Shock metro housing plan

By Patrick Cull

A TASK team led by Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Zanoxolo Wayile  is  considering buying or even expropriating the popular Walmer Country Club to expand the city’s congested Walmer township – scene of several recent violent service delivery protests.
The task team  has also set its sights on a multimillion-rand property in the industrial area in Airport Valley near the airport owned by Irish property mogul Ken Denton, as well as environmentally-sensitive land in  Madiba Bay which encompasses the Driftsands and Cape Recife-Sardinia  Bay  coast.
However the shock Walmer Service Delivery Intervention Plan – a copy of which was leaked to Weekend Post – drawn up after a meeting with the community last month, points out that there has been “no interaction between the municipality and the property owner” [Walmer Country Club], a fact  confirmed by club president Mark Anschutz yesterday.
However, should negotiations occur and subsequently fail, the municipality could look into the possibility of land expropriation, the plan states. It also notes that no provision has been made in the budget for the acquisition of the land, and that a “preliminary minimum estimate” of four to six years is likely before any development can start.
The proposal outlines a number of short and longer term interventions geared at addressing challenges within the Walmer township community that exploded into violent protests in the past few months.
Councillors who met with residents reported that the community had vehemently rejected a densified layout in the township, with the  human settlements committee saying  it was “left with no option but to consider various portions of private land in Walmer”.
Although Walmer ANC councillor  Nomajama Benya  was not aware of what was contained in the document, she confirmed that the residents of  the formal and informal sections of the township had requested the municipality to relocate them.
“There are six informal areas in Walmer township. Even though not all Walmer township residents will be relocated, about 6 000 will have to be relocated,” she said.
“There is the possibility that property rates in nearby areas can drop. However it is very, very necessary for the residents to be relocated. With the heavy rains the residents in the informal settlements always struggle.”
In respect of the Walmer Country Club, the plan moots  “a continuous corridor” of high density residential development along the western side of Victoria Drive, “stretching from  Walmer Links to Glendore Road”.
The valuation of the golf club is R34.9-million but it was “likely that a valuation of this property will be in the region of R50- to R100-million”, the document says.
However, it  goes on to say that   “should the negotiation route not be favoured, an expropriation can be considered”.
The document also warns that the development of the property “may attract opposition” which could result in delays in both the rezoning and sub-division, as well as the EIA processes and any appeals that may result.
In the interim, the municipality is moving ahead with accessing funds for the rectification of properties in Walmer township and has outlined a detailed plan of interventions aimed at addressing the issues raised by the community, although there are obstacles such as the refusal of the airport authorities to allow the erection of high mast lights.
Mayor Wayile could not be reached for comment.
Additional reporting by Shaanaaz de Jager

This is a version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday July 28 2012. 

‘Dirty cops out to get me’

