Hadeda News - 02 June 2023

Haar tekkies het haar voete so seergemaak dat sy die voorkante afgesny en met groen “duct tape” toegeplak het. Maar van ophou stap aan die RSG Red ’n Plaas-Camino was daar nie sprake nie.

Surita was vanjaar een van die meer as 100 stappers wat 166 km se stowwerige grondpaaie in wind en weer en warm son trotseer het. Sy het tydens die staptog vertel sy wou nie gehad het dit moet ophou nie.

Vir dié ma van die Boer soek ’n vrou-deelnemer Neil Bruwer was hierdie staptog haar manier om dankie te sê aan almal wat Karoodorpe soos haar grootworddorp Williston tydens die droogte gehelp het. Dié droogte duur al langer as agt jaar. Soos sy dit so mooi in haar sagte stem stel: “Om dankie te sê vir die engele oor die hele land wat die wind

onder ons vlerke was.”

Klara Klaaste, een van Surita se kollegas, kom wens haar sterkte toe voor sy die 166 km aandurf. Regs is oom Sarel Marais, oudboer van Williston en 74 jaar oud wat ook saamgestap het. Foto: Heléne Meissenheimer

Surita en haar man Wicus moes hul plaas verhuur en dorp toe trek. Sy vertel hoe mis sy die wye uitsig oor die veld. Wanneer sy dus die kans kry … stap sy Camino’s. Hierdie was haar tweede een. Daar is ook deurnagstaptogte, of sommer net ’n lekker stappie op Williston se plaaspaaie.

Soms stap van haar kollegas by die dorpskool, waar sy die skoolsekretaresse is, ook saam. Sy het hulle vertel hoe goed stap vir hul “binnemens” kan wees.

Klara Klaaste, een van Surita se kollegas, kom wens haar sterkte toe voor sy die 166 km aandurf. Regs is oom Sarel Marais, oudboer van Williston en 74 jaar oud wat ook saamgestap het. Foto: Heléne Meissenheimer

Eienskappe van jeugliteratuur

Skrywers:Annerle Barnard, Joha van Dyk, Carel van Rooyen, Jan Vermeulen, Fanie Viljoen, ens.

Voorbeelde:

Annerle Barnard: Sweepslag (2019), Sindikaat (2019), Spel (2021)

Joha van Dyk: Branderjaers en Vuurvreter

Carel van Rooyen: Skeur

Sarah J. Maas:Throne of Glass series, Court ofThorns and Roses series

Cassandra Clare:The Shadowhunter Chronicles

Jennifer Niven, John Green, Veronica Roth, Suzanna Collins

aanklank sal vind.

Spel handel oor Lukas, `n 17jarige seun, wat deel is van die klein persentasie van die aardse bevolking wat oorleef het nadat die res van die mensdom deur oorlog en siekte uitgewis is.

Die Saevissimi, `n superras transterrane, is aan bewind en hulle is op Lukas se spoor

Eienskappe van jeugliteratuur

Annerle Barnard

Annerle Barnard

4 Skryfwenke vir jou (2)

Eienskappe van jeugliteratuur: Spel

Die benaming “jeugliteratuur” verwys eintlik nie na ‘n genre nie, maar wel ‘n kategorie. Hierdie kategorie sluit wel alle genres in, naamlik spanningsverhale, romanse, die Bildungsroman, wetenskapsfiksie, fantasie, ens.

Eienskappe van jeugliteratuur Fokusareas:

Jeugliteratuur moet die wêreldbeskouing van die hedendaagse jeug reflekteer — anders sal hulle nie daarby aanklank vind nie.Tieners is intelligent. ‘n Mens moet hulle nie onderskat of probeer mislei nie.

Fiksieskrywers se rol is nie om te preek of ‘n ideaal te verkondig nie, maar om omstandighede en mense op enige gegewe stadium in die geskiedenis te weerspieël. Daarom sal die karakters, gebeure, temas en taalgebruik in TheAdventures ofTom Sawyer (MarkTwain, 1876) heeltemal verskil van die van Sindikaat, 2019 en Spel, 2021 (Annerle Barnard).

Jeugliteratuur: ouderdomme

Jeugliteratuur as kategorie sluit ‘n verskeidenheid ouderdomme in, maar ‘n agtienjarige stel beslis nie belang in boeke wat vir ‘n 12jarige geskryf is nie. Die jeug sal boeke vir ouer groepe (insluitend volwassenes) lees, maar nie maklik boeke wat vir jonger kinders (d.w.s. jonger as hul eie ouderdom) geskryf is nie.

8 – 12: (kinderfiksie/Middle School fiction): boeke bestaan uit ongeveer 25 000 woorde en bevat ouderdomsverwante temas. Geen kru taal, grafiese geweld of seksuele inhoud is toelaatbaar nie. Die fokus is op

die onmiddellike (boeliegedrag, familie en vriende en die protagonis se verhouding met familie en vriende, ens.)

Skrywers: De Wet Hugo, Jaco Jacobs

12 – 14: boeke bestaan uit ongeveer 25 000 – 45 000 woorde. Die fokus is vermaak. Temas is soortgelyk aan jeugfiksie vir ouer kinders, maar minder donker

Skrywers: Christien Neser,Troula Goosen, Constant van Graan, Jaco Jacobs.Anzil Kulsen

14 – 16: boeke vir hierdie ouderdomme is ‘n oorbrugging tussen literatuur vir ouer en jonger kinders.Temas: skuif weg van die gesin na ‘n ruimte buite die gesin (die individu se plek in die samelewing).

Skrywers: Elrien Scheepers, Zelda Bezuidenhout, Fanie Viljoen

16 – 18: bestaan uit 50 000 – 70 000 woorde. (Fantasie sal langer wees).Temas is soortgelyk aan die van volwassefiksie (dood, geloof, politiek, ekonomie, seksualiteit, liefde, vriendskap, geestesgesondheid, oorlewing, ens.). Let wel: jeugfiksie is nié ‘n afgewaterde, makliker weergawe van volwassefiksie nie.

Vir my persoonlik, is perspektief (‘n volwasse perspektief verskil van ‘n jeugdige perspektief!) oneindig belangrik.

Voorbeeld: Indien ek op ‘n motorfiets klim, sal ek aan die gevare (geen veiligheidsgordel, ‘n mens is blootgestel, ens.) dink en baie versigtig ry. Die meeste agtien-jariges gaan reken my kop raas. Hulle sal wil vet gee.

Toelaatbaar: Kru taal en grafiese geweld.

Romanse, maar nie erotika nie. (Op die sosiale media toep, TikTok, meen heelwat tieners egter dat hulle mal is oor warm seksuele inhoud. Van hulle beskryf dit as “smut” en dui aan dat dit hulle gunsteling leesstof is, byvoorbeeld Sarah J. Maas, AnnaTodd, ens.

Spel: eienskappe eie aan jeugliteratuur

Die jeug kan met die karakters (kompleks) en die krisis identifiseer

Vinnige tempo. Nie pretensieus nie. Uitdagende temas.

