BY DAILY KASI REPORTER

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that Prince Mangosuthu, 95, died early on Saturday morning.

“I am deeply saddened to announce the passing of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the Prince of KwaPhindangene, Traditional Prime Minister to the Zulu Monarch and Nation, and the Founder and President Emeritus of the Inkatha Freedom Party,” the president said in a statement.

Prince Buthelezi has been an outstanding leader in the political and cultural life of our nation, including the ebbs and flows of our liberation struggle, the transition which secured our freedom in 1994 and our democratic dispensation.”

Buthelezi turned 95 two weeks ago.

My thoughts and prayers and those of government and our nation go out to the Royal Household who have been blessed to shareuMntwana waKwaPhindangene’s extended lifetime with him, as well as to the Zulu Nation and the leadership and membership of the Inkatha Freedom Party,” Ramaphosa said.

“Announcements will be made in due course, based on consultations between government and the family, on the arrangements to mourn and honour the Inkosi of the Buthelezi clan as a formidable leader who has played a significant role in our country’s history for seven decades.

“We shall, in due course, reflect more extensively on his extraordinary life and diverse contributions to the development of our nation.

“At this point in time, we embrace the Buthelezi clan in their mourning and pray that the soul of the Prince rests in peace.”

BY PHUMLANI SAUL

Parents in Nkandla township in Port Elizabeth have built their own speed bumps to slow down traffic to protect their children.

Johannes Abrahams and Merileen Moses first built speed bumps in the road outside their house three years ago, after their daughter Leandra was hit by a car. Other residents followed suit and now there are “home made” speed bumps in several streets in the township.

Moses said: “My daughter was one year old when she was involved in a hit and run. She was playing with other children in the yard. But she walked out and the speeding vehicle hit her. She suffered severe head injuries. She was admitted to hospital for a month.”

“The scars on her face are a reminder of that terrible accident,” said Abrahams. “Since then we decided to erect this speed bump in front of our gate to protect our three children.”

“Kids hate to stay indoors. They leave the yard and go next door to play with other kids. We never expected drivers to be so reckless, because this is not even the main road. But they are just speeding.”

Abrahams said he maintains the speed bump, built with soil and stones which wash away after the rain.

Over 13,000 people die on South Africa’s roads each year, although it may be much lower this year because of reduced traffic due to the Covid-19 lockdown. About a third of deaths are pedestrians.

Another parent, Fundile Mbekela, said, “I have six children and my house is next to the road. After one of our neighbours’ kids was involved in a hit and run I decided to build my own speed bump next to my house.”

“Taximen speed up just to make quick cash, not considering the safety of our children. They even reverse for commuters, without considering that kids may come out of their homes running. Some of the motorists are driving under the influence of alcohol.”

When we visited on Sunday, residents were also building speed bumps. They say they have been reporting the issue to their ward councillor for years.

Ward 41 Councillor Simphiwe Tyukana (ANC) said speeding vehicles were a problem. He said the surfacing of Nkandla roads had been started and “we want these roads to have speed bumps and guard rails for houses that are in danger of being involved in accidents.”

Nelson Mandela Bay Municipal spokesperson Mamela Ndamase said residents should ask their ward councillor to prioritise the tarring of the road. “Once the road is constructed, simultaneously speed bumps will be erected.”

“The relevant officials will engage with the councillor to investigate interventions that can be made in this particular case.”

BY PHUMLANI SAUL

A KwaNobuhle teenager accused of murdering a man and raping two young sisters abandoned his bail application on Monday.

The 16-year-old boy is being held at a Child and Youth Care Centre after his guardian indicated that he preferred the boy be kept in custody for his own safety, according to NPA regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali.

Tyali said the teenager was facing one count of murder following an incident on January 25, two counts of rape, as well as a charge of house robbery allegedly committed on February 12 in KwaNobuhle.

“The minor abandoned bail and is kept at a Child and Youth Care Centre.

“On Monday the KwaNobuhle Magistrate’s Court had to be closed and vacated due to protest action resulting from misinformation that the youth had been released to the custody of his parents.

“The correct information is that the matter had not yet been enrolled, as there were outstanding investigations to be done as per the prosecutor’s instructions.

