BEDFORDVIEW / EDENVALE: A FRESH APPROACH TO LOCAL NEWS
26 February 2019, Week Volume 09, 23 May 2017,09 Week 21
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Bedfordview ‘Short And Tall Gang’ Caught On Film
“By using a security vehicle they can come in and out of the suburb without drawing attention,” In Bedfordview a camera caught the image of two house robbers sitting on a wall, just before they climbed down and casually walked towards an alleged private security vehicle. For the residents of Bedfordview, this CCTV footage is proof that house robbers who have been terrorising the community over the last couple of months are using a private security vehicle as their get-away car. “These criminals are using this security vehicle as their own personal Uber,” said an angry resident, who didn’t want to be identified. From the CCTV footage, residents believe that the vehicle is a Top Security patrol car. The gang is also known as Short and Tall, because of the difference in their height. Their modus operandi is to strike between the hours of 12am and 4am. “If the family doesn’t wake up, it is burglary, if they do, then it turns into a house robbery,” said the resident. They often wear gloves and one is believed to be armed with a large silver .45 caliber handgun. The robbers are suspected to have murdered a community security guard in October last year. Nditsheni Simba, who worked for the Residents Action Group (RAG) in Bedfordview, was shot while responding to an house alarm. He had grabbed the suspect’s leg as he climbed over the wall when his accomplice shot Simba in the head. A .45 shell was reported to have been
found at the scene and CCTV footage caught images of the robbers breaking into a house nearby. The RAG said it had tried to catch the robbers. It set up patrols in the early morning, but was baffled that the gang always gave it the slip. Then on 01 November 2018 two CCTV cameras filmed the robbers scaling a wall on Chamberlain Street. The cameras picked up the men sitting on the wall of a house. Then, as a car’s headlights come into view, the two men jumped off the wall and walked towards a vehicle. “This is the first time I have seen criminals walk towards a security vehicle,” said the resident. The car, with its emergency vehicle lights on, passed the camera. “We have been trying to catch them, but we just couldn’t understand. By using a security vehicle they can come in and out of the suburb without drawing attention,” said the resident. A second incident involving the vehicle happened on January, 13 on Florence Road (Bedfordview). At 11:21pm, the alleged security car was spotted on a CCTV camera driving to the top of Florence Road. There it stopped for three minutes before making a Uturn. At 11:29 pm, the security vehicle left the area. Florence Street resident, Shane Foster said he heard a thump and went into his garden to investigate. “I saw this guy jumping over the wall.
Next thing there was this guy standing next to me with a gun,” said Foster. The pair led him back into his house. “They acted good cop, bad cop. The short one kept saying, ‘Hey my brother from another mother, I love you’.” What worried Foster was that the short robber was drunk. But the gang didn’t harm him. After ransacking his house, they tied him up with boot laces and left him on the bed. The robbers used the remote control for the gate to leave the property. Outside Foster’s home a CCTV camera caught the vehicle pulling up on Florence Road at 12.50am. At 1:09am, the suspects are seen running down Florence Road towards the car. Residents said that they approached Top Security with the footage and were initially told that the car had possibly been
painted with the security company’s branding. In a follow-up meeting, residents claim that they were told that a Top Security guard was suspended and had resigned. Top Security has not replied to questions regarding the vehicle. Ekurhuleni West Cluster Bedfordview police spokesperson Captain Andre de Jager said: “We cannot confirm details of the incidents as it is an ongoing investigation.” But residents are concerned that the Top Security guard they were told had resigned is out there and could take up work at another security company. “We want to know what steps were taken to ensure the officer is not ever re-employed in the security industry and what decisive steps Top Security has taken,” insisted the resident.
26 February 2019
Two suspects killed at Edenvale High School
“Fortunately, the children were inside their classes and no one was outside, so no students got hurt” Shots were fired on the premises of Edenvale High School last week Thursday, midday during a suspected robbery. Two suspects were killed and a third was injured in the shootout that occurred according to paramedics on the scene. tame TIMES understands that the motive for the shooting appears to be a robbery attempt at the school. Ekurhuleni Emergency Medical Services (EMS) spokesperson William Ntladi, reported at the scene, confirmed this. He said they had received information of multiple gunshots at around 12pm on Thursday afternoon outside Edenvale High School. “As per information received it was an attempted armed robbery that the suspects planned at the school.
“Fortunately, the children were inside their classes and no one was outside, so no students got hurt, it was just an emotional traumatic experience for them,” Ntladi said. Ntladi said on arrival they found two men who had been shot dead by police. A third was in a stable condition; he had a gunshot wound to the head. He was being treated on the scene by paramedics. An AK47 was found close to the school gate. Later that day spokesperson, Sgt Jacob Mashile also confirmed that two other suspects were arrested and one fled the scene. Police barricaded the road. Forensics experts were also on the scene. An investigation is underway.
An AK47 was found close to the school gate.
Two suspects were killed and a third was injured.
A note from the
EDITOR
Each month I become more and more concerned with our fuel prices increasing rand by rand. Finance Minister, Tito Mboweni, just delivered his 2019 budget speech against the backdrop of a tough economy and an even tougher energy crisis. The biggest cost will again be felt by motorists who will be hit by a triple whammy: the fuel price levy, the Road Accident Fund levy and a Carbon Tax. According to Susan Steward from Budget Insurance, “On the whole, daily living will become more expensive this year, and consumers are going to feel the pinch when filling up their cars.” The fuel levy for petrol and diesel went up by 29 cents and 30 cents respectively. Doing research, I learned that the Road Accident Fund levy went up by 5 cents per litre of fuel, despite the Minister saying the levy won’t cover the R215 billion liability. This comes into effect in April. A carbon fuel levy of 9 cents a litre on petrol and 10 cents on diesel will come into effect in June. In addition, a petrol price increase is expected in March (petrol is expected to rise by another 43 cents per litre, diesel by another 62 cents per litre). That means, by the middle of the year, motorists will be paying around R14,94 per litre of petrol and R14,22 per litre of diesel. A car with a 50 litre fuel tank will cost around R747 (petrol) and R711 (diesel). Looks like we will all have to start being innovative to battle these rising costs. Commuting to work with colleagues is a good idea and driving effectively to minimize petrol usage.