Perspektief en die ouderdom van die protagonis

Temas in Spel:

Die sewentienjarige Lukas is een van ’n handjievol oorblywende mense nadat die aarde deur kuborge, transterrane en robotte oorgeneem is. Hy en Dimpho boer op Lukas-hulle se plaas in die Bloemfontein-omgewing. Wanneer hongersnood die voortbestaan van die superwesens bedreig, stel die wrede heerser Dakian ’n bose plan in werking om Lukas te vang en toegang tot sy oorlewingstrategieë te verkry

Angs en eko-angs

Siekte (ADHD)

Puin en oorlog

Vriendskap en liefde

Voedselvoorsiening vs. hongersnood

Vryheid vs. onderdrukking

Goed vs. kwaad

Spel se temas fassineer: vryheid en onderdrukking, die stryd tussen goed en kwaad, samewerking vs. oorlog, medemenslikheid vs. kunsmatige intelligensie, sowel as die ekoangs van die moderne mens.

Dis ‘n verhaal oor verlies en vindingrykheid. Hierdie boek se groen tema is van kardinale belang vir ons hedendaagse samelewing.

Lukas en Dimpho, asook Lukas en Fidelis se vriendskap dien as metafoor vir dit wat vermag kan word wanneer mense saamwerk en kennis deel. Spel is uitstekend nagevors en geskryf, maar dit lees terselfdertyd lekker

Lukas en Jolene is aangetrokke tot mekaar. Gaan Lukas die moed hê om met Jolene oor sy gevoelens te praat? Die spanningslyn boei en die vele intriges hou die leser nuuskierig. Hierdie boek is veel meer as ‘n goeie storie en sterk karakters. Die verhaal handel oor die belangrikste spel ooit, ‘n spel om oorlewing en wie die beste skuif kan maak ten einde die spesie se voortbestaan te verseker.

Die skrywer slaag daarin om oënskynlik uiteenlopende temas in te span om ’n heerlike storie — met baie stof tot nadenke — te vertel.

Genre: wetenskapsfiksie.

Ouderdom: 14 – 100+

Betaleser: Cara-Lu Graham

Eienskappe van jeugliteratuur: Spel

Wanneer jy weer ‘n jeugroman lees, let veral op die perspektief.

Oorlewing vs. dood

Medemenslikheid vs. kunsmatige intelligensie

Oud vs. nuut Verlies en vindingrykheid

Eienskappe vnan jeugliteratuur Spel: lesersindruk.

Spel is veel meer as slegs ‘n jeugroman. Dis ‘n boek met soveel lae en fasette dat enige persoon tussen 14 en 100 daarby

Kliek hier indien jy wil weet by watter winkels Spel te koop is.

Ek hoop en vertrou dat bostaande voorbeelde van hulp was.

Lekker skryf.

Wenke van Welbekende Gepubliseerde Skrywer - Annerle Barnard

Manie’s Bistro

Resep Danksy Manie’s Bistro - Master Chef

Lamsvleis Brediesop:

Wanneer peperment

crisp tert en vanilla koek trou dan kry jy hierdie...

2 eiers

¾ k bruin suiker

1 ¼ k olie

30 ml appelasyn

5 ml vanieljegeursel

1 blikkie Caramel treat

5 ml koeksoda

1 k karringmelk

2 ½ k koekmeel

‘n Knippie sout

Peperment Vulsel: 250 ml room

1 blikkie Caramel treat

80 g pepermentsjokolade, gerasper

1. Voorverhit oond tot 180 °C. Smeer twee 22cm ronde koekpanne.

2. Klits die eiers en bruin suiker saam.

3. Voeg olie, asyn, vanieljegeursel en caramel by en klits goed.

4. Meng die koeksoda met die karringmelk en voeg by eiermengsel.

5. Sif koekmeel en sout saam en meng met eiermengsel.

6. Verdeel die mengsel in die twee koekpanne.

7. Bak vir ongeveer 30 minute.

8. Klits die room styf en klits die kondensmelk by asook die helfde van die sjokolade en verkoel paar uur in yskas tot styf.

9. Smeer die vulsel tussen die lae en boop.

10. Versier met sjokolade.

11. Bêre in yskas indien dit baie warm is anders mag die room vulsel dalk suur word.

Bron: Facebook / Trouvrou/Karamel koek resep: Michelle Steyn

1. Op Pad na Grysberg is ‘n epiese fantasie. In watter genre skryf jy gewoonlik? – Ek skryf gewoonlik in die drama genre, met ‘n element van liefde en inspirasie. My hoof motivering is om mense aan te moedig om hulle lewens voluit te leef en te weet dat, maak nie saak hoe moeilik die lewe soms kan raak nie, niks is te groot om te oorkom nie.

2. Noem asb. ‘n paar ander titels van boeke/draaiboeke wat jy geskryf het. – Verskietende Ster asookTweede Kanse (beide romans). Draaiboeke: Strikdas, Verskietende Ster, Op Soen Na Reenboe). Ek het ook die drie dokumentêre:AgainstAll Odds –The Alwyn Uys story, Unstoppable –The Rebecca Nagel story & War Dogs and I geskryf, vervaardig en die regie van behartig. Was ook die skrywer en regisseur opTyd MetAleit (Seisoen 6) en vir ‘n rukkie een van die skrywers op die sepie: Getroud Met Rugby. Dan was ek ook die vervaardiger van Strikdas, Liewe Kersfeesvader, Nul Is Nie Niks Nie, Verskietende Ster

3. Hoe het jy by die projek betrokke geraak? – Stefaans Coetzee het my gekontak en gevra of ek nie asseblief sal saamskryf hieraan nie. Ek was ten tyde besig om sy lewensverhaal in ‘n vollengte dokumentêr te verfilm wat hopelik later in die jaar vrygestel gaan word.

4. Watter hoofstuk het jy geskryf en tot watter genre behoort jou hoofstuk? – Hoofstuk 15 wat ‘n fantasie hoofstuk moes wees. Dit is

glad nie my genre van skryf nie, so dit het my totaal uit my gemaksone gelig.Aanvanklik was ek baie bekommerd en nie gedink dit gaan moontlik wees nie, maar sodra jy begin skryf en jy gaan opreis saam met M, het dit makliker geword.

5. Het jy die hoofstukke voor joune vooraf gelees? – Ek het dit een keer deurgelees om seker te maak ek skryf nie iets wat dinge vooraf verander nie. Daarom was dit noodsaaklik om die voorafgaande hoofstukke te lees. In my hoofstuk moes ek wel ‘n nuwe taal uitdink wat die mense praat, wat nogals lekker was.

6. Het jy vooraf geweet hoe die laaste hoofstukke in die roman lyk of was dit vir jou ‘n verrassing? – Dit was totaal ‘n verrassing. Omrede jy geen idee het wat die skrywer in sy hoofstuk gaan doen nie, was alles na my hoofstuk ‘n verrassing, maar ‘n lekker verrassing.

7. Hoe het dit vir jou gevoel om deel van ‘n projek te wees, eerder as om iets op jou eie aan te pak? – Dit was baie lekker. Die name wat saamgeskryf het is sulke bekende en gerespekteerde name in die skryfwêreld dat dit lekker was. Dit het wel die druk effe erger gemaak as om alleen te skryf, want nou is die standard ontsettend hoog gestel gewees. Maar dit was goed, want dit het my motiveer om my eie vermoëns te toets.

8. Sal jy dit oorweeg om in die

toekoms iets soortgelyks saam met ander skrywers aanpak? –Ongetwyfeld ja! Dit was regtig ‘n baie lekker ondervinding gewees.

