-Colonel VincentMdunge hit back, callingCrouch’s remarks “discourag-ing and irresponsible for aleader” and said he was insti-gating public panic.
He said the task team hadbrought a high degree of policevisibility and included the
Hawks, a highly-trained techni-cal police deployment andhighly-experienced investiga-tors and docket handlers.
“In the past eight days, sincethe deployment started, therehave been only unsuccessful(break-in) attempts.”
Citing two incidents, he saidpolice had immediately made itto one crime scene, where theyarrested four people. In an-other, the owner of the prop-
erty refused to charge a sus-pect.
He said that the provincialpolice commissioner hadtoured the entire Highwayarea, up to Hammarsdale.
“Feedback we have receivedfrom the general public is thatthere is peace of mind andsome people even sleep withtheir windows open.”
Meanwhile, a Neighbour-hood Watch spokeswoman in
Waterfall said there was still nosign of extra policing.
Karen Baxter of the Water-fall Three watch said this weektwo people who claimed to be“just walking” one night thisweek were suspected of havingthrown house-breaking equip-ment – hammers, spanners anda crowbar – into the bush uponseeing a patrol.
“Meanwhile, Mohlmannadded that “incidents keep onhappening”. One of the latestwas at a garage in Kloof whereattendants were held up at gun-point in their locker room.
Pro-dagga gathering at marketSIHLE MTHEMBU
PATRONS at Essenwood FleaMarket may encounter morethan the usual fare in the parkthis morning.
Organisers of a protest forthe legalisation of marijuanafeel they “have turned the cor-ner” and are hoping hundredsof people will gather in publicareas around the country in adisplay of solidarity in thenational 4/20 campaign.
According to Sarah-JaneBow, who is the spokeswomanfor the Durban chapter of theevent, they expect a few hun-dred people to make their wayto the gathering, which willtake place in Durban’s Essen-wood Park at 10am today.
This year will not be the
first time the gathering willtake place – last year a similarevent was held at the samevenue.
“But we’re expecting aslightly bigger crowd this yearbecause more and more peopleare becoming open to the sub-
ject – from housewives to pro-fessionals. It’s no longer astaboo as it used to be,” saidBow.
The term 4/20 has been acode word among marijuanausers for decades and is a refer-ence to a song by The GratefulDead as well as Quentin Taran-tino’s Pulp Fiction movie,which makes mention of thephrase in connection withsmoking dagga.
The 4/20 gathering is thefirst of two major events thatare scheduled to take place thisyear to support the legalisationof the drug. Cape Town, wheremore than 1 000 people are ex-pected, and Johannesburg willalso be hosting similar events,according to national co-ordi-nator Imiel Visser.
NewsPage 2THE INDEPENDENT
on Saturday20 April 2013
snapshots1 killed, one hurtA MAN was shot dead andanother wounded when fourmen opened fire at the Ballitotaxi rank, KwaZulu-Natalpolice said yesterday.
“Four armed unknown menfired shots at a vehicle that wasparked at the Boulevardshopping centre on Thursdayafternoon,” Colonel VincentMdunge said.
A 27-year-old passer-by diedat the scene and another manwas wounded.
Police are investigatingcases of murder and attemptedmurder. No arrests have beenmade. – Sapa
New SAA chiefSA AIRWAYS had appointedseasoned corporate leaderMonwabisi Kalawe as its newchief executive, the state-ownedairline said yesterday.
“The board workedtirelessly to find a suitableleader who will lead by exampleand stabilise the internalenvironment while workingtowards ensuring goodcorporate governance withinthe airline,” the board’s actingchairwoman, Dudu Myeni,said. Myeni thanked NicoBezuidenhout for acting aschief executive. – Sapa
JZ’s surprise visitPRESIDENT Jacob Zumaarrived unannounced at theSunnyside police station inPretoria yesterday morning toinspect the quality of service tothe public.
He said afterwards thestation was struggling to copewith the number of residents inthe area.
“I think it is the busiestpolice station in Pretoria. I alsothink it is overwhelmed by thepopulation here,” he said.
Astonished police officersstared at the president and hisentourage. – Sapa
Rape dad jailedA KWAZULU-NATAL fatherhas been jailed for 15 years bythe Empangeni Regional Courtfor raping his daughter, policesaid yesterday.
