Cape Argus
Where are SAPS’ body cameras?
THE delayed rollout of body-worn cameras for South African Police Service (SAPS) members has drawn fresh criticism, with policing experts and opposition MPs warning that procurement failures are increasingly affecting frontline policing and...
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KIRSTENBOSCH’S FUNDING CRISIS
CONCERNS over the condition and long-term sustainability of Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden have resurfaced after Parliament heard that South Africa’s national botanical and zoological gardens are facing severe infrastructure pressures, with the...
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UCT STUDENTS ‘TIRED’ OF CONTROVERSIES
UCT’s Students’ Representative Council (SRC) has expressed concern that the university once again finds itself dealing with a public governance conflict. Speaking to the Cape Argus yesterday, an SRC member said the broader mood among students appeared...
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DANIELS’ MAYORAL BID NOW IN DOUBT
WHILE Patriotic Alliance (PA) Cape Town mayoral candidate and councillor Cheslyn Daniels and his wife, Deveney, celebrated with supporters their release on bail yesterday, Daniels’ mayoral bid is in doubt following comments by the party’s leader,...
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11 killed in weekend bloodshed
CAPE Town’s renewed push for greater policing powers has been thrust into the spotlight after 11 people were killed in three mass shootings over the weekend, with policing experts warning that expanding Metro Police powers alone will not stop the...
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TAXPAYERS FOOT R4.6BN PARLIAMENT REBUILD BILL
THE cost to rebuild parliament has ballooned to R4.6 billion after initial cost of R2.1bn, sparking calls for a full investigation into the project. The DA accused Parliament of risking billions of rand in taxpayers’ money after the estimated cost of...
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‘NO’ TO METRO COPS’ CRIME ROLE
ACTING Police Minister Firoz Cachalia yesterday ruled out expanding the policing function to include the investigation of crime by metro police because he has been advised that doing so was inconsistent with the Constitution. Speaking at the meeting...
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AI, DRONES JOIN FIGHT AGAINST PHILIPPI CRIME
A TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN project using drones, artificial intelligence and facial recognition hopes to turn the tide on rampant crime in Philippi East. The Philippi East Integrated Safety Initiative is being spearheaded by the Cape Chamber of Commerce and...
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CITY’S CCTV PROGRAMME UNDER SCRUTINY
AS CAPE Town prepares for local government elections, the focus on crime and safety has been reignited, with the City’s expansive closed-circuit television (CCTV) programme coming under scrutiny by critics and crime fighters who question its location,...
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R114M N2 WALL DIVIDES CAPE TOWN
AS THE City of Cape Town progresses with its R114 million N2 Edge Safety Project, also known as the “N2 wall” project, residents, crime activists, and political parties have expressed mixed reactions. Mayco member for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas, said...
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WAVE OF VANDALISM, THEFT DEVASTATES 57 SCHOOLS
THE Western Cape Education Department (WCED) will have to cough up over R2.1 million to foot the bill for 67 incidents of burglary and vandalism at 57 schools during the winter holidays. The primary targets were the School Nutrition Programme...
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MOM MOURNS SON AS 11 DIE IN 24 HOURS
A 74-YEAR-OLD mother had to be wheeled past her son’s dead body after they both sustained gunshot wounds in a wave of shootings that claimed the lives of 11 people in 24 hours. Residents have been urged to come forward with any information regarding...
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‘EXTORTIONIST’ ARRESTED IN DA COUNCILLOR’S KILLING
SLAIN DA councillor, Sinovuyo Dyokwe, was a victim of extortionists demanding protection money, and she was killed after refusing to continue these payments, a police investigation has found after a suspect was arrested at the weekend. Dyokwe was...
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CAPE TOWN’S R6BN ENERGY INVESTMENT ‘IGNORES POOR’
AS THE City of Cape Town’s Energy Directorate announced a capital investment of R6 billion in electricity grid upgrades and clean energy procurement for its medium-term budget, political parties have criticised it as being a plan that will support the...
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COURT GIVES CULEMBORG EVICTION THE GREEN LIGHT
AS RESIDENTS of Woodstock and Salt River celebrate a Western Cape High Court judgment ordering 161 occupiers to vacate Transnet-owned land alongside the N1 at Culemborg by September 30, they are now turning to authorities for emergency accommodation...