9. Hoe het jy dit gevind om saam met skrywers van ander genres te werk? – Intimiderend.Aanvanklik weet jy wat jou genre is waarin jy gemaklik is. Nou skryf jy saam met grootname wat uitstaan in hulle onderskeie genres en jy weet nie of jy gaan kersvashou by hulle nie. Ek het vir Stefaans ook gesê as my hoofstuk nie goed genoeg is nie, is hy welkom om dit of uit te haal of ‘n ander skrywer te kry om dit oor te skryf. Dit is maar bloot omdat mens nie seker is jy is goed genoeg in daai oomblik wanneer jy in ‘n genre skryf waarin jy nie gemaklik is nie. En ook om te weet jy skryf saam met baie sterk en ervare skrywers van ander genres het daai elemente van onsekerheid en intimidasie gebring.

22 van die land se voorste skrywers in verskillende genres, het hul tyd en talente ingespan om saam aan ’n enkele roman te skryf.

Madelein Rust, Dibi Breytenbach, Annerle Barnard, Sidney Gilroy, Elsa Winckler, Hannes Barnard, Stefan Enslin, DuaneAslett, Jan Vermeulen, Henk Breytenbach, Didi Potgieter, Brian Fredericks, Ferdie Swanepoel, Erla Diedericks, René van Zyl, Christelle Van Rooyen Wessels, Irna van Zyl en Kerneels Breytenbach is van die skrywers wat saamgeskryf het.

Die Eiland Holiday Resort

Stefan Enslin

from Port Nolloth Test Dream Finally Comes True

She can recall the minute of the match, where the play was at on the field and the first job at hand, and she will remember that for the rest of her life.That is how Luchell Hanekom, the latest player to be capped for the Springbok Women, described herTest debut at Stade Maki inAntananarivo on Sunday, where the South Africans claimed the Rugby Africa Women's Cup by beating the host nation, Madagascar, by 79-8.

Hanekom, who hails from the Northern Cape coastal town of Port Nolloth and plays her provincial rugby for DHL Western Province, entered the field 50 minutes in to become the eighth player to make her international debut this year, and the 166th player to don the Springbok Women jersey.

“It was such a great feeling and relief when I ran onto the field,” said Hanekom, who plays hooker and loosehead prop at times.

“My first job was a lineout and I found the jumper; soon after we had a scrum and we managed to get a massive hit in and dominated that scrum and soon after that, I could get a proper tackle in on defence.

“By that time, I was in the game and really expressing and enjoying myself.The crowd was hectic, but soon I hardly noticed them as I was in the game.”

Hanekom has been on the national radar since 2022, when she was in the wider Rugby World Cup squad. She actually sat on the bench against Zimbabwe in June last year but was not called into action. Shortly after, she was ruled out of World Cup contention due to injury

“The fact that I benched last year helped a bit with the emotions when we sang the anthem actually – I knew what was coming,” she said.

“I was in tears last year for not being called onto the field, but on Sunday, those memories were wiped out when I finally ran onto the field. Suddenly, all the blood, sweat and tears made sense to me.

“Looking back now, it actually made me stronger and more determined to prove that I can play at this level.”

For Hanekom, who studies Sport and Recreation Management at eta College in Stellenbosch, the best part of

the experience was how well she was prepared for her big moment.

“It was great to experience what all the training was about and why, as it all came good for me on the field,” she said.

“Our lineout movement and calls worked, the scrum was great and even that first tackle was spot on. We were introduced to a new technique a couple of weeks ago and it felt really great to execute that and see the result.”

Soon, she hopes, she could go back to Port Nolloth to share a couple of high fives.

“The folks there actually joked that I will become the town's first Springbok and now it has happened” she said with a broad

smile.

“When I go there, I would thank those who helped me along the way, gave guidance and advice and just supported me in chasing my dream. It is just sinking in, how much it means if people put their trust in you and you can reward them.”

The Springbok Women will return to SouthAfrica on Monday, having scored 214 points in three matches against Cameroon, Kenya and Madagascar, and only conceded eight.They scored 36 tries and kicked 16 conversions, conceding one try and a penalty goal. - SA Rugby

NOORD KAAP TUINE

In Pictures: Transnet Freight Rail’s 50-wagon Coal Derailment

SOUTHAfrica’s coal industry is absorbing the news of a coal freight derailment on May 12 near Vryheid involving 56 coalladen wagons and locomotives. An estimated 4,000 tons of coal was lost after a collision caused after staff failed to follow safety protocols.

Said an eyewitness: “50 loaded wagons started rolling out of a siding – brakes not engaged –onto the main line to Richards Bay into a loaded 100-wagon train pulled by four locos. Power [was] shut to stop the train, drivers [were] told to evacuate and wham: four locos on top of the crash, all near Broodsnyersplaas. Line closed without expected resumption date yet.”

An industry source says it’s unusual to have so many wagons derail. Sabotage cannot be ruled out.

According to another market source,Transnet Freight Rail has seen its tempo – the annualised volume of coal delivered to Richards Bay after the first five months of the year – fall below last year’s number of 50 million tons (Mt) – itself a 30-year low

It suggests the collaboration between the Minerals Council andTransnet aimed at ironing out inefficiencies in bulk minerals delivery across chrome, coal, manganese and iron ore has far to go.

fter a two-year battle, a UK court in December 2022 granted the National ProsecutingAuthority’s (NPA’s) Investigating Directorate (ID) the right to extradite former contractor Michael Lomas (75) to face charges in the R745-million Eskom fraud and corruption case.

Six months later, Lomas is still in the UK pending a decision by the Secretary of State to whom the extradition judgment was referred. Lomas also has the right to seek permission to appeal against the Secretary of State’s decision.

According to legal affidavits, once extradited Lomas will be placed in a single cell in the B unit at the Medium “C” Johannesburg Correctional Centre (JCC). During the extradition hearing, the main point of contention was Lomas’ mental and physical health, as well as whether his extradition would be unjust or oppressive.

Lomas was arrested on 15April 2021 in Emsworth, London, and granted bail of £100,000 (R1.7million inApril 2021). He submitted an additional surety of £250,000 (about R4.3-million in April 2021).

As part of his bail conditions, the court ordered that his passport and SouthAfrican ID be held by police and that he not apply for or hold any international travel documents.According to ID spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka, Lomas’arrest followed months of talks with UK authorities over the fraud and corruption case, in which Eskom allegedly paid R745million toTubular Construction Projects (TCP).This exposed the state-owned entity to R1.4-billion in escalation costs as set out in the contract.

Lomas, ex-Eskom senior manager France Hlakudi, former Group Capital division executiveAbram Masango, businessperson Maphoko Kgomoeswana andTBC CEOTonyTrindade are all accused of fraud, corruption and money laundering in connection with a R745-million contract at Eskom’s Kusile Power Station in Mpumalanga between 2014 and 2017.

In December 2019, Scorpio’s Pieter-Louis Myburgh reported the charges partly stem from alleged kickbacks of more than R30million thatTrindade and the company’s former chairperson, Lomas, funnelled to Hlakudi and Masango. Scorpio also revealed thatTubular, along with fellow Kusile contractors Stefanutti Stocks, Esor Construction and Tenova Mining and Minerals, had paid R75-million to Babinatlou Business Services. It is alleged that this Polokwane-based company’s account was almost

exclusively used as an apparent slush fund to illicitly enrich Hlakudi and some of his former Kusile colleagues.