Two other suspects were arrested.
Chemical explosion leaves four injured Four people have sustained critical injuries following a chemical explosion at a recycling facility in the Germiston South area on the morning of Tuesday, 19 February. Reports confirmed that the four men sustained extensive burn wounds in what is understood to be an aerosol container explosion. The cause of the explosion is not yet known.
Netcare911’s Shawn Herbst says: “Two other seriously injured patients were transported by a road ambulance to a hospital for further treatment.” The incident was very well controlled by the in-house fire and safety crew. “Circumstances leading up to the explosion will be investigated by the SA Police Service who were on the scene,” said Herbst.
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26 February 2019
Mazibuko’s victory a tribute to his dad at Modderfontein Golf Club
“...I would’ve loved for him to see me win,” Sometimes, the distance between the hole and a putt for victory in this game cannot be measured in feet alone. In the case of Makhetha Mazibuko, the five feet he had to make birdie on the 18th hole at Modderfontein Golf Club and win his first professional title – the Race to Q-School #6 Modderfontein on the IGT Challenge Tour – last Wednesday doesn’t begin to tell the story of a golfer who wished there was one specific person next to that 18th green to see him
win. “My father. He passed away when I was 15. It was around the time I was with the South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB) and the Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation (EEFF). I would’ve loved for him to see me win,” Mazibuko says as he reflects on his victory. “It was painful losing him. My mom was there to make sure I was ok, but it was very hard.” It explains why Mazibuko was so grate-
Young footballers can develop their skills The Elspark United Football Academy was established in 2012. The club has found its home at the Elsburg Sports Complex and caters to players from disadvantaged backgrounds. It strives to teach children, from six to 17 years old, more about the beautiful game of football. The club has recently made the decision to intensify its efforts to reach and train young footballers at grassroot level, and will launch bi-monthly football skills development clinics. The club is inviting both girls and boys to get involved in the clinics, which will launch in February and continue bi-monthly until November. The clinics will be held on the second and third Sunday of the month at the club’s home grounds from 8am until 11am.
A nominal fee will be charged per child. For more information, or to get involved call Muzi Shangase on 078 662 0599.
ful to receive the many messages of support from his fellow golfers in the Gary Player Class, the Sunshine Tour’s talent identification programme that builds on the work done by the SAGDB and EEFF to develop talent in the game, and then further helps these players to make a success of their professional careers with significant support from corporate giants such as Investec, BMW, PwC, SuperSport and Virgin Active as well as from within the golf industry through The World of Golf and The Pro Shop. “You know, the other players in the Gary Player Class gave me so much support and sent me so many messages. It was great. And I’m very happy to be a winner in the Class. I’d really like to thank the SAGDB, the EEFF and Selwyn Nathan of the Sunshine Tour and all our Gary Player Class sponsors for giving me the support they have. It takes some of the stress out of your game.” Mazibuko has played his way through the obvious financial stress that comes with trying to make your way in the extremely competitive world of professional golf. He and his brother, who he used to follow to the golf course and practice with when he was younger, also support his mother financially. And he arrived at Modderfontein Golf Club this past week feeling the pressure from a game that wasn’t where he want-
ed it to be. “I’ve been struggling on the Sunshine Tour, but also trying to stay patient and see it as a learning curve,” he says. Part of that process was taking the lessons from his playoff defeat for the 2017 Eye of Africa PGA Championship. Mazibuko played sublime golf that week and ended up in a playoff with Erik van Rooyen, now a European Tour campaigner, and Dylan Frittelli, who owns a PGA Tour card. He eventually lost to Van Rooyen. “The playoff defeat in the Eye of Africa PGA Championship taught me that every shot in this game is important. I had that mind-set in this IGT Challenge Tour event. I was one shot behind with two holes to go so I knew I had to birdie the 17th and 18th to win. I made the birdie on 17 to tie for the lead. Then the pin on 18 was tucked back left so it wasn’t an easy shot in. I hit it to five feet and then I made the putt to win by one shot.” “The win is going to give me a lot of confidence. My focus now will be on the Limpopo Championship (at Euphoria Golf Estate and Hydro in March). I’ve been struggling a bit off the tee and that’s put pressure on me because I can’t take advantage of the par fives. So that will be my main focus there. But hopefully this win is the beginning of something good.”
SA rugby in contract overhaul to stem talent drain South Africa Rugby announced a radical contract overhaul on Saturday in a move designed to reverse the trend of talented players leaving the country. Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said the existing model had to be “disrupted”. “We have been agonizing over how to keep players in the country since the game went professional more than 20 years ago,” Erasmus said. “And the bottom line is that the rand is too weak and the economy of South African rugby too small to compete. “A South African player can earn more from a two-month contract in Japan than he can if he were to win the World Cup with the Springboks this year. That’s the reality we have to face up to. Once we have done our work, the new strategy could see as many as 75 players in Springbok succession planning and being financially rewarded for it. We had to disrupt the model.” An SA Rugby statement explained the changes “will see the current Springbok contracting model turned on its head,
the 30-cap rule for overseas-based players scrapped and overseas clubs warned Regulation 9 will be rigorously enforced”. Regulation 9 deals with when and how frequently club players must be released for international duty.