Second chance for raptor
EVERY little bit counts. A fortnight ago on a Tuesday morning (May 7 2013), insurance broker Patrick Eke had just turned onto the N2 off the Cows Corner offramp and was on his way into Port Elizabeth, when a hit and run unfolded right in front of him.
Rhino poaching toll at 350
The number of rhino poached since the beginning of the year has reached 350, the environmental affairs department said on Thursday (23/05/2013).
Marikana inquiry - families walk out on Phiyega
The families of mineworkers killed during the Marikana unrest walked out of the Farlam Commission of Inquiry on Thursday (23/05/2013) during the continued cross-examination of national police commissioner Riah Phiyega.
Chipped ID cards roll-out in july
Green, bar-coded identity books will be replaced with identity smart cards from July, Home Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor said on Thursday (23/05/2013).
'Zuma to blame in Gupta scandal'
OPPOSITION parties placed the blame for "Guptagate" squarely on President Jacob Zuma in a parliamentary debate yesterday. They said he should pay for his role in Guptagate at next year's election.
'Gangs running rings around cops'
GANGSTERS on the Cape Flats are running rings around the police because they have millions of rands to spend on getting superior intelligence.
Lobby group in call for tough action
THE Eastern Cape government must lay criminal complaints against officials implicated in corrupt activities if budget spending is to improve, the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) said yesterday.
Drivers like officer's moves
A NELSON Mandela Bay traffic officer who uses advanced karate moves to direct traffic at a busy intersection brings a smile to the faces of motorists every morning.
Officials held hostage in disparity protest
SENIOR Nelson Mandela Bay municipal officials and councillors were held hostage for about six hours this week by Uitenhage and Despatch workers over a dispute about a wage disparity.
Staff rally behind city manager
NELSON Mandela Bay city manager Dr Lindiwe Msengana-Ndlela has the full backing of her staff who have vowed to mobilise civil society to protect her from undue political interference.
Mom tells court son called from dead woman's phone
AN emotional mother broke down yesterday as she told the Port Elizabeth High Court her son, who is accused of strangling to death a pregnant Somali woman last year, allegedly phoned her from the woman's phone.
Nurses win back right to weekend time
ABOUT 80 nurses from Uitenhage Provincial Hospital took part in a strike and protest march yesterday in objection to a new system that cuts down on their weekend time.
Sad farewell for friends
ONE of the first horses to join the Port Elizabeth police’s Mounted Unit will be put down this week after nearly 20 years’ service.
‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’
Civil society groups, business, ratepayers, non-government organisations and a trade union federation are calling with one voice on President Jacob Zuma to intervene in the ongoing political instability in the city.
Charges against Gupta saga cops dropped
ONLY 48 hours after Justice Minister Jeff Radebe announced that criminal charges were to be pursued against police officers allegedly involved in the Gupta saga, the charges have been dropped.
Illegal school to be closed
AN illegal Nelson Mandela Bay primary school will be closed within the month and pupils moved to other schools after an investigation by the district education department.
Language plan fears
SCHOOL CHILDREN entering Grade R next year will have to learn an indigenous African language.
Owner of pharmacy mourned
There are many good memories of him.” This is one of the things Vanessa Joubert, 34, said of her father, wellknown pharmacist Rodney Griffiths, who died in a car accident on Friday.
Chrome mine guards fire rubber bullets at strikers
SECURITY guards fired rubber bullets at stone-throwing workers striking illegally at a South African chrome mine owned by German specialty chemicals group Lanxess‚ media reports said on Tuesday (21/05/2013).
No bidders at Winnie auction
The sheriff of the court would not auction Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s personal items as planned on Tuesday (21/05/2013) morning because there were no bidders.
Burger King, owner face halaal probe
A "FATWA committee" is meeting in Cape Town today to decide whether the city's newest burger joint should have its halaal certificate revoked following complaints from the Muslim community.
