Passengers in a taxi watched as a man shot his ex-girlfriend, a matric pupil, before turning the gun on himself.

Durban - Passengers in a taxi watched in horror as a man shot his ex-girlfriend, a matric pupil, in the forehead, before turning the gun on himself.

The 22-year-old victim, Nokuthula Maphumulo, is doing “very well” at Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital, Netcare 911 spokesman, Chris Botha, said on Thursday.

The shooter, Sphamandla Mkhwanazi, also 22, died on Thursday at uMlazi’s Prince Mshiyeni Hospital.

Maphumulo was sitting in a taxi with about 10 other passengers on Wednesday when her angry ex-boyfriend whipped out a gun and fired at her.

A witness who was sitting next to her said it was “mayhem” in the taxi as passengers saw Mkhwanazi take out a gun when he became upset by Maphumulo’s presence.

He said the passengers and taxi driver told him to leave Maphumulo alone.

“She came to sit next to me at the back seat, and just as everybody was watching him, dismayed by his behaviour, he stepped back and took out a gun,” the woman said.

“Some of the passengers who were near the front started screaming and tried to get out of the taxi, but I could not. I was stuck at the back with this girl and he shot her, and then shot himself.”

The taxi, which had left from Isipingo, was at the intersection of the R603 and Mkize Road, near Umbumbulu, at the time.

Botha stabilised Maphumulo and Mkhwanazi at the scene. He said the bullet hit her on the forehead and she was talking and responsive when he arrived.

An elderly passenger said she was also seated next to the schoolgirl when she heard two shots, one hitting Maphumulo. The other was Mkhwanazi shooting himself.

Speaking to the Daily News from her home in Adams Mission on Thursday, the woman, who requested anonymity, said she had struggled to sleep after the traumatic incident.

She said that when the taxi had stopped for Maphumulo, Mkhwanazi had tried to prevent her from boarding.

She had only been allowed in when he was “scolded” by the driver and other passengers, she said.

The woman said she was injured by glass from the shattered taxi window.

“I still cannot believe what I witnessed, it is beyond belief,” she said.

The woman said it seemed like the shooter was high on drugs.

“Drugs are harming the youth,” she said.

Police confirmed the incident. Captain Thulani Zwane said a case of attempted murder was being investigated. An inquest docket had also been opened.

Daily News

A mom who allegedly ordered a hit on her sons asked an undercover policeman for a group discount.

Durban - A KwaZulu-Natal mother who allegedly ordered a hit on her two sons had asked an undercover policeman for a group discount on his “fee” because she also planned to target her other three children.

She had allegedly approached a relative - recently released on parole from prison - to carry out the hit because she believed he was brave enough to do it, the police said.

It is unclear what the relative was serving time for.

The woman had taken out multiple life policies on her children.

Makhosazana Dorothy Langeni, 50, appeared in the Port Shepstone Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, on two counts of conspiracy to commit murder.

According to the charge sheet, Langeni, of Gamalakhe on the KZN South Coast, had conspired since May with a relative to kill her sons, Nkazimulo, 21, and Nkanyiso, 24.

Langeni allegedly wanted them dead to claim the insurance policies she had taken out on their lives, the police said.

Police spokesman, Colonel Vincent Mdunge, said the “hit man” could not bear the thought of returning to jail and tipped off the police about Langeni’s alleged plot.

He said the Port Shepstone Hawks were alerted and they called in Crime Intelligence officers to help investigate.

He said an undercover operation was planned for August 14.

“The hit man was told to go back to the woman and tell her that he had found someone else to do the job. The person posing as the hit man was an undercover policeman.”

On August 14, a meeting between the woman and the undercover policeman took place in Port Shepstone where details of the alleged plot to kill her sons were discussed.

The price of each murder was allegedly R25 000.

Mdunge said the woman had requested a discount because she was giving the hit man two jobs.

“She also said that if he carried out the hits successfully, she would give him three more jobs. She had planned to take out her other children as well. She had life insurance cover on all of them.”

The money was to be paid on the day of the hit.

“On Tuesday she promised to provide the hit man with photos to enable him to identify her sons before committing the murders,” said Mdunge.

During Tuesday’s meeting at Gamalakhe, the woman handed over photos as well as R350 for expenses.

“After the exchange, police arrested the woman and found her in possession of insurance documents as well as four other identity documents,” said Mdunge.

He said the operation had been captured on video.

Mdunge said bail would be opposed next week.

On Thursday, the Port Shepstone Magistrate’s Court was filled with family and curious people who wanted to hear details of the planned hit.

They were disappointed when officials told them Langeni had appeared on Wednesday.

Outside court, one of Langeni’s close relatives, who did not want to be named because she said she feared for her life, said Langeni’s husband had died several years ago. She thought his death was suspicious, she said, adding that she was not on good terms with Langeni.

When a Daily News team went to Langeni’s house on Thursday, all the windows and doors were shut and a young man wearing a red hoodie appeared and introduced himself as Nkanyiso, the accused’s son.

He said he and his brother had been waiting for elders in the family to arrive before they could speak to the media.

“We don’t rule ourselves, we have elders to answer to, so at this point there is nothing I can say until we have met with the elders and decisions are made on whether we speak to the media or not,” he said.

Nkanyiso appeared relaxed as he walked out to the yard chatting to reporters. When asked whether he feared for his life, he laughed, saying: “Me? Never.”

Daily News

Zhane Abubakr, recovering from a bullying incident that nearly left him paralysed, says he is receiving death threats.

Durban - Shallcross teenager Zhane Abubakr, who is recovering from a bullying incident that nearly left him paralysed, said he was now receiving death threats.

The 18-year-old Marklands Secondary School Grade 11 pupil said on Wednesday he was shocked he was still being targeted after the incident.