By Shaun Gillham

A FORMER Nelson Mandela Bay police informer who has fingered three prominent police officers as being linked to a sinister Port Elizabeth human trafficking ring,  is living in fear  after  repeated threats on her life.
The informant, who spoke to Weekend Post on condition of anonymity, was involved in gathering crucial information which led to the city’s biggest human trafficking bust in 2010.
The identities of the three police officers, including a high-ranking officer, are known to Weekend Post. They are understood to currently be  serving at three different policing precincts in Nelson Mandela Bay.
“At various meetings of the human trafficking syndicate I was observing [on behalf of the police] I regularly saw these police officers in attendance,” the informant said.
But while she and other intelligence sources claim the allegations against the allegedly corrupt officers are being “swept under the carpet” by high-placed police officials in Bhisho, Humewood police station commander Brigadier Ronald Koll yesterday acknowledged  an extensive case around the informant was being investigated.
Koll told Weekend Post he had received an affidavit on the matter from Nelson Mandela Bay city councillor Jeremy Davis.
“I can confirm that the matter is receiving attention and that the allegations made in the affidavit are part of an ongoing investigation,” Koll said.
“I can also confirm that certain SAPS members, including a high-ranking officer, are being investigated in connection with this case,” Koll said.
Davis said he first became aware of the latest issues around her work with the police between eight and nine months ago and that a full report had been recently handed to Koll.
“I have sent a file on this matter to Diana Kohler-Barnard who is the DA shadow minister for justice, for her attention. I have also been in touch with the Independent Police Investigation Directorate with respect to this matter,” Davis  said.
The informant, who said she feared for her safety as well as that of family members, was first recruited as an informant during 2005, but apparently fell foul of senior provincial police management about five years later after naming allegedly corrupt police officers in a particular intelligence report.
As a result the informant was diverted to gathering intelligence on other crimes in the Central area of the city.
However, the informant had  already gathered the information which led to the big human trafficking bust in 2010.
The case was struck from the Port Elizabeth New Law Court roll in September.
While the case was ultimately struck off the roll due to lack of evidence, it followed testimony  from a Hawks investigator during an initial bail application, in which he told the court of the “corrupt relationship between certain members of the SAPS using drugs and consuming alcohol” with the suspects at a Central premises.
At her wit’s end the informant approached Weekend Post this week claiming she had asked the police to assist and protect her  but to no avail.
Backed by timelines, specific dates, identities, police case numbers and information such as vehicle types and registration plates, copies of which are in Weekend Post’s possession, the source has claimed that:
* Ongoing threats were being made against her life by specific foreign and armed individuals in Central;
* Foreigners in the area make use of Port Elizabeth’s northern areas gangsters to carry out “dirty work”;
* She has been robbed and then attacked on three separate occasions by a “man associated with the Nigerian group” who may be a member or former member of a notorious South African prison gang;
* She was abducted in Central during October last year and was taken to the Willows Resort area near Noordhoek  where she was severely assaulted by two men claiming to be police officers sent to Port Elizabeth “to protect her”;
* She was held at gunpoint inside the vehicle of the same two men who demanded information; and
* She was currently still being subjected to death threats and intimidation and lives in fear of being killed.
The source said  human trafficking activities had continued while the six men were in detention and remained “rife” in the city.
The informant warned that parents should be aware that a human trafficking syndicate in Port Elizabeth targeted local schools  “where they take photographs of students of all race groups” who  they then discuss and earmark for use in activities associated with human trafficking, including prostitution.

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday July 21 2012. 

Kings’ hopes dangling by a thread

By Ethienne Arends and Yolandé Stander

EP RUGBY president Cheeky Watson has lashed out at the South African Rugby Union for again delaying the decision on how the Southern Kings will be accommodated in Super Rugby next year, saying the move could scupper the franchise before a ball has even been kicked.
Saru undertook to make the announcement on July 13, but this week reneged once again by delaying the decision to an as yet unspecified date.
And in a further blow for the prospects of top-class international sport in Nelson Mandela Bay it emerged this week that the city could be stripped of its status as an African Cup of Nations (Afcon) host city because of  the local municipality’s financial woes.
Although Safa claims no official decision has been made, sources close to the decision-making process have confirmed this could happen.
Saru’s unexpected decision to postpone the July 13 meeting was confirmed to Weekend Post by media manager  Rayaan Adriaanse,  who said  Saru did not want to comment “on the participation process of Super Rugby 2013 at this stage”.
While Saru had assured the Kings they would be in next year’s Super Rugby competition, there was still uncertainty because the organisation was refusing to say how this would come about.
In addition, Saru was also refusing to guarantee the Kings more than one season in Super Rugby.
In an exclusive interview this week, an incensed Watson said “this uncertainty and the fact that we are guaranteed only one season in Super Rugby is making it impossible for us to sign up a major sponsor”. 
“We have just over six months to go before Super Rugby kicks off and we do not have a sponsor. It’s ridiculous and it’s all due to Saru’s inability to reach a decision on how to accommodate the Kings and which franchise will fall by the wayside,” Watson said.
He said the Kings were already targeting eight current Super Rugby players to sign up for the franchise, but this was proving impossible without funding.
Two weeks ago,  the Nelson Mandela Bay council also voted to reduce the city’s sports development budget from R20-million to zero, cutting its funds for Eastern Province Rugby and effectively killing plans to bring a PSL soccer team to Port Elizabeth.
That decision now also suggests the metro simply will not have the financial capacity to host the Afcon tournament next year.
In a meeting with National Treasury and the Department of Sport  in June 2012, it was made clear  Nelson Mandela Bay would have to provide a guarantee for the funding of the event, failing which it could lose the hosting rights.
In the municipality’s economic development and recreational  services report, director Zolile Siswana mentioned that National Treasury had made it clear  Nelson Mandela Bay did not even have R6-million to contribute.
Currently the metro would need to source between R14-million and R17-million of taxpayers’ money to host the event.
When asked whether Nelson Mandela Bay would still be hosting Afcon games, Siswana said “that matter is still to be considered and discussed”.
Safa Nelson Mandela Bay region  president Mzimkhulu Fina said no decision had been made to take away the metro’s host city rights, but added there were concerns around funding.

