Alberton Edition
A FRESH APPROACH TO LOCAL NEWS 23 November 2021
Tania Campbell is a South African politician who is the newly elected Executive Mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. As a member of the Democratic Alliance, she was elected to the role on 22 November 2021. Campbell had previously served as the DA’s caucus in the metro.
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opportunity to serve the city these past 5 years. Asbonge,” he said. The DA had to make a U-turn on their election strategy and put Campbell forward for the metro’s top job after initial mayoral candidate Refiloe Nt’sekhe withdrew from her position as councillor. NT’SHEKHE
Campbell has been a Democratic Alliance councillor in the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality since 2000. In 2013, she was elected chairwoman of the DA caucus in the metro. She was also the DA’s community safety spokesperson in the metro. In October 2020, she was elected as DA caucus leader after the incumbent, Phillip de Lange, resigned after a motion of no confidence was brought against him. MASINA CONGRATULATES CAMPBELL FOR EKURHULENI VICTORY
In a tweet, Masina congratulated Campbell and insisted that the transition will be peaceful. “Congratulations to the newly elected exec. Mayor of the city of ekurhuleni cllr tania campbell. As an outgoing mayor we are committed to a peaceful transition of power. Thank you to and our coalition partners for the
CLARIFIES
RESIGNATION
RUMOURS
The DA has swept home major victories in the metro on Monday, securing its first victory after Raymond Dlamini took over the speaker of council position from the ANC’s Patricia Khumalo. Refiloe Nt’sekhe – who was the DA’s candidate for the Mayoral position before absconding from today’s meeting – clarified that she had made the decision to resign from the opposition party earlier this month, but was still standing behind the party with her full support. Speculation has been growing that Nt’sekhe had grown dispondent due to a belief that she was being used by the party to garner black votes. “Clearly what has happened today is that the ANC has decided to use this as a political ploy. And have not processed the resignation, therefore also using the racial narrative which is actually quite wrong.”
NICD Reports Spike In Human Rabies Cases Across South Africa The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) has reported an increase in the number of human rabies cases across the country. “As of 23 November 2021, a total of 17 laboratory-confirmed human rabies cases have been reported in South Africa. The latter was reported from Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Limpopo provinces,” the NICD said. Rabies is a fatal viral infection of the brain. The virus is spread by contact with the infected saliva of a rabid animal. Humans can come into contact with the virus-laden saliva in different ways, for example, bites and other wounds inflicted by these animals via the eyes, nose, mouth, or broken skin. In October and November 2021, six cases of human rabies were confirmed from the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Limpopo provinces. In addition, several suspected cases from these areas are under investigation at the time of this report. The NICD added that although cases are reported annually in South Africa, the occurrence of cases in these provinces has increased compared to previous years. “This compares to eight laboratory-confirmed cases for 2020, 10 for 2019, 16 for 2018, six for 2017, and one for 2016. During these years cases were also mostly reported from the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Limpopo provinces,” the Institute said.
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It said the increased number of human cases is related to outbreaks of rabies in domestic dogs in the affected provinces. The first occurrence of dog rabies cases in Cape Town surrounds in decades has also been reported in recent months. A total of four dog cases were reported from Khayelitsha and Gordon’s Bay. No additional cases have been reported since mid-October 2021. What to do if you’ve come into contact with a rabid dog? When possible exposures in humans do occur (for example through bites or scratches inflicted by a suspected rabid animal), all wounds must be washed thoroughly with soap and water. It is then crucial that rabies post-exposure prophylaxis is sought immediately at a healthcare facility to prevent the infection. Rabies postexposure prophylaxis is considered a life-saving emergency intervention following possible rabies virus exposure. Rabies post-exposure prophylaxis entails thorough cleaning of the wound site/s followed by rabies vaccination and rabies immunoglobulin therapy.
“ Clearly what has happened today is that the ANC has decided to use this as a political ploy.”