Zhane fractured several vertebrae when two schoolmates allegedly performed a dangerous wrestling manoeuvre on him last month, dropping him head first on to concrete paving. He underwent surgery at King Dinuzulu Hospital three weeks ago.

The teenager said he knew who was making the threats.

“They pass threats indirectly, through my girlfriend, saying that they are going to break my legs next and hurt me even more,” he said.

“I’m not worried about them, though.”

A school disciplinary hearing has been scheduled for Monday in connection with the assault, but Zhane said he was not keen on seeing his attackers again, even in a safe environment.

“I am not looking forward to seeing them, and I am not interested in seeing them either,” he said. Zhane said he was feeling much better after the surgery and was surprised at how quickly he was recovering.

“The only problem is waking up in the mornings when it’s cold. I experience a lot of pain on my neck, but it’s okay, I feel better,” he said.

Zhane said he would not return to Marklands.

He said he would be moving from his grandfather’s Shallcross home to Johannesburg, where his parents live.

Zhane’s grandfather, Bobby Moodley, said he was thankful that the teenager was recovering, and thanked everyone who had prayed for him.

“I want to thank the Almighty for answering our prayers, because without Him, I don’t think Zhane would be recovering so well,” he said.

However, he accused the school of dragging its feet in taking action against the alleged perpetrators, a claim denied by the school.

“We know this is a sensitive issue and we are treating it as such,” said principal Anwar Khan.

“We were waiting for Zhane to get better so that he could give his account about what transpired that day. Before then, there is nothing we can do...”

Khan said an independent tribunal had been set up to ensure that the process and outcome would be fair and just.

“We would like to restore justice where all the parties recover from this incident,” he said.

The spokesman for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education, Muzi Mahlambi, said the department was also investigating the matter.

Daily News

A suspected rhino poacher has been killed in a shoot-out with wildlife rangers near the Mozambique border.

Durban - A suspected rhino poacher has been killed in a shoot-out with wildlife rangers near the Mozambique border.

The unidentified man’s body was found in the Tembe Elephant Park on Thursday after a gunfight with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife rangers just before sunset on Tuesday.

Spokesman Musa Mntambo said the man was thought to have been part of an armed group of at least four who opened fire on two rangers on foot patrol in a densely forested section near Ezemvelo’s Muzi outpost.

“The Rangers took cover and returned fire. The poachers retreated and vanished through the thick forest, escaping across the border,” said Mntambo.

Police spokesman Captain Thulani Zwane confirmed the incident and said the rangers later handed over a .458 rifle with five rounds of ammunition and a silencer which was dropped by a poacher they thought might have been shot.

It was only on Thursday morning that the body was found.

Mntambo noted an increase in the number of rhino poached in this park, also known as the Ivory Route. Of the 60 rhino poached in KwaZulu-Natal so far this year, 10 were killed in the park.

He said the SANDF was deployed to patrol the park along the South Africa-Mozambique border last Friday.

This follows new focus on rhino poaching from the Southern African Development Community, according to a statement from the Ministry of Water and Environmental Affairs.

A total 587 rhino have been poached this year.

In June, Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa and the Minister of Tourism in Mozambique, Carvalho Muaria, agreed to a technical meeting between each country’s enforcement, environment and tourism officials.

“It is aimed at combating poaching and to distracting the illicit trafficking of rhino horn, elephant tusks and other wildlife and related products.”

The meeting, at a still to be determined date, was expected to lead to an agreement between the two countries to beef up environmental enforcement and conservation.

A total of 167 suspected rhino poachers have been arrested in South Africa and 37 in KZN this year.

Daily News

KZN Premier Zweli Mkhize’s decision to resign from his position has been welcomed by opposition parties.

Durban - KwaZulu-Natal Premier Zweli Mkhize’s decision to resign has been welcomed by opposition parties who say the province needs a full-time premier to tackle the pressing challenges of poverty and unemployment.

Mkhize said on Thursday that he would resign as premier at the end of the month to focus on his job as treasurer-general of the ANC.

“After carefully considering the workload associated with my two responsibilities, I have come to the conclusion that I need to spend more time fulfilling my responsibilities as treasurer-general of the ANC,” Mkhize told a press briefing in Durban on Thursday.

“I have served as the full-time premier since 2009 and I have served as treasurer-general on a part-time basis since my election in Mangaung in December.

“It is clear to me that responsibilities associated with being treasurer-general require more attention and therefore I can no longer serve as the premier till the end of this term of office at next year’s general election.”

Provincial DA leader Sizwe Mchunu said his party had consistently raised concerns over whether Mkhize was able to handle his combined roles of premier and ANC treasurer-general.

He said Mkhize had recently failed to attend portfolio committee meetings for his department, the KwaZulu-Natal Premier and Royal Household, citing other commitments. This was evidence that he was unable to combine the two jobs successfully.

“Dr Mkhize has failed, through his State of the Province address, to convince that the province is on a positive course. Instead, he has glossed over a multitude of serious challenges,” Mchunu said.

“His tenure has been marked by myriad grand plans, without much action and few time frames. He leaves a legacy of not having demanded accountability from his cabinet on targets set.

“The citizens of KwaZulu-Natal are ready for change. We challenge the ANC to commit to a new era - one which puts the needs of the people first and no longer tolerates inferior service delivery or corruption and maladministration on any level.”

The National Freedom Party’s president, Zanele ka Magwaza-Msibi, wished the premier well in Luthuli House and rated his tenure a paltry four out of 10.

“Unemployment is still high and young people are still living in poverty. As premier he tried to fight those challenges, but they are still there. We will remember him as a respectful and disciplined leader.”

Magwaza-Msibi said the next premier should be someone who was disciplined and respectful, and should respect the views of opposition politicians.

She said the premier would have to be mindful that people in the province were destitute, improve on service delivery and clamp down on corruption.

