Boksburg Edition
A FRESH APPROACH TO LOCAL NEWS 23 November 2021
www.tametimes.co.za
DA Win Big In Ekurhuleni
More About Tania Campbell, The Newly Elected Mayor Tania Campbell is a South African politician who is the newly elected Executive Mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. As a member of the Democratic Alliance, she was elected to the role on 22 November 2021. Campbell had previously served as the DA’s caucus in the metro. Campbell has been a Democratic Alliance councillor in the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality since 2000. In 2013, she was elected chairwoman of the DA caucus in the metro. She was also the DA’s community safety spokesperson in the metro. In October 2020, she was elected as DA caucus leader after the incumbent, Phillip de Lange, resigned after a motion of no confidence was brought against him. MASINA CONGRATULATES CAMPBELL FOR EKURHULENI VICTORY
In a tweet, Masina congratulated Campbell and insisted that the transition will be peaceful. “Congratulations to the newly elected exec. Mayor of the city of ekurhuleni cllr tania campbell. As an outgoing mayor we are committed to a peaceful transition of power. Thank you to and our coalition partners for the opportunity to serve the city these past 5 years. Asbonge,” he said. The DA had to make a U-turn on their election strategy and put Campbell forward for the metro’s top job after initial mayoral candidate Refiloe Nt’sekhe withdrew from her position as councillor. NT’SHEKHE
CLARIFIES
RESIGNATION
RUMOURS
The DA has swept home major victories in the metro on Monday, securing its first victory after Raymond Dlamini took over the speaker of council position from the ANC’s Patricia Khumalo.
Refiloe Nt’sekhe – who was the DA’s candidate for the Mayoral position before absconding from today’s meeting – clarified that she had made the decision to resign from the opposition party earlier this month, but was still standing behind the party with her full support. Speculation has been growing that Nt’sekhe had grown dispondent due to a belief that she was being used by the party to garner black votes. “Clearly what has happened today is that the ANC has decided to use this as a political ploy. And have not processed the resignation, therefore also using the racial narrative which is actually quite wrong.”
NOTICE TO ALL SHAREHOLDERS OF GRAND PARADE INVESTMENTS LIMITED
We encourage all GPI shareholders to update your contact and account information with Computershare. Telephone - 086 11 00 934 or (011) 370 5000 Email - web.queries@computershare.co.za or ecomms@computershare.co.za Kindly provide your shareholder reference number (SRN) or identity number as a reference.
Tell: 011 862 8500 - Fax: 086 241 5648
COVID-19 In SA”
‘Super-Variant’ Found In South Africa A new Covid-19 variant has emerged that has an “incredibly high” number of mutations, scientists are warning. It is feared that the B.1.1529, or Botswana variant – an off-shoot of the B.1.1 – could drive further transmission of the virus. The first cases found were three in Botswana, followed by another six cases in South Africa, and one in Hong Kong involving a traveller returning from SouthAfrica. Generally, spike mutations allow viruses to adapt and become more virulent, and more able to evade natural and vaccine immunity. Dr. Tom Peacock, a virologist at Imperial College London, said the variant could be “of real concern” as its 32 mutations in its spike protein could enable it to more easily evade a person’s immune system and spread to more people. Virologists frequently identify new Covid variants that often do not exceed a small number of cases. But Dr Peacock tweeted that he “hopes” the variant turns out to be one of these “odd clusters” and not as transmissible as feared. Prof Francois Balloux, Professor of Computational Systems Biology and Director, UCL Genetics Institute, said the variant’s mutations are in “an unusual constellation” that “accummulated apparently in a single burst”. He said that this indicates it could have evolved during a “chronic infection of an immunocompromised person, possibly in an untreated HIV/AIDS patient”. Prof Balloux added: “I would definitely expect it to be poorly recognised by neutralising antibodies relative to Alpha or Delta. It is difficult to predict how transmissible it may be at this stage. “So far, four strains have been sequenced in a region of SubSaharan with reasonable surveillance in place. “It may be present in other parts of Africa. For the time being, it should be closely monitored and analysed, but there is no reason to get overly concerned, unless it starts going up in frequency in the near future.”
