By Luvuyo Miller

At least three vehicles, including two mini-buses and an e-hailing taxi, have been torched in protests rocking various parts of Nelson Mandela Bay on Tuesday.

Police say they’re maintaining a strong presence in several areas, where taxi operators are primarily involved in Tuesday’s actions, even though taxi association, Santaco, says it’s not behind the strike.

A source from the South African National Taxi Council in Nelson Mandela Bay told Algoa FM that the leadership was caught off guard after hearing a voice note threatening strike action which began circulating, late on Monday.

He says attempts to find out where the voice note emanates from proved futile.

Police spokesperson, Captain Andre’ Beetge, says protests began early on Tuesday morning where burning tyres and rubbish had been strewn across roads in Motherwell, New Brighton and Booysens Park.

He says a truck was hijacked on N2 and looted by a large group.

Meanwhile, Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber says it’s deeply concerned about the adverse effects of the going violent protests on the local economy.

Acting CEO, Prins Matonsi, says the cessation of work means that business cannot operate at its full capacity, which can be damaging to the economy.

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By Phumlani Saul

A teenage boy was shot dead in Nelson Mandela Bay on Thursday evening — for his cellphone.

Police spokesperson Capt Andre Beetge appealed for any possible eyewitnesses to come forward.

He said at about 7.40pm on Thursday Khanya Mwezeni, 15, and his friends had been standing in Xundu Street, in the Govan Mbeki area, when three suspects armed with knives and a firearm approached them.

Beetge said the suspects demanded that the friends hand over their cellphones.

One cellphone was handed over and then Khanya attempted to flee, Beetge said.

“One of the suspects then shot and killed him, after which they fled the scene with the stolen cellphone.

“The other two teenagers, aged 13 and 14, were not injured.”

Beetge appealed to anyone with any information to contact the KwaDwesi detectives on 082-442-0964.

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By Nomathamsaqa Kula

Residents in KwaNobuhle went on the rampage on Wednesday, causing damage worth about R1m when they burnt two cars and set alight a councillor’s office.

The mayhem started in the morning as protesters took their demands for service delivery to the streets.

The demonstrators also stoned passing cars.

This was the latest in a flurry of violent protests in the metro — residents set alight trucks and buses in Motherwell and Perseverance in April.

Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Nqaba Bhanga condemned Wednesday’s violence, saying though residents had a right to protest, destruction of property and vandalism would not be condoned.

There was a heavy police presence in Area 11 in KwaNobuhle, Kariega, on Wednesday morning.

Police said they were investigating multiple cases of malicious damage to property

Police spokesperson Captain Gerda Swart said officers started patrolling the area from 2am after receiving information of possible protest action on the outskirts of KwaNobuhle and on the R334 near Rocklands.

“The first incidents were reported at 3.30am,” Swart said.

Members of the Public Order Policing Unit in armoured vehicles were deployed to patrol the area and monitor the protests.

The ward councillor’s office in Bantom Road was set alight in the early hours of the morning.

Nearby, also in Bantom Road, a Ford Ranger, used by municipal workers in the area, was pushed out of the premises where it was parked and set on fire.

“Uitenhage SAPS detectives are also investigating several malicious damage to property cases after vehicles were pelted with stones and one [private] vehicle was also set alight.

No arrests were made as yet and investigations are continuing,” Swart said.

Traffic was disrupted for most of the morning and pupils on their way to the nearby Rocklands Primary School were delayed and eventually told to turn back because their safety on the R334 could not be guaranteed.

Police said the situation would be monitored in case any more protests flared up.

Speaking at a mayoral committee meeting, Bhanga said the protests leading to the ward councillor’s office being set on fire were concerning.

He called on the police to arrest those behind the arson.

He implored the police to take swift action and said ward 45 councillor Siphiwo Plaatjies and his family should be placed in hiding.

“It’s not right in a democratic SA that being in public office means you should live in fear,” Bhanga said.

“Those people burning things in Area 11 must know we are not invited by offices and clinics being set on fire.

“I promise you I won’t go there.

“If they want us to visit them, they can contact me directly.” 

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By Phumlani Saul

One hundred water tanks will be deployed across 50 locations in KwaNobuhle by the end of June, the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality said on Wednesday

City bosses said that unless the city receives heavy rainfall between now and July 1, day zero would not be avoided.

This is because the Kouga Dam, which supplies KwaNobuhle, is at a critical level.

The metro’s combined levels were sitting at 12.91% as of April 28.

Mayor Nqaba Bhanga said if residents continued using 300ML instead of 250ML of water a day, other parts of the city would be without water.