The indictment alleges how Masango and Hlakudi fraudulently pushed forTCPto be awarded a R745-million contract, signed in April 2016, to build air-cooled condensers at Kusile. Masango and Hlakudi both had oversight of contracts in the Kusile build.

In September 2021 the Pretoria High Court issued a provisional restraint order of R1.4-billion against Hlakudi, Kgomoeswana andTrindade and his wife, freezing their assets and bank accounts.The corruption at Kusile Power Station was further amplified when theAsset Forfeiture Unit laid bare an elaborate scheme used by contractors linked to the Kusile Power Station to hide kickbacks linked to more than R500-million in contracts.

The SouthAfrican authorities want Lomas back in the country to face allegations that he offered bribes and paid a number of people and companies betweenApril 2015 andApril 2017 to induce them to perform an improper function, namely to influence a company to terminate a contract with one company,Alstom, in favour of concluding one with another company,TCP, to which the requested person was connected.

Lomas is charged with 41 counts of corruption for offering a benefit, as detailed in the draft indictment attached to the affidavit in support of the extradition request.

Medical evidence

Several doctors, psychiatrists and consultant forensic psychiatrists gave evidence on the mental and physical state of Lamos.The various medical submissions submitted stated:

Lomas had a recurrent depressive disorder

His diagnosis of depression and anxiety, the court heard, remains and is robust. It is still of at least moderate severity

He feels hopeless. He has associated biological symptoms of depression, which include impaired sleep, early morning waking, lack of energy and motivation, thoughts of death and suicide.

He is fearful of incarceration, being hurt by inmates and that the SouthAfrican authorities cannot protect him.

Most concerning is Lomas’longstanding condition, diverticulitis, first diagnosed in 1985. He has been admitted to hospital multiple times since then and he remains under monitoring. Diverticulitis is an inflammation in the bowels; it

makes the bowel more fragile and prone to perforation. It can lead to peritonitis, which can be fatal. Lomas has prostate cancer

Prison safety

Portuguese attorney Vania Costa Ramos, an expert on prison conditions and a member of the European Committee for the Prevention ofTorture and Inhuman or DegradingTreatment or Punishment (CPT) since 2016, also gave evidence. She has inspected prisons in England, Hungary, France, Spain, Germany,Austria, Romania and Lithuania and psychiatric hospitals in Montenegro and Romania. Costa Ramos in her evidence in chief adopted the report of Dr Nathaniel Wright.

“They accept that Johannesburg Medium C offers better conditions than the MediumAand B prisons on the same site, but it is an overcrowded prison … cramped and unhygienic accommodation, lack of privacy, reduced out-of-cell activities, insufficient staffing, inadequate health provision and violence between prisoners and between prisoners and staff.

“The type of prisons and level of violence would require Lomas to be placed in a single cell to protect him from inter-prisoner violence.The solution is to place him in the highest secure unit available in the prison,” the judgment reads.

‘Preferential’treatment for Lomas SouthAfrican authorities provided a large number of documents of additional information in this case, which primarily focused on prison conditions and healthcare treatment available to the requested person in the event of his extradition, to convey the point that prison conditions will be safe and healthy for Lomas.

SouthAfrican authorities guarantee that:

Lomas will be accommodated at Johannesburg Medium “C” Correctional Centre in B unit in a single cell – pre-trial and postconviction — with a single bed, toilet, tap with hot and cold water, electricity, adequate ventilation, heating, natural light and will be very tidy and clean.

There are shower facilities, which

are in good condition as well as a courtyard for gym purposes. He will be entitled to at least one hour of exercise a day and he will exercise with other prisoners.

Primary healthcare is available, with qualified nurses, a medical doctor and a dentist at Johannesburg Correctional Centre

The local hospital, Chris Hani BaragwanathAcademic Hospital, is 4km from JCC.

He will be assessed by a psychiatrist and suitable treatment will be provided

The medication he is prescribed is available in the prison pharmacy

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) claims “gangsterism” is effectively managed, there is an anti-gang strategy and personnel are appropriately trained to deal with gangs.

In addition, retired Constitutional Court Judge Edwin Cameron, who heads the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) and inspected Johannesburg Medium Aand C also provided a report to the Westminster Court.

Judge Cameron’s report detailed the available healthcare facilities, material circumstances and the regime, inter-prisoner violence and monitoring. Cameron concluded that the material conditions in the cell were adequate, and JICS would be able to maintain proper and adequate oversight over Lomas.

Findings

The court found that as Lomas currently lives alone and can care for himself on a daily basis:

“In the event of his extradition to SouthAfrica he would require some adaptations to the physical environment, including the installation of grab bars in the shower for his use.The South African authorities have said that they will make those changes. I accept that evidence.

“He is fit to plead and stand trial in SouthAfrica and to instruct his lawyers. He may require some adaptations to the trial process to enable him to effectively participate such as more regular breaks,” the judgment reads. - DM

“Basically nothing” is happening in Warrenton to solve the water crisis of more than three months in this Northern Cape town right next to the Vaal River.

This was the biggest realisation to which Marie Sukers,ACDP MPin the NationalAssembly, came across during her unannounced oversight visit to the town on Wednesday, 24 May

Sukers was approached by community members for assistance. Her visit to the water treatment plant, as well as to the construction work of an “urgent and speedy solution” to temporarily provide water to residents, caught many councillors of the Magareng Municipality off guard and inflamed tempers.

The nearly 25 000 residents of Warrenton residential areas, Warrenvale, and Ikhutseng, have already been without running water since the end of February after approximately 30 m of the main water supply pipe in the Vaal River was damaged during the flood.

Since then, apparently more than R5,5 million has already been spent to restore the water supply “temporarily”, as well as “permanently and more sustainably”.This money was granted by Cogsta.

The temporary plan, according to correspondence from the municipality, would have been completed in early May. It is still not completed, and residents have doubts about the sustainability of the permanent plan and whether it will be completed at all within the promised four months.

With the outbreak of cholera in among others Parys in the Free State, along which the Vaal River also flows, residents are also concerned about the purity and quality of the water that is sporadically supplied to them by water tankers.The water is apparently not properly filtered at the water treatment plant.

“These processes have now been bypassed. I would reckon we only get about 30% purified

water,” says a community leader

‘They kill themselves buying water’

To wait for the water tankers is something that residents know very well by now. Sometimes they have to wait up to three weeks before one arrives in their neighbourhood while certain residents are prioritised. In addition, they often have to hear that water tankers are “broken”.

“It is all about who is who, and who works where,” a resident of Ikhutseng says, continuing by saying that family members and friends of municipal officials get first priority with water supply

“We have repeatedly brought this to the attention of the mayor and council members, but they just drag their feet,” he says.

“I am offended by the municipality. Here are so many elderly and disabled people who cannot fetch water They kill themselves buying water.”

Aresident of Warrenvale

An elderly resident says she barely has R5 extra to buy water, and when she does have a few rand extra, she has to pay others on top of that to buy water on her behalf since she cannot carry the container herself.And R5 worth of water does not get you far

Residents of Warrenvale and Ikhutseng are therefore forced to cross the busy N12 to either the nearest borehole or the Vaal River. Due to the vastness of the neighbourhoods, some of them have to walk several kilometer on foot.