02
23 November 2021
Noodle Deaths: Investigation Looking Into 2 Different Brands
It’s still unclear if the deaths of five children in separate tragedies were caused by food poisoning. Investigations are still under way. Recently, two siblings in Mpumalanga died reportedly after sharing a packet of noodles. It came just days after three children died in the Eastern Cape. They too had eaten noodles. The Health Department said that the investigations had been prioritised. The department’s Murdock Ramathuba said: “The investigation is ongoing. It’s a long process to try to come down to one thing because there are many factors that are involved in cases of food poisoning unless it is laboratory confirmed or other factors that might be involved.” He said that the noodles were two different brands. “We had a meeting on Friday with one of the brand owners and we have requested a meeting with the other brand owners, which we could not meet over the weekend. We are hoping to meet with them today [Monday] to just go over what could have gone wrong,” said Ramathuba. He said that they took samples of the noodles. “With the biological samples quicker to get, we have received those. There was no serious alarm that we found from the biological samples so far. With the chemical samples, we are still waiting on the analysis to make a determination on what could have been the case.”
Share your opinions on this story, and others on www.tametimes.co.za
Couple Convicted After Selling Their Baby For R500 Pretoria parents dad, Wayne Loubser, 36, and mother, Justine Loubser, 32, have been found guilty of child neglect, common assault and failure to register a baby, in the Pretoria High Court this week. The mother of the six month old infant was also found guilty of a charge of human trafficking after they tried to sell the child for R500. National Prosecuting Authority North Gauteng Regional Spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana, said the couple had been found guilty of the crimes after it was established that they had intended to sell the baby. “This is after it was put on record in court that after the couple had the baby in April 2020 they did not register the child at the Department of Home Affairs with the intention of selling the baby and for the baby not to be traced back to them,” she said,” Mahanjana said. She said that a woman, identified only as “Saunders” who owned a food cart in Booysens, had met the couple around July /August 2020. “She first met Wayne who asked her for food from the food cart. The following day Wayne came with his wife, Justine to introduce her and the baby who was two months old at the time,” Mahanjana said. “Wayne proceeded to ask Saunders for R50 in order to buy nappies for the baby. Saunders asked her daughter inlaw to go buy them and gave them to the couple. From then Saunders continued
“ Infant forced to drink kool-aid while dad guzzled baby formula.” to buy nappies and baby formula for the baby,” she said. “It was also put on record in court that the couple made the baby drink cool aid while the father ate the baby formula. The court also heard that the couple repeatedly assaulted the baby a number of times on different occasions. The mother would take the baby to her work place at a pub while the father would drop the child off at Saunders’ food cart while intoxicated,” Mahanjana said. A doctor who examined the infant testified in court that on 6 November 2020 she completed a J88-medical form, which stated that the child had five day old bruises on the head, chest and right arm and a rash on his buttocks. The court heard how the couple had missed vaccination appointments to prevent clinic nurses from seeing the bruises. On two separate occasions the parents individually tried to sell the infant to Saunders. “The father approached Saunders first and offered to give her the baby for R2000 and asked to go with her to the Department of Home affairs to register the baby as hers. While the mother on 3 November 2020 approached Saunders and offered to give the baby to her for a fee of R2500 because she wanted to leave her husband
and Pretoria,” Mahanjana said. Wayne returned to the food cart the next day to ask Saunders if she had considered his offer. Saunders informed him that his wife also tried to sell the baby for R2500.00. Wayne then reduced his price to R1000. “On 5 November at midday, Justine went to the food cart to ask Saunders to reconsider buying the baby and reduced her offer to R500,” Mahanjana added. Finally, on 6 November, Wayne went to the food cart and threatened to kill the child if Saunders did not buy him. “Later that day the mother also went to the food cart without the baby. When Saunders enquired about the baby she told her that he was home because he fell from the bed,” Mahanjana said. An informer then reported the matter to the police, who together Saunders, set up an entrapment for the couple. “The police gave Saunders R500 to buy the baby from the couple. The exchange took place outside the couple’s house between Justine and Saunders, while Wayne was inside the house. The mother took the money and gave Saunders the baby and returned back to the house,” Hahanjana said. “Immediately after, the police went inside the house, confiscated the money and arrested the couple. The baby was taken to a health care facility for observation and is currently in safe care,” she said. The couple has been in custody since their arrest. The matter was postponed to 1 February 2022 for sentencing.