“The time has come for people to come on board and report those seen to be abusing water.

“St Albans will also be affected. Our officials went to the prison to explain the situation.

Next up are hospitals and the hospitality industry,” he said.

Bhanga claimed the city had reduced water leaks from 49% to 29% from June 2020.

For years,  the snail’s pace in fixing water leaks has led to clean water going down the drain.

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By Anda Nqoji

Dr Zweli Mkhize is making yet another round to the Eastern Cape following a sudden hike of COVID-19 infections nationwide.

Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize is expected to visit Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape on Thursday to assess the state of healthcare. This comes in light of a hike in the number of COVID-19 cases nationwide and the province.

The Minister will engage with the MEC of Health, Nomakhosazana Meth, and other senior officials and stakeholders of the provincial health department.

The visit will also see the official handover of the refurbished maternity ward at Dora Nginza Hospital.Overnight, South Africa recorded 1 599 new coronavirus infections, taking the total number to 1 561 559. The country has also recorded 75 new COVID-19 related fatalities, pushing the total number of deaths to 53 498.The Eastern Cape posted 14 deaths in the last reporting cycle.

SA’s latest COVID-19 stats:

By Phumlani Saul

A 28-year-old suspect faces a murder charge when he appears in the KwaNobuhle magistrate’s court on Tuesday for allegedly killing a gay man and burying him outside his house.

Police spokesperson Col Priscilla Naidu said the murder was suspected to be related to homophobia.

She said the arrest happened after the suspect’s family complained to the police, saying he had burnt bedding at his house in Matana Street, KwaNobuhle, on the outskirts of Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape.

“On April 1, the family reported the malicious property damage to police and indicated that they were suspicious that he may have been involved in some other criminal activity. Police went to the house and found bloodstains inside his room as well as outside,” said Naidu.

She said the suspect was sent for mental health evaluation between April 1 and 9 and on his discharge from hospital was arrested and detained for malicious damage to property.

While detectives were questioning him, information emerged relating to the murder of Andile Ntuthela, 40. Ntuthela was gay. On Saturday, April 10, police went back to the house with the necessary role players and the body of Ntuthela was found buried in the yard,” she explained.

The newspaper  reported that Ntuthela’s gruesome killing had left members of KwaNobuhle’s LGBTQI community reeling. Their way of life, they said, was often met with prejudice.

“We know we are not safe. We only hang out with people that we know and trust because we know the prejudice we face,” his close friend, Sixolile Ndlondlo, said. “Andile knew his [alleged] killer. They were friends. For him to be killed like this … has us questioning who we can trust.” 

The suspect appeared in the Uitenhage magistrate’s court on Monday on a charge of malicious damage to property.  

By Phumlani Saul

Police say taxi protest action is still under way in Central around the Russell Road rank and the situation is tense.

Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge said at 3pm on Tuesday most of the roads that had been blocked off were open again but some protesters had not moved on.

“It started early this morning in the Russell Road/ Strand Street/ Govan Mbeki area. Protesters blocked roads with burning tyres and rubble.

“The protest is apparently due to funding that the taxi operators were supposed to get from their organisations.

Some of the debris has been moved and some roads have been reopened but not all.

“Police are trying to resolve the situation and it is volatile and a high police presence is still in place.”

Beetge said a similar situation had erupted in Korsten in the Cottrell Street area.

No arrests had been made, he said.

Songezo Mpanda, chair of the Nelson Mandela Bay branch of the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco), said he would be engaging with the drivers, who were from the Port Elizabeth and Distance Taxi Association (Pedta).

He said he did not believe the protest was in any way related to the incident in KwaDwesi on Monday which saw several vehicles torched in the area including two Algoa buses and a taxi.

We do not know who that was and we condemn that action but it was related to service delivery and was not the same as this today,” he said.

Earlier, Nelson Mandela Bay mayoral committee member for roads and transport Rano Kayser said the protest was not related to any dispute with the municipality.

“Our information is that it involves Covid funding that the taxi drivers say is due to them from national government but which they have not received.

We are still trying to confirm this but it is definitely not related to the IPTS [Integrated Public Transport System] or the municipality.”

Beetge said on Tuesday the KwaDwesi violence that started during the day on Monday had continue well into the night.

“SAPS can confirm that three vehicles were burnt during the morning — a sedan, a light delivery vehicle and a minibus.

“Then shortly before 9pm, an Algoa Bus broke down on the R75 opposite Bayland.

“When an Algoa Bus towing vehicle arrived to assist, both vehicles were attacked and set alight by an unknown group of persons, after which they fled the scene before police arrived.