“It is alleged that the teenager, with an accomplice who is still at large, attacked and killed a man in his house in the Dubai area of  KwaNobuhle on January 25,” Tyali said.

On February 12, two men stormed a house in KwaNobuhle and raped two minor women, stealing two cellphones, R2,000 cash and alcohol. 

“The youth was also identified as a suspect and the case has been remanded to February 20 for further investigations,” Tyali said.

On Monday more than 60 KwaNobuhle residents protested outside the KwaNobuhle Magistrate’s Court.

The irate crowd demanding justice for the two girls who were allegedly raped while their 60-year-old grandmother was locked in her room, from where she was allegedly forced to hear their agonising cries.

Save a Child from Drugs, Save the Community foundation founder the Rev Thamsanqa Nkevu led the protest on Monday.

He said the community was shocked by the incident but happy to hear the boy would remain in custody.

“This is great news for the family and it is also a victory for the community. 

“It cannot end there or we will miss the whole point, because a child was [allegedly] influenced to partake in activities that will rob his future.

“All these children are important; whether the youth are on drugs or not, they are key in preserving the community.

“This speaks to the conscience of those criminals who recruit children into a life of crime,” Nkevu said.

BY AZOLA MATROSS

A case of culpable homicide is under investigation after a fatal car crash on Sunday.

According to police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu, at about 7.50pm, an Opel Corsa and a VW Golf GTI were travelling in the same direction on the R75 opposite Joe Slovo towards Despatch.

It is alleged that the VW Polo GTI drove into the back of the Opel Corsa. Both vehicles were in the same lane.

The male driver of the Opel Corsa, aged 52, who was alone in the vehicle, died on the scene, while the three occupants in the VW Polo GTI (two males and a female) were taken to hospital for treatment.

The name of the deceased man is being withheld until his next of kin have been informed.

BY NOMALUNGELO BOOI

Police minister Bheki Cele has called on other government departments to get involved in the fight against crime.

Cele, along with national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola and his management team, launched Operation Shanela in Gelvandale in the Eastern Cape on Friday. 

He urged government departments to urgently address the drivers of criminality in areas grappling with high crime levels and gangsterism. 

Cele said he had noted with concern during a walkabout in Gelvandale the high number of children of school-going age loitering around during school hours. “These areas need far more than law enforcement to make life better. It is very clear that police alone won’t win the war on crime.

“The high number of children not going to school pushes them towards criminality and gangsterism. This is why we again make the call for a whole government and whole society approach to fighting crime,” he said.

He called on the government to descend on the Eastern Cape and other areas in the country with similar problems to address the drivers of crime by dealing with issues of education, human settlement, unemployment and other socioeconomic factors.

“What is clear in this place, the police or law enforcement alone can’t win the war. The question of drugs, high level of children not attending school. You see young people aged 16 and 17 saying that they are done with school. That feeds into gangsterism and criminality.”    

Since the inception of Operation Shanela — an intensified and aggressive response to crime — in May, more than 100,000 suspects have been arrested for serious and violent crimes including murder, rape, robbery and possession of firearms and drugs.

BY PHUMLANI SAUL

A SLEEPING 4-5 is any man’s worst nightmare.

It tears apart relationships and marriages . . .

But just an avo a day can keep that worry away! So says Melisizwe Mzongwana (26) of Govan Mbeki kasi in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape.

He has customers queuing up for his strong 4-5 muthi made with avocado.

He said: “I used to watch my inyanga dad mixing muthi for his customers. 

“He would ask me to do the mixing and an avocado was always added.

“I remember many men coming to my father’s house, asking for his 4-5 mixture.”

So when his dad left Port Elizabeth, Melisizwe took over. 

“My dad used to work for the municipality and when he retired in 2011, he went back to his home town in Middledrift.

“Many of his customers were disappointed when he left as they could not get his 4-5 mixture,” said Melisizwe.

“I decided to mix the muthi myself because I knew what he was mixing with the avocado.

“A person drinks half a cup of my 1 litre mixture twice a week. As soon you’ve finished drinking, your 4-5 wakes up and is ready for action.”

“My muthi will remain in your blood system for two months after you have finished the whole mixture.

“The madalas like my avocado mixture because they say it makes them feel young.”

One of his customers (55) said: “My sex life was dead and I was always fighting with my wife. But this avocado mixture has brought the peace back to my home.”

