Cape Argus
SCHOOL FACES ASSAULT, INTIMIDATION CLAIMS
SERIOUS allegations of intimidation, assault and learner victimisation have emerged at Soneike High School in Kuils River, where parents have reportedly opened criminal cases after accusing school authorities of failing to protect their children...
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NPA HANDED PRASA CORRUPTION DOSSIER
#UNITEBEHIND has handed a dossier detailing alleged corruption involving the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and Swifambo Rail Leasing to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), calling for progress in an investigation that the...
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IMIZAMO YETHU HOUSING PROMISE STALLS
MORE than seven years after over 900 housing opportunities were expected to be completed in Imizamo Yethu, residents are still waiting for answers, with the City of Cape Town confirming that the project has changed and the revised development remains...
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Navi Pillay’s Nobel Prize win strengthens call for justice
“JUSTICE is integral to peace.” That was the message from Nobel Peace Prize laureate Judge Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay after she was recognised for her decades-long fight for human rights and international law. Reflecting on her initial reaction to the...
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TAFELBERG HOUSING PROJECT OPENS FOR PUBLIC SUBMISSIONS
CAPE Town residents have an opportunity to make submissions on the planned approval of the controversial Tafelberg site for the development of social housing units. This emerged when Western Cape Premier Alan Winde listed Tafelberg among the nine...
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COP FACING TORTURE CHARGES PROMOTED
THE promotion of a Cape Town police officer who is awaiting trial on charges of assault and torture has sparked controversy, with questions being raised over how he was elevated to Colonel and appointed as a permanent station commander while the...
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MATRICS CAUGHT IN TRANSPORT STANDOFF
WITH matrics just days away from their final National Senior Certificate examinations, a learner transport dispute in the Western Cape has raised fears that thousands of pupils could be left without a way to get to school. The South African National...
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ARTSCAPE
Theatre becomes a world of shadows, seduction and the supernatural as David Nixon CBE’s acclaimed ‘Dracula’ returns to the stage from October 28, presented by Cape Town City Ballet (CTCB) and featuring an all-star cast led by Leading Principals Kirstél...
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GBV ACTIVISTS URGE DA’S TASK TEAM TO ACT
THE DA’s gender-based violence task team says it has pushed Parliament, conducted oversight and exposed failures in services meant to protect women and children, but activists say the true test is whether those interventions are producing tangible...
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PUBLIC FUNDS, PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT? ANNANDALE PROBE ORDERED
THE Human Settlements Department will investigate the proposed disposal of the 71.8-hectare Annandale Farm in Milnerton by the City of Cape Town to private developers nine years after purchasing the land with national grant funds intended to relieve...
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COURT CLEANER ACCUSED OF CONTRABAND RUN
A CLEANER working at the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court has been nabbed for allegedly running a drugs and contraband “spaza shop”, with goods smuggled through a reported secret passage inside the court building. He was caught when he handed contraband to...
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GBVF ACTIVISTS DEMAND A SEAT AT THE TABLE
CAPE Town gender-based violence activists are fuming over their exclusion from yesterday’s urgent parliamentary debate on GBVF, with DA MP Lisa Schickerling conceding that Parliament should create stronger mechanisms to hear directly from survivors,...
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GBVF INQUIRY LAYS BARE CRACKS IN JUSTICE SYSTEM
SURVIVORS of gender-based violence are being forced to become “case managers” of their own cases, chasing police, tracking dockets, following up on evidence and demanding arrests, as serious failures across South Africa’s criminal justice system...
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MANHUNT AFTER LWANDLE SHISANYAMA SHOOTING HORROR
THE MANHUNT continues for gunmen who stormed a Lwandle shisanyama and opened fire on patrons, killing 10 people and wounding 11 others in the early hours of yesterday. The attack was one of two mass shootings in Gauteng and the Western Cape over the...
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THOUSANDS SAY ‘NO MORE’ IN HERITAGE DAY GBV MARCH
MORE than 2500 women, men and children turned Heritage Day into a day of protest, joining veteran activist Lucinda Evans and One Billion Rising in a mass solidarity march around Princess Vlei along the M5 against femicide and gender-based violence...
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21 000 HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES IN CAPE TOWN
HUMAN Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane said her department has identified 21 000 potential housing opportunities in the City of Cape Town. Simelane said 600 hectares of land on 120 land parcels have already been identified for affordable housing...
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42 PROJECTS, R1.48BN, NO ARRESTS
AT LEAST 42 construction projects faced extortion, intimidation and construction-mafia activity in Cape Town over the last five years. This is according to Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia when he was responding to parliamentary questions from...
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CPUT DENTAL PROGRAMME’S FATE HANGS IN BALANCE
THE South African Dental Technicians Council (SADTC) is now expected to consider Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s (CPUT) representations before deciding whether to proceed with a request to suspend its dental technology programme, the Health...
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55 PARTIES, 12 INDEPENDENTS SET TO CONTEST CAPE TOWN ELECTIONS
VOTERS in the City of Cape Town will face a crowded ballot paper after the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) certified candidate lists containing 55 parties and 12 independents. Just like other metros in the country with a high number of parties...
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CPUT LOSES COURT BID OVER DENTAL PROGRAMME SUSPENSION
THE Western Cape High Court has dismissed an urgent bid by the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) to interdict the South African Dental Technicians Council (SADTC) from seeking consent from Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi to suspend its...
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Eight women found dead as police investigate possible links
POLICE have confirmed that the death toll in the investigation into the bodies of women found in Gauteng has risen to eight. This comes after the seventh victim was found in a river in Clayville, next to Tembisa Mall, on September 7. Acting Gauteng...