Andrew Layman, chief executive of the Durban Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber had great respect and admiration for Mkhize’s premiership.

“He has engaged very constructively with the business community and has been keen to do all he could to ensure that the province had an environment conducive to the progress of business and the provincial economy.

“We rate his premiership highly and believe that in many ways KZN has made strides during his time at the helm. His contribution before his appointment as premier was also highly commendable. as the MEC for health and then finance.

“He has been a tireless servant of the people of KZN, having astounded many by his energy, his strong sense of commitment and his availability to attend countless functions and events in support of… diverse communities.”

On Thursday, KZN Judge President Chiman Patel swore in Education MEC Senzo Mchunu as acting premier from Thursday this week to Tuesday next week.

Mkhize said it was now up to the ANC to appoint a permanent premier for the province.

The process to appoint a premier will start on September 1.

Mkhize said his decision had the support of the ANC at national and provincial levels.

“I wish to thank the people of KZN for affording me the opportunity to lead this province. The overwhelming support they gave me has made my term of office a memorable one. I shall for ever cherish this this term as the pinnacle of my career in community of service.

“I believe KZN will remain a stable and successful province for many years to come.”

Mchunu was elected to the chairmanship of the ANC in the province in March.

Mkhize said he had left a province that was financially sound and had a good governance culture.

Additional reporting by Sihle Mlambo

Daily News

The KZN Health MEC has vowed to help thee part-time lifeguards who were badly injured in a hit-and-run incident.

Durban - Three part-time lifeguards who were badly injured in a hit-and-run on the South Coast have been assured by the province’s top doctor of better things to come.

Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo on Thursday visited the three 18-year-old friends - Nhlanhla Mqadi, Vumani Makhanya and Siyabonga Mafuna - at their homes at Umzumbe near Hibberdene.

Dhlomo, a medical doctor, had stopped his convoy to help them as they lay writhing in pain on the N2, at Umzumbe Bridge.

He was on Thursday accompanied by two doctors who will start fitting Mqadi with prosthetics. Both of his legs were amputated after the June 29 accident. The teen was told he might be able to walk again, despite the challenges his medical team face.

“Our ultimate goal is to guarantee that Nhlanhla is able to walk again - without crutches,” said Dr Moroka Manqele. “We’ve got our work cut out for us when it comes to the shorter stump because short stumps usually present a problem, but we will sort it out.”

Manqele and colleague Dr S’thembiso Blose were optimistic after assessing Mqadi, saying that he would need extensive physiotherapy and training.

“This will obviously be a major change to him because he will basically have to learn how to balance, how to walk with crutches, and then how to walk without the crutches, but this will boil down to him and how he responds to the therapy and it boils down to his determination,” Manqele said.

Dhlomo said he was shocked by the level of poverty he had seen during his visit to the three friends, and he was worried this might not be conducive to their full recovery.

“He (Mqadi) can’t stay in a shack or a house with no running water. We don’t wish for his injuries to deteriorate. If we don’t look after him often, he will suffer from diseases. His condition has created a disabled life for him. We need to assist with a house with clear sanitation.”

The MEC said he would “prioritise this as a doctor”.

“This (accident) has changed his life. He won’t live longer if he does not get a decent house. He needs to be taken care of. I am happy that they have built a house for him, but they need a bigger house for his wheelchair. I will guard the quality of his life.”

He also arranged for the Red Cross to transport Mqadi and Makhanya to and from school.

Makhanya, who has had metal plates implanted in both legs, is his family’s sole breadwinner but is now battling to walk.

“He used to buy his family groceries with the money that he made in his part-time job. He couldn’t even buy himself a cellphone or airtime like other kids,” said Dhlomo.

Mafuna still suffered from chest pains and headaches, said Dhlomo, who promised to buy him a TV once his house was electrified.

He described as heartbreaking the conditions the three teens were living in, saying he would ask the KZN Department of Social Development to help them. Dhlomo also handed groceries and R800 in cash to the three families.

The three part-time lifeguards had just left work at Hibberdene’s Three Tower 13 station and were walking home when they were hit by a bakkie. They were then ignored by other motorists as they lay at the edge of the road for an hour until the MEC’s convoy stopped.

Mqadi said his life had changed since the accident, from independence to reliance on his family for basic things. “The day I got knocked was the worst day of my life. Now I can’t get anywhere freely. I wish to walk again, to go back to school.”

But the crash and disability would not stop him, he vowed. “I can still go to school to empower myself through studying and I want to have my own family one day.”

Despite Mqadi having told police the hit-and-run bakkie was a Nissan with NPS registration - he only noticed the first three digits, 135 - police spokesman Captain Thulani Zwane said no arrest had yet been made.

Daily News

A KZN legislature official has been found guilty of gross misconduct after allegations of sexual harassment were levelled against him.

Durban - A disciplinary panel has found a senior official at the KwaZulu-Natal legislature guilty of gross misconduct after allegations of sexual harassment were levelled against him earlier this year.

The official, a senior communications officer at the legislature, was charged with gross misconduct for repeated sexual harassment of a female intern.

The Daily News is in possession of a copy of the disciplinary hearing findings.

The intern had started work in February, but by April had become increasingly uneasy with the sexual advances, she had said.

In April the woman lodged a formal complaint against the official, alleging improper conduct, which included him kissing and touching her.

At the disciplinary hearings, the intern claimed the official had set new office rules, which included demands that she kiss and hug him whenever he came into or left the workplace, as a sign of appreciation for the experience he was imparting on her.

In her letter to a senior manager she complained about the “strange” office rules and the official’s “uncouth conduct”.

She also raised her concerns with the official in an e-mail.

“The way you touch me when we are alone at the office (which you call a massage) makes me very uncomfortable, sometimes I let it happen because I am scared of what you must say if I refuse to it (sic),” she wrote.