Minister Says Plans In Place ‘To Limit The Number Of Foreign Workers’ In SA Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has told Parliament that his department is hammering out a bill to set ‘quotas’ for the number of foreign workers who can be hired across various industries. MINISTER MOTSOALEDI PLANS ‘LIMITS’ ON FOREIGN WORKERS During an oral Q&A session in Parliament, Motsoaledi responded to questions presented by the IFP, as the party sought answers about an apparent lack of job availability for South Africans. Motsoaledi confirmed that they will need to work closely with “The #PutSouthAfricansFirst legal labour experts, and he’s movement protested, calling wary that any legislation to cap for an end to the employment the number of foreign workers in of Zimbabwean nationals.” South Africa could stray onto ‘the wrong side of the Constitution’. have got a constitution that is open However, the end goal for Home Affairs to many things and we don’t want would be to ensure that South Africans to be found on the wrong side of the have ‘first access’ to any suitable roles constitution. available. The inter-ministerial committee “We have already approached reported to the cabinet committee on international labour organisation to trade and industry because some of help us. One of them is to help us the issues will affect trade.” Aaron provide a bill that will provide quotas motsoaledi of the number of foreign nationals that South Africa has a dire unemployment can be hired by industry.” rate, and the prospects of our youth “We need a lot of advice because we finding work are even grimmer.
Two-thirds of young adults meet the extended definition of being ‘jobless’ in Mzansi, and the problem has been exacerbated by tensions that are often compared to xenophobic sentiment. The #PutSouthAfricansFirst movement protested outside of the Union Buildings on Wednesday, calling for an end to the employment of Zimbabwean nationals in certain industries. While no proposed legislation could discriminate against a certain demographic, general quotas on foreign workers are seen as a ‘neutral’ way to address the issue.
23 November 2021
Estranged Husband Of Vicki Terblanche Arrested For Murder
03
Jason Rohde Must Start Serving Jail Sentence Former property mogul Jason Rohde will have to start serving his effective 15-year jail sentence for the murder of his wife Susan.
The estranged husband of the murdered, Vicki Terblanche (42), was arrested on Wednesday evening. According to police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu, he is detained on a charge of murder. “At about 20:15, the 53-year-old male was arrested at his house in Millpark. He is expected to appear in court soon,” Naidu said. The bail application for Reinhardt Leach (32), who was the boyfriend of Terblanche at the time of her murder, will be heard this morning at the Gqeberha Magistrate’s Court. WHO IS THE OTHER ACCUSED? Naidu said Dylan Cullis (24), also arrested for the murder, remains in custody. Cullis is a friend of Leach. The body of Terblanche was found in a shallow grave in an open field in Greenbushes in Gqeberha. This gruesome discovery was made two days after Leach reported Terblanche missing to police on 21 October. Terblanche is the mother of a 12-year-old boy. HOW DID TERBLANCHE DIE? Naidu said the post-mortem report has yet to be released to SAPS, but preliminary findings suggest Terblanche suffocated to death. WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE TERBLANCHE’S BODY WAS FOUND? “On arrival, police found that the doors, including the garage door, were wide open. Intuitive that something was amiss, police roped in forensics to assist. While still at the house, a 32-year-old man arrived and indicated that he lived there.” She said the police officers recognised the man as he had reported his girlfriend missing on Thursday, 21 October 2021, at the Mount Road police station. “The man was then taken to the police station for questioning. Naidu said at about 03:00 on Saturday morning, after an intense investigation, detectives, with the assistance of the K9 Search and Rescue Unit, found the body of the missing woman Vicky Terblanche buried in a shallow grave in an open field in Greenbushes. “Circumstances leading to her demise are under investigation,” she said.