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Public outcry over Three Anchor Bay development proposal
MORE than 300 residents have signed a petition opposing the City of Cape Town’s proposed high-density mixeduse development at Three Anchor Bay in Green Point, arguing that the land should remain public recreational space rather than be released for...
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FAMILIES WIN RIGHT TO CONSTANTIA LAND
A FAMILY who successfully secured their place on ancestral land in Constantia following a temporary interdict granted in their favour said they will be pursuing the violation of a National Heritage Site after one of the cottages on the property was...
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WATER METER CHARGES UNDER SCRUTINY
CITY of Cape Town watchdogs and ratepayer groups have renewed criticism of the municipality’s fixed water and sanitation charges, questioning who benefits from its latest tariff proposals and decision to base fixed sanitation charges on the size of a...
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ALARM RAISED OVER PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AT GHOST TOWN
RESIDENTS are warning that the location between the Temporary Relocation Area (TRA) known as Ghost Town, which houses 141 dwellings at Gate 1 Maitland Cemetery and Voortrekker Road, is hazardous, with two pedestrian accidents in two months. They are...
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FAMILY CLAIMS ANCESTRAL TIES TO FARM IN CONSTANTIA
A FAMILY at the centre of a trespassing complaint and a formal inquiry by police after they were removed off Pagasvlei Farm in Constantia have defended their presence on the property, claiming generational ties dating back to the 1950s. The family of...
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HOUSING CRISIS DEEPENS AS BACKLOG GROWS
THE Western Cape Government (WCG) has denied delaying muchneeded housing delivery after it returned and unspent R821 million to the National Treasury while 680000 people remain on the province’s housing waiting list. It is understood that R664.3...
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PENSIONERS DEMAND R5K GRANT AS LIVING COSTS RISE
SENIOR citizens, under the banner of Pensioners of South Africa (Posa), have called for President Cyril Ramaphosa and authorities at the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) to hear their cries of living below the poverty line, as they’re barely able to...
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Sports world mourns loss of ‘rising stars’ Adams, Makwedini
CONDOLENCES have flooded in worldwide following the deaths of two young sports stars: Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Jayden Adams, and former South African Rugby Under-18 prop Luqobo Makwedini. The 20-year-old Makwedini, affectionately...
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RESIDENT PENALISED FOR FEEDING BIRDS IN THEIR GARDEN
A DURBANVILLE resident is grappling with potential penalties under the City of Cape Town’s Animal Keeping By-Law after receiving a notice for feeding birds directly from the ground in her garden. The situation arose following a complaint from a...
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PAROLE FAILURES RAISE MURDER QUESTIONS
CLAIMS of a broken parole system have surfaced yet again after an urgent letter was sent to the Acting Provincial Commissioner of Police, Major General Luyanda Damoyi, following revelations that murder accused Rashaad “Boontjie” Daniels, 60, was out on...
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CITY FAILED LANGA RESIDENTS
THE Public Protector has found that the City of Cape Town failed to provide basic municipal services to residents of Langa Flats and parts of Khayelitsha, concluding that years of shortcomings in housing, sanitation, water access and public...
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BLIKKIESDORP: 19 YEARS, PROMISES STILL UNFULFILLED
NEARLY two decades after Blikkiesdorp was established, some of the residents who slept on the pavements in 2007 in the hope of securing homes for their families say the City of Cape Town has delivered nothing but empty promises. Blikkiesdorp, meaning...
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VANDALS TARGET R10M PRINCESS VLEI TRAIL
THE recent opening of the R10.2 million Princess Vlei trail, which promises to enhance recreational opportunities and promote local biodiversity, has been overshadowed by vandalism that occurred less than a month following its launch. The City of Cape...
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R135M TAFELBERG DISPOSAL UNLAWFUL
A MORE than 10-year wait for victory has been reached for housing activists after the Constitutional Court ruled that the intended disposal and sale of the controversial Tafelberg Site in Sea Point was unlawful. It found that the Western Cape...
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Call to shut ‘problem house’ following murder
THE house where 31-year-old Suraan Windvogel was murdered and her body stuffed into a black bag before it was dumped is a known drug den in Athlone. Residents are now calling for it to be deemed a problem building and shut down before another life is...
