Eastern Cape

R14,7m set aside for rural housing
By Zamuxolo Feni Municipal Reporter EAST LONDON -- Eastern Cape Housing and Local Government MEC Gugile Nkwinti has announced that R14,7 million has been set aside to get rural housing development programmes off the ground. Nkwinti told a provin...

Bidding for casino licence gains momentum
By Zama Mpondwana EAST LONDON -- The bidding process for a local casino licence has gained momentum after the three bidders, Inyathi Leisure, Philani Casino Resorts and Tsogo Sun Emonti, met the deadline to submit their financial guarantees. Eas...

Bisho pays subsidies but MECs miss court
By Matt Ramsden EAST LONDON -- Warrants of arrest were issued yesterday against Health MEC Bevan Goqwana and Finance MEC Enoch Godongwana for failing to appear in court in connection with a R801249 clinic payment row. The Daily Dispatch learnt t...

Daily Dispatch stays out front
THE Daily Dispatch has emerged again as the most popular and best-read newspaper in the Eastern Cape. The latest All Media and Products Survey, Amps 2000A, estimates Dispatch readership at 218000 a day, the highest figure ever. Regional rivals l...

Whitakers in out-of-court settlement
By Adrienne Carlisle GRAHAMSTOWN -- Former East London city councillor Eric Whitaker and his four siblings yesterday reached an out-of-court settlement after a bitter family feud about the validity of their father's last will, in which his older ...

CURIOUS ONLOOKERS
Third-year auto electrician Geoff Heath explains the workings of a 12-valve Honda engine to Grade 12 pupils from Tsholomnqa High School at a careers exhibition currently on at the East London College. Eastern Cape ...

Lucky reader wins R100
By Mphumzi Zuzile EAST LONDON -- A regular West Bank Daily Dispatch reader, Sherley Baisley, won a R100 cash prize in the Cash Dispatch competition. The delighted housewife said: "It's just my lucky day," when asked how she felt after discoverin...

Council agrees to small contractors repairing roads
By Zamuxolo Feni Municipal Reporter EAST LONDON -- The city council last night approved a recommendation that smaller contractors be awarded contracts for the city's two-year roads rehabilitation projects. In the report, director of engineering ...

Children's home rent arrears scrapped
Municipal Reporter EAST LONDON -- The East London Child and Family Welfare Society's R16000 rental arrears on its children's home in Braelynn as at June this year are to be scrapped, the city council agreed last night. In a report tabled, financ...

Nehawu pickets after deadlock
By Lulamile Feni BISHO -- The National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) has started lunch-time pickets at the Eastern Cape Legislature after management and the union deadlocked on salary adjustment negotiations. Nehawu said i...

Dog tax 'goes to SPCA'
By Sam Ngwenya EAST LONDON -- Dog tax collections are donated to the SPCA because the municipality does not have a pound to keep vicious or neglected dogs, municipa-lity spokesperson Sidwell Maqoko said in a statement. Maqoko, who wanted to clar...

UDM targets Eastern Cape power struggle
BISHO -- The United Democratic Movement national management plans to "root out" the power struggle that is rife in the Eastern Cape UDM before the coming local government elections, UDM national secretary Malizole Diko said yesterday. Diko said t...

Call for removal of MPL Luyenge
BISHO -- The United Democratic Movement in the Sterkspruit area is to call for the removal of UDM MPL Zukile Luyenge from the provincial legislature for not "delivering the goods", the party's regional organiser, Anthony Hatting, said yesterday. ...

A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND
Rochelle Mullins, left, and Kimberly Young, both aged 12, congratulate a contestant, Leo, at the Border Staffordshire Bull Terrier show held at James Pearce Park in East London on Saturday. Eastern Cape  &n...

Smart convicted on four counts of child abuse
By Wimpie Heath Court Reporter EAST LONDON -- Paedophile Brian Smart was convicted on four counts of child abuse by the regional court here yesterday. Smart, 57, of Summerpride, pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting three boys. He abused two ...

Schoeman tries to turn table on accusers
PORT ELIZABETH -- In a new twist to planned disciplinary proceedings against New National Party MP Manie Schoeman, the Eastern Cape leader last week declined to attend a commission of inquiry into his criticism of the newly formed Democratic Allia...

Copper thieves hit R5m scanner
By Eddie Botha, Business Editor EAST LONDON -- The newly installed 14-ton Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner at the East London Private Hospital was almost damaged after thieves stole the copper piping which connected the equipment to a coo...

Airport exemption to expire
UMTATA -- The exemption granted to the airport here to continue trading is due to expire at the end of the month. This was confirmed by Felicia Versseld of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) head office in Pretoria yesterday. She said the airpor...

Govan Mbeki improves
PORT ELIZABETH -- President Thabo Mbeki's father, Govan Mbeki, was doing well after being admitted to Mercantile Hospital here a week ago, the president's office said yesterday. Spokesman Nazeem Mahatey said his condition was improving. -- Sapa ...