Responding, the official allegedly wrote: “It’s ok.”

He said the reason why he told her “It’s ok” was because he felt he was responding to a girlfriend who was saying it was over.

The official said the intern often wanted him to comment on what she was wearing and when she came into the office in the morning she would hug him freely.

He testified that on March 13 he and the intern shared a “consensual deep kiss”, alleging this happened while he was on leave and after the intern called him to say she was not coping with the requisitions at the office.

He said the kiss was the result of what was first a brother-sister closeness that went beyond this.

The hearing’s presiding officer, FA Myeza, found that the official should have known what constituted sexual harassment.

“It follows that he ought to have been aware that such conduct is not acceptable at the workplace,” Myeza said. “Furthermore his ‘ok’ answer must be understood, (and) I find it, to be an admission that he indeed committed acts of sexual harassment which started from a conversation on or about February 12 and continued again at the office until formally reported.”

Wonder Hlongwa, spokesman for KZN legislature Speaker Peggy Nkonyeni, said the official was still employed at the legislature.

He said the official had the right to appeal the findings and that the matter was sub-judice.

The official declined to speak to the Daily News and referred questions to union representative, Zola Saphetha.

Saphetha could not be reached for comment at the time of publishing on Friday.

Daily News

A man killed his wife before he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head in Durban.

Durban - A man killed his wife before he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head in Durban on Friday morning, KwaZulu-Natal police said.

The couple apparently had an argument in their car and the man shot his wife, who was driving, police spokesman Captain Thulani Zwane said.

The woman died on the scene and the man was declared dead on arrival at a hospital. Police recovered the man's firearm and a murder docket was opened.

Paramedics found the car wedged against a tree, at the intersection of Essex Street and Durham Road around 8am, Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha said. The two were in their 50s.

Sapa

KZN premier Zweli Mkhize’s resignation could see him to leapfrog Cyril Ramaphosa into the deputy presidency of the country.

Durban - The resignation of KwaZulu-Natal Premier Zweli Mkhize in favour of his position as ANC treasurer-general may be the next step in an effort to raise his national profile, thereby smoothing the way for him to leapfrog Cyril Ramaphosa into the deputy presidency of the country.

Political analyst Susan Booysen said yesterday that there were many people in the ANC who did not trust Ramaphosa to protect “No 1” from the “many onslaughts”of the DA, including its bid to have the decision to drop corruption charges against Jacob Zuma reviewed by the courts.

If they wanted to confine Ramaphosa to the deputy presidency of the ANC, they had to identify another candidate to take over from Zuma as head of state when his second term expired.

Mkhize, a medical doctor, was “favoured by quite a number of people in the ANC” to become Zuma’s deputy after elections next year. “It’s getting pretty close, the great search for the reliable, loyal deputy leader is on,” Booysen said.

Mkhize announced his resignation on Thursday, saying that after “carefully considering” his dual workload as premier and ANC treasurer-general, he had decided he needed to spend more time on his duties in the party.

“It is clear to me that responsibilities associated with being the treasurer-general require more attention and therefore I can no longer serve as the premier till the end of this term of office,” Mkhize said.

The decision was in line with the party’s constitution, which stipulated that the treasurer-general was a full-time position.

ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu said Mkhize would be “part of the collective” responsible for “leading and resourcing” the party’s elections campaign.

Mkhize is a long-time confidante of Zuma’s.

Booysen said while there were many ANC leaders responsible for its election campaign, including Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane as head of organising and campaigns, people would want to know who would step into Zuma’s shoes in the event he stepped down, or was out of the country.

“If Kgalema Motlanthe had remained in and loyally backed the leader at Mangaung last year, this would not have been an issue, but it it is an issue now,” she said. Booysen cautioned that the promotion of Mkhize over Ramaphosa could feed into perceptions of Zulu dominance of the ruling party.

Those pushing Mkhize were aware of this disadvantage, but it would not be the first time the party had dealt with the issue as there had been the “Xhosa nostra” dominance by the Eastern Cape under Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki.

It was possible the party’s gains in the 2009 elections in KwaZulu-Natal, when it decimated the IFP and which balanced out its losses in other provinces, had almost reached the limit.

“Potentially, there is more support, but not much more support,” Booysen said, with the result that the compensatory effect of KZN in 2009 would not be available in the next elections.

However, it was possible that up to 4 percentage points of Cope’s seven percent showing in those elections (the first it contested after its founding) would revert to the ANC.

craig.dodds@inl.co.za

Weekend Argus

The man behind a R1.2bn deal for a Pietermaritzburg fibre optic cable network admits he knows nothing about telecommunications.

Durban - It’s worth R1.2 billion and it never went out to tender. Now the man who brokered the deal to install and operate a fibre optic cable network around KwaZulu-Natal’s capital city is about to land R100 million a year for 12 years – and he admits he knows nothing about telecommunications.

Pietermaritzburg tender king Paris Dlamini, also the chairman of the Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Commerce, landed the deal just months after securing another plum piece of city work – a multimillion- rand parking meter tender.

Ahead of claims that he was clinging to power and refusing to relinquish his grip on the chamber chairmanship, Dlamini this week justified his windfall, in spite of the municipality’s parlous financial status and crumbling infrastructure.

Funding for the construction, maintenance and use of the fibre optic network never went out to tender because it was deemed part of a transport contract.

The 119km web of fibre optic cable is set to increase the connectivity of government and business entities across the city with high-speed internet. A Sunday Tribune probe established that in February the contract was awarded to Joburg-based company Bwired, and their four-month-old local partner Duziwired, which appears to have been formed to cater for this tender.

The directors of Bwired are also the directors of Duziwired. They had made a proposal late in 2011 in which the network was punted to complement Pietermaritzburg’s Urban Renewal Project.

