The Herald (South Africa)
Mayor points finger at firms over industrial power dips
Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe says power dips affecting industrial areas are being caused by companies using more electricity than they have declared. She made the statement at a Korsten automotive supplier, where disruptions can cost the...
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Wife claims self-defence after farmer shot dead
A farmer’s wife, accused of murdering her husband by shooting him with a .38 Special revolver, told the court yesterday that she had acted in selfdefence. Though murder accused Natasha van Eck, 57, did not deny the shooting incident, she claimed that...
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Crowded ballot sets up fierce Bay fight
The battle lines have been drawn for control of Nelson Mandela Bay, with 38 political parties and nine independent candidates vying for seats as the race to govern the metro heats up ahead of the local government elections. The IEC’s certified list...
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Parents, educators in showdown at Herbert Hurd foyer
Angry parents confronted staff at Herbert Hurd Primary School yesterday, demanding the immediate suspension of two pupils at the centre of alleged rapes in the school toilets — and answers as to why they only learnt about the scandal two months after...
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Karoo farmer found guilty of multiple charges
The families of several complainants have applauded the authorities for ensuring that Eastern Cape farmer Louis Lategan is being held accountable after he was convicted of a range of crimes. Lategan, 43, was convicted at the Makhanda high court...
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Primary school pupils face sex-crime allegations
Two pupils at a Gqeberha primary school have been accused of conspiring in the alleged sexual assault of another schoolboy at the premises on several occasions. The police launched an investigation after being brought in by the education department,...
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‘STOP THE BULLYING!’ Outrage in George over graphic video
A video circulating on social media, appearing to show a brutal assault at the Pacaltsdorp Senior Secondary School hostel, is being investigated amid soaring tensions in George. Irate residents claim that bullying has become more prevalent at the...
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Bay in race to stay afloat for lifesaving champs
The goal to renovate the Newton Park Swimming Pool in time for the Lifesaving World Championships in November looks set to go down to the wire as delays continue to plague the work — several months after it was due to get under way. When a Herald team...
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Political snubs rain on mayor’s ‘state of metro’ parade
Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe’s state of the metro gala turned into a political embarrassment, with several parties staying away from last night’s event as the municipality rolled out the red carpet. The gala exposed deep divisions within...
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State ambulance woes push health services to the brink
Lives are being put at risk by a crippling state ambulance shortage in Humansdorp, where three of the five ambulances assigned to the local hospital are grounded. Critically ill patients , meanwhile, reportedly wait hours — or even days — for...
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Couple sentenced over puppy’s agony
A Gqeberha couple has been banned from owning pets for the next decade after having nearly decapitated a puppy by tethering it around the neck with a noose made of nylon string. In addition, the Gelvandale Magistrate’s Court sentenced Nobulali...
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Cops accused of brutality and theft
About a dozen people dressed in police uniform have been accused of storming two Zwide homes in the middle of the night and allegedly assaulting two young men and stealing thousands of rand. CCTV footage, viewed by The Herald, appears to show a member...
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Honouring our unsung heroes
Nelson Mandela Bay's community champions were celebrated on Friday as The Herald Citizens of the Year Awards, supported by Nelson Mandela University, recognised individuals and organisations making a difference across the city. The annual awards shone...
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Hawks fly away as mayor’s charges against Mayana flop
In the latest twist to an acrimonious saga involving two prominent political personalities in Nelson Mandela Bay, the state has reportedly declined to prosecute former GOOD regional leader Siyanda Mayana for extortion charges that were instituted by...
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A ROAD TO NOWHERE
Hundreds of high school pupils in the Sundays River Valley are struggling to get to class because a badly deteriorated provincial road has driven scholar transport operators off the route. The 15km DR02006 between Enon and Nqweba (Kirkwood) has become...
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VW’s birthday bash: ‘SA’s the gateway, Kariega’s the anchor’
Yesterday marked a major milestone for Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) as the manufacturer celebrated the 75th anniversary since the first vehicle — a Volkswagen Beetle — rolled off the production line in Kariega. And the overarching message from...
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Community battles scourge of gender-based violence
A traumatised Chatty woman’s desperate plea for justice has reignited anger over the prevalence of gender-based violence in the northern areas community, with residents warning that women are being left vulnerable while alleged perpetrators remain on...
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Power play as company eyes AI data hub at Coega
A proposed hyperscale datacentre campus at Coega could generate employment opportunities and an estimated R895m a year in municipal property rates, but a row has broken out over the huge amount of electricity needed to make it happen. On the one hand,...
