Eastern Cape

Gauteng under fire for Aids drug decision EC escapes minister's ire
By Adrienne Carlisle GRAHAMSTOWN -- Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang yesterday condemned Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa's announcement that his province would make Nevirapine available in all public hospitals. At the same time her mini...

Burchell, son in PE court
PORT ELIZABETH -- East London businessman Fred Burchell and his son Barry appeared briefly in the magistrate's court here yesterday on charges of indecent assault, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and crimen injuria. They appeared b...

Crowned eagle flies into Quigney shop
EAST LONDON -- A Quigney furniture store owner had a rare caller yesterday -- a juvenile crowned eagle. Surprised store owner Michael Laden said the eagle hit a window before entering the shop and settling on a carpet. "The arrival of the eagle ...

Lawyer's property attached
By Stan Mzimba UMTATA -- A local lawyer's fleet of 16 vehicles, two tractors and 10 properties are being attached.. Sheriffs here, in East London and Port Elizabeth have begun attaching the properties of S'lulami Clayton Nontenja ahead his trial...

Premier urged to withdraw appeal
By Adrienne Carlisle GRAHAMSTOWN -- The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) yesterday called on Premier Makhenkesi Stofile to withdraw the province's appeal against the December judgment in which t...

Essay can earn free SciFest trip
YOU and your classmates can win an exciting, all-expenses-paid trip to this year's Sasol SciFest, in Grahamstown starting March 13. All you have to do to win is write an essay of about 250 words on the following topic: Why is science important in...

New wage agreement will benefit clothing workers
By Lulamile Feni and Lucas Mati KING WILLIAM'S TOWN -- Some 5000 clothing workers in the region will receive two wage increases in a new ground-breaking wage agreement. The agreement is expected to provide a cash injection of about R8million int...

Call for Aids stigma to be broken
By Zama Feni EAST LONDON -- HIV/Aids sufferers should be provided with treatment to break the stigma attached to the sufferers, says Rhodes University Psychological Services Centre head Judy Rankin. "The treatment issue should be sorted out soon...

EC school still waiting for assistance
By Wendy Sa Joe EAST LONDON -- School pupils are being taught out in the open at the Ezingcuka Senior Secondary as they wait patiently for the Department of Education to help rebuild the school's roof. The school authorities say it was hit by a t...

Many EC schools still await textbooks
By Mphumzi Zuzile BISHO -- Education MEC Stone Sizani has told the Legislature that the delivery of learning materials to schools has still not been finalised. Sizani was responding to questions raised by UDM MPL Christian Martin. Sizani said 98...

EC court boundaries still not reformed
By Phumlani Mdolomba BISHO -- Eastern Cape Premier Makhenkesi Stofile yesterday lambasted the Justice Department for failing to restructure the boundaries of the provincial courts. "The Department of Justice has failed to transform the jurisdict...

Nicro targets high school pupils
By Madoda Dyonana EAST LONDON -- The National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders (Nicro) yesterday launched its second phase crime prevention programme aimed at high school learners here. The "I'm cool like that" p...

R268m spent on roads
By Phumlani Mdolomba BISHO -- The Eastern Cape government had spent R268,8million and created 756 jobs in upgrading the road network in the province, Road and Public Works MEC Phumulo Masualle told the Legislature yesterday. Masualle said no les...

Stofile: land restitution too slow
By Mphumzi Zuzile BISHO -- Eastern Cape Premier Makhenkesi Stofile yesterday called for the release of state-owned farms to be speeded up. During his recent State of the Province address, he said there was no reason why farms should not be alloc...

3 held over stolen cattle, vehicles
QUEENSTOWN -- Maclear police recovered five stolen vehicles and 10 head of cattle, with a total value of about R595000, in an operation which ended on Monday. Captain Mpofana Skwatsha said yesterday that three suspects have been arrested. -- DDR ...

Educator accused of raping daughter
PORT ELIZABETH -- A Motherwell school principal, who allegedly made his daughter pregnant after having allegedly raped her several times from the time she was 12, appeared in the regional court here yesterday. The man, whose name cannot be reveal...

Man held for illegal gun, stock theft
QUEENSTOWN -- A 20-year-old man appeared yesterday before the Barkly East Magistrate's Court on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm and stock theft. Thamsanqa Rasmeni was arrested on the border between South Africa and Lesotho on Satur...

Mt Fletcher rape suspect held
QUEENSTOWN -- A 22-year-old man is in custody in connection with the rape of an 18-year-old girl at Mount Fletcher over the weekend. The girl was walking between two villages when she was confronted by a man and raped. Residents apprehended a su...

Road rage case postponed
UMTATA -- A case in which two men are charged with a road rage-related assault was postponed to July18 in the district court here yesterday. Troy Adam, 22, and Willem Botha, 29, both employees of Imperial Cash Loans here, are alleged to have assa...

R10000 reward for info on robber
QUEENSTOWN -- Police have offered a R10000 reward for information leading to the conviction of a man who robbed Chicken Licken here at gunpoint in July last year. The man entered the outlet and demanding money from staff. He fled with an undiscl...

Security guard in court
QUEENSTOWN -- A security guard appeared briefly yesterday in the Aliwal North Magistrate's Court on an attempted murder charge after allegedly shooting a shoplifter. Captain Mpofana Skwatsha said Lehlohonolo Mokoena, 18, was chased by the guard a...