“When you go to fetch water from the river, you have to take

the little ones with,” says a mother of toddlers.Afew weeks ago, a grandmother and her grandchild were hit by a vehicle on the N12 when they were on their way to fetch water

Those who do have transport are allowed to fetch water from the water treatment plants on the other side of town. For that, they have to cross the N12 and the N18, and also drive a bad stretch of dirt road.

Another resident says she and her son both have skin cancer and must avoid the sun on doctor’s orders. However, they often have to walk long distances in the sun to get water. Her husband is paralysed in one arm and cannot help to carry the water containers.

Another resident says her children are getting stomach problems from the water brought by the water tankers, and that her skin is starting to peel from it. Residents agree that the water sometimes smells and tastes strongly of household disinfectant.

“Sometimes the people who wait so long for water are appeased with food parcels. Just like they will be appeased with food parcels andT-shirts before next year’s election,” says a resident of Ikhutseng. He says the flood has brought a new water crisis to Warrenton, but before that the water supply situation in the town was also dire.

‘Solutions’still not completed “Where are all the millions that were planted here,” Sukers asked during her overview visit on Wednesday, adding that

Marie Sukers, ACDP MP, in Ikhutseng in front of empty water containers of residents waiting for water. One of the residents says sometimes they even sleep there to wait for water. Photo: Helena Barnard

continues from pg 15

according to what she heard, the Magareng Municipality has requested more money

The contractor who was appointed for the “urgent and speedy” repair of the temporary plan for water supply apparently withdrew last week due to nonpayment.The municipality did not want to confirm or deny this.

According to a letter from the municipality, this contractor was instructed on 26April to start with the temporary solution. Pipes for this project would be delivered within seven days from the date and then it would take another “three to five days to put into operation”, it was written.

The pipes were indeed delivered, but apart from one one pipe lain diagonally next to the river, another one in the river, and a cable or two along the river, no contractor was on site by late morning and no other signs of work was visible.

The work on the “permanent and more sustainable solution” for water supply also seems to be at a standstill.Apart from support clamps attached to the N18 Magrieta Prinsloo bridge, nothing seems to have happened here since early May The support clamps are attached to the lowwater bridge to hold the new main water supply pipe from the water plant to town.

The old fiberglass pipe that was damaged in the February flood spans the river

However, community leaders are of the opinion that the pipe is being installed on the wrong side of the bridge, saying that with the next flood, stones and tree trunks will damage it.The tree trunks and branches that have been pressing against the low-water bridge since the flood, on the side where the new pipe is to be attached, confirm their concern.

‘Nothing happens here’

When Sukers, the community leaders, and media arrived at the water treatment plant, on which almost R86 million has apparently been spent since 2020, she was violently prevented entry by a man –believed to be a security guard. Sukers’husband, Johnathin, who is theACDPleader in the Northern Cape, was also threatened by the person.

Although Sukers identified herself more than once, and explained that as an MPshe may make unannounced oversight visits, access was still refused. More persons, presumably connected to a contractor company, showed up.

After an urgent visit to the offices of the Magareng Municipality and a conversation withThapelo Jacobs of the municipality,

access was finally granted.The visiting group was barely through the gate when they were stopped again for not wearing safety helmets.

Sukers asked the persons on site to provide safety helmets “since they are the contractors”, which they could not provide.Access was subsequently granted “at your own risk”.

Here Sukers realised that apart from the people guarding the closed gate, and about three who were busy filling a water tanker, no construction activities were taking place on the premises.

Acontract was apparently granted in 2020 for the construction of a new water treatment plant on the site of the old one.

The completion date for this was 30 June 2021.

It is still not finished. Weeds growing through sun-bleached equipment are the silent witness that it will not be finished anytime soon.

“Money has been spent here, but nothing happens.That is why they refused us entry

“Warrenton is SouthAfrica at micro-level – what we are experiencing is happening in the majority of municipalities.The municipalities are dysfunctional

and when something like a flood happens, it becomes a humanitarian crisis. Voters vote for people that no boss will even hire." -

Marie Sukers

“Here is a leadership problem, and local government deals with bread and butter issues. No access to water is a serious violation of human rights.

“The problem is that we play politics with basic human rights.

“This is a wake-up call. If we do not get the system fixed now, there will be an implosion in the country,” says Sukers.

Meanwhile, according to posts on the Facebook page of the Magareng Municipality, councilors are busy with “public consultative meetings throughout its six wards”.

On this, a resident of Ikhutseng writes in comments: “I see the public consultations and I think right now all the focus, time and energy will be better served on the restoration of water

All the masses want right now is water in their taps. Everything else and all the consultations are not of any significance.”

As a community leader from Warrenvale says: “We do not only want water, we want better.”

Empty water containers of Ikhutseng residents, waiting to be filled. Photo: Helena Barnard

Marie Sukers, ACDP MP, and members of her unannounced oversight visit are prevented to enter the water treatment plant. Photo: Helena Barnard

A new waterpipe halfway in the river, and another one in the water, was the only sign on Wednesday morning, 24 May, that a contractor was busy somewhere. No workers were seen on site.

Photo: Helena Barnard

Marie Suckers, ACDP MP, and her husband, Johnathin Sukers, who is the ACDP leader in the Northern Cape during her oversight visit.Photo: Helena Barnard

Transnet Continues To Deteriorate Despite Mining Industry Collaboration

THE performance ofTransnet Freight Rail (TFR) has deteriorated this year despite efforts by the mining industry to nail down efficiency improvements.

The Minerals Council unveiled a collaboration withTransnet in January aimed at improving bulk rail and ports infrastructure performance. But progress has been in short supply, said Tharisa CEO Phoevos Pouroulis.

“This is a major infrastructural government-led business and decisions take a long time to be made, and changes even longer,” Pouroulis said in an interview today. “This is not a reflection on any leadership forum, but things are not

changing quickly if I’m being honest about it.”

Tharisa is a member of the Chrome Leadership Forum hoping to secure partnerships withTFR in respect of maintenance, procurement and planning.The Minerals Council established three other forums for the country’s iron ore, manganese and coal industries.

Roger Baxter, the outgoing CEO of the Minerals Council said in February he was hopeful of making advances withTFR but since then there has been no information from the council. Instead, there have been setbacks.

Aderailment on May 12 near Vryheid involving 56 coal-laden

wagons and locomotives has taken the ‘tempo’of coal deliveries – average monthly deliveries annualised – to the industry-owned Richards Bay CoalTerminal to below 50 million tons.At this level, coal deliveries to RBCTin 2023 will match last year’s 30-year low

“We’ve seen it decay over the last five to 10 years and a leading indicator was efficiencies and then infrastructure failures and then theft on the lines,” said Pouroulis of the rail and port network for chrome deliveries.

“We would like to think that with industry there can be some improvement but I don’t see much changing in the short term; maybe improvements in efficiencies in available capacity

ports and then moving back into the network,” he added.

He said the Chrome Leadership Forum was “proactive and frontfacing” but that the entire mining industry was fighting for a seemingly ever-falling allocation. “It becomes a challenge forTFR andTransnet to manage to allocate the remaining capacity,” he said.

“Where we used to get a number of trains a week we get some sporadically every other week. It is not getting better as we sit here so needs to be some intervention.”About 85% of Tharisa’s mined product for export is delivered by road.Miningmx

Welkom in

Kalahari Lodge

Namibia Agrees $10bn Green Hydrogen Deal With German Firm

NAMIBIAunveiled an agreement with Germanbacked Hyphen Hydrogen Energy for the next phase of a previously agreed $10bn green hydrogen project that will export to Europe once complete, according to a report by Reuters on Wednesday

The feasibility and implementation agreement will be officially signed on Friday, officials said, as some community activists raised concerns over a perceived lack of transparency around the huge deal that costs as much as the country’s gross domestic product.