Teachers: fury over unspent R533m
THE Eastern Cape Education Department has underspent on teachers' salaries by more than R500- million. This has outraged many schools which have suffered teacher shortages because of a claimed lack of funds.
Bay leaders on the carpet over 'anarchy'
THE ANC in the Eastern Cape summoned Nelson Mandela Bay political leaders to its headquarters in Calata House yesterday to explain the latest claims of political interference in the city's administration.
Angry scenes in three Bay protests
DISGRUNTLED Kleinskool residents promised to make the area ungovernable as they protested against appalling living conditions yesterday.
Residents on rampage after no-show
DISGRUNTLED Wells Estate residents resorted to violence last night after Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Ben Fihla failed to arrive for a meeting they had asked him to attend.
Promise to revive tourism icons
NELSON Mandela Bay's new acting economic development boss, Anele Qaba, has stepped up as the man to revive the city's tourism drawcards, including the iconic Bayworld Museum and Apple Express.
Trampled ranger out of hospital
THE field ranger who escaped death last week when he was trampled by a one-ton buffalo at the Addo Elephant National Park, has been discharged from hospital and is recovering at home.
Protea joins team rhino
PROTEAS and Warriors cricketer Colin Ingram, 27, has added his name to an anti-rhino-poaching campaign. The left-handed Port Elizabeth-born batsman was named ambassador for the Forever Wild Rhino Protection Initiative in Port Elizabeth yesterday.
Raped pupils’ new trauma
TWO high school girls – left severely traumatised by their rape three years ago – are too scared to go to school, as they now have to walk past the bushy area where they were attacked because their parents cannot afford the R100 they have been asked to fork out monthly for their children’s transport to and from school.
Korsten mom on murder charge
THE state is opposing bail for a Port Elizabeth woman who allegedly stabbed her husband to death following a domestic disturbance at the weekend.
Massive tornado hits Oklahoma City - 91 dead
At least 91 people, including 20 children, were feared killed when a 2 mile wide tornado tore through an Oklahoma City suburb, trapping victims beneath the rubble as one elementary school took a direct hit and another was destroyed.
Nightmare of broken promises
A PORT Elizabeth pastor who played a crucial role in the conviction of a gang hitman has described his nightmare of being on the run for eight months to ensure his and his family's safety after receiving death threats.
Public service 'needs retraining'
The 1.6 million people who will belong to the soon-to-be-created single public service will all need to be retrained, Public Service Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said in Sandton on Monday (20/05/2013).
Huge blaze guts Uitenhage classrooms
FIREFIGHTERS battled for about three hours to contain a massive fire last night which gutted a large part of Uitenhage's Jubilee Park Primary School.
Piece of nautical history found on Bay beach
A 200-year-old maritime navigation instrument, thought to have come from the wreck of the Amsterdam, has been discovered on the beach at Bluewater Bay. The strange device was spotted sticking out the sand by a party of Zwartkops Conservancy members who were cleaning up the beach recently after a storm.
Mandela daughters sue father
Nelson Mandela’s daughters are suing him for the rights to his artworks and control of his millions, The Star reported on Monday (20/05/2013).
Commercial crime prosecution in collapse
IT TAKES some doing to make sense of the sentence passed on J Arthur Brown‚ the former CEO of Fidentia. This is a man who recklessly and fraudulently oversaw the management of vulnerable savers’ money he had been entrusted with.
Poll finds traffic police ineffectual
The policing of South Africa’s road laws is largely inefficient, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) study reported in Beeld on Monday (20/05/2013).
Park gatekeepers suspects in fraud
ALLEGATIONS that four gate guards at the Tsitsikamma National Park have pocketed "a substantial amount" of the park's takings are being investigated by SANParks.
Victory for dreadlocks pupil
IN a David-versus-Goliath scenario, 13-year-old Lerato Radebe has won a discrimination case against a Free State school that expelled her because she wears her hair in dreadlocks.