A taxi driver (35) said: “My job is stressful and that affects the performance of my 4-5. 

“But his avocado is making my 4-5 not sleep any more. I heard about it in 2022from another taxi driver.”

Melisizwe refused to reveal his mixture.

“I can’t tell what I mix with avocado because its my secret. But a litre of my mixture lasts for two months. No one has come back to complain. Instead they want more!” he said.

BY PHUMLANI SAUL

PEOPLE gathered at Sassa offices in kariega, Eastern Cape yesterday.

Hundreds of residents from KwaNobuhle and KwaLanga shouted: “We want food President Cyril Ramaphosa. He promised us on TV.”

But Sassa said there was no food. 

Etienne Malgas (50) of Hugh-Reece squatter camp told Daily Kasi News: “The last meal I had was porridge with my seven kids and wife. Only five application forms were brought to the area for 14 families, but our leaders rejected them because everybody here is hungry.”

Bulelani Gates (42) said his wife was first on the registration list. “She was registered by Councillor Lunga Nombasa brother. Food was handed out on Saturday, but Nombexeza’s friends and family got it,” he claimed.

People got food at Sassa on Monday. We were told to return today.” 

Sanco leader Gareth Plaatjies said: “People are more at risk of dying of hunger than Covid-19.” 

Police escorted all residents out. 

Nombasa said registration was handled by ward committee members and community programme officials. “Eighty food parcels were registered, but only 76 approved.

“Two in the ward share my surname, but we aren’t relatives. The list was handed to Sassa and people were screened and approved.” 

Sassa spokesman Luzuko Qina said: “Ward 46 and 50 didn’t trust their leaders. The ward 46 councillor addressed his people, but the ward 50 councillor didn’t come, so we had to call cops to remove people. 

“People must not worry. This is an ongoing grant, not the Covid-19 grant. Budget is available to provide food. Three thousand food parcels were allocated. We’re almost done with it and will start with phase 2.

“We asked traditional leaders, councillors, committees and social workers to help us identify people who have no income, are without grants, unemployed, terminated grants, who are 60 but can’t apply due to lockdown, and recyclers.”

BY NOMALUNGELO BOOI

A second clinic is desperately needed in Motherwell, says community leader

The sick, the infirm, the elderly, and patients collecting chronic medication wait all night, outside in the cold, at the clinic in Motherwell NU11, Gqeberha.

DK News team met people who queued from as early as 1am, hoping to be seen the same day. They burn rubbish from an illegal dump site nearby to keep warm, and they wait, wrapped in blankets, sitting on paint buckets and bricks.

The clinic opens at 7:30am. People in the community say only the first 100 people have a chance of being seen. Patients say it is overcrowded but understaffed, and a second clinic is needed in NU29, about three kilometres away.

NU29 is a new informal settlement where the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has relocated people from various wetlands across the metro. This has strained the NU11 clinic.

Siphiwo Dayimani, ward 54 community leader, said NU29 now has over 1,000 shackdwellers in addition to families living in RDP houses.

“Then we have NU11, NU12 A, B and C and NU30, which all depend on Motherwell NU11 Clinic. So we are talking about thousands of people in this ward who are solely depending on one clinic. They are turned back home daily because the mobile clinic is also not coping with these numbers,” said Dayimani.

Dayimani said successive MECs for health had been informed but nothing had been done.

Madiba Qandana, who was queuing at the clinic, said there ought to at least be a booking system. “I was turned back home three times last month because I had arrived at 6am. Today, I arrived here at 3am in order to be assisted,” he said.

Mninikhaya Tive was among those who arrived at 1am. He was queueing for someone who lives far away. He will charge her R30 for keeping her place until the clinic opens. “I have been doing this for three years because it helps me to put bread on the table for myself because I am unemployed,” he said.

Melumzi Mankayi, who lives across the road, arrived at 2am. He is also a paid placeholder. “I have two children and I am unemployed,” he said. “I made this arrangement with patients who kept on being turned away.”

Nolungile Nondwangu, 70, said, “For three months I have not received my hypertension and diabetes treatment because the clinic is always full … In the past, all the pensioners like me were allowed to get inside and take their medication. But through frustration, other patients say we must also learn to wake up early and queue like them. I am tired and dizzy because I did not eat.”

