Eastern Cape

Penguin killer to clean out pools at aquarium
By Tanya Jonker-Bryce EAST LONDON -- Penguin killer Francina Minnie, 16, was sentenced to two years' correctional supervision yesterday, and 384 hours of community service, to be spent cleaning pools at the East London Aquarium. Minnie pleaded g...

Court acquits Greyvenstein
By Sonja Raasch QUEENSTOWN -- Martin Greyvenstein was acquitted in the High Court here yesterday of the murder of local attorney Manie Beukes on October 23 last year. As Greyvenstein's wife, Mattie, cried and hugged her husband after Judge Ronni...

Poetry performance inspires young people
By Nandipha Ramadikela EAST LONDON -- The Guild Theatre here, in collaboration with the Rhodes University drama department, yesterday presented a theatrical poetry collage called The Rhythm of Life in order to bring poetry to life for young peopl...

Mannya won't face charges
By Mphumzi Zuzile EAST LONDON -- Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions Johan Bezuidenhout has declined to prosecute former provincial education superintendent general and corruption buster Modidima Mannya, giving lack of evidence as the re...

Stofile rejects report on expenditure
By Eddie Botha Business Editor EAST LONDON -- Premier Makhenkesi Stofile yesterday rejected the findings of provincial auditor Singa Ngqwala's office which implicated his office in overspending and unauthorised expenditure reports. The Daily Dis...

Report damns conditions in East Cape hospitals
By Tanya Jonker-Bryce, Health Reporter BISHO -- Health services at provincial hospitals continued to be seriously compromised by a chronic shortage of skilled personnel, poor management and dilapidated infrastructure and equipment, the standing c...

Ehrlich denied bail
By Samkelo Ngwenya and Madoda Dyonana EAST LONDON -- Bruce Ehrlich is a "driven man" who should never be trusted because he was given a chance for bail and he "blew it". This was said by state advocate Nickie Turner yesterday before the court re...

PSAM calls on Stofile to repay expenses
By Adrienne Carlisle GRAHAMSTOWN -- The Standing Committee on Public Accounts should call Premier Makhenkesi Stofile to account and he should be required to repay the R19474 of public funds spent on his family's personal travel, the Public Servic...

E Cape lost millions in bungles
By Eddie Botha Business Editor EAST LONDON -- The Eastern Cape government's approved funding to provincial departments did not reflect the strategy, goals, needs and objectives of the national government, and revenue collected on behalf of the Bi...

EL hosts education summit
EAST LONDON -- A delegation of 120 people from four South African technikons and two British universities will meet here today for the first International Entrepreneurship Empowerment Education conference. The conference, which ends on Friday, wi...

Maclean under pressure to deliver to poor
By Denver Donian ZWELITSHA -- Buffalo City Mayor Sindisile Maclean came face to face with the harsh realities of rural poverty when more than 2000 people crammed into the Oliver Tambo Hall here yesterday to air their grievances during the city's ...

Council told to pay dismissed workers
By Stan Mzimba UMTATA -- The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has ordered the King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD) council to pay 26 contract employees who were dismissed in May. The municipality will have to fork out more t...

DA gives Maclean stick over 'white' remarks
By Denver Donian KING WILLIAM'S TOWN -- The Democratic Alliance yesterday criticised Buffalo City Mayor Sindisile Maclean for lambasting the white community for not attending a campaign which formed part of the city's efforts to scrap service deb...

Week aims to increase morale of public servants
By Lulamile Feni KING WILLIAM'S TOWN -- Eastern Cape civil servants have joined the country in honouring the Batho Pele (people first) Service Week campaign which aims at increasing the morale of public servants and improving public confidence in...

Ingquza to change name to Qaukeni
By Mayibongwe Maqhina and Andile Moshoeshoe UMTATA -- The Ingquza Hill municipality will soon be renamed Qaukeni following consultations with all stakeholders within the local authority there, mayor Veli Ntsubane said yesterday. Ntsubane said th...

Disgraced Welfare officials dismissed
By Phumlani Mdolomba BISHO -- The provincial Department of Welfare has dismissed 15 officials involved in various fraud scams which cost the department millions of rands between 1994 and 1996. The department's social security director Bandile Ma...