Zuma in the clear on Guptas
CABINET ministers tasked with investigating Guptagate played a game of smoke and mirrors yesterday, deflecting questions in an effort to protect President Jacob Zuma.
ANC puts screws on 16 dissenting councillors
THE ANC in Nelson Mandela Bay is clamping down on the conduct of its councillors by instructing those who refused to endorse the rigged ward committee elections to explain themselves.
'Even bucket system beats this squalor'
RESIDENTS of Uitenhage's western areas have taken to the streets nearly every day for the past month, begging the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality at least to acknowledge cries for basic services and houses.
Protesting residents to get new homes
THE Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has secured land for residents to be temporarily relocated to Rosedale extension while houses are built in Polar Park.
'Lack of moral courage' but hospital project gets nod
PLANS to build a 120-bed private hospital in Port Elizabeth are back on track after a ruling by the Supreme Court of Appeals. However, acting Judge of Appeal Clive Plasket lambasted senior provincial health officials as being morally challenged after bowing to political pressure to push the development through.
Awareness is key to halting crime – cops
PICKPOCKETS and robbers are preying on unsuspecting victims at a busy Port Elizabeth intersection and in nearby streets. The congested area – which includes Cottrell and Skidow streets, and Stanford, Cyrus, Kempston and Durban roads and the Korsten taxi rank – is a crime hotspot.
Juta course spells hope for high-school
JUTA Adult Learning will next month launch a new qualification to give high-school dropouts the chance to increase their employability and re-enter the learning environment.
Tempers flare in long wait for sub
TEMPERS frayed and tensions rose as hundreds of people, who had queued for hours to see the SA Navy's attack submarine in the Port Elizabeth Harbour, were turned away on Saturday and yesterday.
St Francis road blocked in demo
ST Francis Bay residents blocked the R330 road into the town, marched and burnt tyres and bush at the weekend in protest over a lack of housing and poor service delivery.
SANDF prepared for battle against Congo forces
THE South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is drawing lessons from its battle with Seleka forces in the Central African Republic to prepare for future peacekeeping operations in Africa‚ army chief Lt-Gen Vusumuzi Masondo said on Thursday.
'I fear for my life', says city manager
EXPLOSIVE allegations of political interference and veiled threats have been made by Nelson Mandela Bay municipal manager Lindiwe Msengana-Ndlela in a letter sent to Bhisho.
At odds over jobs tenders, security
TOPPING city manager Lindiwe Msenga-Ndlela's list of complaints in the grievance are allegations of undue political interference by mayor Ben Fihla and his deputy, Chippa Ngcolomba, in trying to get her to flout various laws.
UDM takes fight over qualifications to court
UDM councillor Mongameli Bobani has turned to the courts after failing to get the support he needed to debate new city boss Lindiwe Msengana-Ndlela's qualifications in council
School rot 'starts at the top'
A TOTAL lack of management in the provincial Education Department over the past 16 years led to an administrative collapse and systemic disintegration of the entire school system, according to education boss Mthunywa Ngonzo.
Drag artist in row with cops
A QUICK stop for a snack after a night out turned into a nightmare for a Port Elizabeth drag artist who ended up being arrested for drunk driving.
Feuding neighbours land in court once again
AN elderly Port Elizabeth woman who locked her landlady in a garage was yesterday acquitted of kidnapping, but not before the magistrate warned her and the landlady to stop terrorising one another.
Joy as land case is struck off roll
ANGRY protests turned into a dance of joy outside the Port Elizabeth High Court yesterday when residents of Tiryville in Uitenhage claimed victory in their battle with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality over land they are occupying.
'Kids drink more than adults'
SCHOOL pupils drink more alcohol than adults in the Eastern Cape. This has been revealed by an Eastern Cape Liquor Board (ECLB) study. And Nelson Mandela Bay was highlighted as the second worst area in the province for alcohol abuse.