“On Friday… we kick-start a process that has the potential to transform the lives of many in our country, the region and indeed the world,” Namibia’s President Hage Geingob said in a statement.

Hyphen, whose shareholders include Germanyheadquartered Enertrag, was announced as the preferred bidder in 2021 for the project in the Namib Desert’sTsau //Khaeb National Park, said Reuters.

The plant, to be built in phases, will eventually produce 2 million tons of green ammonia a year for regional and global markets when it reaches full-scale output, which is anticipated before 2030.

Namibia, one of the world’s sunniest and most sparsely populated countries, wants to harness its potential for solar and wind energy to produce green hydrogen and position itself as a renewable energy hub inAfrica.

But it remains to be seen whether the water-scarce

country, relatively far away from key export markets, will be able to deliver a cost competitive product in an emerging global hydrogen sector, Reuters quoted analysts as saying.

“Another big issue is a lack of transparency on the deal and how Hyphen was selected,” said Frederico Links, coordinator of a project that

tracks public procurement at Namibia’s Institute for Public Policy Research.

Over the past year, Hyphen has signed memoranda of understanding with a number of potential European customers, to which it aims to supply about 750,000 tons of green ammonia annually, it said. - Miningmx

Northern Cape Birds In Focus: Karoo Thrush The First Out Of Bed

very similar, have slight variations in notes and phrases. With practise, keen listeners can tell them apart.

The Karoo thrush is found across the entire Karoo region and parts of the Free State and North West.

There are regions where its range overlaps with the olive thrush and hybrids are likely to occur in these areas, but it still has to be confirmed.

These birds are usually the first to start singing as first light appears in the morning.

any tree is bearing fruit you will likely find Karoo thrushes plucking berries or fruit from the branches or fallen fruit on the ground.

During breeding in spring and summer, they have a fascinating courtship display with the males running around with wings bowed and tail fanned out touching the ground trying to attract a female.

Sometimes three to four males will do this in a group and creates a spectacle to watch.

The Karoo thrush (Turdus smithi, Afrikaans “geelbeklyster”) was originally lumped with the olive thrush (Turdus olivaceous or “olyflyster”) and many readers may have known this bird by that name.

Both species generally look quite similar, however, genetic and morphological studies showed a separation between “inland” birds and “coastal” birds. Birds above the escarpment (i.e. the inland Karoo thrushes) had

more grey on the lower belly and the flanks, a yellower eye-ring, the upper bill being more yellow and the underside feathers at the base of the tail being darker and streaked.

Birds below the escarpment (i.e. the coastal olive thrushes) have more orange on the underbelly, white undertail feathers at the base of the tail, a darker base to the upper part of the bill, a dark eye ring plus a whiter throat.

Their calls and songs, although

Their liquid calls are a wellknown part of the dawn chorus.

They can then be seen frantically running on lawns and in flower beds, probing the soil for grubs and other insects. They have this curious behaviour of running, stopping, tilting their heads to “listen” for prey and then jabbing their bills into the soil or grass to retrieve a grub or a worm.

They are vigorous fruit eaters. If

Karoo thrushes are fascinating garden birds and generally become quite tame in garden settings.They will regularly visit bird feeders where fruit is provided.

Take time to listen to these wonderful songsters early in the morning and enjoy their feeding and courtship antics.

For enquiries, write to birdclubgariep@gmail.com.

– Dr Doug Harebottle, chair of the Gariep Bird Club.

The Karoo thrush loves fruit. Photo: Brian Culver

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Casualties Pile Up In Devastating Rare Succulent Poaching Stealing Spree

same, potted plants are increasingly prized as both ornaments or relatively lowmaintenance “pets” by city folk across the world, in an era where large swathes of humanity have been cut off from the natural world and confined to more sterile urban environments

Global demand

“We call this the ‘Covid changeover’,” says Brown. “Before lockdown, we were mostly seeing Czechs, Slovenians and other European collectors.

More than 200 years later, the triage system developed by Baron Dominique Larrey during the Napoleonic wars is being used locally to stem the casualty list of some of SouthAfrica’s most threatened succulent plant species.

“We have been getting between three and seven plant confiscation cases coming in every week, mostly from the Northern Cape –and the number of plants in each case can vary between 1,000 and 10,000 plants,” says Dr Carina Becker duToit, a senior botanical scientist at the sharp end of rescue operations for confiscated succulent plants in the Western Cape and Northern Cape.

In the modern medical context, the colour-coded triage system is still used by paramedics and emergency room workers to filter patients for priority surgical and hospital treatment in the wake of serious accidents and disasters.

In the new conservation context, the botanical casualties are graded mainly by the rarity of each species on the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

While Becker duToit would like to save as many plant patients as possible after they have been ripped from the veld, there is just not enough space or capacity in the few botanical “hospitals” in these two provinces to sustain their life.

This comes at a time when tens of thousands of poached succulent plants have been confiscated since the Covid lockdown of 2020.

“Though some of the plants are quite tough, most have been stored in plastic bags or other containers for some time,” she says, “So when they arrive at our facilities they are in urgent need of soil, trays and watering.”

That means Becker duToit and her colleagues in the SANational Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi) face a grim choice of which plants to save, due to the limited available resources.

“We focus on the ones that are closest to extinction on the IUCN Red List and those known to exist

only in a single location.”

It is these species that will be marked with a red or orange marker for priority care, while those with green markers (least concern category) have to take their chances – should space and staff become available.

Until recently, many of the confiscated plants had been stored in hot conditions, piled up in trays and largely unclassified by their rarity in the waiting rooms. Becker duToit often had to sort through them laboriously and draw up priority care protocols.To complicate things, the severity of the recent poaching onslaught on some species means that their conservation status is now dynamic.

“The Red List for Conophytums had to be updated in 2020/21 because of the poaching surge – and all Conophytums species are now threatened,” says Sanbi project manager Ismail Ebrahim.

While some members of this plant family were previously listed under “least concern”, most now fall in the “endangered” or “critically endangered” categories.

Small populations, limited ranges

One of the reasons for this, Ebrahim explains, is that some local succulents have very small populations or limited geographic ranges. In some cases, they are found in just one place.

“The entire global population of an endemic plant can be wiped out from their wild habitat in a single day by illegal plant collectors,” says Ebrahim, suggesting that it is vital to raise awareness about the plant poaching crisis and to instil a greater sense of public custodianship.

As things stand, the death or demise of rare plant families seldom arouses the same sense of public outrage or sentiment as the slaughter of iconic animals like rhinos, or the abuse of domestic pet species.

Plants live and breathe and many are beautiful. But there is not quite the same sense of connection as with our animal brethren.All the

If they were multiplied commercially in nurseries this would not be such a big deal, but the increasing global demand for smaller, brighter or unusual plant species is reaching the point where extinction is now a real possibility for many species due to illegal and indiscriminate plant collection.

Paul Gildenhuys, a founding member of CapeNature’s environmental crime unit, has little doubt that SouthAfrica’s rare succulent plants fall squarely in the crosshairs of this burgeoning global demand – and is increasingly driven by illegal trade syndicates that also deal in rhino horns, elephant tusks, abalone, armaments or drugs.