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PROBE INTO N1 HORROR CRASH THAT CLAIMED 21 LIVES
A CULPABLE homicide investigation is under way after 21 people were killed in a horrific three-vehicle crash on the N1 near Leeu Gamka, as authorities worked to establish the cause of the collision. The crash occurred at around 11.30pm on Sunday...
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BABOON SIEGE: NAVY UNDER FIRE
BABOONS in Simon’s Town have reportedly laid siege to SA Naval properties, foraging on its poor waste management and becoming so used to humans that normal deterrents seem to not be working. Now baboon interest groups are sounding the alarm as two...
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ELECTION DEBATE HIGHLIGHTS DIVISIONS OVER CRIME RESPONSE
POLITICAL parties at a local government elections debate offered no lasting solutions to the ongoing scourge of violence plaguing Cape Town and surrounding communities. Instead parties focused on what can be done, what has already been done and what...
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FALSE QUALIFICATIONS, SANCTION, NOW A DA PROMOTION?
THE DA is facing calls to explain why a Cape Town councillor found guilty of lying about his qualifications is reportedly being considered for a position in Parliament or the Western Cape Legislature. This comes after Councillor Abdulkader ‘AK’ Elyas...
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FUR FLIES OVER CAPE TOWN’S PROPOSED PET BY-LAW
A FIERCE row has erupted over Cape Town’s proposed Animal Keeping By-law, with critics warning that pet owners could face new municipal permits and costs to keep their animals, while the City insists there is no plan to introduce a dog or cat...
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MEDICAL EVIDENCE SINKS HOORN’S MURDER DEFENCE
DUNCAN Hoorn was yesterday found guilty of murdering his wife, Chantel Pasqualle-Hoorn, after Acting Judge Amanda van Leeve rejected key parts of his version and found that medical evidence could not be reconciled with his account of what...
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AIRBNB CRACKDOWN GETS CAUTIOUS NOD
THE City of Cape Town’s proposed new rules for short-term rentals have received cautious support from a major ratepayers’ body, which says the draft by-law could help level the playing field but may not go far enough to improve housing availability and...
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EX-UCT STAFFER CALLS FOR PROBE INTO COMPLAINTS AGAINST VC
UCT has remained mum on whether it will conduct an independent investigation into concerns surrounding the manner in which complaints concerning Vice-Chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela were received, recorded and attributed, citing ongoing court...
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10111 OUTAGE FUELS CONCERN OVER EMERGENCY CALL SYSTEM
CAPE Town’s 10111 emergency call service was thrust back into the spotlight yesterday after the system remained offline for much of the morning and early afternoon, before being restored shortly after 2pm. The outage affected SAPS’s emergency call...
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SACP ORDERS WC DEPLOYEES TO IGNORE ANC EXPULSIONS
THE SACP in the Western Cape has instructed its provincial secretary, Benson Ngqentsu, and councillors facing removal as ANC representatives in the provincial legislature and municipal councils to remain in their positions. SACP chairperson Anthony...
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ANC ASKS W CAPE LEGISLATURE TO REMOVE SACP LEADER
THE gloves have come off in the Tripartite Alliance in the Western Cape amid simmering tensions between the ANC and the SACP ahead of the upcoming local government elections on November 4. ANC Provincial Task Team co-ordinator Thandi Mkasi fired the...
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ANC WIELDS AXE ON W CAPE COUNCILLORS AFTER DEFECTIONS
AS THE ANC in the Western Cape summarily dismissed several councillors who defected to other parties, a City of Cape Town councillor at the weekend threatened the party with legal action over his removal from the candidate list. Provincial...
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Social workers under siege
WESTERN Cape social development workers have fallen victim to 22 hijackings and attempted hijackings so far this financial year, as concerns mount that attacks on already stretched social workers could leave vulnerable children and families without...
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CITY’S BY-LAW SPARKS RED TAPE CONTROVESY
THE Western Cape Property Development Forum (WCPDF) says the newly-approved Municipal Planning Amendment by-law will increase property prices by adding another layer of administrative requirements which will carry costs. WCPDF chairperson Deon van Zyl...
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Sea Point Promenade rules tighten with 8km/h e-scooter limit
SPEEDING e-scooters and high-powered electric bikes on the Sea Point Promenade are facing tougher restrictions as the City of Cape Town moves to introduce an 8km/h speed limit, pedestrian right-of-way and possible fines and impoundments. The City’s...
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Mixed reactions to council land disposal plans
THE City of Cape Town’s plans to dispose of several municipal-owned land parcels has drawn mixed reactions from political parties. At a meeting on Thursday, Council decided in principle to dispose of portions of land in Pinelands and Thornton for an...
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HOUSING GROUP OBJECTS TO SHELTER PLAN
A PROPOSED temporary housing development in Gugulethu has drawn strong opposition from residents and some politicians, who fear the City of Cape Town could create another longterm temporary settlement similar to Blikkiesdorp. The controversy centres...
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WATER CRISIS LOOMS LARGE
WHILE Cape Town’s taps are not in immediate danger of running dry, the City is warning that residents cannot afford to become complacent as water demand rises and forecasts point to a drier end to the rainfall season. As of August 17, the Western Cape...
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Bellville march turns violent
CHAOS erupted in the Bellville CBD yesterday as an anti-illegal immigration march descended into violent clashes, looting and a heavy police response as tensions between South African protesters and foreign nationals boiled over. There were scenes of...
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UCT Council suspends resolutions amid VC’s court challenge
UCT's Council has suspended the implementation of four resolutions being challenged by Vice-Chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela in the Western Cape High Court, while opening the door to mediation. The decision follows a special Council meeting held on...
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Operation Prosper unravelling
A WORRYING disconnect between police and soldiers deployed to tackle gang violence on the Cape Flats has emerged, with SANDF members allegedly complaining about poor co-ordination, weak intelligence-sharing and inadequate support during Operation...
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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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