M'well residents step closer to getting RDP houses
THIRTEEN displaced Motherwell residents who have been living at the NU 11 stadium since March will soon be moved to new RDP houses in Chatty near Booysen Park, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality said yesterday.
Cause and effect of climate change explained
SO HOW to communicate the complexity and magnitude of climate change to youngsters from a little school in Zwide? The kids, in grades six and seven at Mzimhlophe Primary School, were given the answer to this question during their visit to the SA Marine Rehabilitation and Education Centre (Samrec) yesterday (August 03 2011).
R1.5-million farming venture will fit Eastern Cape to a tea
THE Eastern Cape government has set aside R1.5-million to kick-start an expanded honeybush tea industry that could be ramped up to produce a turnover of R100-million a year and hundreds of new jobs. The good news follows on the results that have emerged from a study of the honeybush industry, commissioned by the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) on behalf of the provincial economic development and environmental affairs department.
Algoa Bay the best monitored in all of Africa
ALGOA Bay is now “the best monitored bay in Africa” with millions of rands worth of equipment installed below the surface measuring a wide range of environmental conditions. That was the proud revelation yesterday (July 28 2011) from SA Environmental Observation Network (Saeon) co-ordinator Shaun Deyzel, who was speaking at a marine science symposium hosted by SA National Parks, at the Addo Elephant National Parks.
Surf event sets greening benchmark
BILLABONG Pro J-Bay is setting a benchmark for international surfing contests with a comprehensive programme to protect the local environment and combat global climate change.
Unique source of Bay water
HOW many cities in the world can say they get their water from a World Heritage Site? Very few, I bet. Yet, that’s the case with Port Elizabeth and the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and in fact the Gamtoos River Valley vege farmers.
Bayworld raggies returned to the ocean
THE biggest baddest pair from Bayworld’s de-commissioned aquarium, two bulky raggedtooth sharks, were released yesterday (July 26 2011) back into the sea. It was a sad day for the oceanarium, where they have lived for nearly two decades, inspiring awe in hundreds of thousands of visitors – but it is good news for the species, as the pair are now part of a research project aimed at securing our waters as one of the few safe havens in the world for raggies.
Unique study of great whites
A UNIQUE study into the abundance, distribution and movement of great white sharks in Algoa Bay, sponsored by the metro, has been launched. There has never been a fatal shark attack in Algoa Bay, but the metro has committed the R800000 grant as a pro-active step, taken in line with their marketing of Port Elizabeth as “the watersports’ capital of Africa”, researcher Dr Matt Dicken explained yesterday (June 21 2011).
Link Refit to electric cars proposal
IF WE CAN link Refit with electrical motorcars – then we could really be onto something. Speaking to The Herald yesterday (June 14 2011), department of environmental affairs deputy-director general for climate change, Peter Lukey, said the scheduled launch this month of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariff (Refit), will likely lead to significant positive change.
Exciting reforestation project underway in Transkei
AN UNUSUAL re-forestation and carbon sequestration project is underway in the heart of the old Transkei, where savage erosion is a common feature. The R7600000 project is being run as a partnership between the Congress of Traditional Leaders’ of South Africa (Contralesa), the national department of environmental affairs and a Johannesburg-based company called Carbon Worx.
Branch recalls fascinating career
FOR world-renowned reptile and amphibian expert Dr Bill Branch, who retired this week from Bayworld after 32 years employment there – it all began in 1969, on the shores of a lake in East Africa.
EC leads climate change battle
THE Eastern Cape government has declared its intention to lead from the front in the war against climate change, with a landmark multi-benefit project agreement signed at the Eastern Cape Climate Change Conference in East London yesterday (June 08 2011).
THERE will be no classes this week for more than 500 pupils at Jubilee Park Primary School in Uitenhage after a devastating fire razed seven classrooms and a library on Sunday night.
MUSEUMS in Port Elizabeth will pull out all the stops this weekend as they celebrate International Museum Day.