“When another towing vehicle arrived to tow the Algoa Bus towing vehicle to safety, it was also damaged by persons throwing stones.”

Nobody was injured but SAPS public order police as well as local police station vehicles were on the scene to ensure public safety, he said.

By Mkhuseli Sizani

Six-year-old Phawu Mandiyase was buried today in Port Elizabeth as the investigations into his death continue. The child died when he was crushed by an abandoned stormwater pipe at the Methodist Church in Govan Mbeki Township in Port Elizabeth last week.

The family blames the municipality for Phawu’s death. The stormwater pipes, intended to channel water from nearby houses, had been left at the church since 2019. Phawu was playing with his sister and other children when he was crushed by a pipe on 18 January.

The funeral was attended by dozens of women who comforted his weeping mother Nomthandazo.

Phawu’s grandfather Billy Mandiyase said the municipality had paid towards the costs of the funeral. But, he said, “no amount of money could close the void that Phawu has left in our souls. This municipality should compensate us for its negligence. Watching my daughter crying every day for her son tears me apart.”

Church steward Mthuthuzeli Mzini said the pipes had been removed on Tuesday by municipal workers.

Municipal spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki said the municipality was continuing its investigation. “Assisting a family in need at their time of sorrow is a sign of a caring government, not an acceptance of guilt,” he said.

SAPS Captain Sandra van Rensburg said police investigations were still continuing after opening an inquest.

By Phumlani Saul

On Tuesday vigilante violence in Powerline informal settlement, Motherwell, claimed another life. For the second time in a month, a suspected criminal was beaten and then set alight. The victim was accused of stealing a cellphone and some money.

A resident, who did not wish to be identified, said the man had pleaded for his life and “returned the cellphone he had stolen to its owner”. He said “he would repay the money”.

“I felt sorry for him. How could he get killed for stealing a cellphone?” she said. “I blame the police for failing to come in time to rescue him.”

“What message does this send to our children? Do you think violence will end in this country when young people are exposed to it? There are still remains of ashes of a man who was burned a couple of weeks ago outside the gate of the same school and children always look at it with sadness,” she said.

A witness said he called the police when he saw the man being dragged to Nxanelwimfundo Primary School. “I was assured by the person who responded to the call that they were swiftly dispatching a van. I then went to do my errands satisfied that the police were coming to save the man,” he said.

“I returned after about an hour and I was told by people who were coming from the scene that the man had been burnt. Still there was no sign of a police van.”

He said that next time he would not bother to call the police as it had been “a waste of my money and time”.

Another resident said some weeks ago at about 6pm “a child came running to me saying there was a man being beaten”. She said she called the police. The police arrived after 7pm. The man had already been burnt. He had been accused of “breaking into people’s shacks”.

“People are living in perpetual fear of these mobs and they have lost confidence with the police,” said a resident.

Police spokesperson, Captain Andre Beetge did not respond to our questions.

By Mkhuseli Sizani

The community of Cookhouse in the Eastern Cape has barred five police officers they accuse of using excessive force from operating in the area.

This follows the assault of a 20-year-old who had broken curfew regulations on Christmas night. Last week, Esoyolo Bambiso told Daily kasi news how he had been standing near his mother’s house when police caught him and took him to the Cookhouse police station where they beat him for several hours.

The incident angered residents. They have threatened to retaliate should the officers return to the community after nothing came of a meeting with the station commander on 28 December.

On Tuesday, Bhongolwethu Mema, treasurer of the Cookhouse Community Forum and a member of the South African National Civic Organisation, warned that “all hell will break loose” should the officers be seen in the community again.

“Our meeting collapsed after we asked the station commander to take action against the five police members. Since 2017 these hooligans have been assaulting community members. Every time we report them our cases do not progress,” he said.

Mema said the station commander’s inaction showed a lack of support for the community the police serve.

“We told the station commander that these five police members will never again be allowed to operate in our community. We only want police who are friendly, not these criminals who beat our people for no good reason.”

“All that we wanted was him to exercise his powers. But he told us we are a rude community. In his two years here, he hasn’t bothered to call an imbizo with us to introduce himself,” he said.

Asked to respond to the allegations by the community, provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said they were aware of the complaints against the police in Cookhouse. Kinana said that the accused officers had temporarily been moved to another unit while an investigation into the conduct is underway.

Kinana said the matter was referred to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) for investigation. “It must however be stated in no uncertain terms that police cannot be prohibited from discharging their duties within communities. Declaring certain sections of the community ‘No Go Areas’ for the police will render the law-abiding citizens vulnerable to the criminal elements.”

“If communities are not happy with service delivery, legitimate platforms must be used to engage with the police,” he said.