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25 February 2020, Week Volume 09, 23 May 2017,08 Week 21
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GLEN MARIKANA INFORMAL RESIDENTS MOVE TO PUTFONTEIN
they settle very well in their new site which they would call home,” he said. The current structure which would be left behind after the relocation will be destroyed by the City. Samuel Motshali, one of the affected dwellers, heaped praise on the MMC for the insightful leadership in dealing with the matter.
Residents of Glen Marikana Informal Settlement will be relocated to a new site in Putfontein on Monday, 24 February 2020. This follows an eviction order granted by the Johannesburg High Court in November 2018, instructing the City to seek alternative residential site, for the close to 3000 residents who had illegally occupied private land on Dann Road in Kempton Park since 2017.
Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Human Settlements, Cllr Lesiba Mpya announced the relocation date during a meeting with the affected households recently. “Our role as a responsible government is to comply with the court order and move our people to a safe and secure place. We are currently engaged in a verification
process to ensure that every occupant’s name is the one that appears in the court order,” he said. The MMC also said work began in earnest in the reblocking the new site so that when the new occupants arrive they have access roads, stand pipes including ablution facilities. “We will provide transportation for the residents to make sure that
“I am originally from Limpopo and I have been here for the past three years after losing my job and couldn’t afford to pay rent,” he said. Community Leader Kwena Monama, said people started packing their belongings on Saturday in readiness for the relocation on Monday. “We are constantly communicating with the MMC’s office and we are ready to be moved to our new site,” he said.
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25 February 2020
TikTok skull breaker challenge
SPIKE IN CRIME- BENONI
By: MARCHELLE ABRAHAMS
The first time I heard about a weird online challenge where children deliberately trip one another up was on a parents’ Whatsapp group that I belong to. One of the moms posted a video with the caption “please warn your children and share with all the parents you know. This is now trending in schools; two school kids already died because of this.” By the time the video montage was doing the rounds on social media, there wasn’t a name for it yet. Now it’s been dubbed the TikTok skull breaker challenge. A quick Google search shows most of the stories originating in India, Australia and the rest of the world. According to the Pretoria News, a video showing three young boys from a high school in the Pretoria Moot area has already emerged. The challenge originated in South America, heavy. com reported. An Arizona parent then shared a public Facebook post warning that her son had been injured. The post quickly went viral and from there various news outlets across the world picked up the story, reporting on injuries and bullying tactics used to coerce kids to participate. But here’s the thing. When the Tide Pod challenge took hold in 2018, there were no cases reported in SA of child being rushed
to the emergency ward to be treated for ingesting the detergent. The same goes for the Blue Whale Challenge which started out as a hoax but then was exploited by dark forces, encouraging children to self-harm. The list of online challenges goes on and on. From the Kylie Jenner lip challenge to the Ice Bucket challenge, it’s hard to keep up. But at the end of the day, children across the world, including our own, can fall prey to these sometimes dangerous challenges. So why the tomfoolery and the need to participate? Cape Town-based clinical psychologist Rafiq Lockhat gives some insight. He starts with giving it context. “Take the In My Feelings challenge. The ones I remember were the videos where people got hurt. Those became the popular ones,” says Lockhat. “You don’t need to do anything special to become popular. This proves that a) anyone can do this; and b) you can instantly become famous if you have a thousand likes.” He emphasises that what’s important when it comes to challenges like this one, is that everyone notices you. You’re young and you don’t have to understand the consequences. Lockhat also delves into the need for instant fame and recognition. We’re in the age of constantly having to compete with the
likes of influencers, big brands and the yearning to be noticed. It’s a novelty that’s become ingrained into a teen’s mind. He’s of the opinion that there’s a real risk that the video that gets the most hits is the one where someone will get hurt. “The consequences are irrelevant. Many young people are vulnerable to this,” he warns. A teen’s developing brain could also prove a vital clue. According to the American Academy of Paediatrics, the part of the brain that handles rational thought (the prefrontal cortex) is not fully developed until your mid-20s. In short, teens tend to be more impulsive and act before thinking of the effects. Leading child researcher Dr Kristy Goodwin also says that the adolescent brain is vulnerable to the pitfalls of social media. During an 2017 interview with Newscom.au, she agreed that a sense of “peer acceptance” was what compels some teens to take up these challenges, no matter how harmful or risky they may be. “Social media caters to so many of our basic needs to feel connected and competent. “Because we’re humans and we want to feel like we’re connected, there’s almost a sense of allegiance. If I emulate what others are doing, I’m fitting in,” she said.