Dlamini is understood to have brokered the deal, trading on his position in the city.

Msunduzi Municipality resolved to award the vast contract to Duziwired without considering other bidders when the resolution was passed at a strategic management committee meeting in February.

“The council hereby authorises the municipal manager to sign the contract on behalf of the municipality, provided that the contract may only be signed after confirmation that the ICT/Telecommunications services not exceeding R100m can be transferred to this contract,” an official report reads.

In line with the agreement with Duziwired to “build, operate and from page1

transfer”, the assets and ability to generate revenue will be handed over to the city only once a decade has passed.

This means the city is funding the construction and maintenance of the network, as well as committing to spending over R100m a year for its services.

Council documents obtained by the Sunday Tribune show the project will be funded by the national Department of Transport using a budget allocated for the Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network. The contract was awarded under the emergency regulation section 32, which means there is no need to call for proposals or bids.

Auditor-General spokesman Africa Boso said a probe into the contract had not been initiated as it had not been formally brought to their attention.

Msunduzi city manager Nxolisi Nkosi said no accord between the municipality and Duziwired had been drawn up.

“The project has not been awarded as yet. We made a recommendation for it to be awarded in terms of section 32 of the Supply Chain Management regulations. This means that you use a supplier procured by another municipality through a competitive bidding process. In order for that to proceed you first have to obtain approval from another municipality to use section 32 and obtain their approval as well as contractual documents. What has happened to date … we have written to the City of Johannesburg requesting their approval to use section 32. To date the City of Johannesburg has not responded and that is where the process is at.”

In a bid to explain the questionable funding from the Department of Transport, Nkosi said, “The only commitment is that once the broadband system is up and running the municipality will procure communication services both for the administration and the IRPTN project. The preferred bidder will lay the infrastructure at its own cost for a period of three years and operate it for a further 12 years.”

Dlamini was reluctant to answer questions about the network, and provided scant responses. “Duziwired is an idea that came up when a Joburg company was building a broadband network in that city. We met and discussed the possible project because they needed a local administrator, but then it never happened,” he said.

“Talks about this project have been on the go since 2011 and Duziwired is not a registered company, it is just an idea,” he added.

But according to state documents, the project is going ahead and Duziwired is a registered company, formed in August last year.

Dlamini described himself as “an entrepreneur” but admitted he had no experience in telecommunications. “I used to be in politics in this area so I know the playing field,” he said.

Bwired chief executive Musa Nkosi refused to comment because he was playing golf. “You interrupted my backswing,” he said tersely.

At the time of going to press, the provincial Treasury Department had not answered the following questions:

* Why was the build, operate and transfer agreement not registered with the Treasury?

* Why was a feasibility study never conducted and handed to the Treasury?

* Was Treasury approval obtained to bypass the normal tender process?

* The municipality can only bind itself in a contract for three years; why was this flouted?

* Why was the tender process bypassed under emergency regulations?

DA deputy chief caucus whip Mergen Chetty said the decision to implement the broadband network seemed to have been engineered by the city manager.

“When this proposal was initially presented before the executive committee, rather coincidentally it was preceded by the Municipal Managers 2020 Vision for the City. Ironically, the need for a broadband network was conveniently included in his presentation.”

He said the DA had opposed the project because it was viewed as a luxury as opposed to real service delivery issues.

“…our core business as a municipality is service delivery and not funding private entities to finance their business ventures. I raised a serious concern that Duziwired will not embark on this venture if the council doesn’t enter into an agreement with them, as this business is solely reliant upon the funds, a minimum of R100 million a year, being secured for a 12-year period.

“The condition that after the expiry of this tenure the system will be transferred to the municipality is absurd; in view of the lightning speed in which technology changes, this system could very well render itself obsolete after 15 years. We believe that this contract should have gone out on open tender due to the magnitude of the financial implications.

“Second, Msunduzi having recently been under administration, we believe there should be closer oversight by the MEC for Co-operative Government and Traditional Affairs in view of the awarding of this tender, together with the R1.2m tender for the Msunduzi News and the Panzascore parking meter tender, having all been awarded to a common number of individuals,” he added.

NFP executive council member Ntokozo Bhengu said, “At the time we supported the deal because management (the ANC) said that it was something Pietermaritzburg needed as KwaZulu-Natal’s capital.”

Bhengu regretted this decision, saying “the money could have been allocated to something more important like housing, infrastructure and electricity”. He said if the project were to create jobs it would be worth it.

Sunday Tribune

Renowned adventurer Sean Wisedale was arrested for drunk driving, moments after ramming his SUV into a neighbour's gate.

Durban - Durban adventurer and motivational speaker Sean Wisedale was arrested and charged with drunk driving on Sunday morning, moments after ramming his silver SUV into a neighbour’s gate.

Wisedale, 47, is expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Monday, police spokesman Thulani Zwane said.

He has also been charged with malicious damage to property, but Wisedale told The Mercury that this depended on the owner of the gate he destroyed being reached.

The gate, which is on a communal road that runs alongside his and his neighbours’ homes, is owned by a resident who was not on the scene on Sunday and who has not been located by police.

A neighbour, who asked not to be named, recounted the morning’s events that took place in Haroldene Road, Glenwood.

Wisedale had started “screaming and shouting” at 6.20am, she said.

“He kept saying this was his road.”

At 7.15am the neighbourhood went quiet for a few minutes “and then there was a loud bang”.

“I just pushed the panic button,” the neighbour said.

Blue Security was the first to arrive and blocked the road off.

When security officers approached Wisedale, he got out of his car and sat down on a patch of grass until police arrived.

“At first he was charming and even shook hands with some of the policemen, but then he bolted and started running down the road,” the neighbour said.