“Rare succulents are now just another commodity for crime networks that trade in low-risk, high-reward fauna and flora products,” he says.

Gildenhuys and his colleague Carl Brown find it difficult to pinpoint the exact reasons why succulent plant smuggling has “exploded” over the past three or four years, but say the evidence points strongly towards growing demand by collectors in China and some of its neighbours.

Gildenhuys says local scientific and botanical literature has been translated into Mandarin recently, while social media and new succulent plant craft markets have also played a big role in stimulating consumer demand.

Back in 2001, when Gildenhuys dealt with his first plant poaching case, the culprits were mostly specialist collectors, often from Europe or the United States.The trade has since moved sharply eastwards – most strikingly after the Covid lockdown. Whereas most foreign plant collectors used to visit SouthAfrica in person to scout out locations or collect plants, there has been a distinct switch to hiring SouthAfrican collectors – often poor or unemployed rural residents – who strip sites indiscriminately to collect as many plants as possible.

‘Covid changeover’

“There is a danger with ethnic profiling, but the reality is that most of the stuff is now going to China. The Chinese economy is growing and there is a great interest in plants in many cities. Most people live in a flat in a high-rise building and there is a desire to have succulents to decorate their apartments.”

Unfortunately, wealthier collectors are also on the lookout for “character” plants – sculpted into unusual shapes by over a hundred years of exposure to tough, arid environments – rather than the more common species and shapes available from mass-production nurseries in China.

The concern around this growing illegal trade to China has also manifested itself in the recent launch of the “Clean Internet for Conophytum” campaign by the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation.

According to the foundation, campaign leaders recently wrote letters to three leading Chinese ecommerce platforms (Xianyu, Tencent andTaobao) urging them to remove all illegal wild Conophytum products from their websites.They also suggested that buyers be discouraged from illegal transactions via a new “ecological civilisation” awareness campaign.

But the campaign appears to have had very little impact so far on what Becker duToit describes as a “tsunami-wave” of poaching over the past three years.

At a recent media briefing, CapeNature officials outlined some of the methods used by smugglers to transport plants from remote locations via the postal/courier system, or by road to CapeTown or Gauteng.

Some examples include hiding plants inside pockets of onions, in sealed toy boxes destined for China via FedEx, or concealed in decorative pillows, boxes of biscuits or dried fruit. Based on recent confiscation data, Sanbi estimates that more than 1.5 million South African succulent plants have been removed from the wild over the past three years alone. DM

Some of the tens of thousands of succulent plants rescued from plant poachers. (Photo: Tony Carnie)

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Pofadder, Pella and Onseepkans Residents Get Construction Skills

BMC in partnership withAfrica Skills Private College, has implemented a community skills development programme for local unemployed individuals

who wanted to learn construction skills.The programme was implemented in four of our host communities: Witbank, Pofadder, Pella, and Onseepkans.Atotal of 147 community members were enrolled and 101 successfully obtained their construction qualification.

Abig CONGRATULATIONS to the learners who obtained their certificates. In the words of Pieter van Greunen: "Now you have the ticket to your future!"

VZI is committed to taking its host communities on its development journey This is the first of many Skills

Development Programmes to make unemployed host community members employable through core- and portable skills development.

Eerste vir STAAL

Newly published research by a multidisciplinary research team from the University of CapeTown (UCT) and other partner institutions has dug deeper into and revealed insights into the lives of the Sutherland Nine, who were donated unethically to UCTin the 1920s.

The team, led byAssociate Professor Victoria Gibbon, produced a range of community-driven historical, archaeological and analytical (osteobiographic, craniofacial, ancient DNA, stable isotope) studies to document, as far as possible, the lives and deaths of the Sutherland Nine.

The research, titled “Confronting historical legacies of biological anthropology in SouthAfrica –Restitution, redress and communitycentered science: the Sutherland Nine”, was published in PLOS One on 24 May 2023.

Between 1925 and 1927, the skeletonised remains of nine San or Khoekhoe people, eight known-inlife, were removed from their graves on Kruisrivier farm, near Sutherland in the Northern Cape, and donated to the Department ofAnatomy at UCT This was done without the knowledge or permission of their families.The donor was Carel Gert Coetzee, who turned out to be a UCTmedical student.

Associate Professor Gibbon, a biological anthropologist and curator of the repository at UCT, said: “Anatomy departments and museums collected human skeletal remains during the colonial era and into the first half of the 20th century for museological natural history display, curiosity, scientific and racial study. Some skeletons were acquired unethically or illegally. In particular between 1850 and 1930, human remains of San and Khoekhoe people were sought by and traded between museums and universities globally. Grappling with these legacy collections is challenging.”

UCTefforts to redress past injustices

Nearly 100 years later, the Sutherland Nine are being returned to their community in the process of restitution led by UCT The process was begun and supported by a public participation consultant hired by UCT, Doreen Februarie, locating the two families of the individuals living in Sutherland.The restitution process prioritises the descendant families’memories, wishes and desire to understand the situation and their ancestors.

Professor Loretta Feris, the former deputy vice-chancellor for Transformation at UCT, said: “When UCTbegan this process, there was no policy in SouthAfrica for restitution or repatriation of human remains and UCThad to carve out a process in partnership with the Sutherland community The UCT process clearly influenced the pol

icy that came into effect in 2021.”

Gibbon said the Sutherland Nine reminded UCTof its complicity in SouthAfrica’s reprehensible colonial past and the violence against indigenous communities. “Through restitution, an opportunity was provided for atonement, redress, learning, and healing. Examination of the remains of these individuals stands as a strong moment of agency by the descendant families who wanted to know more about their ancestors. It also revealed a very rich picture of these people’s lives,” she said.

The team wrote: “While these nine individuals were exhumed as specimens, they will be reburied as people.”

In addition to plans for reburial, the restitution process involved the families’request to know as much information as possible about the situation and their ancestors.Thus, the multidisciplinary research team conducted the study

Amultidisciplinary collaborative approach

The team decided to approach the research results embedded within the story of the Sutherland Nine in a single, large, multi-authored publication.The entire process was governed under informed consent through a multi-layered ethical framework with and without research team members.The family members wrote in their own words what research they wanted and why, along with their restrictions on data use. “The families drove and directed the publication process and chose formal acknowledgement in lieu of authorship.The principal message of this collaborative approach is how community-driven research can benefit processes of restitution when grappling with painful legacy collections,” said Gibbon.

According to Gibbon, the Sutherland example may set a global precedent for a process of restitution and restorative justice in combination with community-driven science, contributing to redress. She added: “It may be helpful if curators and custodians of repositories of human skeletal remains elsewhere in the world attempt to redress some of the wrongs of the past.”

The research findings

The paper found that life was physically hard and violent for the Sutherland Nine, and common conditions like toothache and infections likely caused death.

In archival records, most adults were identified by first names (Cornelius, Klaas, Saartje, Jannetje, Voetje, Totje); for two, surnames were also specified: CorneliusAbraham and Klaas Stuurman.Three unnamed individuals were renamed as part of the process by the National San

Council in collaboration with the descendant families.The younger boy child (four to six years of age) has been named G!ae, which translates to “springbok” – an animal symbolising the San’s pride in their culture and future prosperity The older girl child (six to eight years of age) has been named Saa, which translates to “eland”, a sacred and spiritual animal in San culture.The other individual has been named Igue We, meaning “blessing”, to symbolise acceptance and blessing by San ancestors for his reburial.