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Milly Barnard, Fidelity ADT Community Development Manager says much of the crime seems opportunistic. “We can see that in a number of instances people have forgotten to arm their systems, or put on their beams. There is also a worrying trend of gates being left open. That is a problem as it is a home owner’s first line of defence. In other instances we have found that criminals find a weak point in the perimeter security where the electric fence is not working or the gates are not locked for example.
She says it is so key to remain alert and vigilant at all times. Here are some security tips to keep in mind: • Gates – make sure that your gate opens and closes as quickly as possible. This means less time sitting in your driveway or the road where you are a vulnerable target to hijackers. Also ensure that the motor has a locked box covering it to stop any attempts at tampering. Remember to keep your gates closed at all times. • Be aware of your surroundings – Be alert for being followed home or of any suspicious cars or people in your neighbourhood. Remember to be an active participant in your neighbourhood watch WhatsApp group if you have a suburb or road grouping. Neighbours need to look out for one another. • Bushes and trees – make sure that bushes and trees on your property are checked regularly to ensure they are not affecting your perimeter security. Branches should be cut back to prevent
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Over the last few weeks there has been a definite increase in the number of house break-ins, attempted breakins, armed robberies and hijackings in the Benoni areas, specifically in Northmead, Farramere and Airfield. The majority of incidents reported are house robberies which occur in the early hours of the morning and during the day.
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blocking or impeding the effective functioning of your perimeter security, or where they may be used to climb into and access your property. • Beams – make sure that beams are installed correctly and at the most optimal angle to increase their range and effectiveness. It is also important to make sure that these beams are not obscured by shrubbery, or near reflective surfaces to prevent excessive false alarm activations. • Carry remote panics with you at all times at home and equip your domestic staff with remote panics. • Be sure your alarm is armed at all times and that everyone within the household - including domestic staff - know when and how to use the alarm system and panic buttons if these are installed. They should also know who to call in an emergency - make a list of contact numbers and post them on or near a phone. If you have not been informed of the arrival of delivery people or service providers, do not open the door, even if they insist that they have an appointment. • Make sure you are not distracted when out on the street or in a shopping centre. Do not use ear phones or text on your phone in full view of passersby. Crime is opportunistic and happens quickly when you are distracted.
• Keep your boot locked at all times and don’t drive with valuables in your car that can be seen through the window. Rather lock these items in the boot. Perhaps consider putting a polycarb film on the windows to assist in the event of a smash and grab incident. These can be tinted so that no one can see into the car, while also preventing the windows from shattering. “We are living in a tough economy and crime is definitely on the increase. Fidelity ADT has increased visibility in the area but we are urging residents to be vigilant,” concludes Barnard.
25 February 2020
03
25 February 2020
Coaches fume at yellow cards
Vodacom Bulls coach Pote Human and Stormers coach John Dobson both expressed their disappointment at having players sent to the sin bin in their respective matches on Saturday. DYLAN JACK reports. There was plenty of talk in the buildup to this weekend’s fixtures about South African referees favouring the home side in terms of penalty count when in charge of
matches involving overseas opponents. A ‘study’ published on a forum of Australian website Green and Gold Rugby found that South African referees in control of matches against non-South African opponents had awarded the home sides 159 more penalties than the away sides since 2017. Sanzaar has disputed the statistic. The officiating around legal tackles has also been a talking point in the early
rounds of the 2020 Vodacom Super Rugby season, as despite a clear framework developed by World Rugby, there is clearly frustration from coaches and players over the interpretation of dangerous tackles. In their respective matches against the Blues and Jaguares, the Bulls and Stormers had players harshly yellow-carded by South African referees. In their narrow loss to the Blues in Pretoria, the Bulls lost both lock Andries Ferreira and captain Burger Odendaal to the sin bin. Ferreira was yellow-carded for repeated infringements, while Odendaal saw yellow for a dangerous tackle, a decision which seemed rather harsh in retrospect. Speaking after the game, Human said he felt it was a good tackle, given that the Blues player had also ducked into it. ‘I thought it was a really tough call,’ Human said. ‘I really thought he went down and the player ducked into the tackle. It was a great tackle. Nobody was injured or anything. ‘It was a tough one on us. It is difficult, the referee is the sole judge, so you have to respect that and play accordingly.’ As if to add to the confusion around
the interpretation of dangerous tackles, Odendaal added that he felt he was lucky not to have seen red. ‘In the moment I felt it was fine,’ the centre said. ‘As soon as I saw the replay and I had made contact with his head, I knew I was in trouble. In the end, they wanted to give me a red card, but because he ducked down they changed it to a yellow. So, basically, I can just say that I am happy to have got a yellow.’ Meanwhile, in the first half of their win against the Jaguares at Newlands, the Stormers lost tighthead prop Frans Malherbe to the sin bin for a tackle that was also deemed to be dangerous due to contact on the head. Dobson was vocal about his disappointment in the decision and added that he would consider appealing it to get it taken off Malherbe’s record. ‘We actually started laughing in the box,’ Dobson said. ‘Because we heard this jargon in the World Cup – “mitigating factor”. Frans has hit the bloke’s leg. I know there is contact on the head. And Frans’ arm is coming round. ‘We certainly will look at that. It was more dangerous for Frans. I thought it was a tough one, but we handled it well.’