Police gave chase and Wisedale was apprehended a short while later, after he tripped and fell, injuring his face.

In April controversial magazine Noseweek reported that Wisedale had “for the past year had his entire neighbourhood terrorised by his aggressive, ‘psychotic’ behaviour”.

The article went on to call him a “monster”.

Wisedale’s neighbour said on Sunday that she feared for her safety.

“My youngest daughter was hysterical this morning,” she said.

Wisedale was released on bail late on Sunday afternoon.

He told The Mercury that, while he could not justify or vindicate anything he had done, he had been embroiled in a long-standing legal battle with his neighbours since 2007.

They had illegal tenants on their property, he said, and the high noise levels “infuriated” him.

He and his wife, Katherine Rowan, had been harassed and insulted on numerous occasions, he said.

The couple have a two-year-old daughter.

“It’s really been quite frustrating,” he said. “And then this morning I drove my car into the gate.”

A highly acclaimed film-maker, Wisedale has produced work for Carte Blanche and for the Discovery and National Geographic channels.

He was the first South African to climb Mount Vinson, the highest mountain in Antarctica, and to climb the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each of the seven continents.

Wisedale specialises in leading climbing expeditions.

He has also delivered motivational talks, based on his climbs, to multinational organisations such as Unilever, Standard Bank, Goodyear and BMW and at some of the province’s top schools, including Durban High School.

bernadette.wolhuter@inl.co.za

The Mercury

Juanita Fourie - the woman charged with murder after her baby's death - has taken her own life, according to police.

Durban - A mother, who together with her ex-husband was charged with the murder of her infant son, hanged herself in her boyfriend's Port Edward flat, the Beeld newspaper reported on Monday.

Juanita Fourie, 28, and Christiaan Oldewage, 27, had previously been charged in the Pretoria High Court in connection with child abuse and the death of Christiaan Junior, their three-and-a-half-week-old baby boy.

He died of multiple injuries, including a skull fracture and broken ribs in December 2011.

According to Beeld, Fourie was treated in hospital eight days ago after she cut her wrists in front of her boyfriend, Tobie la Grange, 32.

Fourie moved to Port Edward seven months ago and worked for La Grange as a bookkeeper at his liquor store.

Police spokesman Thulani Zwane said Fourie had hanged herself with a piece of cord.

Fourie did not arrive on July 30 for the first day of her and Oldewage's trial, because she was apparently not psychologically fit to testify.

The State's request that Fourie be referred to the Weskoppies psychiatric hospital for observation was dismissed.

Oldewage, the baby's stepfather, is still in custody.

The trial was earlier postponed to December 2. - Sapa

Investors who claim to have been cheated by Edge to Edge Global Investments want the company liquidated.

Durban - Business partners John Ellis, his wife, Kathy, and Jan Louw are fighting claims that they cheated investors in their Aids nutrition business out of R70-million.

“The accusations of fraud are frivolous and devoid of substance,” Ellis said in an affidavit filed late last week in the Durban High Court.

The matter was brought to court by South African and British investors in the Durban-based Edge to Edge Global Investments who want to liquidate the company to establish where their money has gone.

In South African law, shareholders have to seek court permission before bringing a liquidation application.

But this is being opposed by Ellis and Louw who brought on board a new attorney - the fourth since the dispute with shareholders began last month - when it came before court on Friday.

The matter was put in the hands of Judge Esther Steyn who set tight deadlines for the filing of further affidavits and ruled that she would hear argument early next month.

In the meantime, Ellis and Louw are not allowed to trade any shares in the public company.

The shareholders say they bought into the company on assurances by the directors that their money would be used to develop a “life-changing” Aids nutrition pack which would be sold across Africa.

They say they were told that the company had a patent on the water purifying drops in the pack - which they have now discovered is not true - and that the pack was to be clinically tested in Abidjan by Nobel prizewinner Professor Luc Montagnier, who is credited with the discovery of HIV.

These trials have never happened.

And with the business office shut down and staff unpaid, they believe the company is now insolvent and their money has been used to prop up the directors’ luxury lifestyles. But Ellis says this is not true.

He says the shareholders involved in the court dispute, including GWM chairman Tony Pinfold, represent less than 2 percent of shareholding, comprising only 10 of the existing 78 shareholders. And, he says, most of them did not buy shares from him but from other shareholders.

He claims the shareholders only invested R31m, not R70m, and he lists “trials phase one”, “African Forum”, “Prof Luc Montagnier consulting” and “Abidjan trial” as some of the expenditure incurred, saying: “These expenses alone exceeded R31m mentioned”.

“No funds were ever misapplied or wasted. In fact from March 2007 to March 2009, more than R9m was paid into the banking account by Louw and me.”

Regarding allegations that the company funded his daughter’s R2.4m wedding, he said the entire event was paid for by his wife and the Ellis Family Trust. Kathy Ellis, in her affidavit, says the funds came from the sale of some of her personal assets.

One of the applicants, chartered accountant and former chief finance officer of the company, Jennifer Etchells, agrees that most of the shares in the company are owned by the directors or parties related to them but says the venture has been almost entirely funded by the minority shareholders.

She says the directors have still not answered questions posed to them by shareholders.

The Mercury

A battle between an ailing man’s two wives has ended up in the Durban High Court.

Durban - The Durban High Court has ordered that a curator be appointed to assess the mental capacity of an ailing businessman after allegations that his first wife tried to “remove him under police guard” from his second wife’s home amid squabbles over his assets.

The curator, Dhiraj Ramdhani, would interview Krishnan Maistry, who has been diagnosed with brain cancer, and have him assessed by a psychiatrist or psychologist.

The court also directed that reports be filed on whether Maistry had the mental capacity to manage his own affairs.

The application was brought by Maistry’s second wife, Melissa Naicker, who said she was being denied access to Maistry by his first wife, Maithri.