Robarts quits as head ofambulance service
By Sonja Raasch QUEENSTOWN -- Queenstown Metro chief ambulance officer Brent Robarts has resigned -- handing over the reins to Pieter Manel, who will in an acting capacity on October 1. Yesterday, Robarts, 33, confirmed his resignation from gove...

Impressive
The Wallenius Wilhelmsen Otello from Stockholm docked in East London harbour on Monday morning to discharge 465 imported vehicles and load 200 locally produced Mercedes C-class vehicles. The imported vehicles will be distributed to various citie...

Bisho 'in continual state of disarray'
By Lucas Mati, Political Reporter BISHO -- The Eastern Cape Legislature was in a state of disarray as most things in the institution continued to fall apart, New National Party MPL Ann Nash said yesterday in an outburst during the agriculture sta...

Panels will assess grants for disabled
By Phumlani Mdolomba BISHO -- The Eastern Cape Welfare Department social security directorate has applied for R18,2 million from the national office for the establishment of panels to assess disability and care dependency. This was disclosed her...

Agriculture budget R128 000 in red
Political Reporter BISHO -- The Finance Department yesterday told the standing committee on agriculture it had already overspent its budget by R128 000. Committee chairman Phila Nkayi said he understood the department's statement, but then said ...

UDM to hold congresses
QUEENSTOWN -- United Democratic Movement national chairperson Masilo Mabetha, who is also the acting provincial chairman of the party, will address two regional party congresses this weekend. UDM provincial spokesman Mabandla Gogo said the first ...

Eviction laws under spotlight
By Adrienne Carlisle GRAHAMSTOWN -- A full bench of the High Court here has been asked to decide whether the Prevention of Illegal Eviction From and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act (PIE) should be applied only in the eviction of "land invaders" o...

Bitter witness points finger at Card
The Daily Dispatch recently came under fire after publishing a letter to the editor, implicating Donald Card in various deeds during the apartheid era. After Card's complaint, the press ombudsman instructed the Dispatch to either back up the accus...

Upgrades help police morale
By Mthobeli Mxotwa EAST LONDON -- The upgrading of the three presidential police stations in the province has improved the capacity and morale of the police in their areas to curb crime, police provincial spokesperson Senior Superintendent Marind...

Armed man arrested
KING WILLIAMS TOWN -- A man was arrested and an R4 rifle, a .45 pistol with live ammunition and about R7 000 in cash recovered after an armed robbery at Mdantsane Service Station yesterday. Senior Superintendent Cecil Damoyi, said business owner ...

Guard on murder charge
KING WILLIAM'S TOWN -- A security guard in Alice has been arrested on a charge of murder after he allegedly stabbed a suspected burglar to death at PAK Electronics yesterday, police said. Captain Mirriam Nkombisa said the identity of the victim h...

Aliwal North police seize 382kg dagga
QUEENSTOWN -- Aliwal North police seized 382 kilograms of dagga in two separate incidents at the weekend. Inspector Ursula Roelofse said yesterday members of the Aliwal North branch of the South African Narcotics Bureau, acting on a tip-off, stop...

Forum urges speedy probe
By Mkhululi Titi QUEENSTOWN -- The amaQwati Community Authority in the Ntabethemba area has appealed to Premier Makhenkesi Stofile to speed up an investigation into the alleged maladministration and embezzlement of funds in the amaQwati Tribal Au...

Council official faces rape charge
QUEENSTOWN -- Sakhisizwe municipality's acting human resource manager, Zitulele Soga, appeared in the Cala magistrate's court yesterday on a rape charge. Police spokesman Sergeant Namhla Mdleleni said Soga, 65, was accused of raping an 18-year-ol...

Slain policeman identified
UMTATA -- The police officer killed after a robbery here on Monday has been identified as Sergeant Loyiso Feni, who was attached to the East London organised crime unit, Captain Mzukisi Fatyela said yesterday. A suspect who was injured during a s...

Creative hobby
Shaun Torr, left, and Johnny Odendaal have painted hundreds of animals, human and insect figures in the Service Products' boiler room where they work, turning an otherwise dull room into a world of colour. Situated in Woodbrook, the factory empl...