Eastern Cape

Cash boost for Health
By Samkelo Ngwenya EAST LONDON -- Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang arrived here last night on an inspection tour of Eastern Cape hospitals bearing a R521 million cheque to beef up the province's health facilities. She met with all nine p...

Officer shot in Quigney robbery
By Denver Donian EAST LONDON -- Dog unit member Inspector Clinton Fleming was last night injured during a shootout with armed men who robbed the Fleet Spar in the Quigney here. Fleming was shot in the arm and admitted to hospital where a spokesp...

Municipal boundaries may be reviewed
Municipal Reporter EAST LONDON -- The Municipal Demarcation Board will consider a request to review the boundaries of Intsika Yethu and Emalahleni municipalities. The board said in a statement yesterday it was only responding to specific request...

Armed men rob EL butchery of R11000
Crime Reporter EAST LONDON -- An employee at Buffalo City Butchery in Buffalo Flats was robbed of about R11000 on Tuesday, police said. Captain Michelle Matroos said Fatiswa Mbambo, 42, and several other staff members had just got into two vehic...

Alleged conmen in court
EAST LONDON -- Three men from Liberia, Malawi and Sierra Leone appeared in the magistrate's court here yesterday on a fraud charge. Flahn Emmanuel Zweh, 27, Starford Mwanza, 40, and Idris Serry, 27, were arrested on September 19 for allegedly con...

Councillor to be disciplined
By Ncedo Kumbaca UMTATA -- UDM provincial leader Lennox Gaehler yesterday warned his party would take disciplinary action against its reluctant King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD) Municipality councillor, Nonkonzo Mary-Ann Caluza. Gaehler, who was in M...

Scrapyard worker held over stolen plaques
By Jimmy Matyu PORT ELIZABETH -- Swift action by police led to the recovery yesterday of some of the recently stolen bronze and brass plaques from historical buildings here and the arrest of a scrapyard employee. The city has in recent weeks bee...

'Cheetah' seeks a good home
GRAHAMSTOWN -- A German shepherd bitch which ran wild in the hills above here for up to eight months has been captured and rehabilitated by the local SPCA. With tender love and care, the dog named ''Cheetah'' after her ability to elude capture, h...

EC judges get top posts
By Adrienne Carlisle GRAHAMSTOWN -- Judge Craig Howie and Judge Lex Mpati, who both started their judicial careers on the Eastern Cape bench, have been appointed president and deputy president of the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein. Afte...

Ehrlich defends himself
EAST LONDON -- The trial of accused child sex offender Bruce Ehrlich continued this week in the regional court here, with Ehrlich conducting his own defence. Last week Ehrlich asked his legal aid attorney, Hashmooglal Lalla, to withdraw from the c...

Two more escapees re-arrested
By Denver Donian, Crime Reporter EAST LONDON -- A further two of the 10 awaiting-trial prisoners who escaped from the Butterworth police cells at the weekend have been recaptured. The 10 escaped after overpowering a police official and robbing h...

Security guard shot dead
Crime Reporter EAST LONDON -- A Red Alert security guard, Phindile Stampo, 32, of Mdantsane, was shot dead at business premises in Wilsonia on Tuesday night, police said yesterday. Captain Michelle Matroos said his shoes, belt and a two-way radi...

Kinnear's cut raises R23000
By Zama Feni EAST LONDON -- Tributes and pledges of money continued to pour in for Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa) fundraiser Jacque Kinnear yesterday morning after she raised about R23000 for the organisation. On Tuesday Kinnear, a ...

Civil disobedience if HIV order is ignored ­ TAC
By Adrienne Carlisle GRAHAMSTOWN -- The Treatment Action Campaign yesterday warned it would embark on a "non-violent" civil disobedience campaign if the government failed to adopt an HIV-Aids treatment plan, including antiretroviral therapy by Fe...

Hoho's supension 'lawful'
By Phumlani Mdolomba BISHO -- Acting Legislature secretary Herlu Smith said yesterday he believed the suspension of Father Punch suspect Kerr Hoho was lawful. Herlu was responding to a Daily Dispatch report that Hoho is suing the Legislature for...