gey, but she bounced back in style by holing out the 165-metre sixth hole with a 7-iron. She widened the gap on the chasing pack with further gains on 12 and 16 and sealed victory on one-under-par 107 and, despite giving a shot back to the field on the 17th hole, finished five shots clear of Berger. It took a few more hours though, before Garcia and her team-mates Gabrielle Macdonald and amateur team-mates Abri Kriegler and Daren Hanekom could properly celebrate her third career victory. Garcia’s birdie on 16 and a Macdonald birdie on 17 boosted the team aggregate to 17-under-par 199, matching the clubhouse target set earlier by Lewthwaite, fellow pro Tandi McCallum and their amateur partners Mike Honiball and Frank Neto.
“That meant a play-off on the 18th hole and The Shooters were excited, because we’d done well on 18 in both rounds; little did we know it would become a proper shoot-out Sunday,” Garcia said. Both teams had chances to close out the win, including Kriegler who pushed a birdie putt past the hole on the first extra hole. “We tied the 18th hole three times, so they took us to the first, and that’s where we got the job done,” said Garcia, who holed a long-range putt for birdie and was backed up by Kriegler, who got his birdie effort in the hole at last. “Gabrielle and I had such an amazing time out there with Abri and Daren. Our amateurs could really play. Abri’s handicap index is 13, so he made a big contribution with his nett birdies. Gabrielle didn’t fire in the first round, but she made five birdies for us in the final round. Daren is a member of the South African Disabled Golf Association and one of South Africa’s top ranked deaf golfers. He drives the ball beautifully and we were thrilled when he won the closest to the hole prize in the final round. “What I will remember most about this tournament is the high fives, the first pumps and all the laughs. We had a genuinely great time out there and we were absolutely thrilled to be the first winners of the Canon Serengeti Par-3 Challenge.” In addition to the first place prize money Garcia and Macdonald bagged, the Benoni and Berger also shared a R100 000 bonus that Serengeti Estates owner David Nagel kicked in for the two top finishing
professionals. Garcia spent the full 2019 season on the bench following hip surgery to re-attach the labrum and to reshape the femur bone to fit into the hip socket properly. She landed her third Sunshine Ladies Tour title in her fifth start this season, which bodes well for the “big three” starting next week in the Joburg Ladies Open. “This tournament was perfectly timed in the middle of the season and it has been brilliant in terms of fine-tuning our games for the Joburg Ladies Open, the Jabra Ladies Classic and the Investec South African Women’s Open,” Garcia said. “All three events are big-money tournaments and the last two come with some serious incentives. The winner of the Jabra Ladies Classic gets a start in the Jabra Ladies Open, which is the Ladies European Tour qualifier for the Evian Championship. And the winner at Westlake gets exemption on the Ladies European Tour until the end of 2021, and spots into the AEG British Women’s Open and the Evian Championship. “The stakes are loaded. We all honed our short-games this week, and this golf course put up a huge challenge. It was very tough out there, and I think everyone who played this week, will agree with me that we are so much sharper thanks to this experience.” Monique Smit and Kim Williams – partnering amateurs Dana Eitzen from Canon South Africa and SAGDB member Curtley Roberts – finished third on 205.
Double Canon Crown for Garcia at Serengeti
Nicole Garcia celebrated a much-anticipated return to the winner’s circle with not one, but two dramatic victories at Serengeti Estates on Sunday. The Ebotse golfer won the Canon Serengeti Par-3 Challenge and led team Shooters to victory in the Canon Serengeti Par-3 Pro-Am title in a thrilling four-hole play-off at the Whistling Thorn Course. Garcia opened her campaign on the 2,618-metre par three championship layout with a level-par 54 and began the final round one stroke clear of BrittneyFay Berger. In-form Lejan Lewthwaite – already a two-time winner this season – was two shots back in joint third with five-time Sunshine Ladies Tour winner Stacy Bregman. Garcia gave the chasing pack a glimmer of hope when she paid for an errant tee shot on the third hole with a double bo-