BY NOMALUNGELO BOOI

Gelvandale detectives have appealed to the community for assistance in identifying a murdered man whose body was found in Schauderville, in Gqeberha’s northern areas, at the weekend.

Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said a bush dweller had been rummaging in the bushes looking for scrap next to a school in Grundling Street at about 9am on Saturday when he noticed a big cream bag lying behind a tree.He opened the bag and found the decomposing body,

The victim had a belt around his neck, his hands were tied behind his back with another belt and his feet were bound with tape. The bag was also tied up.

The man immediately alerted the community before running away.

The deceased was wearing a white T-shirt and blue denim jeans. He was big in stature.Anyone with any information on the identity of the victim or the murder should contact Sergeant Landiswa Sokanyile on 073-448-5539, Crime Stop on 08600 10111, or the nearest police station.

All information is confidential and callers may remain anonymous.

BY PHUMLANI SAUL

“No photographers will harassing the public in Boardwalk again “

The 2022 festive season along the Gqeberha beachfront will likely be the safest yet.

Ringing it in on Wednesday was the launch of a hi-tech 24/7 security control room, unveiled during a Beachfront Safety Sector Forum collaborative showcase at the PE Beach Yacht Club in Summerstrand.Hundreds of thousands of residents and tourists are expected to descend on Gqeberha and can be assured of a sound holiday as law enforcement, private security and other role players work together to root out crime along the busy beachfront.Initiated in 2014 by the previous DA ward councillor, Dean Biddulph, and later taken over by the incumbent, Renaldo Gouws, it is a culmination of years-long round-table discussions cemented in June.

“The beachfront has, for a long time, not been a designated sector. It had been the only one in Nelson Mandela Bay without this,” Gouws said.

“And so, after arguing and having lots of back and forth over many years, a bunch of role players came together in June to [share ideas] about how we could resolve this.”

In the background, as sponsors — corporates, hotel groups and private institutions — finally joined the SAPS and the Metro Police to reveal the new centre for the first time, beach revellers along the shoreline added to the electric atmosphere.

Partly privately funded while the local government has committed to financing the rest, it took just 10 days to install the facility as part of an initial half-a-million-rand project.

The state-of-the-art control room boasts number plate recognition capabilities to track stolen and other suspect vehicles that link to a national database.

Beachfront safety sector project manager Sean Tappan said the control room would be developed to run facial recognition imaging using artificial intelligence (AI).

“In this way, the police will be able to look for suspects who are wanted or need to be observed.”

Emerald Fire, a forum sponsor, set up eight cameras in and around the Boardwalk precinct, including two 360° PTZ security surveillance cameras.Four static cameras have gone up in the parking area adjacent to the beach, while the rest are in the Summerstrand area.

Bay Tourism chair and forum chair Shaun van Eck said the action plan created for the project could be implemented throughout the metro.

“This is just the start.

“We can implement it in other areas like Route 67 in Central and on the northern beaches.

“Tourism routes in our townships should also be a priority,” he said.

Van Eck said residents and visitors to the city would be assured of a near incident-free beach experience.

“These are great efforts that are going to benefit the metro.

“We would like no incidents, and that is the aim of this project, to cut everything out to displace criminals from the area.

“We want our tourists to feel safer than anywhere else in our country.”

Metro Police acting commissioner Trevor Smith welcomed the collaborative effort, saying his department was ready to hit the ground running during the busy periodAmong the bylaw enforcement targets, Smith said unsolicited and illegal photography along the boardwalk, where visitors are often surprised by unknown cameramen, was a priority.

“We have a huge problem with photographers harassing the public. We plan to deal with that.

“We plan to have a 24-hour operation in the area from the centre and will, of course, collaborate with our partners in the hope that this is the most successful summer season in the Bay.”

Boardwalk Casino and Hotel general manager Tute Tsunke said the business looked forward to hosting citizens and overseas visitors on the city’s shores, free from safety concerns.

“Our investment will go a long way, and we want to be serious about it.

“It stands to protect the reputation of the city and the integrity of our business.

“It is a good initiative, and we are happy the forum opened us up to it.”

BY SMTEMBILE MGIDI

Enough is enough — that was the sentiment of about 20 Kwazakhele residents who started the Gaika and Maronga Street Neighbourhood Watch two months ago to take back their community from criminals.

The neighbourhood watch held a march on Saturday with members wearing reflector vests and holding placards saying, “Let us stop crime and drugs” and “In our community, we can fight crime”.They marched from Gaika Street to Maronga Street, attempting to recruit new members to join their neighbourhood watch.

Organisers Mbulelo Stuurman and Phathiswa Ngumbela said there had been a drop in crime since the watch was started.

“We started this neighbourhood watch after we saw a rise in the level of crime in our community.

“We were having restless nights and we cannot walk freely in the streets,” Stuurman said.