Colonel Vincent Mdungesaid the man was sentenced onThursday.
He raped his then 14-year-olddaughter twice in May last yearat his house in the Macekanearea, where she had gone tovisit him with her two siblings.
“She escaped after thesecond rape and was laterrescued by a neighbour,” hesaid. – Sapa
Call for actionCELL C chief executive AlanKnott-Craig has warned oflegal action if the telecomsregulator does not cut mobiletermination rates by the end ofthe year, according to a reportyesterday.
“I will use everything in mypower to get Icasa (theIndependent CommunicationsAuthority of SA) to do its job,”Knott-Craig told Business Daynewspaper.
“We have to protect ourcompany and the industry. It isalso in the interest ofconsumers.” – Sapa
Signs of timesTHE TSHWANE metro wasordered yesterday to stopremoving old street names inPretoria for the time being.
The Pretoria High Courtinstructed the metro to refrainfrom removing street namespending the finalisation of anongoing adjudication process.The court also ordered that theold names back be put back.
Civil rights groupAfriForum brought theapplication, arguing that thechange would causeinconvenience to people. – Sapa
There was no jackpotwinner. The estimatedjackpot for Tuesday’s drawis R11 million. Last night’s payouts: Match 5 R255 392 4 + PowerBall R17 354Match 4 R3683 + PowerBall R383 Match 3 R172 + PowerBall R19 1 + PowerBall R11
10 13 26 28 39 2
RELIEVED: Durban pensioner Thembekile Shange’s electricity was disconnected last week after she received twoexorbitant bills of close to R18 000 and R19 000 owed to the eThekwini municipality. The power was reconnected afterThe Independent on Saturday highlighted her plight. PICTURE: SANDILE MAKHOBA
SARAH-JANE BOW
Bid to involve taxi industry in Highway crime fight
Booze ban:Fans wouldstampedeNONDUMISO MBUYAZI
THERE would be a stam-pede if the multitude ofDurban rugby fanswere expected to drink
alcohol only inside liquor out-lets, police have said.
In a statement released onThursday, Sharks managementsaid it would be business andbeers “as usual” for rugby fansat this afternoon’s clash withthe Cheetahs.
The management said pa-trons and supporters will beable to bring alcohol into theouter fields precinct during to-day’s game.
“Going forward, patronsand supporters will still be ableto enjoy having braais and con-suming alcohol on the outerfields.
However, they will have topurchase alcohol from Sharksoutlets on the outer fieldsprecinct.”
Responding to the earlierpurported alcohol ban on theKings Park Stadium outerfields after British citizen BrettWilliams was beaten and killed,allegedly by a group ofdrunken men, provincial policespokesman Colonel VincentMdunge said there would be aheavy police presence at thestadium “as per usual” but offi-cers would not be “huntingdown” rugby fans who con-sumed alcohol on the outerfields.
“The outlets that the rugbyfans buy their liquor from arelicensed,” he said.
“Why than would you arrestsomeone who bought theirliquor from a licensed place?There is obviously not enoughspace in these outlets to accom-modate the fans.
“There would be a stampedeif the thousands of rugby fanswere all expected to consumetheir alcohol inside where theypurchased it.”
When asked if the policewould turn a blind eye to pa-trons drinking on the outerfields, Mdunge said: “If there isany infringement of the law,police will deal with it.
“But they (police) will not behunting down people whodrink on the outer fields.”
The KwaZulu-Natal LiquorAuthority has, however, re-mained adamant on the alcoholban, saying four inspectorswould be deployed at the sta-dium to enforce compliancewith licence conditions.
Board chief executive StellaKhumalo said the inspectors,with the assistance of a strongpolice contingent, would moni-tor all licensed premises withinthe stadium precinct to ensure
that there was no drinking onthe outer fields.
Warning liquor outlets, shesaid the board would not renewtheir licences if they werefound to have transgressed thestipulated conditions.
Khumalo said that while the legislation applied to all en-tities trading in liquor, theboard had held meetings onlywith the Kings Park manage-ment.
“We will be engaging man-agement of Moses MabhidaStadium soon,” she said.