Kei Mouth road contract soon
EAST LONDON -- The provincial tender board is expected to sit next week on awarding the contract for the long-awaited R160 million upgrading and tarring of the Kei Mouth road. This was confirmed by Roads and Public Works spokesman Andile Fekisi. ...

MANDRAX BUST:
Buffalo Flats policemen Captain Juan-Pierre Marais, Inspector Shawn Walker, Insp Alfonso Richards and Insp Allister Johannes with 930 mandrax pills worth about R37000 which they recovered after receiving a tip-off yesterday. The officers followe...

Pensioner fears next payout
By Ayanda Salayedwa EAST LONDON -- An elderly woman who suffered a stroke three years ago was left so shaken after Tuesday's pension payout chaos that she dreads the next payout day. Violet Krull's husband Clarence recalled the events. He said ...

Police seek help with unsolved cases
EAST LONDON -- Police need help solving the following cases and anyone with information should call 043 743 4400: * A pedestrian died after being hit by a white BMW in Oxford Street on August 2. * A man, aged about 40, was found dead next to Wei...

Police seek Umtata robbery victim
UMTATA -- The serious violent crimes unit here is looking for Reverend Derrick Shezi, of the Norwood Baptist Church, for questioning about an incident in which he was robbed in Norwood in May 2001. Shezi is said to be working in East London. He ...

Premier's office reshuffle
BISHO -- The Office of the Premier here is undergoing restructuring that will ensure its efficiency and maximise its monitoring role. Deputy director-general Nombulelo Hackula yesterday said the restructuring would help the premier's office effe...

NNP congress hopes to boost ties with ANC
PRETORIA -- The New National Party's federal congress meeting this weekend would give further impetus to the party's co-operation with the African National Congress, the NNP said yesterday. The congress would look at the NNP's commitment to creat...

Awaiting-trial prisoners escape
By Denver Donian EAST LONDON -- Two awaiting-trial prisoners escaped from the Lady Frere court holding cells on Tuesday night. Captain Edwin Taleni said the prisoners were among a group of 11 being held in the cell. The escapees were apparently...

Provincial leadership the burning issue
CAPE TOWN -- The ANC will say that its provincial conference this weekend in Port Elizabeth is being held in preparation for the national conference in Stellenbosch at the end of the year and that the focus will be on those issues. That may well ...

Sellers fight city's demand for tenants' debts
By Eddie Botha, Business Editor EAST LONDON -- The owners of a Quigney house are challenging the law which compels sellers to pay up to two years of electricity and water bills in arrears for defaulting tenants. Peter Bissett and his wife Anna M...

OR Tambo supports Stofile in race for leader
Report and picture by Ncedo Kumbaca UMTATA -- The newly-elected ANC OR Tambo region executive committee has voted to back provincial chairperson and Premier Makhenkesi Stofile at the provincial conference starting tomorrow. OR Tambo is the fou...

Treasury has critical posts vacant
BISHO -- The East Cape Treasury Department has a large number of critical posts open which has in turn led to massive under-expenditure on the department's 2001/2 budget which is currently under review. The standing committee on finance heard on ...

KSD to upgrade rural roads
UMTATA -- The King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality this week allocated R2,3 million to upgrade two rural roads. One is between Gengqe and Elliotdale and the other in Darabe. Municipal spokesperson Sonwabo Mampoza said work on the two gravel road...

Sheriff seizes two vehicles from council
By Ncedo Kumbaca UMTATA -- The sheriff's office seized two Nyandeni Municipality vehicles last week after the council failed to pay a construction company for services rendered. An Isuzu double cab and a minibus belonging to the municipality, wh...

Unitra radio presenter shot dead
By Madoda Dyonana UMTATA -- Staff at the University of Transkei community radio station have been shocked by the death of presenter Godfrey Ndabambi in a shooting here on Monday evening. Superintendent Nondumiso Jafta said police believed the ...