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178 PEOPLE ARRESTED IN ANTI-FOREIGNER PROTESTS
WHILE it remained largely business as usual in Cape Town during yesterday’s nationwide anti-immigration protests, police arrested 178 people – 165 undocumented persons, and 13 South Africans for looting and public violence-related offences. This was...
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CAPE TOWN ON HIGH ALERT AHEAD OF PROTEST
IT’S ALL hands on deck in Cape Town today as law enforcement is mobilising all available resources to address the potential violence stemming from the anti-immigrant demonstrations planned for today. Safety and Security mayco member, JP Smith, said...
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THOUSANDS QUEUE FOR REPATRIATION
OVER 2000 Zimbabwean nationals made their way from the Zimbabwean Consulate in District Six to the Epping Repatriation Centre yesterday, with hopes of returning home. This, while foreign nationals flock to their consulates across the country ahead of...
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AG’S AUDIT REPORT SPARKS ROW
THE Auditor General’s (AG) latest report concerning Cape Town’s finances has ignited debate over governance. While the municipality has defended its record, opposition parties and civic activists argue that the findings warrant closer...
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CALL FOR CALM AHEAD OF PROTESTS
AS THE country braces for planned anti-immigration protests on June 30, foreign nationals, community leaders, faith-based organisations and law enforcement agencies in Cape Town are appealing for calm. In parts of Bellville, Mitchells Plain and...
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CITY’S AERIAL RESOURCES COST TAXPAYER OVER R26M IN A YEAR
THE City’s “Eye in the Sky” technology that was grounded due to non-compliance cost the taxpayer R16.3 million in a single year. The City further revealed the ShotSpotter project – an acoustic gunshot detection technology deployed on the Cape Flats –...
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13-YEAR-OLDS LINKED TO SMASH-AND-GRAB CRIME CHAIN
CHILDREN as young as 13 are believed to be behind the smash-and-grab attacks along a notorious stretch of Jan van Riebeeck Drive where EMS worker Lionel Rossi died after chasing suspected robbers last week. The Western Cape Department of Health and...
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BATTLE OVER RYLANDS HEATS UP
A PROPOSAL to convert a portion of the Rylands Sports Complex in Gatesville into a parking area for Melomed Hospital has sparked heated debate among community members and sports administrators. The hospital group said part of the plans include a new...
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Bafana Bafana live to see another day at World Cup
IN A DISPLAY of resilience, Bafana Bafana held Czechia to a 1-1 draw in Atlanta last night, seizing the opportunity to etch their names into history. Supported by a dedicated contingent of fans and dignitaries in the stands, the team appeared prepared...
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Bafana Bafana out to keep SA’s World Cup dream alive
SINCE the final whistle in the first match against Mexico exactly a week ago, Bafana Bafana know they have to win their next match against Czech Republic tonight, come rain or shine, to keep their last-32 hopes alive. Bafana will kick off Matchday 2...
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SHOCK AS ‘EYE IN THE SKY’ PROJECT IS CANNED
CAPE Town mayco member JP Smith’s grand “Eye in the Sky” aerial surveillance project, once flaunted as a “groundbreaking weapon against crime and gang violence”, has been quietly grounded following the cancellation of its contract due to...
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DAD RECOUNTS RESCUE OF HIS DAUGHTER (5) FROM HIJACKERS
A BLUE DOWNS father has thanked law enforcement officers for their swift response in rescuing his five-year-old daughter following a terrifying hijacking and robbery ordeal. Shopkeeper Shukur Amadin recounted the harrowing events of May 21, when...
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DELAYS PLAGUE CITY TENDER FRAUD CASE
THE four-year case against seven people, including a former City of Cape Town employee, involving alleged claims of tender fraud and corruption worth R2.5 million has been postponed once again. Activist and whistle-blower, Hanif Loonat, who was...
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BACK ON THE WORLD STAGE
THE opening match of the 2026 Fifa World Cup against Bafana Bafana at the iconic Estadio Azteca tonight is set to be a spectacle, with Mexico stepping into the global spotlight as co-hosts when they kick off the tournament against South Africa at...