She said Maistry, 53, who was blind and bedridden, had gone to “visit” Maithri’s home in April and had not returned.

She said her husband’s considerable assets were in jeopardy, including two properties, shares and investment annuities.

He had also been paid out R3.9-million from his insurers owing to his illness.

Naicker said she was married to Maistry under customary rites in February and they had intended to marry legally once his divorce from Maithri was finalised.

She said Maistry and Maithri had signed a settlement agreement about the distribution of assets last year, but did not get divorced.

Naicker said the trouble began after Maistry was diagnosed last year with stage four brain cancer.

After he had an operation to remove a brain tumour, he had a stroke and became paralysed on the right side.

Naicker said Maistry had asked her to attend to his financial affairs and gave her power of attorney to access his bank accounts.

She said Maithri became aware of this arrangement and brought an interdict application to prevent the banks from paying over more than half of the funds in the accounts.

While Maithri did not file papers in this case, in her affidavit for the interdict application, she said Naicker had taken control of her husband’s financial affairs.

Maithri was not willing to abide by the settlement agreement because Maistry had not revealed the true extent of his assets to her.

The interdict case was set down for argument, but was subsequently removed from the roll.

Naicker said that after Maistry’s condition deteriorated, Maithri asked that he be brought to her home.

She said in April, Maistry’s daughter and brother-in-law came to her Berea home, accompanied by police officers, and attempted to remove Maistry in an ambulance, but owing to his ill health they did not take him away.

Later that month, Maistry agreed to go on a “visit” to Maithri’s home and had been living there since.

“I accompanied Krishnan to Maithri’s home and ensured he was comfortable. It was clearly understood by all that after a few weeks he would return to our home.”

Since April, she had been allowed to see Maistry only on brief occasions and had been allowed only one visit since June.

Her power of attorney had been cancelled and Maithri had replaced her as a beneficiary on one of Maistry’s life insurance policies.

“I was surprised by this (removal of power of attorney) as I doubted his mental capacity to issue any instructions to his bankers.

“I have no knowledge as to how the (beneficiary) change occurred and this requires full and proper investigation,” Naicker said.

The Mercury

A domestic dispute ended in tragedy after a Durban man shot dead his wife while she were driving, before shooting himself.

Durban - A domestic dispute ended in a double tragedy after a Durban man shot dead his wife while they were driving, before shooting himself.

Harold Matthys, 50, and his wife, Yoland, 49, were found critically injured in their vehicle at the corner of Essex and Durham roads, in Wentworth on Friday.

It has been alleged the couple had been arguing at their home.

A neighbour, who heard the commotion, said that the couple decided not to continue arguing in front of their children and went for a drive.

He said Yoland drove the car while her husband sat in the passenger seat.

Police spokesman, Captain Thulani Zwane, confirmed the incident.

Yoland was shot multiple times in the stomach, hand and face while driving.

She lost control of the car, which crashed into a tree.

Netcare 911 spokesman, Chris Botha, said the couple were found with critical injuries.

“The female died at the scene while the man died on his way to Wentworth Hospital,” Botha said.

The family did not want to comment on the incident.

DA councillor, Aubrey Snyman, described the incident as tragic.

He said people facing difficulties should use the crisis centres and trauma units that had been established in their areas.

“These challenges can be overcome if we talk about them. Our condolences to the family,” Snyman said.

Wentworth police are investigating a case of murder and an inquest docket has been opened.

Daily News

More than 50 KZN cops swooped on a "multi-million rand" drug smuggling operation, arresting a couple.

Durban - A Kwazulu-Natal couple believed to be among the country’s biggest dagga smugglers have been arrested near Pietermaritzburg after a six-month covert crime intelligence operation.

The police are also probing the couple’s alleged links with international drug syndicates in countries like the UK and Netherlands.

Police spokeswoman, Lieutenant Joey Jeevan, said the seized dagga was just the tip of the iceberg: “These guys are bringing in tons and tons of dagga every month. Our investigators are still quantifying the amounts. But it is multi-millions.”

A high-ranking police source said the dagga was of “very, very high quality” which attracted high-end customers locally and internationally.

The dagga – compressed into 3kg balls – was transported through the mountainous terrain in Lesotho using horses and donkeys, the source said.

“The drugs are transported across the border to a location in Underberg where bakkies and trucks wait to transport it to Pietermaritzburg,” the source said.

The couple and four alleged drug runners were expected to appear in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday on multiple charges of dealing in dagga.

The police raided the couple’s shacks across the Copesville informal settlement of Swapo on Friday.

Members of the Pietermaritzburg and provincial crime intelligence units, the Pietermaritzburg cluster drug team and Hawks, supported by the Pietermaritzburg K9 and tactical response units, seized drugs with a street value of about R350 000, as well as thousands of rand in cash.

During the six-month operation, undercover agents were sent in to make purchases of dagga.

The couple, both from Lesotho, are believed to have been operating in the province for more than 10 years.

The husband works as an electrician in Durban.

The source said the compressed balls of dagga sold for R350 each.

“The couple live in a squatter settlement which is almost impossible to access.

“We had to use more than 50 policemen and 30 vehicles to infiltrate the area,” the source said.

The drugs were found in a makeshift packaging lab with several enamel dishes containing money.

“Most of the runners are also Lesotho nationals. This is a massive, massive bust.”

The source said the operation was uncovered after an influx of dagga was noted in the KwaMashu and Inanda areas.

“Through our informer networks the couple were tracked. They have runners countrywide.”

Jeevan, confirmed that the dagga was being trafficked into KwaZulu-Natal from Lesotho.

The six arrested were all believed to be from Lesotho, and were alleged to have been receiving the drugs from a family who lived in the mountain kingdom, she said.