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday July 7 2012. 

IPTS routes to start running in July

By Patrick Cull

THE first routes on the long- awaited Integrated Public Transport System (IPTS) between Motherwell, Njoli Square and Greenacres, and Uitenhage and KwaNobuhle will start running from July 1.
A report to the Nelson Mandela Bay council on Friday said that following a workshop on Wednesday it had been agreed that during peak hours in the morning “express buses” would run directly from Motherwell to Greenacres via the freeway. Others buses would link Njoli Square and the shopping centre.
At peak periods, the buses will operate at 10 minute intervals “so there is no demand for more buses in the Motherwell-Njoli area”.
The buses purchased for the 2010 World Cup will be used and divided between the Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage routes.
The launch of the IPTS follows an agreement between the municipality, Laphu’milanga Secondary Cooperative – which represents the taxi associations – and the Algoa Bus Company.
The report says a “high-level dispute resolution and political structure” has been put in place involving the politicians and the chairman of the secondary cooperative.
Seven work streams have been set up to address outstanding issues that include loading facilities at Motherwell and Greenacres, finalisation of bus stops and removal of speed humps.
The next route on which the IPTS will be rolled out is Cleary Park, from January next year.

This is a version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday May 12, 2012.

Remains of MK’s Sam finally return

Xolile Sam’s remains were officially handed over to his family on Friday. Picture: Mike Holmes

By Shaun Gillham

TWENTY-FOUR years after his brutal death at the hands of apartheid-era security police the remains of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) special operations commander Xolile Sam were returned to Nelson Mandela Bay.
About 300 people packed the Nangoza Jebe Hall in New Brighton on Friday May 4 to witness the moving ceremony which ended a two-decade wait by surviving family members eager to make peace with his heinous murder and “bury his remains with dignity.”
In attendance were dignitaries like Eastern Cape Human Settlements MEC Helen Sauls-August, chief director of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Unit Dr Mochubela Seekoe and deputy minister of Justice and Constitutional Development MP Andries Nel on behalf of Justice Minister Jeff Radebe.
Born in New Brighton in 1957, Sam, later known as MK Valdez Mbatha or Thabang, became politically aware during the 1976 student uprising and went into exile in 1977. Sam returned to South Africa in 1986 as commander of an MK special operations unit based in what was then East Rand.
In 1988, his activities were discovered by security police, drawing the attention of notorious former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock who had him arrested.
During the arrest Sam attempted to flee, but was shot in the leg. He was put into the back of a police vehicle where he was tortured and suffocated to force him to give up information. He died in the vehicle and was later buried in an unmarked grave in the pauper section of Vosloorus cemetery.
His remains were later exhumed after information on his death emerged during the TRC hearings into apartheid atrocities.
Sam’s nephew Africa Sam said the family was happy to have the remains returned. “We are very pleased. His father, who has died, wanted to make sure his bones could be returned for proper burial. We can now respect his wishes,” Sam said. “His sacrifices have contributed to our freedom and the democracy we enjoy today,” he said.

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday May 5, 2012.

Lone cyclist ends African odyssey

Eugene Szulik of Poland has been tireless in his trek. Picture: Mike Holmes

By Shaanaaz de Jager

A EUROPEAN construction worker who gave up his job to pursue his dream of trekking around Africa on a bicycle has ended his journey in the Eastern Cape.
Eugene Szulik, from Marklowice in Poland, began his African odyssey on November 4 last year and has now covered a distance of 13000km, visiting nine countries – Egypt, Northern Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Lesotho, South Africa and Tanzania.
“I’ve always wanted to visit Africa to see the animals in their natural habitat and see how the people here live,” said Szulik. He ended his journey in Port Elizabeth camping in the backyard of a couple’s home.
“I saved my money and quit my job. I was hoping to get as far as Cape Town but I pre-booked my Port Elizabeth air ticket so I was not sure what time I would be back in PE if I had to cycle to Cape Town,” he said.
“PE is a lovely city. There’s lots to see here. I saw the Ironman competitors and those people are amazing.”
Szulik began cycling from Hurghada, south of Cairo. Although he did not encounter any problems he was forced to pack up his bicycle and take a bus through northern Kenya, where tribal fighting was rife.
Whenever Szulik tired he simply set up his tent in bushes alongside the road or in villages whose residents were always ready to welcome him.
In Port Elizabeth the police allowed him to sleep at the New Brighton and Humewood stations.
Szulik especially enjoyed sampling the different foods from the various African nations. He said the tap water in Nelson Mandela Bay was of the best he had encountered.