“We are afraid to even go to the local shops close to our homes because we fear for our lives.

“The most common crime in our area is having your phone stolen.

“A person could act like they are walking past, but they are seeing their next meal with your cellphone.

“At least three times a week we would hear that cellphones were stolen or hear a person screaming, because they were being robbed,” Stuurman said.

He said criminals would boldly kick down the doors of people’s homes and steal valuable items such as TV sets.

The latest trend was the theft of brass gates, which he suspected were sold at scrapyards.Stuurman encouraged other communities to start their own neighbourhood watches in Kwazakhele and partner with them to create a safer community for themselves and their children.

He said hotspots were outside big retail stores.

“They know they stand a good chance to get money from the people who shop there.

“Since we started our neighbourhood watch, crime has gone down a bit. People can walk to retail stores freely.

“If we can do this neighbourhood watch between Gaika and Maranta streets, it can be extended.

“That is why we are mobilising people to start their own neighbourhood watches so we can work togetherNgumbela said they worked well with the police and handed criminals over when they caught them.

“It is painful that when people come back from buying groceries from Shoprite they get robbed of their valuables and their groceries.

“You can be followed if they see you making a withdrawal from an ATM and then they steal your money.

“There is also hijacking of people’s cars.We have family members who do not live in this area.

“When they visit us they can get robbed while waiting for the gate to be opened for them.

“Because of crime we are forced to lock our gates all the time.”

She said it was time that residents took their community back.

BY PHUMLANI SAUL

Security measures stepped up ahead of festive season, officials say

Jail cells housing more than 1,900 inmates, many serving lengthy terms, were raided at St Albans prison on Thursday night.

Emergency security officials in riot gear, led by correctional services national commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale and acting regional commissioner Lucky Mthethwa, raided cell blocks during the operation, searching for contraband and other controlled substances.
A procession of footsteps signalled the start of the raid at the maximum security section of the jail as the emergency prison security swooped on seven cells.

Nearly five hours later, with the inmates back in their cells, the 55-person security team from six management areas, including St Albans, Kirkwood, East London and Mthatha, had netted 185 contraband items.

Among the seized items were:

A padlock;
A dagga pipe and other dagga paraphernalia;
Smart TV converter;
TV converter adapter;
Smart TV remote;
Huawei Wi-Fi router;
21 cellphones;
29 dagga slope;
38 cellphone accessories;
38 tik rolls; and
49 dagga rolls.
Officials also confiscated R553 in cash.

“We did the raid as part of our normal security operations,” Thobakgale, who was appointed prisons boss in September, said.

“It focused on St Albans Correctional Facility for the past two or three days.

“We aim to keep clean facilities, first in terms of contraband like cellphones and unlawful objects.

“This is also to help the offenders keep a clean record.

“If they don’t, we have to mete out discipline.”

He said information about the raid at St Albans had been highly confidential.Our operational plans are communicated through very strict channels.

“Even the specialised task team involved did not know the units [until the raid went ahead].”

With correctional centres experiencing an increase in admissions, assaults and contraband smuggling ahead of the festive season, according to officials, intensified security measures had to be undertakenA national plan focusing on operational security at SA’s 143 prisons will be launched in Mpumalanga on November 30.

Thobakgale said he was pleased with the raid, adding wardens were encouraged to observe standard operating procedures daily.

“Officials should examine and inspect the cells every day.

“In the morning, when offenders go for breakfast, we should inspect cells, checking for any objects inmates could use [to commit an] escape.”

He said movement inside the centre and patrols along the perimeter fencing would help to minimise prison escapes.

“We only experienced 21 escapes in the 2021/2022 financial year, arresting 16.”

In its annual report released in August, the department indicated the number of inmates who escaped from correctional facilities totalled 22 out of 143,223 prisonersSeven inmates, five awaiting conviction, escaped from Makhanda prison in October.

They managed to make their way out after “compromising the window bars”, Thobakgale said.

Of the seven, three have since been arrested.

“Working with the police, we’re still pursuing the other five [escapees], and our information points to getting the offenders back.”

Correctional services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said officials conducted the search operation in line with approved policies to protect inmate rights.

He said no inmate had a request or complaint following the security operation.

“Offenders were locked up at their respective houses after searching.

“All the items confiscated will be handled as per the security standard operating procedures.

“Correctional services will hand the cellphones to the police for forensic checks and disciplinary steps will be taken against the relevant culprits.”.

BY NOMALUNGELO BOOI

Two young men were shot dead and three others injured when a group of unknown men broke into a house in Malabar in the early hours of Tuesday, rounded them up in the kitchen and then opened fire.

While police do not yet know the motive for the mass shooting, Nelson Mandela Bay district police commissioner Major-General Vuyisile Ncata has implemented a 72-hour activation plan.

Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the men broke down the door of the Calvert Street home, in Malabar Extension Six, at about 12.46am, and allegedly asked for the homeowner’s son.

“Four occupants managed to escape while the five victims were rounded up and shot in the kitchen.

“Two men sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died on the scene, while another three sustained injuries and were taken to hospital,” Naidu said.

The deceased were identified as Ruben Stuurman, 28, and Yano Richards, 24.

Ncata appealed to the community to assist the police in their investigation, as they worked around the clock to try to track down the suspects.

BY ZONWABELE JANUARY

A pregnant woman, discovered with a gunshot wound to the head on November 2, has been identified as 30-year-old Khuselwa Peter of Kwazakhele.

Peter was about five months pregnant at the time of her death, according to the police.

Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said police had responded to a complaint from a truck driver of a body lying in a ditch on the Old St Albans gravel road near Booysen Park at about 7.45am on November 2.

The woman was wearing her pyjamas.

“It is alleged that on the evening of November 1, Peter asked her boyfriend to buy KFC for her.

“As he was leaving in his vehicle, she walked out the gate to inform him that she was walking somewhere nearby and would return shortly.

“When her boyfriend returned, she was not at home.

“He went to bed, and two days later, after seeing a picture in Daily Kasi newspaper, he realised that the clothing fitted the description of her clothing,” Naidu said.

A postmortem confirmed that Peter was about five months pregnant.

Anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the shooter, should contact Lieutenant-Colonel Alan Stuurman on 071-608-1641, Crime Stop on 08600-10111, or go to their nearest police station.

BY NOMALUNGELO BOOI

A Kariega teenager died after she and her mother were shot in their home on Thursday night.

The suspects, who are still at large, fired shots through a sliding door at the Vanes Estate home at about 10pm.

Keisha Goliath, 15, was rushed to hospital, but pronounced dead on arrival.

Her mother was also hospitalised and is recovering.

Station commander at Kariega police station, Brigadier Andre Swart, said police had launched a manhuntto find the suspects.

“Police have implemented a 72-hour activation plan,” Swart said.

“[The unknown suspects] allegedly fired shots through a sliding door at a residence at Vanes Estate at about 9.55pm.”

The motive for the shooting is unknown.

“A case of murder and attempted murder is under investigation.

“Police urge anyone with information to contact Detective-Constable Shawn Mbonda on 082-302-5810 or 078-943-7655.”

Anyone with information can also contact Crime Stop at 08600-10111 or the nearest police station.

The deadly attack comes after Nelson Mandela Bay police conducted a crime prevention operation in KwaNobuhle on the back of a recent spate of shootings in the area on the same day.Police and other law enforcement agencies also conducted a multi-disciplinary operation to clamp down on the escalating crime in urban communities in the metro.

Station commanders from the 18 police stations in the district led the teams, supported by the metro police, to conduct two roadblocks along Ponana Tini and Mabandla roads.

Operations included roving stop-and-searches, vehicle checkpoints, visits to taverns and liquor outlets, and second-hand goods businesses to check for compliance.

Officers also searched for unlicensed firearms and drugs.

Among the successes, police issued traffic fines to the value of R52,000.

Three suspects were arrested for the possession of Mandrax and dagga, and a man was arrested for drunk driving.

A total of 33 Mandrax tablets and five rolls of dagga were confiscated.

“With the festive season soon upon us, policing operations will intensify with more boots on the ground in all hotspot areas across Nelson Mandela Bay,” police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge said

BY PHUMLANI SAUL

Not even street poles in Nelson Mandela Bay are safe from criminals looking to score a quick fix.

Spotted walking away with what looked like cables, a thief made his way into the bushes just outside Kwanobuhle near Kariega on Wednesday after stripping a fallen street pole on Mathanzima Road

Kwanobuhle resident Masixole Ndlozi (33) told Daily Kasi News “I spotted the man as I was driving through Mathanzima Road near Cemetery at about 5pm.

“I noticed a few of them [street poles] were knocked over.

“When we were leaving I noticed a guy carrying scrap, but when you look closely you can clearly see it’s the inside of a lamp,” Ndlozi said.

While trying to take pictures of the thief, Ndlozi I noticed he was being watched and instead made a run for it.

Driving into Kariega on Thursday, it was evident at least seven street poles along the busy route had been felled.

The poles are damaged at the bottom with pieces of fibre sticking out.

On the other side of the M12 , two of the poles have been broken halfway up, while another one has been hacked from the bottom.

Residents say the road has been dark for months.

Community leader Anele Shezi (55) said the section of the M12 had been dark for almost a month.

“Street lights around Cape Road have not been working for about three months.On the M12 it’s been dark for about a month. The whole situation is bad.

“Crime is very high in KwaNobuhle, we need the lights to see,” he said.

A mini substation is also damaged, with exposed cables.