“It is believed that the arrested suspects have been dealing in the greater Durban, Inanda, KwaMashu and Pietermaritzburg areas,” said Jeevan.

Police provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Mammonye Ngobeni, said she was pleased with the arrests.

“Copesville is one of the areas that we are focusing on and we want to assure the community that despite the challenges we experience investigating drug cases we will not loosen our grip on drug dealers in the province and we will continue to invade their space.”

Earlier this month the police swooped on the Pietermaritzburg houses of alleged city drug lord couple Hoosen and Yasmin Mohamed in Mars Crescent, Northdale. The couple and seven of their alleged drug runners were arrested and charged with multiple counts of dealing in cocaine and were still in custody, awaiting their bail application. The suspects were arrested during raids after a three-year undercover operation by crime intelligence officials and the Hawks.

Daily News

Adventurer Sean Wisedale has made a brief appearance in court after he allegedly drove his car into a neighbour's gate.

Durban - Adventurer Sean Wisedale made a brief appearance in the Durban Magistrate's Court on Monday.

Wisedale, 47, who allegedly drove his car into a neighbour's gate in Durban's Glenwood suburb on Sunday, faces charges of drunken driving, malicious damage to property, and causing a public disturbance.

National Prosecuting Authority spokeswoman Natasha Ramkisson said Wisedale's case was postponed to February 28 to allow him to seek an attorney.

The Mercury newspaper reported that Wisedale, 47, was arrested shortly after the incident on Sunday morning.

A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said Wisedale started “screaming and shouting” at 6.20am, and kept saying Haroldene Road was his road.

At 7.15am it became quiet and then “there was a loud bang”, she was quoted as saying.

Wisedale had allegedly reversed into a gate.

He allegedly tried to run away when police arrived at the scene, according to the report, which published a picture of him running.

Wisedale was the first South African to climb Mount Vinson, the highest mountain in Antarctica. He also climbed the “Seven Summits”, the highest mountains of each of the seven continents.

Wisedale specialises in climbing expeditions, and also delivers motivational talks.

Ramkisson said Wisedale was out on bail of R2 000. - Sapa

Three men have pleaded guilty to attacking and robbing an 84-year-old woman at her Scottsville home, twice within a week.

Durban - Three men in their early twenties have pleaded guilty to attacking and robbing an 84-year-old woman at her Scottsville home, twice within a week.

Sanele Professor Mazibuko, 24, Wiseman Duma, 22, and Delani Maphanga, 22, pleaded guilty at the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court on Friday.

The woman, who requested anonymity, was confronted by three men at her home on July 27 at around midday after they forced open the kitchen door, shoved her around and stole R4 000 in cash, before fleeing.

She reported the incident to the police. Her attackers returned on July 31 and assaulted her as she worked in her garden. The men forced her back into the house and tied her to a chair, after which they ransacked the house.

A short while later, the victim’s 54-year-old neighbour arrived to visit. She was also attacked.

The assailants then left with various household items.

About half an hour after the attack on July 31, they were arrested with the help of one of the K9 unit’s dogs.

Mazibuko and Duma were both sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment while Maphanga received a 10-year sentence.

Daily News

UCT's Timothy Noakes told an inquiry into a KZN fitness test that environmental factors did not cause the deaths of participants.

Pietermaritzburg - Environmental factors did not cause the deaths of people in a KwaZulu-Natal Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) fitness test, an inquiry heard on Monday.

 Cape Town University expert Timothy Noakes said if environmental factors were lethal, thousands of people would have died.

"The rule is that humans can exercise under hot conditions. Here we are dealing with the exception and not the rule," he said.

He was testifying in Pietermaritzburg before a commission of inquiry into the deaths of eight job applications who took part in a four kilometre run, which was part of an RTI fitness test, at the Harry Gwala Stadium last December.

More than 35 000 people had qualified to apply for 90 advertised RTI trainee posts. Of these, 15 600 attended a fitness test on December 27, and a similar number on December 28.

Weather conditions on the first day were about 30 degrees Celsius with 60 percent humidity, and on the second day about 27.2 degrees Celsius with a humidity of about 50  percent.

Noakes said humans had a massive capacity to exercise in heat.

A healthy person should not develop heat stroke when exercising in heat unless there were other factors, such as drugs, chronic illness, genetic predispositions, and food eaten before the run.

"When something goes wrong there is a catastrophe in the system," he said.

Noakes said the brain warned the body to slow down when exercising in excessive heat.

The inquiry heard that 46 people were hospitalised and about 300 people were treated at the stadium during the fitness test.

Noakes said people with suspected heat stroke should be cooled in ice cold water to decrease their body temperature.

Bongiwe Mbatha, who was a participant, was diagnosed with heat stroke and was cooled with a cold, wet sheet.

Noakes said the cooling of heat stroke patients was not widely practised by medical practitioners in South Africa.

Ntuthuko Sibisi was also diagnosed with heat stroke and renal failure. He was treated with seven litres of fluid.

Noakes said renal dialysis was needed for treatment and his body should have been cooled.

He attributed Sibisi's death to a respiratory cardiac arrest secondary to fluid overload.

Noakes' evidence continues on Tuesday.

Sapa

One adult and two children died when a taxi and two cars collided on the M4 outside Umhlanga.

Durban - Three people died when a taxi and two cars collided on the M4 outside uMhlanga on Monday, said KwaZulu-Natal emergency workers.

“One deceased is an adult made, another is a little girl who is around one-year-old and another is a boy who is around 18-months-old,” said Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha.

Four other people were injured in the crash, one of them was critical.

“The critically injured person was airlifted to Albert Luthuli Hospital, while the others were transported to nearby hospitals in ambulances,” he said.

The road was still closed shortly before 6pm as debris from the three vehicles had yet to be cleared.

The cause of the accident was not known.

Sapa