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday May 5, 2012.

Former addict opens drug rehab centre in Korsten

By Shaanaaz de Jager

NELSON Mandela Bay’s northern areas are taking a significant step towards combatting rampant drug abuse with the opening of a drug rehabilitation centre in Korsten.
The Survivors Life-Skills Centre at the Ruven Centre in Korsten, which is being launched today, will seek to rehabilitate drug addicts by way of a four-week programme that will include a detoxification process as well as a 12-step life skills programme. It will incorporate Bible and Islamic classes to assist in coping with cravings, relationship difficulties and relapses.
Owner and founder of the centre, Mohamed Mayet, a former drug addict, said while he was working at other centres in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town he often encountered recovering addicts who were from Port Elizabeth.
This was when he saw the need for a centre in Port Elizabeth’s northern areas.
While the centre will cater for both sexes, accommodation will only be offered for male residents.
“The centre is run on Islamic principles. This means male and female recovering drug addicts will not sleep under one roof. At the end of each day the women go home.”
Mayet said while there was a cost involved for the seven-day stay, “if someone can’t afford it we won’t turn them away”.
“We have a registered psychologist who will do assessments of each candidate and provide regular counselling sessions. There will also be a nurse and doctor to assist the patients, a pastor for Bible studies and a sheikh for Islamic studies.
“There will also be security staff during the day and night.”
The centre’s management appealed to the public to provide financial assistance to get the facility up and running. This would be done through the Al-Fidaa Foundation, a registered non-profit organisation.
“The money donated to Al Fidaa for the centre will only be used for operating expenses and not staff salaries.”
For more information contact Mohamed on 079-172-1921 or Fahldeela on 084-828-6929.

This is a version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday April 28, 2012.

Road rage victim forgives attacker

Lorna Poulter before being released from hospital. Picture: Yolande Stander

By Yolandé Stander

THE victim of the savage Nelson Mandela Bay road rage attack that began with an altercation over a donkey cart has spoken about her ordeal for the first time.
Speaking to Weekend Post from her hospital bed at Greenacres on Thursday, Greenshields Park resident Lorna Poulter said she had suffered memory loss as a result of the brutal attack that nearly claimed her life earlier this month.
Poulter, 51, was attacked at about 10pm on April 3 by a driver wielding a wheel spanner after she had stopped in the road to berate two men on an overloaded donkey cart in Main Road, Walmer. Xolisa Ntantiso of Walmer allegedly pulled up in his car and a heated argument ensued. The state alleges he then went back to his car, took out a wheel spanner and proceeded to attack Poulter.
Ntantiso was arrested at the scene and initially faced a case of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, but this was later changed to attempted murder. The case was postponed until June 4.
A fierce animal lover, Poulter nearly bled to death on the pavement near 17th Avenue after the savage beating. She remained in a coma for days after the incident and only began showing signs of recovery last week.
Still struggling to come to terms with the emotional trauma of the incident, Poulter said the attack was still very “foggy” in her mind and that “pieces of that night” were missing.
“I remember pulling over to speak to the men who had heavily overloaded their donkey cart, but after that I can’t remember anything. The next thing I can recall is waking up in hospital,” she said softly.
She was not angry at her attacker and said she had  forgiven him.
Poulter also said she was not upset by the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court decision on Thursday to grant Ntantiso bail of only R400 even though the amount sent shockwaves through the community, many feeling it was too little to fit the crime of attempted murder.
Poulter said her pets were the first thing she thought of when she came out of the coma. “Luckily my neighbours jumped in and took care of them.”

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday April 21, 2012.

Businessman’s traumatic rape ordeal at St Albans

By Shaun Gillham

A BRITISH businessman and former life partner of Welsh rugby legend Gareth Thomas has told of how he had been scarred for life following a nightmarish 19-month ordeal at Nelson Mandela Bay’s notorious St Albans prison, where he suffered daily gang rape and other physical abuse.

Englishman Sean Smith, 42, a former Nelson Mandela Bay resident who faces arrest in South Africa after fleeing the country in the boot of a car while out on bail – allegedly with the help of the British High Commission – has described how he contracted HIV/Aids after being raped up to “eight times a day” by fellow inmates.