Berea Rovers chairmanWayne Scott said it was sadthat “things had got to this”,but nevertheless the club “to-tally understands what’s goingon” after Williams’s murderand had prepared for extraliquor sales.
It was allowed to sell alcoholonly in a demarcated areaaround its clubhouse.
He said the club would ad-vise people in writing thatdrinking in public is not per-mitted.
“The signs are up,” he said.
SEE PAGE 6
Drinking on outer fields okay
IOS helps Durban pensioner turn light onNONDUMISO MBUYAZI
A DURBAN pensioner who re-ceived two exorbitant electric-ity bills last month was forcedto cook on an open fire for 10days after the city disconnectedher electricity.
The power was reconnectedon Thursday after The Inde-pendent on Saturday high-lighted Thembekile Shange’splight, prompting an interven-tion by city manager S’bu Sit-hole. “My electricity was dis-connected last week on Monday
and I had to start a fire outsidemy house every day to cook,”said Shange, who has been inand out of hospital after herhealth took a turn for the worsesoon after receiving the firstbill. Shange was twice admittedto hospital after complaining ofheart palpitations.
Speaking from her UmlaziK section home, the 73-year-olddiabetic grandmother said shewas still making inquiriesabout the two accounts foramounts of about R18 000 andR19 000 when the service was
abruptly cut. Shange’s nightmare began
early last month when she re-ceived the first letter, which in-dicated that she had an out-standing bill of R17 962.
Her shock was exacerbatedwhen the second bill was deliv-ered two weeks later, reflectinga sum of R18 962 owed.
The amounts she reportedlyowed were 36 times more thanher usual monthly bill, whichshe said ranged between R300and R500.
Soon after her electricity
was disconnected, the paperbrought Shange’s plight to Sit-hole’s attention. He immedi-ately contacted the city’s headof electricity, Sandile Maphu-mulo, who instructed his unitto investigate the bill.
Maphumulo said the cityhad decided to reconnect theelectricity, pending an investi-gation of the two amounts.
Shange expressed her grati-tude to the paper. “It is allthanks to you guys that mypower is back on and I can cookmy morning porridge again.”
‘Considerable force’ neededfor beheadings, court toldCONSIDERABLE force isneeded to behead someone, theDurban High Court heard yes-terday.
Pathologist NonhlanhlaShamase – who carried outpost-mortems on four men for-mer Blue Bulls flankerPhindile Joseph Ntshongwanaallegedly killed – told the courtthat to chop a head clean off, anattacker would have to cutthrough skin, muscle and bone.
Three of Ntshongwana’s al-leged victims were decapitated.
Asked by prosecutor ReaMina whether the head of oneof the murder victims “was at-tached to the trunk only by twostrands of skin”, Shamaseagreed.
Asked how much forcewould have been used in the at-tack on Thembelenkosini Ce-bekhulu, who was 1.69m talland weighed 83kg, she said: “Itwould have been quite a consid-erable force since the neckbone was severed.”
Apart from being chargedwith murdering Cebekhulu inMontclair on March 20, 2011,Ntshongwana is also accused of
murdering Paulos Hlongwa inLamontville on March 22, 2011,and Simon Ngidi in Umbilo onMarch 23, 2011.
The fourth victim, whosedecomposing body was discov-ered near a railway line 500mfrom Ntshongwana’s home onApril 1, 2011, appeared to havebeen beaten with a blunt in-strument.
Ntshongwana is also ac-cused of kidnapping and rap-ing a woman on November 28,2010, and faces a charge of as-sault with intent to do grievousbodily harm.
Shamase said the dimen-sion of the wounds on three ofthe bodies were compared withan axe police brought her forcomparison.
“The dimensions of thewound matched the axe,” shesaid.
Under cross-examinationfrom Ntshongwana’s advocateThemba Mjoli, she concededthat while she had measuredthe length of the wounds, shehad not measured the axe.
The trial continues on Mon-day. – Sapa
Gasa’s lover given car,money, friend claimsFROM PAGE 1
Gasa’s associates have saidthat during the short-lived rela-tionship, the businessman hadgiven the man one of his cars.
One of his mother’s friendssaid the young man had beenseen driving the car in theGroutville area but the familydidn’t think much of it, assum-ing it belonged to one of hisfriends.