He had hoped to wait for the outcome of his Constitutional Court appeal at his home in Plettenberg Bay. But on Thursday, the Western Cape High Court dismissed his application for the extension of his bail, pending the Constitutional Court appeal. This means he must report to officials to start serving his sentence by 11:00 on Saturday. His lawyer, William King, indicated that the decision would be appealed. Rohde was found guilty of his wife’s murder in December 2019. He was the CEO of Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty. He said she hanged herself in a hotel room at Spier wine estate. But the court found that he murdered her and staged a suicide. They had been through a tense period in their marriage over his affair with an estate agent, Jolene Alterskye.
“ Rohde was found guilty of his wife’s murder in December 2019. He was the CEO of Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty.”
Read this story & more on www.tametimes.co.za
Rosemary Ndlovu tried to claim insurance payout from jail Being behind bars did not stop the copturned-serial-killer from trying to lodge more insurance claims for her deceased relatives. According to Sgt Keshi Benneth Mabunda, who was the investigating officer in her case, several months after her arrest Ndlovu began calling for insurance policies from her jail cell, wanting to lodge claims for the death of her younger sister, Runny. However, unlike other relatives who she had killed, Runny had fallen ill and died in 2018 after Ndlovu was arrested for trying to kill their other sister, Joyce Ndlovu, and her five children in Bushbuckridge. Mabunda said when Ndlovu again tried to tap into insurance funds, he had red-flagged her
among insurance companies as he continued investigating the case, trying to uncover exactly how many other relatives she had killed to claim from insurance funds. Mabunda said he was surprised when he got a call from an insurance company wanting to verify Ndovu’s whereabouts and the status of her case after they had received a telephonic claim from her. “At that point, I was busy with another case against her, because she was posing threats to me,” Mabunda said. “She had hired people to kill me and had said if she doesn’t kill me, she will make me suffer by getting to my son at school. She had said she knows where my son goes to school and would bury him alive,” said Mabunda, who explained how Ndlovu’s incarceration did
Suspected ‘ serial killer ‘ who allegedly attack and kill taxi drivers
There is a suspected ‘ serial killer ‘ who allegedly attacks and kills taxi drivers. The man would board taxis usually at night, asking the driver to stop after he is the last passenger. The man would pull out a gun, instructs the driver to drive towards mine dumps. The man is alleged to have killed many drivers in parts of Gauteng. The taxis are then taken to a certain area for stripping of parts. The parts would then be sold to taxi owners who want cheap parts.
not prevent her plotting and wanting to hire people to carry out crimes on her behalf.
23 November 2021
Tendai Ndoro Retires From Football It never rains but pours for embattled former Warriors and Orlando Pirates striker Tendai Ndoro. Ndoro who recently lost everything after he was kicked out of his Kyalami Estates home by his estranged South African wife is alleged to have retired from football after getting diagnosed with diabetes.
According to a local tabloid, 36-year-old Tendai Ndoro has been forced to hang his boots and call time on his football career due to the illness which is now affecting his eyesight. Tendai Ndoro’s relative, Simba Ndoro who happens to be the owner of the Northern region Division One, Simba Bhora club which Tendai was training with after he left South Africa had this to say. “He is diabetic and he has been receiving treatment. He is no longer with us, but we have been assisting with medical bills. He was supposed to undergo an operation at the weekend. I will have to check how it went on,” he said. A source who spoke on condition of anonymity revealed that Tendai informed him that he couldn’t continue playing football because of his deteriorating health condition. He said he cannot continue playing because of his condition and is looking to venture into
something else,” the source said. This comes just a couple of weeks after disturbing images of him looking frail circulated on social media. South African businessman and former Mpumalanga Black Aces owner George Morfou offered to help him after learning about his plight. Tendai Ndoro used to play for Bulawayo side Chicken Inn before he moved to South Africa in 2013. He has played for several clubs namely; Orlando Pirates, Ajax Cape Town, Mpumalanga Black Aces and Highlands Park. His retirement comes a couple of days after another football player, Khama Billiat retired from international football.