In addition Smith, who was arrested in 2007 on fraud changes relating to the property industry and was detained for 19 months at the prison, alleged that:

* Cells are supposed to sleep no more than 20 inmates but he was forced to share with about 90;

* Food and medical supplies are being illegally sold at St Albans; Medical staff at the prison are “negligent”;

* There is “outright bribery” of prosecutors and investigative officers in Port Elizabeth; and

* There is a ruthless “Afrikaans hierarchy” that runs the prison.

In an exclusive interview with Weekend Post – to which he agreed to speak because he said the paper was the only thing that kept him “sane” while in prison – Smith said he had been leading the high life in the Eastern Cape in the mid-2000s when he was arrested in Port Elizabeth in 2007 on fraud charges involving millions of rands.

The charges, which both Smith and his former Port Elizabeth legal representative strongly claim would have been successfully defended, involved the purchase of luxury properties, including two houses in Jeffreys Bay, one in Grahamstown and one in Theescombe, and items such as furniture.

Smith claims that, while at St Albans, he was raped at least once a day and sometimes up to “eight times a day”. He said the rapes began about six days into his imprisonment when the other inmates realised he was not a “threat”.

“You could hear screams all night as the prisoners raped each other. Because of the conditions of the system, I hold the authorities responsible for the physical, sexual and mental abuse I suffered and which still haunts me today,” he said.

Nine months into his term at St Albans he was given the devastating news he was HIV-positive. Smith was finally granted R20000 bail after a magistrate heard police had confiscated his British passport and other travel documents and a clinical psychologist had testified he was HIV-positive and was afraid of dying in jail.

“The negligent medical staff, the zealously corrupt officials, together with the rest of the Afrikaans hierarchy that control the Port Elizabeth justice system for their own personal gain, need bringing down in order to stop what happened to me and is happening to hundreds of other people in the Bay area.

“The illegal sale of food and medicines and the physical and sexual abuse of the prisoners need to stop, together with the outright bribery of prosecutors and investigative officers in Port Elizabeth,” Smith said. Although he was not considering action against authorities because “no amount of money can heal what I went through”, he was not letting the matter rest, he said. He is now backing Port Elizabeth lawyer Egon Oswald’s crusade to address prisoner abuse at St Albans.

“I would like to officially pledge support to the human rights case being brought against the authorities in relation to the mistreatment of prisoners at St Albans. I am willing to throw my weight both intellectually and financially behind the legal fight to stop the atrocities.”

Smith, who after fleeing from South Africa established a company providing legal recruitment and other services, said his two-year relationship with Thomas ended recently.

Correctional Services Zama Feni said the department was aware of the allegations but had no comment at this time.

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday April 21, 2012.

Artists up in arms over music fest

By William Alexander

A SHADOW of controversy has been cast over the upcoming Nelson Mandela Bay Megafest music extravaganza with local artists claiming they have been overlooked by organisers.
The event, which is being organised by private company Zeranza, and will be headlined by international stars Ludacris, Ne-Yo, Shaggy and Protoje, has been set for June 2 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
But according to Nelson Mandela Metro Music Association chairman Dumile Manxoyi the number of Eastern Cape artists performing at the festival is well below what it should be.
“It’s disrespectful and it undermines their [local artists’] efforts,” Manxoyi said. “There’s no significant music industry in the Eastern Cape and because of this artists are encouraged to go to Johannesburg.”
He also questioned Zeranza’s lack of experience in organising large festivals, saying the company was “not familiar with the landscape and local artists”.
At the Megafest launch on Tuesday April 17 organisers came under fire from a host of local artists who said they were “sick and tired” of being undervalued.
One member of the audience voiced concern that Megafest would be unable to meet its anticipated target of a 50 000-strong audience as the concert was aimed at a younger audience who could not afford the R150 ticket price.
He also expressed anger that the organisers had secured the services of Lloyd Stanbury, a production manager from Jamaica, rather than someone from the Eastern Cape.
“I want people from the Eastern Cape to make an Eastern Cape festival,” he said.
However, festival head of talent Roysten Cloete said Megafest would have a mini-stage on which the talents of local artists would be showcased.
“We have a list of potential artists from the department of arts and culture because we really wanted to avoid this [reprimands from local artists],” Cloete said.
In the past few years the city has not enjoyed a good track record when it comes to international music concerts and festivals. In 2009 livid fans streamed out of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium as the main act of the Bay Summer Concert, rapper Busta Rhymes, arrived late and did not even perform.
Later that year the Nelson Mandela Bay International Music Festival which was to showcase artists such as Keri Hilson was cancelled due to lack of funds.

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday April 21, 2012.