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Ramaphosa challenged to explain praise for Bay mayor
President Cyril Ramaphosa struggled to justify his praise for Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe when challenged in parliament, citing selective housing projects as evidence of progress while acknowledging serious ongoing weaknesses in the...
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Fatal gust: Wall collapses and crushes child
A strong gust resulted in an unimaginable tragedy for a Nelson Mandela Bay family when 12-year-old Chante Neff was crushed beneath the boundary wall of her family home. The grade 5 pupil at Dr AW Habelgaarn Primary School had reportedly been sitting...
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‘No bail!’ Protesters express anger over sex-crimes case
Dozens of women protested outside the Gqeberha magistrate’s court yesterday, voicing their opposition to the release of a 63-year-old man accused of statutory rape and the sexual exploitation of children. The Adcockvale man, who cannot be named until...
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whirl, twirl, leap!
Liahné Prinsloo performs during the Eastern Cape rhythmic and acrobatic championships held at the Fairview Centre at the weekend
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‘I was brought to tears by my support at court’
More than 100 people gathered outside the Gqeberha magistrate’s court yesterday in support of 22-year-old rape complainant Aviwe Nkume, whose case has remained in limbo since November 2024. They expressed anger at what they described as a stark...
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‘We want justice’: Anger rises after fatal collision
Grief and anger spilled onto the steps of the Port Alfred magistrate’s court this week as residents and taxi association members demanded that bail be denied to a truck driver accused of causing a fatal crash. The collision claimed the life of...
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Frail and elderly stripped of dignity
Residents at the municipal-run Elizabeth Stuurman Old Age Home in Schauderville are living in shocking conditions, with some not having had running water for the past two months. To add to their woes, unoccupied outbuildings in the vicinity have been...
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JAILED FOR LIFE
For the family of eight-year-old Veronique May, the long nightmare of waiting for justice ended in the Gqeberha high court yesterday when her rapist and murderer was sentenced to life imprisonment. Through tears, grief and unimaginable pain,...
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Cars, cash and a fistful of trouble
A Gqeberha mechanic is facing a growing backlash from customers who allege they paid tens of thousands of rand for repairs, waited months or even years for their vehicles and were still left without functioning cars. The dispute turned physical in one...
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Uproar as rape allegations rock off-campus flats
The safety of students living at off-campus residences has again been thrown into the spotlight in Gqeberha following an outcry over two alleged rape incidents during Women’s Month. The crimes were alleged to have taken place at flats located in North...
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Parly rethink sparked over naughty list’s funding freeze
Parliament’s co-operative governance and traditional affairs portfolio committee is moving to close a gap in the rules governing the National Treasury’s power to withhold municipal funding after 69 municipalities, including Nelson Mandela Bay, were...
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Renewed hope as Bay woman goes public with fight for justice
In a country grappling with the scourge of gender-based violence, Women’s Month has delivered a bittersweet breakthrough for a young Gqeberha resident, who has taken her fight for justice public. Trauma, silence and alleged institutional failure have...
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Bay in pole position to land R2bn tyre factory
Nelson Mandela Bay has emerged as the frontrunner to land a R2bn investment that could revive the metro’s manufacturing fortunes. The city announced yesterday that China’s Sailun Group had identified the Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ) as its...
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Suspended official still on full salary after almost a year
An Eastern Cape government department head of communications has been sitting at home earning her full salary for nearly a year since she was put on precautionary suspension for alleged mistreatment of her staff. The situation with provincial...
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Same problem, different day for Kings Beach parking lot
A torrent of sewage swamped the Kings Beach parking lot again this week, threatening public health and a key recreation and watersports area in Gqeberha. On Monday, the sewage covered most of the Kings Beach car park. It overflowed onto the grass...
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New R3m fraud case for once-jailed Bay bookkeeper
A Nelson Mandela Bay woman who was jailed more than a decade ago for fraud was back in the dock yesterday — this time accused of siphoning off more than R3m from her employer in an alleged scheme spanning more than two years. Kabega Park resident...
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Ja, well no fine: New traffic system hits a dead end
For almost a month, Nelson Mandela Bay traffic officers have been unable to fine motorists for certain offences such as speeding, running red lights or driving defective vehicles. This comes after the rollout of SA’s new traffic infringement system...