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SALT RIVER AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT MOVES AHEAD
THE Salt River Market redevelopment has been positioned by the City of Cape Town as an initiative aimed at addressing the need for inner-city housing. Yet, amid grand plans and hopeful promises, local residents associations have voiced concerns about...
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FINANCE MMC UNDER SCRUTINY
CAPE Town Finance mayco member Siseko Mbandezi, along with three other City officials, has formed part of an investigation by the SAPS Commercial Crimes Unit involving former contractor, Triple C Maintenance and Service, accused of attempting to buy...
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NEUMANN RETURN ON ICE
THE Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has been granted leave to appeal the Labour Appeal Court’s decision ordering the reinstatement of former Heathfield principal, Wesley Neumann, following his dismissal, with his legal team vowing to oppose...
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RAPISTS SENTENCED IN SA’S LONGEST-RUNNING TRIAL
SOUTH Africa’s longest-running rape and murder trial has finally reached a victorious end with the killers of 17-year-old Cytheria Rex sentenced to 25 years and life imprisonment. The verdict was received with mixed emotions by Cytheria’s mother,...
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PAARDEN EILAND DESALINATION PLANT SPARKS CONTROVERSY
AS THE City of Cape Town embarks on yet another proposed desalination plant idea, this time a R5 billion project in Paarden Eiland, concerns have been raised among residents and political parties due to potential implications for water tariffs. This...
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NEW SHAPE FOR MUIZENBERG SHORELINE
THE highly anticipated refurbishment of the Muizenberg beachfront has made significant strides with the completion of a crucial connection between two sections of the new revetment. This milestone marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing construction...
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OPPOSITION PARTIES REJECT SALE OF CTICC SHARES
THE City of Cape Town says it has received the vote from the council to potentially sell its 72.7% shareholding of the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). But political parties have rejected the idea, saying the CTICC is one of Cape...
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Bothasig residents shocked as truck crashes into kitchen
FRANK Samunda was drinking a cup of coffee in the kitchen when a container truck crashed into the house he was in, in Bothasig yesterday. “My colleagues and I were in the house. I was drinking coffee in the kitchen, and one of the ladies was cooking,”...
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‘SANDF WITHOUT TOILET PAPER’
THE SA National Defence Union (Sandu) is demanding urgent action from the Department of Defence, describing inhumane conditions including a leaking hangar, no warm water for showers, and unsanitary toilets for 146 members who have been deployed to the...
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EVICTION IN CLAREMONT: STRUCTURES AND TENTS REMOVED
ILLEGAL structures that encroached upon a vital parking area in Claremont have been removed by the City of Cape Town following a court-ordered eviction process. The operation involved various enforcement agencies, including the City’s Law Enforcement,...
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AI SYSTEM THWARTS TOURIST SCAMS IN CAPE TOWN
AS UNSUSPECTING tourists continue to fall prey to sophisticated card cloning scams in Cape Town, local authorities have turned to artificial intelligence (AI) in their fight against fraud. One of the latest incidents was caught on CCTV via the...
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Kipchoge upstaged, Esa breaks African marathon record
MOHAMED Esa ensured the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon will be remembered for far more than Eliud Kipchoge’s much-anticipated continental marathon debut after the Ethiopian produced the fastest marathon ever run on African soil yesterday. While much of the...
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PROCUREMENT ACT: LEGAL BATTLE LOOMS
WHILE the City of Cape Town and Western Cape Provincial Government headed to the Constitutional Court to challenge the Public Procurement Act, trade federation Cosatu says keeping the status quo will allow the “Wild West that is public procurement to...
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RISING FUEL COSTS THREATEN FOOD SECURITY
WITH World Hunger Day exactly a week away, one in five households in the Western Cape will go to bed tonight on an empty stomach. And even those who somehow manage to scrape together enough for milk or eggs will likely need double the cash soon, as...
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TRAFFICKED TEENAGER MET PREDATOR ON INSTAGRAM
IN A HARROWING case that has prompted urgent warnings from police, an 18-year-old girl has been rescued from her alleged abductors and rapists, who lured her from Manenberg to Durban, using an Instagram account. The ordeal began when the perpetrators,...
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RAID HALTS BREE ST CONSTRUCTION
A CONSTRUCTION site on lower Bree Street came to a screeching halt yesterday as authorities conducted a raid where several undocumented workers were detained. “It’s just that we have foreigners who are working on the construction site, and now they...