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23 November 2021
Noodle Deaths: Investigation Looking Into 2 Different Brands
It’s still unclear if the deaths of five children in separate tragedies were caused by food poisoning. Investigations are still under way. Recently, two siblings in Mpumalanga died reportedly after sharing a packet of noodles. It came just days after three children died in the Eastern Cape. They too had eaten noodles. The Health Department said that the investigations had been prioritised. The department’s Murdock Ramathuba said: “The investigation is ongoing. It’s a long process to try to come down to one thing because there are many factors that are involved in cases of food poisoning unless it is laboratory confirmed or other factors that might be involved.” He said that the noodles were two different brands. “We had a meeting on Friday with one of the brand owners and we have requested a meeting with the other brand owners, which we could not meet over the weekend. We are hoping to meet with them today [Monday] to just go over what could have gone wrong,” said Ramathuba. He said that they took samples of the noodles. “With the biological samples quicker to get, we have received those. There was no serious alarm that we found from the biological samples so far. With the chemical samples, we are still waiting on the analysis to make a determination on what could have been the case.”
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Jason Rohde Must Start Serving Jail Sentence Former property mogul Jason Rohde will have to start serving his effective 15-year jail sentence for the murder of his wife Susan. He had hoped to wait for the outcome of his Constitutional Court appeal at his home in Plettenberg Bay. But on Thursday, the Western Cape High Court dismissed his application for the extension of his bail, pending the Constitutional Court appeal. This means he must report to officials to start serving his sentence by 11:00 on Saturday. His lawyer, William King, indicated that the decision would be appealed. Rohde was found guilty of his wife’s murder in December 2019. He was the CEO of Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty. He said she hanged herself in a hotel room at Spier wine estate. But the court found that he murdered her and staged a suicide. They had been through a tense period in their marriage over his affair with an estate agent, Jolene Alterskye.
“ Rohde was found guilty of his wife’s murder in December 2019. He was the CEO of Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty.”
COVID-19 In SA ‘Super-Variant’ Found In South Africa A new Covid-19 variant has emerged that has an “incredibly high” number of mutations, scientists are warning. It is feared that the B.1.1529, or Botswana variant – an off-shoot of the B.1.1 – could drive further transmission of the virus. The first cases found were three in Botswana, followed by another six cases in South Africa, and one in Hong Kong involving a traveller returning from South Africa. Generally, spike mutations allow viruses to adapt and become more virulent, and more able to evade natural and vaccine immunity. Dr. Tom Peacock, a virologist at Imperial College London, said the variant could be “of real concern” as its 32 mutations in its spike protein could enable it to more easily evade a person’s immune system and spread to more people. On Twitter, he wrote that the variant “very, very much should be monitored due to that horrific spike profile” that could make it more contagious than any other variant so far. He said: “Export to Asia implies this might be more widespread than sequences alone would imply.
“Also the extremely long branch length and incredibly high amount of spike mutations suggest this could be of real concern (predicted escape from most known monoclonal antibodies). “Worth emphasising this is at super low numbers right now in a region of Africa that is fairly well sampled, however it very very much should be monitored due to that horrific spike profile (would take a guess that this would be worse antigenically than nearly anything else about).” Virologists frequently identify new Covid variants that often do not exceed a small number of cases. But Dr Peacock tweeted that he “hopes” the variant turns out to be one of these “odd clusters” and not as transmissible as feared. Prof Francois Balloux, Professor of Computational Systems Biology and Director, UCL Genetics Institute, said the variant’s mutations are in “an unusual constellation” that “accummulated apparently in a single burst”. He said that this indicates it could have evolved during a “chronic infection of an immunocompromised person, possibly in an untreated HIV/AIDS patient”. Prof Balloux added: “I would definitely
expect it to be poorly recognised by neutralising antibodies relative to Alpha or Delta. It is difficult to predict how transmissible it may be at this stage. “So far, four strains have been sequenced in a region of Sub-Saharan with reasonable surveillance in place. “It may be present in other parts of Africa. For the time being, it should be closely monitored and analysed, but there is no reason to get overly concerned, unless it starts going up in frequency in the near future.”