PICASSO
Christofer Taljaard, 8, a grade 3 pupil at Cambridge Preparatory School, proudly displays his artworks at the Santam Child Art Exhibition at the Ann Bryant Art Gallery yesterday. The theme of the exhibition was "People at Play". There are app...

Ex-gardener of slain priest admits robbery
By Adrienne Carlisle GRAHAMSTOWN -- John Mbeku Sinto, who once worked as a gardener for slain 78-year-old Anglican priest and community doctor Bride Dickson, yesterday admitted he helped rob her and watched as she was stabbed and strangled by his...

Six appear after farm murder
PORT ELIZABETH -- Six youths accused of murdering an elderly Cookhouse farming couple last week appeared in court in Somerset East yesterday. Their case was postponed to September 1. The six youths, including twins aged 15, were arrested just day...

Suspended jail term for abducting girl, 8
GRAHAMSTOWN -- A woman who abducted a child from Graaff-Reinet to "give her a better life" has been sentenced in the Graaff-Reinet Regional Court to 18 months' jail, suspended conditionally for four years. Nolemon Nonkululeko Khala, of Engcobo in...

Residents support police
By Mkhululi Titi QUEENSTOWN -- Residents in the greater Drakensberg area have supported police and members of the South African National Defence Force who set up roadblocks there. "The commitment of members to this operation has not gone unnotic...

Pension heist: R50 000 reward
QUEENSTOWN -- Police have confirmed a R50 000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators of a pension heist near here last week. Two Coin security guards were killed and a third wounded at Klein Bulhoek during ...

Alleged conman arrested
By Stan Mzimba UMTATA -- A man from Cameroon has been arrested by the murder and robbery unit here on charges of theft after he allegedly conned two people out of R150000 last week. He was arrested after his two victims reportedly hired four gun...

More complaints of job offer fraud
UMTATA -- The office of the Scorpions has been inundated with telephone calls from people who claim they have been defrauded by persons who place advertisements in various newspapers offering employment. Captain Daryl Els of the Scorpions said ye...

Scenery Park butchery owner robbed of bakkie
By Mphumzi Zuzile, Crime Reporter EAST LONDON -- A Scenery Park businesswoman was robbed of her vehicle yesterday by three men, police said. Superintendent Eddie Watson said the owner of Eyabantu Butchery, Lungiswa Mrwatshu, was opening her bu...

Three killed in Transkei
UMTATA -- Three people were killed in incidents of violence in Transkei at the weekend, police said yesterday. Captain Mzukisi Fatyela said a 55-year-old man was arrested following the killing of a 25-year-old at Gengqe near Mqanduli on Sunday. P...

Tsolo couple shot dead
UMTATA -- An elderly man and his wife were shot dead by two gunmen at their Sinxako home near Tsolo on Sunday, police said yesterday. Superintendent Nondumiso Jafta said the gunmen fled on foot. She said the police found three spent cartridges o...

Woman, 60, held: man held
QUEENSTOWN -- A 31-year-old Butterworth man was arrested yesterday for allegedly raping a 60-year-old woman in Toboshwana administrative area at the weekend, police said. He is due to appear in court today. Captain Mzoli Kopolo said the woman f...

Mzamomhle school ignored
By Lucas Mati EAST LONDON -- Some residents of Mzamomhle near Gonubie are furious with the Department of Education's failure to assist with funds to extend the Mzamowethu Public School there. A member of the school's governing body, Simon Mlandi...

Poor turnout of owners, drivers at taxi hearings
By Mayibongwe Maqhina UMTATA -- Public hearings held here yesterday to address wage and working conditions in the taxi industry were poorly attended by taxi owners and drivers. The hearings here followed two others held in Port Elizabeth last Fr...

Unitra to host health forum
By Zama Mpondwana EAST LONDON -- The University of Transkei is to host this year's Eastern Cape Health Research Conference on Friday and Saturday, university spokeswoman Karuna Gopal said yesterday. The objective is to encourage health research ...

R18000 boost for Hospice
EAST LONDON -- St Bernard's Hospice received a donation of R18000 from Old Mutual this month. The donation will go towards nursing equipment. Sister Virginia Dunjwa said the gesture had opened doors for partnerships with the corporate sector. S...

Town clerk to be minus job
QUEENSTOWN -- The newly-appointed acting Whittlesea Transitional Local Council town clerk, Ntombentle Mahiti, is expected to vacate her post after the November municipal elections, it was learnt yesterday. "After we fired our previous town clerk,...

Better July for Chest
EAST LONDON -- This July was above average for the Community Chest thanks to increased contributions from Deloitte & Touche, Pricewaterhousecoopers and Tellumat, and two donations from the local Hellenic community and JLM Industries in Johanne...

New cyber post for Rhodes lecturer
GRAHAMSTOWN -- Christo Doherty, of the Rhodes University Department of Journalism and Media Studies, has been appointed associate professor to the newly-established SABC chair of Cyberbroadcasting within the department. The three-year chair is sp...