Police destroy seized liquor
By Mayibongwe Maqhina EAST LONDON -- The Beacon Bay police yesterday destroyed liquor worth R32000 which was confiscated in November last year from a shebeen operating in an informal settlement here. Superintendent Eddie Watson said the shebeen ...

Shoddy police work blamed for murder
By Gaye Taylor MDANTSANE -- A young mother of two was shot dead outside her NU10 home here on Friday night after a former boyfriend, who had allegedly held her hostage and raped her at gunpoint earlier in the week, was allegedly released from pol...

Apparent suicide after stock theft
EAST LONDON -- A 36-year-old man accused of stealing a cow allegedly hanged himself at Mdlankomo near Middledrift on Monday, police said yesterday. Captain Tamie Nqai said it was alleged that Gwebile Sinam was questioned by residents at a meeting...

Woman killed on Elliot farm
QUEENSTOWN -- An 18-year-old woman is due to appear in the Elliot Magistrate's Court today in connection with the murder of a woman on a farm near the town over the weekend. Captain Mpofana Skwatsha said yesterday police found the body of Nolungi...

Bizos urges lawyers to aid poor
By Adrienne Carlisle GRAHAMSTOWN -- Lawyers are entitled to make a good living but must give a part of themselves to those who cannot afford legal services, prominent human rights lawyer George Bizos told Rhodes University law students here. Biz...

Business needs unity says Wakeford
By Sonja Raasch QUEENSTOWN -- The merger of the Border-Kei Chamber of Business (BKCB) and the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce (QCC) was an example of the unity needed in business, South African Chamber of Business (Sacob) chief executive Kevin Wak...

Mooiplaas gets R4m sanitation scheme
Picture and report by Justine Gerardy MOOIPLAAS -- Fifteen rural communities were handed the first stages of a R4million water and sanitation programme here yesterday by World Vision South African (WVSA) as part of a 15-year commitment to develop...

R20m paid to poverty alleviation projects
EAST LONDON -- The National Development Agency (NDA) has paid out R20million of the R30m that was committed last year to 176 poverty alleviation projects in the Eastern Cape. NDA acting CEO Delani Mthembu said R149m had been paid out to developme...

Welfare court cases costing taxpayers millions
PORT ELIZABETH -- Millions of rands in taxpayers' money is being wasted by the Department of Welfare in the Eastern Cape weekly in litigation matters pertaining to the non-payment of social grants. Since the beginning of 1999, the Port Elizabeth ...

Student to study Wild Coast
Report and picture by Lew Elias EAST LONDON -- A Canadian student, in the Eastern Cape on an exchange programme, intends to submit a post-graduate paper on a marketing plan for the Wild Coast. Joanne Maltby, who comes from Niagara Falls, one of ...

For the record
IT WAS incorrectly reported on yesterday's motoring page that Dean Ball would be campaigning a 2litre Opel Monza in this year's regional saloon challenge. Dean Potgieter is in fact the driver of the 2litre Monza. Potgieter is also entering ClassB...

Eastern Cape to host two port festivals
By Lew Elias EAST LONDON -- The Eastern Cape will come alive next month with not one but two port festivals, port authority spokesman Terry Taylor and national festival organiser Jan Johnson said yesterday. The National Ports Authority (NPA) Po...

UDM is destroying KSD, says ANCYL
EAST LONDON -- The ANC Youth League in the Umtata region claimed yesterday that the UDM was politically and administratively destroying the King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality. Deputy chairman Mlibo Qoboshiyana said since the UDM had assumed offi...

Dog killer's R2000 fine welcomed
GRAHAMSTOWN -- The director of the SPCA here, Annerie Wolmarans, has hailed a R2000 fine handed out to dog killer Sakhele Tutu, 28, as ''a victory for animals''. Magistrate Norman Mngenge sentenced Tutu of Joza to five months in jail or a R2 000 ...

Holomisa asks Manuel to check Transkei funds
By Mayibongwe Maqhina EAST LONDON -- UDM leader Bantu Holomisa has called for mechanisms to be developed to monitor the spending of all funds allocated to the Transkei. In an open letter to Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, he said he was shocked ...

IEC looks to ease voter registration
By Patrick Cull CAPE TOWN -- The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has launched a project to find ways of "making it easier for voters to register and of improving the quality of the voters' roll". In its report on the 2000 local government...

Neer asks EC police stations to up security
Sam Mkokeli BISHO -- Eastern Cape Safety, Liaison and Transport MEC Dennis Neer yesterday called on all Eastern Cape police stations to tighten security around their premises following another bandit attack on a provincial station. He was respon...

UDM decries casual job rules in municipality
EAST LONDON -- The UDM in the Nyandeni municipality has voiced concern over employment criteria which require people applying for casual jobs in the council to bring letters of recommendation from ward councillors. Nyandeni includes Libode and Ng...

Cricket keeps youths off street
By Sonja Raasch QUEENSTOWN -- A lack of cricket equipment and proper grounds is not deterring a group of young cricketers from gathering every weekend to play matches at the Dumpy Adams sports grounds in the Victoria Park residential area here. ...