23 November 2021
Estranged Husband Of Vicki Terblanche Arrested For Murder
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Liquor Traders Fear Another Ban As Covid 4th Wave Looms South African liquor traders said that they could not afford another alcohol ban as the coronavirus fourth wave loomed.
The estranged husband of the murdered, Vicki Terblanche (42), was arrested on Wednesday evening. According to police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu, he is detained on a charge of murder. “At about 20:15, the 53-year-old male was arrested at his house in Millpark. He is expected to appear in court soon,” Naidu said. The bail application for Reinhardt Leach (32), who was the boyfriend of Terblanche at the time of her murder, will be heard this morning at the Gqeberha Magistrate’s Court. WHO IS THE OTHER ACCUSED? Naidu said Dylan Cullis (24), also arrested for the murder, remains in custody. Cullis is a friend of Leach. The body of Terblanche was found in a shallow grave in an open field in Greenbushes in Gqeberha. This gruesome discovery was made two days after Leach reported Terblanche missing to police on 21 October. Terblanche is the mother of a 12-year-old boy. HOW DID TERBLANCHE DIE? Naidu said the post-mortem report has yet to be released to SAPS, but preliminary findings suggest Terblanche suffocated to death. WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE TERBLANCHE’S BODY WAS FOUND? “On arrival, police found that the doors, including the garage door, were wide open. Intuitive that something was amiss, police roped in forensics to assist. While still at the house, a 32-year-old man arrived and indicated that he lived there.” She said the police officers recognised the man as he had reported his girlfriend missing on Thursday, 21 October 2021, at the Mount Road police station. “The man was then taken to the police station for questioning. Naidu said at about 03:00 on Saturday morning, after an intense investigation, detectives, with the assistance of the K9 Search and Rescue Unit, found the body of the missing woman Vicky Terblanche buried in a shallow grave in an open field in Greenbushes. “Circumstances leading to her demise are under investigation,” she said.
The sector has been hit hard by continuous alcohol bans to curb the spread of the virus over the past year. And, with the holiday season approaching, traders are pleading with government to exercise caution in responding to the fourth wave. The National Liquor Trader’s Lucky Ntimane said that science should prevail in government’s future response in dealing with COVID-19. He said there was a fear among liquor traders that a ban on alcohol was looming and said that the economy could not afford another ban, let alone further restrictions on alcohol sales. “We have always maintained that lives can not be saved at the expense of livelihoods,” Ntimane said. They are also calling on the president to talk to the alcohol industry to explore sustainable
means of fighting COVID-19 without subjecting those dependent on the alcohol industry to poverty. “The alcohol industry has been the hardest hit by government decisions to ban alcohol done by the COVID-19 pandemic itself but
we need to caution government that there is no vaccine for poverty,” he added. He said that vaccinations were key to managing the pandemic and that they would support government efforts in getting people vaccinated.
‘I Argued The Bylaw Was Irrelevant’: Cabbage Bandit On Case Withdrawn
Joe Nkuna, from Theresapark in Akasia, whose vegetable pavement garden landed him in trouble with the authorities, says the case against him has been withdrawn. Nkuna, the self-proclaimed “cabbage bandit,” shared via Facebook that he received a letter last week Wednesday from the acting director for municipal courts prosecution notifying him about the withdrawal of the case. This is after he was charged by the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) in September for obstructing the sidewalk. He was issued with a fine of R1,500, with the alternative to appear in court if he wished to contest it. The withdrawal of the case, Nkuna said, came “after I submitted my representations on
28/09/2021. Therein I argued that there was no case against me. That I did not break any municipal bylaws by planting cabbage and onions rather than grass and roses.” “I argued that the municipal amenities bylaw that was cited on my R1,500 fine was desperate and irrelevant as there was no such a public amenity at the corner of my property. My house is not a public amenity…The prosecutors agree. No case,” he said. Nkuna said the cabbage saga had created unnecessary trauma for him and his family. “I am a patriot and a law-abiding citizen. The failed attempt… to portray me as a rascal and a hooligan is unfortunate and hurting. What if I did not have access to good legal representation?