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837 RAPE CASES CLOSED DUE TO ‘UNTRACEABLE VICTIMS’
IN A SHOCKING revelation during a parliamentary session, police disclosed that 837 rape cases were closed in the past three financial years because the victims could not be traced. This alarming statistic follows a recent report indicating that rape...
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RISING RENT FORCES LOCALS OUT OF CITY BOWL
RISING rent prices in Cape Town’s City Bowl and Atlantic Seaboard are increasing monthly housing costs for residents and placing further pressure on households trying to remain close to employment hubs. In suburbs such as Sea Point, Green Point,...
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LEGAL BATTLE ERUPTS OVER SEA POINT FLATS
RESIDENTS have launched a legal challenge against the development of a block of flats in Sea Point, which was previously upheld by City Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. The City has now confirmed that the development along 29 and 31 St John’s Road in Sea...
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CAPE CRIME WAR CRIPPLED BY DETECTIVE SHORTAGE
THE Western Cape is operating with a shortfall of 791 detectives and thousands of vacant SAPS posts, according to provincial policing data and oversight reports, as crime-fighters and political parties continue to raise concerns over policing capacity...
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CAPE OF STORMS CAUSES WIDESPREAD DESTRUCTION
A DRIVER killed by an uprooted tree in Kenilworth, 6000 people left destitute due to flooding across the metro, cancelled flights from Cape Town and George airports, and power outages affecting scores of families are among the series of disasters...
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Cape storm set to wreak havoc
CAPETONIANS are on high alert as two cold fronts crashed into the Mother City yesterday, with flooding expected to wreak havoc across the metropole. The South African Weather Service (SAWS) warned of heavy rain, strong winds and freezing...
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India’s first all-women armed forces crew docks in Cape Town
AFTER months battling some of the world’s harshest oceans, an all-women crew from India’s armed forces has docked in Cape Town, as they prepare for the final leg of a historic circumnavigation voyage back to Mumbai. Sailing aboard the Indian Army...
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Social worker killed, schools shut after storm hits Garden Route
A social worker who was on her way to conduct assessments of residents evacuated due to adverse weather conditions in Knysna has died after a tree fell on her during the storm. This, while 89000 learners stayed home yesterday due to the closure of...
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‘This is intimidation’: NCC’s Fadiel Adams claims innocence
NATIONAL Coloured Congress (NCC) leader Fadiel Adams says he went knocking on SAPS’s door for answers before his arrest yesterday in connection with charges of fraud and defeating the course of justice. This comes after the SAPS yesterday morning said...
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BRACE FOR RECORD-HIGH DIESEL PRICE INCREASE
SOUTH African consumers face a record-high diesel price from tomorrow, paying R31.54 a litre at the coast. The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) yesterday announced the fuel price increases for the month, with sharp increases for...
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CHAPEL ST UPGRADE NIGHTMARE
WHAT is meant to be a historical moment for residents of Chapel Street in District Six amid upgrades to the pavements and pedestrian walkways, has become a nightmare, with a petition of grievances sent to the City concerning restricted movement, health...
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AIRBNB, GUESTHOUSE THEFT RISES
SPECIALISED investigators and forensic experts say the owners of Airbnbs and guesthouses are increasingly seeking their assistance in a bid to nab thieves, as the crime continues to grow across Cape Town and the country. Airbnb owner, Heidi Sampson,...
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PENSIONER’S DIAMONDS SWITCHED FOR FAKES
POLICE, assisted by a forensic expert, have arrested the carer of a 96-year-old woman from Durbanville, living with dementia, for allegedly swapping her patient’s diamond earrings for fakes and selling them to an unknown buyer. The suspect made an...
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Freedom Day a reminder of the arduous path to democracy
PARLIAMENT and local political parties have commemorated Freedom Day, marking 32 years of freedom and democracy since millions of South Africans cast their votes in the country’s first democratic elections in 1994. Parliament’s Presiding Officers, led...
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RAMAPHOSA DEFERS MCHUNU’S FATE
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa says any formal action or decision regarding the future of suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu will wait until the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry releases its final findings. Ramaphosa addressed the status of Mchunu while...
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