AB de Villiers, who is widely regarded as one the Proteas’ all-time greatest cricketers, has officially hung up his boots.
Read this story & more on www.tametimes.co.za
Keagan ’The Fixer’ Buchanan has became a firm favourite among DStv Premiership fans
The AmaZulu midfielder’s recent freak goal from a corner kick actually matched his character off-the-field. It is a rare achievement in professional football, let alone in the Premiership as he scored the equaliser directly from a corner in his team’s 2-2 draw with Stellenbosch FC at Danie Craven Stadium last weekend. Scoring directly from a corner is something that only a few players pull off in their careers. Buchanan’s goal was aided by the windy conditions and being a native of Cape Town himself, he attributed his goal to his familiarity with the conditions in the Western Cape.
“Being from Cape Town, I am familiar with the windy conditions. My target was to get the ball towards the Stellies goalie and towards the goals. If Andre (de Jong) attacked it, it would have been a goal but the keeper also missed the ball and fortunately for me, it went in. I also saw in the first half how some Stellenbosch players manipulated the wind and used it to their advantage. I was lucky that I got it on target and it went in,” said Buchanan. Known as “The Fixer” by his social media followers, Buchanan is an interesting figure in South African football. He has a following of over 40 000 and this number surpasses that of several PSL clubs.
AB De Villiers Retires From Cricket
“Over the years people take a liking to the way you play and what you do on and off the field. I’m trying to set an example to the young players who look up to me. It’s also a good way to make extra money off the field if you do it the right way. At the College at AmaZulu, we learnt about the importance of building a brand. Having a following is a blessing which can also be a curse. If you live a good life and do things the right way, it can only benefit you,” he said. Buchanan does not, however, consider himself to be “flashy”. “I don’t think I’m a flashy player. I have an interest in fashion and the lifestyle side. I’m a strong believer and Christian, and that is also something I display on social media. My faith has got me through everything. I don’t agree that I’m flashy but I have a liking for fashion,” said Buchanan. While Buchanan can be one of the most destructive attacking forces in the league when on form, his career has so far not fully gone according to expectations and he has had bad luck with injuries. Despite his natural talent and ability to pick out a good pass, he is yet to play for Bafana Bafana. Given Buchanan’s age and the fact that Bafana coach Hugo Broos prefers to utilise younger players, it may take a big effort from him to change that. “With the injuries, there are always discussions about what may have happened if you did not
“It has been an incredible journey, but I have decided to retire from all cricket. Ever since the back yard matches with my older brothers, I have played the game with pure enjoyment and unbridled enthusiasm. Now, at the age of 37, that flame no longer burns so brightly. “That’s the reality I must accept – and, even if it may seem sudden, that is why I am making this announcement today. I’ve had my time. Cricket has been exceptionally kind to me. “I would like to thank every teammate, every opponent, every coach, every physio and every staff member who has travelled the same path, and I am humbled by the support I have received in South Africa, in India, wherever I have played. “Cricket has been exceptionally kind to me. Whether playing for the Titans, or the Proteas, or RCB, or around the world, the game has given me unimagined experiences and opportunities, and I will always be grateful. “Last, I am aware that nothing would have been possible without the sacrifices made by my family – my parents, my brothers, my wife Danielle and my children. I look forward to the next chapter of our lives when I can truly put them first.” get injured. I can’t live in the past and just need to accept what happened. When it happened. I just had to keep pushing and believing in my ability,” said Buchanan. He made his mark at Bloemfontein Celtic which set the platform for him to become one of the best players in the league. He earned a bigmoney move to Kaizer Chiefs which did not go according to plan. After a resurgence at Maritzburg United, he now finds himself at AmaZulu whose business tycoon owner Sandile Zungu is on a long-term project to transform the club into the best in SA. He believes that he is now at the best place at the right time. “AmaZulu is the perfect place for me at my age to add further goals, assists and also contribute with the defensive side of my game. It’s the first team that suits the all-around style of my game. I never gave up and just try to play like it’s my last game. Being at AmaZulu is a perfect platform for me especially with the team in the Caf Champions League,” said Buchanan.