Yonela Dekeda, spokesperson of the provincial health department, said, “The department is not aware that the facility turns patients away. This matter will be investigated.” Dekeda said the department had appointed three additional staff members for the NU11 clinic.

Dekeda said there are no plans to build a clinic in NU29, but the area is served by a mobile clinic twice per week.

But patients told Daily Kasi News they cannot get chronic medication at the mobile clinic.

BY NOMALUNGELO BOOI

THE MAN’S cries for mercy did not stop the enraged 
women. 
The nyatsi and her sister accused him of abuse and taking money, so they beat him and stabbed him. 
AS SHOPPERS WATCHED, THE DAZED AND INJURED MAN SAT ON THE GROUND, WAITING TO DIE.  

A witness described the horror event that played out in Commercial Road, Dasi, Gqeberha yesterday morning.

“First they hit him on the head with the cover of a braai stand which made a big hole in his head,” said the witness, a hawker. 

“Then they stabbed him in his back with screwdrivers and knives. They also stabbed his 4-5. There was blood everywhere.”

She said the woman, who is the man’s nyatsi, poured a pot of hot water over him.

“She accused the man of abusing her and claimed that he had once tried to strangle her and had poured hot water over her. 

“Her sister, who also had a knife, accused the man of taking money from her stall,” said the witness.

“All the time the man was begging them not to kill him.”

She said bystanders finally intervened when the nyatsi tried to topple her braai stand with burning wood and hot coals over the man.

But it was already too late for the victim.

“He died as we waited for an ambulance to arrive.”

Other hawkers condemned the woman’s actions, and said the couple had been fighting.

“They didn’t sell for a few days after the fight and when they came back, other hawkers called a meeting and told them to behave,” said a hawker. 

The dead man’s cousin, who is also a hawker, told Daily Kasi Team the man had left his wife in Motherwell two years before to stay with his nyatsi in Govan Mbeki kasi.

“They were both hawkers. He would braai the meat and she would serve the customers.

“She planned to kill him,” she claimed.

But she said it was not only the women who attacked him.

“Her family arrived in a Toyota Condor and attacked my cousin. They killed him and then vanished. No matter what had happened between them, he didn’t deserve to be killed.” 

Colonel Priscilla Naidu said a man was allegedly fatally stabbed in Commercial Road, Sidwell. 

“According to police information, Ayanda Nomganga (60) was braaing meat which he sells to the public when a group of about four or five people, including females, approached him. The group assaulted him.

He was hit over the head with the braai griddle and also sustained a stab wound on his left thigh. 

“He succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The suspects ran off,” said Naidu.

“The motive for the attack is unknown at this stage. 

“Police are appealing to anyone who can assist to contact Captain Done Zeelie at SAPS
Algoa Park on 041 409 1054.

Photo by Azola Tyata

BY PHUMLANI SAUL

THE WOMAN was sleeping soundly when she was jerked from her slumber by the searing pain all over her face and body.

But it wasn’t due to a bad dream . . .

When she opened her eyes, she found her husband standing over her with a pot of steaming hot water in his hands! 

The 38-year-old woman from Mountainview near Kariega in Eastern Cape, claimed her 44-year-old husband scarred her for life because she neglected to leave the house keys behind for him when she went to work on Tuesday morning.

“My husband often calls when he won’t be coming back home, so on Tuesday I didn’t leave him the key as he didn’t call,” she said.

“But when I returned from work in the evening, he was waiting for me at a street corner. He began manhandling me right then and there, insulting me about not leaving him the key.” 

The woman said she went into the house and he followed her, still showering her with insults. 

She said she realised that her husband was very angry, so she left him alone and went to bed.

“I was sleeping facing up when he came in and poured the boiling water on my face and body,” she said. 

“I jumped out of the bed but he throttled me, pressing me to the floor until I lost consciousness. 

“When I regained consciousness, I saw a rope hanging from the rafters. I felt severe pain on my face and body where he burnt me. He was no longer in the house,” she said.

She called the neighbours, who called an ambulance and she was rushed to hospital. 

Sergeant Zikhona Mahlangu said the husband was arrested when he came to the hospital to check on his wife. He will appear in court Thursday.