Kwanobuhle Community Forum member Godfrey Jacobs(43) said vandalism and break-ins were on the rise in the area.

He said mushrooming scrapyards had contributed to the vandalism.

“We now have three [scrapyards].

“Earlier this year, the community forcibly shut down one of them after people kept waking up with their taps missing.

“When we went to confront the owner, we found a bag full of the copper taps,” he said.

Adding to their woes is having to report to the Local police station, which is under a different Area.

“We know they are understaffed but between the metro and Cacadu municipality we feel like forgotten children.”

FTI Consulting strategic communications senior consultant Shanaaz Loggenberg failed to respond to questions on behalf of Sanral.

Bay electricity and energy political boss Lance Grootboom said overall copper vandalism in the metro was on the decline but hotspots remained.

“We are going to appoint more security personnel that will specifically focus on this theft.

“We have identified key areas and Colchester is one of them,” Grootboom said.

BY XOLA NGCANGCA

It has been another bloody weekend in the country

Another fatal killing in Nelson Mandela Bay Metro within less than a month.

Gqeberha police have implemented the 72 hour activation plan following the murders of six people in New Brighton during the early hours of Saturday morning.

Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the activation plan was initiated after residents made the gruesome discovery of the bodies lying scattered around a house in Ramba Street.

“It is alleged that between 1am and 2am neighbours heard gunshots and at about 6:45am when they went to check on their neighbour’s house in Ramba Street, they found the door open.

“On further investigation, the bodies of four people (one female and three males) were found lying in the lounge.

“Another female was found in the kitchen and one in the bedroom. The female in the bedroom had a three-year-old child with her, the child was unhurt.”

Naidu said all the deceased are aged between 25 and 35-years-old, however, the names of the deceased have been withheld until their next of kin have been informed.

“It is further alleged that the owner of the house was a ‘bush’ mechanic who worked on cars. Some of the victims were shot and stabbed while others were only shot.

“It is alleged that the house is a drug post. Parts of the house was ransacked. It is not known whether anything was taken.”

The suspects and motive for the shootings are unknown at this stage and a case of murder with six counts will be investigated by the Provincial Organised Crime Investigation in Gqeberha.

Acting Provincial Commissioner Major General Thandiswa Kupiso called on the New Brighton community to work closely with police in identifying and arresting those responsible.

“We are appealing to everyone on all levels of society to stand together with the police to stop these ruthless criminals who threaten the stability and peace within our communities.

“The 72 hour activation team will be working around the clock to gather information and evidence to identify those responsible for committing such heinous murders,” Kupiso said.

Police are urging anyone who can assist to contact detective Colonel Willie Mayi on 082-697-5914 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or the nearest police station.

All information is confidential and callers may remain anonymous.

BY PHUMLANI SAUL

trimmings and worth R63m was presented to the Kariega community on Friday amid much excitement.

Eastern Cape education MEC Fundile Gade officially handed over the keys to the Noninzi Luzipho Primary School in KwaNobuhle as parents and community members sang songs.

The school started from humble beginnings, with pupils being taught in informal structures before moving into a church in 2001, and then Wendy houses in 2002.

As the SA and school flags were hoisted on Friday, dignitaries from the department of education, staff, police officers and the school choir sang the national anthem with pride.

School governing body chair Aletta April told DK news they had made a plea for a new school in 2009 and were over the moon when the request was finally approved.

“Construction at the school started in 2018,” she said.

“We did not think it would ever be this beautiful, but the department has surprised us.

“Our area has a lot of young people who are involved with drugs, and there is a lot of crime.

“We are hopeful that there can now be a change in our community for our children, because we have a learner support programme where the teacher can work with social development to help the children overcome any challenges they are facing.”

Principal Vuyani Singeni told Daily Kasi News “this was one of the proudest moments in the school’s history and he was left speechless when he reflected on how the school had started”

“I am on top of the world today. We are celebrating with the teachers, and the children who now actually feel as though they are in a school. The teachers are feeling motivated.”

Singeni joined the school in September 2021The teachers would tell me how cold it used to get in the classrooms. Only a few children would come to school because of this.

“It was tough times back then. Criminals had easy access to steal, because there was no fence or security,” Singeni said.

All they were waiting for now was for the school hall to be completed.

Gade said that three years ago the department had realised the problem of schools that were too small and without enough resources.

“The problem with those schools is that they cannot give you quality education.”

The school now boasts 29 classrooms, computer labs, a library, advanced science lab, and an administrative block.

The non-fee paying school has also been properly fenced, with a netball court inside the schoolyard, among other things.

“To ensure each pupil’s human dignity is preserved, we have employed social workers to have constant interaction with the children once we pick up a problem,” Gade said.

He said the department’s challenge was to ensure all children who enrolled in grade R made it to grade 12, and schools such as Noninzi Luzipho would help it realise that goal.