Suspected ‘ serial killer ‘ who allegedly attack and kill taxi drivers
There is a suspected ‘ serial killer ‘ who allegedly attacks and kills taxi drivers. The man would board taxis usually at night, asking the driver to stop after he is the last passenger. The man would pull out a gun, instructs the driver to drive towards mine dumps. The man is alleged to have killed many drivers in parts of Gauteng. The taxis are then taken to a certain area for stripping of parts. The parts would then be sold to taxi owners who want cheap parts.
What if I buckled under… and paid the unlawful fine? I would be having an unlawful criminal record.” Nkuna said he intended to let the matter drop now — except to continue advocating for the use of public spaces to grow food. “I do not wish to fight to the death. I could sue, raise a massive dust storm and get paid. But that is not me. “I hope that lessons were learned from this saga by all the parties. I hope that a new approach is adopted by the TMPD and the City of Tshwane where citizens are approached cordially and humanly in the spirit of bathopele. I hope there is a rethink and a new way of how we can harness public urban spaces to fight hunger.”
AB De Villiers Retires From All Cricket 23 November 2021
AB de Villiers, who is widely regarded as one the Proteas’ all-time greatest cricketers, has officially hung up his boots.
“It has been an incredible journey, but I have decided to retire from all cricket. Ever since the back yard matches with my older brothers, I have played the game with pure enjoyment and unbridled enthusiasm. Now, at the age of 37, that flame no longer burns so brightly. “That’s the reality I must accept – and, even if it may seem sudden, that is why I am making this announcement today. I’ve had my time. Cricket has been exceptionally kind to me. “I would like to thank every
I have played the game with pure enjoyment and unbridled enthusiasm. Now, at the age of 37, that flame no longer burns so brightly. teammate,
every
opponent,
every
coach, every physio and every staff
possible without the sacrifices made by
my family – my parents, my brothers, my wife Danielle and my children. I look forward to the next chapter of our lives when I can truly put them first.”
member who has travelled the same path, and I am humbled by the support I have received in South Africa, in India, wherever I have played. “Cricket has been exceptionally kind to me. Whether playing for the Titans, or the Proteas, or RCB, or around the world, the game has given me unimagined experiences and opportunities, and I will always be grateful. “Last, I am aware that nothing would have been
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Tendai Ndoro Retires From Football
It never rains but pours for embattled former Warriors and Orlando Pirates striker Tendai Ndoro. Ndoro who recently lost everything after he was kicked out of his Kyalami Estates home by his estranged South African wife is alleged to have retired from football after getting diagnosed with diabetes. According to a local tabloid, 36-year-old Tendai Ndoro has been forced to hang his boots and call time on his football career due to the illness which is now affecting his eyesight. Tendai Ndoro’s relative, Simba Ndoro who happens to be the owner of the Northern region Division One, Simba Bhora club which Tendai was training with after he left South Africa had this to say. “He is diabetic and he has been receiving treatment. He is no longer with us, but we have been assisting with medical bills. He was supposed to undergo an operation at the weekend. I will have to check how it went on,” he said.
A source who spoke on condition of anonymity revealed that Tendai informed him that he couldn’t continue playing football because of his deteriorating health condition. He said he cannot continue playing because of his condition and is looking to venture into something else,” the source said. This comes just a couple of weeks after disturbing images of him looking frail circulated on social media. South African businessman and former Mpumalanga Black Aces owner George Morfou offered to help him after learning about his plight. Tendai Ndoro used to play for Bulawayo side Chicken Inn before he moved to South Africa in 2013. He has played for several clubs namely; Orlando Pirates, Ajax Cape Town, Mpumalanga Black Aces and Highlands Park. His retirement comes a couple of days after another football player, Khama Billiat retired from international football.