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EDITOR: BETTIE GILIOMEE
New court will help police fight gangs LIZEKA TANDWA
P
OLICE who have been fighting gangs in the Northern Areas and who have been frustrated with the slow movement of cases through the justice system are hoping that the opening of the newly built Gelvandale court today will help keep gangsters behind bars and out of the streets. The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Jeff Radebe, will open the court at 9am. Criminal cases will be heard here from May 2. Provincial Police spokesperson, Brigadier Marinda Mills, said they had been requesting a specialised court which would hear only gangrelated incidents for some time now, and were relieved that a step had been taken towards this goal. Mills said they had formed a forum to negotiate for this court which would help speed up the process which has seen many alleged gang members released and witnesses waiting for months on end to testify in court. In a recent visit to Port Elizabeth, the MEC for Safety and Liaison, Helen Sauls-August, said the
‘We will all reap the benefits of this local court. Local courts such as the one in Gelvandale help speed up the process and justice is seen to be done.’ BRIGADIER MARINDA MILLS ongoing gang violence had claimed over 117 lives in the last two years. Brig. Mills said police alone cannot solve the issue of gangs in the Northern Areas.
“All role players such as the Justice Department and Social Development has to help. It’s easy to blame the police when criminals walk but our officers on the ground have also been frustrated with the system. They are working tirelessly to ensure these criminals answer for their crimes. “We will all reap the benefits of this local court. Local courts such as the one in Gelvandale help speed up the process and justice is seen to be done,” added Mills. Mills said the courts also needed to ensure that witnesses are protected and not threatened by would-be offenders as they have been in the past. The special gang court would also eliminate long waiting periods for witnesses to testify in courts should it be approved. Mills said some of the problems experienced by the Police in the Northern Areas are, among others, the socio-economic conditions, gangs’ hold on the community and witness protection, which is run by the Justice department, that needs to be better. . In a statement by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development on the official opening of the Gelvandale Branch Court, the department stated that the opening of this court exhibits the department’s efforts to bring justice closer to the people and to improve infrastructural development. Gelvandale court was proclaimed as a holding court in addition to Port Elizabeth seal of magistracy on the November 1, 1976. It is servicing Gelvandale and Bethelsdorp Police Stations. Currently the court is a branch court of the Port Elizabeth Magistrate Court that hears criminal cases and will add family courts such as maintenance and domestic violence as from May 2, 2014. The official opening of the court today will be followed by an Imbizo at the Helenvale Resource Centre where members of the public will interact with Minister Radebe and other panel members on issues relating to justice from 12:00.
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From the township to the fairway PGA tour gholf player, Joe Trongo, started his career in golf at the bottom, as an assistant. For the past 15 years, he and the golfer he used to assist, AA Class PGA member Gary Parker, coaches children from disadvantaged areas at the Walmer Country Club to better their circumstances through golf. With coach Joe Trongo are some of the 15 players they are currently coaching. They are (back) Sandile Martin, and seated from left are Abulele Mthukuse, Luthando Jonas, and Thandolwethu. Read the full story on page 20. PHOTO:SUPPLIED
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