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Fresh hope for George woman in Thai jail
Hope has flickered back to life for the family of Ashley Oosthuizen — the young George woman who once faced death on a foreign shore — after another reduction in the sentence that has kept her behind bars in Thailand for nearly six years. Now 26,...
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‘Rest in peace, Wayden Ben, the lockdown king’
The body of a once-popular content creator, rapper and musician, best known for his tracks, lip-syncing and viral rapping duets across TikTok and Instagram, was found in Gqeberha on Tuesday morning. The 25-year-old Malabar resident, Wavern Boggenpoel,...
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Three accused of devastating crime spree across Bay
Three men accused of unleashing a month-long wave of terror across Nelson Mandela Bay appeared in court yesterday on close to 50 charges including murder, kidnapping, attempted murder and the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. The state...
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BAIC SA negotiations hit the brakes as strike continues
Negotiations between BAIC SA and Numsa have reached another dead end, with the vehicle manufacturer withdrawing from talks at the eleventh hour as a month-long strike continues to cripple operations at its Coega plant. This comes as unconfirmed claims...
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Family’s turmoil as murder accused Evans back in court
More than a year after Gqeberha mother Vanessa van Rensburg was killed, her boyfriend is due in court this week for a pre-trial conference, as her grieving family continues to endure a slow, painful wait for answers — and accountability. In the...
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One hour, two killings: Brazen attacks rock Bay
KwaNobuhle residents are living in the grip of terror after two people were killed in the space of an hour in brazen daylight attacks this week. Though police could not confirm at this stage if the incidents were linked, witnesses claimed to have seen...
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Man ‘assaulted, abducted’ by group wearing police uniforms
A distraught family is desperately seeking answers regarding the whereabouts of a Gqeberha man, alleging that he was abducted from his home by a group of men wearing police uniforms. Though the SAPS was initially investigating a missing person case in...
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Newton Park pool saga triggers ripple effects
The Newton Park Swimming Pool renovations project continues to cause waves of uncertainty and dismay, with organisers of a national water polo event that was scheduled to take place next month opting to pull the plug. In addition, the heating of the...
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Municipality coughs up big-time for sick leave
The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality forked out a staggering R462.36m for sick leave over a period of five years. Employees clocked up a total of 367,283 sick days, about 119,000 of which were taken without medical certificates. The municipality has a...
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The dark truth about Bay’s traffic lights
One here, one there ... traffic lights are down everywhere. A Herald team took a quick trip through Nelson Mandela Bay and found almost 200 traffic lights to be non-operational across just three streets, with more failures scattered around the...
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Suspect plays the keyboard as church robbery ‘circus’ unfolds
A church robbery in Nelson Mandela Bay briefly turned into an unsolicited musical interlude when one of the robbers made a beeline for the keyboard. The man was apparently unable to resist playing his favourite tune while his alleged accomplices held...
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‘Fixing Bay is like saving a pig stuck in the mud’
Government officials tore into Nelson Mandela Bay’s political and administrative leadership yesterday during a return visit to the city by co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) deputy minister Namane Dickson Masemola. The...
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New electricity tariffs a sucker punch for low-usage households
The full impact of Nelson Mandela Bay’s new electricity tariffs is beginning to emerge, with low-consumption households facing massive increases after the municipality abolished the inclining block tariff and introduced a single flat rate. The...
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We’re in limbo, say foreign nationals at shelter near harbour
Dozens of foreign nationals based in Gqeberha have fled their homes and moved to a temporary shelter in South End for fear of being targeted by local communities. While many have already returned to their countries of origin, a group of about 100...
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Double, double toil and trouble — water’s brown and starts to bubble!
Complaints from residents in certain areas of the metro about dirty, discoloured and bubbling tap water have intensified the scrutiny of Nelson Mandela Bay’s failing water infrastructure. Councillors say the floods this year did not cause the crisis...
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Poor spending, staff shortages fuel water crisis
Despite months of intermittent disruptions and muddy water across Nelson Mandela Bay, the municipality has spent just a fraction of its infrastructure and engineering capital budget for the 2025/2026 financial year. It has also only filled three of 73...
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Clock ticking to get Gqeberha ready for huge lifesaving event
The Lifesaving World Championships, due to take place in Gqeberha in November, could be at risk as the required renovation of the Newton Park Swimming Pool, scheduled to finish at the end of this month, is yet to begin. The event is anticipated to...