The ninth individual was an unnamed adult said to have been buried 40 years earlier near Sutherland, although the precise burial location was unrecorded.The research has shown that he died approximately 700 years ago using radiocarbon dating. Commenting on this finding, Gibbon said there is no evidence that this individual was directly related to the other eight, but his remains came to the institution from the same donor, presumably for the same purpose as the other eight individuals.

“This window into the past reveals hardworking people with perseverance and resolve.”

The disturbed graves were located and the ZAMANI project mapped the Kruisrivier cemetery producing a 3D visual guide presented in the supplementary information linked to paper. “These results were contextualised in an archaeological and historical framework,” said Gibbon.

Despite the hardship and challenges for people living on Kruisrivier farm and others like it, Gibbon said they resisted complete assimilation into the farm owners’way of life. “They retained some of their cultural practices, as shown by their habitual use of a resting posture with deeply flexed knees and ankles, the styles of their graves and aspects of burial practice (niche graves, inclusion of quartz pebbles), and the wearing of traditional body ornamentation.This window into the past reveals hardworking people with perseverance and resolve,” she added.

Facial reconstructions and ancient DNA

The descendant families also requested facial reconstructions and ancient DNAof the nine individuals. “These analyses were not possible inAfrica, and therefore, we had international partners,” said Gibbon. Joscha Gretzinger, a PhD student under the supervision of Dr Stephan Schiffels (Max Planck Institute of EvolutionaryAnthropology, Germany), joined the team to conduct the ancient DNAanalyses. Among the nine, biological sex was identified, kinship and broader biological relationships within southernAfrican populations were assessed.

Dr Schiffels said: “This was a remarkable and unusual project for us. Usually, there is a comfortable abstraction between our genetic analysis and the deceased person we describe. Here, we knew the names of the individuals and their history, which brought the events directly to our table, so to say.”

“The faces are the way into the bigger story.”

Facial reconstructions were possible for eight of the nine individuals. SouthAfrican forensic artist Dr Kathryn Smith from Stellenbosch University was invited to join the team and completed the work in collaboration with Face Lab (Liverpool John Moores University, United Kinddom [UK]). Smith was supervised by Professor Caroline Wilkinson while she was a PhD candidate in the UK.

Wilkinson said: “Facial depiction involves the reconstruction of face shape through interpretation of skeletal structure and the addition of textural detail to visualise the living facial appearance of an individual. In this case, the families specifically requested facial depiction to connect to their ancestors.”

Gretzinger and Dr Smith joined several other UCTpostgraduate students at the time who assisted in piecing together the stories of the Sutherland Nine, fulfilling another request from the community that the initiative should benefit student training and development.

Agrant from the National Geographic Society partially supported the facial reconstruction work. Using an entirely digital workflow and validated anatomical methods, the resulting faces are an embodiment of the multidisciplinary research, presenting complex biological, ethnohistorical, and cultural information scientific findings in accessible and relatable images. Seeing their ancestors for the first time, the families said: “The faces are the way into the bigger story.”

Digging deeper into Sutherland

Nine’s history

For each of the nine individuals, the researchers developed an osteobiography, assessed age-atdeath, sex, stature, markers of habitual activities, and evidence of disease and injury that informed them about how they lived and died. Five of the seven adults were male, and two were female, consistent with the DNAresults.Ages-at-death range from 25 to more than 60 years.All had relatively short stature (1.38–1.54 m, apart from Cornelius at 1.62 m).The archival recods dating from the 1920s stated that the donor’s great-grandfather captured both Klaas and Saartje.The records also suggested the two were husband and wife and were the

parents of Saa and possibly G!ae. However, the ancient DNA evidence also showed that Klaas and Saartje were close relatives (half-siblings or double cousins), so they were unlikely husband and wife. Neither was a biological parent of either of the children, although they may have been their primary caregivers on the farm.

Despite the close genetic relationship between Klaas and Saartje, the findings of this peerreviewed study revealed that they did not live in the same area before moving to Kruisrivier. Klaas and Igue showed substantial isotopic variation during early life, consistent with the mobile lifestyles documented for foraging communities in the dry interior of southernAfrica, where groups ranged over large territories of up to 2 500 km2 annually.

Stable isotope values for Klaas showed that he spent his early childhood in an area with more summer rainfall and moved to Sutherland at around 10 years of age.This, said Gibbon, is consistent with the archival record of his ‘capture’between Sutherland and Carnarvon.

Voetjie, one of the Sutherland Nine. Photo Supplied. Saartjie, one of the Sutherland Nine. Photo Supplied. New research has dug deeper into and revealed insights into the lives of the Sutherland Nine, who were donated unethically to UCT in the 1920s. Photo Je’nine May

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Names of those who participated in the working at height training at Kaofeli services on the 18th of February 2023 Well Done!!!

Far left - first row - Everone Rooi

Far left - second row - Ryan Witbooi

Middle - first row - Edward Persent

Middle - second row - Quiton Moholo

Middel - third row - Manvrut Botha

Far right - front row - Pieter Pretorious

Far right - second row - Donovin bosman

Far right - third row - Gae-leon Meyers

Far right - fourth row - Mr.Adam Koopman.

Hawks Arrest Imprisoned John Block for his involvement in R51 million Fraud

The Hawks have arrested imprisoned formerAfrican National Congress (ANC)

Northern Cape chair John Block in connection with allegations of fraud. Block, who is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence for corruption and money laundering at Upington Correctional Centre, was apprehended onTuesday morning by the Hawks‘ Serious Corruption Investigation team. Hawks spokesperson Nomthandazo Mnisi confirmed that the 55-year-old was arrested in connection with fraud allegations relating to a R51 million tender dating back to 2003.

The tender in question relates to the construction of a new mental health facility in Kimberley, which initially carried a budget of R290 million. However, the costs escalated to R420 million during Block’s tenure as the province’s roads and public works MEC.

Block was convicted of corruption

and handed a 15-year jail sentence in 2015 for using his political influence to solicit bribes while serving as a Northern Cape official. It wasn’t until November 2018 that he began serving time, as his numerous appeals proved unsuccessful.

Mnisi said Block’s arrest followed the recent arrest last week and the court appearance of a former head of department (HOD) for roads and public works and a company director in connection with the alleged dubious contract.

She confirmed that both the former HOD and Block face similar charges of fraud, while the company director is accused of corruption and money laundering.

“It is alleged that in 2003, Babereki Consulting Engineers CC was fraudulently awarded a tender as a structural civil

engineer as well as project manager, within the mental health hospital construction project.

“During his tenure as a political head the accused and the former HOD Ms Patience Mercia Mokhali appointed Babereki Consulting Engineers CC whose director is MrTshegolekae Motaung though the company did not meet the necessary requirements.The actual amount involved is approximately R51 million,” Mnisi said in a statement.

It is alleged that in 2003, the Northern Cape Department of Health together with the Department of Roads and Public Works as implementing agents embarked on a R290 million project to construct a new mental health facility in Kimberley

It was found that some of the

constructed buildings faced possible demolition.Also, it was discovered that the company appointed did not have the capacity to render the service. The contract was terminated after R420 million was paid to a liquidated contractor

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John Block