A long-time business associ-ate of Gasa said he was “openlygay” hence his separation fromSinenhlanhla.
Another business associatesaid: “I was acquainted withhim and yes he was openly gay.It was not a secret.”
Describing him as a giving,humble and ethical business-man the associate said it wasan open secret that Gasa hadsexual relationships withyoung men, particularly stu-dents.
“He would give them loadsof money,” she said. “Most peo-ple who knew him were awareof his sexual preferences, butthat doesn’t change the factthat he was a generous and
humble man.”A Durban gay socialite said
there is a “large” community ofgay married men who areknown as “after nine”.
The term is coined from theSABC TV mini-series that fol-lowed the exploits of black gaymen in modern society.
It delved into the secret un-derworld of a black gay busi-nessman and his inner strug-gles to find a way to deal withthe torment of revealing histrue sexuality to his wife andfamily.
The socialite said whileGasa had not divulged his sex-ual preferences to the world, healso didn’t hide it, like otherwealthy Durban men who wentto great lengths to portraythemselves as staunch tradi-tionalists who would never en-gage in such relationships.
Seeco said Gasa’s two sonshad attended this week’s courtproceedings. “The sons saidthey had never seen the suspectbefore,” he said, emphasisingthat Gasa’s four children lovedtheir father unconditionally,despite the gay rumours.
Ex-ANC councillor goes to court to stop Vryheid electionSIHLE MTHEMBU
WEDNESDAY’S by-election inVryheid’s ward 22 is underthreat.
Andre Lotter, a former ANCcouncillor in the area, has filedan urgent application with theNational Electoral Court tostop the election from goingahead.
According to Lotter, the pollwould not be fair as he believesthe ANC has been bussing inpeople from as far as Mondlo
and Nongoma to register ille-gally. “The ANC in Vryheid isbeing allowed to get away withcorruption and they are doingso and being helped by the IEC.Over 2 400 people have beenregistered for the voters’ rollwho are not from ward 22 andnothing has been done,” saidLotter.
Commenting on the issueGranville Abrahams, a seniormanager at the IEC, said thatthey were aware of Lotter’scomplaints and were conduc-
ing their own investigation. The ANC in the province
says the accusations are un-founded. ANC provincialspokesman Senzo Mkhize saidthat these were just delayingtactics from a former comrade.
“We have heard the accusa-tions and as the ANC we cannotstop him from following theprocedures he feels are neces-sary to stop the election fromgoing ahead. But we as theANC know this is not true andit’s just tactics to take our
minds off our main goal andwe are not really worried.”
Lotter had resigned from hispost as ward 22 councillor inJanuary citing lack of supportfrom the ANC as well as cor-ruption within the municipal-ity. “I felt like I was not gettingsupport from my fellow com-rades with implementing devel-opment plans and when themunicipality got a disclaimerfrom the auditor-general andthere were millions of randmissing that was the last straw
and I decided to resign from theANC,” said Lotter.
However, he was not able toregister as an independent can-didate due to IEC regulationswhich Lotter labelled “unfair”.
The electoral court is sched-uled to convene on Monday tomake a decision on whether theelection, which is scheduled forWednesday, will go ahead.
Meanwhile, the ANC ispulling out all the stops to en-sure victory over rivals IFP inthe highly contested region.
Salt march is reprisedSTAFF REPORTER
MORE than eight decades agoMahatma Gandhi led thou-sands of people on a 390km saltmarch from Ahmedabad toDandi, on the coast of Gujaratin India.
Tomorrow thousands ofpeople in Durban will embarkon a similar walk, celebratingthe reason for Gandhi’s firstmarch – to stand up for therights of people which inGandhi’s case was to defy thesalt tax imposed by the British
government in India.This is the ninth salt march
in Durban, held by the GandhiDevelopment Trust, and thou-sands are expected to takepart in the up to 22km, non-competitive walk from theGandhi Settlement in Inanda tothe Kings Park Stadium in Dur-ban.
Registration forms for entrywill be available on buses andat the Phoenix Settlement.
For more information con-tact Kidar Ramgobin on081 750 1004.
SIGN OF THETIMES: GaryHarty fromPerfect Signsputs the finishingtouches to oneof the manynotices at theouter fields ofKing’s Park.
PICTURE: ZANELE ZULU
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