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How national protest day played out in Bay
While an uneasy calm hung in the air in the Nelson Mandela Bay zones that had been identified as potential flashpoints for the March and March movement protests, small groups of demonstrators gathered in other pockets of the metro yesterday. In Kuyga,...
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Girl’s death reignites calls for vigilance with the online world
A family in Zwide is grappling with an unimaginable loss after a 12-year-old girl was found dead in her bedroom in the early hours of Sunday — a tragedy that has renewed urgent conversations about children’s safety on digital platforms. While the...
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Cable thieves ‘pretend to be maintenance workers’
Traffic cones were placed along 5th Avenue in Newton Park and traffic was diverted as a crew worked methodically between the utility poles for days, in full view of residents and passing motorists. There was no rush, no attempt to hide and nothing to...
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Security tightened to keep order in Bay on June 30
Security measures have been put in place in Nelson Mandela Bay ahead of the planned March and March movement protests set to take place across the country on June 30. Provincial community safety MEC Xolile Nqatha and Eastern Cape police commissioner...
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Sydenham family devastated after child’s mysterious death
What began as an ordinary afternoon of childhood play ended in heartbreak for a Gqeberha family after an 11-year-old girl died at her Sydenham home when she seemingly became entangled in a gown rope. Kungawo Mehlo, a grade 6 Sydenham Primary School...
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Sewage-contaminated water surrounds Colchester homes
For nearly two months, more than a dozen Colchester families’ homes have been engulfed in foul-smelling stagnant water and sewage after a stormwater retention pond burst its banks, leaving houses damaged, gardens submerged and residents accusing the...
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Pregnant woman grateful baby wasn’t harmed in shooting
“I didn’t realise I had been shot at first but when I ran into the yard and got to the gate, I started feeling that I couldn’t go any further.” These were the words of a pregnant woman who was wounded when an unknown gunman opened fire on a group of...
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Slain Bay councillor ‘was friendly and respectful’
A kind and respectful man who served his community with integrity and purpose. That was how Zwide residents and colleagues remembered ANC ward councillor Sicelo Mleve, who was shot dead on Saturday evening during a voter registration debriefing...
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‘A city in paralysis’
With municipal phone lines down for days, councillors across Nelson Mandela Bay became the city’s unofficial call centre, fielding hundreds of complaints daily as residents grappled with water outages, power cuts and a growing list of service delivery...
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What’s Lungisa’s next step?
Emerging as an early frontrunner on the ANC’s PR councillor candidate nomination list in Nelson Mandela Bay, Andile Lungisa believes this has strengthened his mayoral ambitions and warns that any attempt by national bosses to impose a candidate will be...
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J-Bay murder accused found not guilty
Donovan Wolf, who was accused of murdering a Jeffreys Bay man, has been found not guilty by the Gqeberha high court. The judgment comes five years after Wolf was charged with the murder of fellow Wavecrest resident Clyde Stuurman. Stuurman, 26, was...
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Young and jobless: Residents share pain ahead of Youth Day
For Khanyiswa Plaaitjies, her weekly ritual has become a test of endurance as she carries a bag filled with CVs, going from shop to shop and business to business, handing out copies with little success. Plaaitjies and her wheelchair-bound father are...
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Too much manganese dust, so what’s the game plan?
With dust fallout linked to manganese-ore handling now reflecting chronic non-compliance, the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality wants to let the leases for bulk storage at the Gqeberha harbour expire next year and not be renewed. The municipality’s air...
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Report takes Makana to task: ‘Human rights cannot wait’
A damning new report by the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has declared the Makana municipality’s ongoing water and sanitation crisis a violation of fundamental constitutional rights. After more than three years of investigations, complaints and...
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Residents gripped by fear after group gunned down
KwaDwesi residents have been left traumatised and terrified after armed criminals stormed a home, forcing the occupants to access their banking apps and then stealing their phones and opening fire. Three people died at the scene and a fourth died in...
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Appeal pays off for Greyvensteins
After a years-long battle, the appeal court has set aside a Legal Practice Council (LPC) report against large Gqeberha law firm Greyvensteins Inc, finding that the investigation committee overstepped its powers and created a reasonable perception of...
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Painful memories, fresh trauma as the heavens open again
Having barely begun to recover from the last bout of heavy rains, parts of Nelson Mandela Bay and Kouga were once again battered by relentless downpours — compounding damage, displacing residents and pushing already swollen rivers closer to breaking...
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