Dead body found in Cosmo City

COSMO CITY – ER24 paramedics arrived to find the body of a man lying lifeless on Libya Crescent.

A man believed to be in his 20s was found dead in Cosmo City on Libya Crescent.

Body of a man believed to be in his 20’s was found on Libya Crescent in Cosmo City.

ER24 spokesperson Russell Meiring said the body was found at about 8am on 29 May.

Paramedics were called to the scene and found the body of the man lying on the side of the road.

“Paramedics assessed the man and found that he had sustained serious burn wounds over most of his body, as well as serious facial injuries,” said Meiring.
He added that the man had unfortunately already succumbed to his injuries.

“Nothing could be done for him and he was declared dead.”

The details surrounding this incident are not yet known but local authorities were on the scene for further investigations.

We still awaits information from Honeydew Police Station.

Robberies on the increase in Cosmo City

COSMO CTY – Spate of robberies has police concerned.

Another home robbery occurred in Cosmo CIty this month.

Honeydew Police Station is concerned about the recent spate of house robberies in Cosmo City.

This follows another robbery where three men entered a home and forced the owner to cover himself with a blanket.

Spokesperson Captain Balan Muthan said the homeowner was asleep when he awoke to hear his door being forced open.

“The suspects entered the bedroom, flashed a light at him and made him cover himself with a blanket,” he said. “The suspects then ransacked the home and stole goods worth R20 000.”
Earlier this month, another homeowner was forced to cover himself with a blanket after five suspects entered his room. They then stole home appliances worth about R25 000.

Police are hard at work trying to find the suspects and are urging the community to come forward with any information.

Details: Honeydew Police Station 011 801 8400.

15 things you need to know about Joburg’s budget

JOBURG – We take a look at 15 important points for Joburg’s next budget.

MMC for Finance, Funzela Ngobeni, tabled the 2018/19 budget on 24 May.

Joburg’s R59 billion budget for the next fiscal year, starting in July, was tabled on 24 May by Finance MMC Funzela Ngobeni and we have put together 15 important points Ngobeni spoke on during his maiden budget speech.

1. First and foremost, an update on Joburg’s billing ‘crisis’

Ngobeni said the bulk of queries relate to estimation and many meters not actually being read. But Ngobeni said a billing task team has already been producing results since the average time to resolve a billing query is starting to decrease.

2. New service standards

Ngobeni also announced that there will be new service standards the City will strive to uphold. Among these is the goal to issue all clearance certificates within 30 days, resolve 85 per cent billing queries within 30 days and all billing queries in no more than 90 days and to open a new account within 30 days.

3. Housing grants

Despite the R363 million cut to Joburg’s urban settlements development grant, the budget is making way for housing capital expenditure of R3,4 billion of the three-year medium term.

4. More title deeds

In the next financial year, which starts in July, the City plans to hand out another 2 000 title deeds. According to the MMC, this will add to the close to
5 200 that have already been handed out by the coalition government.

5. Formalising informal settlements

Formalising informal settlements still has a cut of the budget, and more money will also be set aside for upgrading inner-city emergency housing and rentals tock. R60 million is also set aside for the refurbishment of four hostels, including Diepkloof and Meadowlands.

6. City power gets more capital expenditure

City Power’s capital expenditure (CapEx) budget has been increased by 25 per cent to R1 billion for the next fiscal year. This includes funds for electrification of more informal settlements.

7. Electrical infrastructure
City Power will also have a three-year focus on completing a number of refurbishments and building of key infrastructures like substations, transformers, and transmission lines. Substations at Roosevelt Park, Wilro Park, and Sebenza are on the list of upgrades.

8. Meter replacement

City Power has also been given R120 million in the next fiscal year to replace old meters with semi-automated and automated prepaid metres ‘in order to reduce the need for manual meter reading’.

9. Fewer water leaks

With a R3,1-billion allocation over the medium term, Johannesburg Water will be able to reduce the number of leaks by 6 000, from an estimated 45 000 a year.

10. More Pikitup employees

With R2,3 billion for operating expenses in the next fiscal year, Pikitup will be able to employ 1 400 former Jozi@Work employees, add cleanings shifts and add another 1 400 more employees will be filled in funded vacancies.

11. Substance abuse
The City plans to have eight community substance abuse treatment centres by July next year in areas like Poortjie and Cosmo City.

12. More extended hours, mobile clinics

The City plans to have a total of 26 clinics operating at extended hours by July next year, more than double the current 11 clinics that have had their hours extended. An additional mobile clinic will also be purchased and three more are planned to be bought in the 2019/20 fiscal year.

13. Social development

Funding has been set aside for a R10-million new early childhood development training centre, additional social workers, and R2 million for providing skills development opportunities within shelters for displaced people.

14. Emergency management

Joburg’s Emergency Management Services will get a medium-term capital budget of R260 million to continue training the new 1 500 Metro police officers, to purchase new fire and rescue equipment and upgrade the Alexandra Fire Station.

15. Grass cutting

The R107-million budget for horticultural services, which include grass cutting and tree pruning, has been nearly doubled to R207 million for the next fiscal year.

Fight crime hand in hand with police JOBURG NORTH – In an effort to fight crime in the area and get residents involved with Sector 2 of the CPF, community leaders hosted a meet-and-greet in Kya Sands on 19 May.

About 350 community members attend the meet-and-greet, hosted near the Kya Sands informal settlement. 

 As part of the efforts to bring together crime-fighting structures and the wider community, the Douglasdale Community Policing Forum (CPF) Sector 2 hosted a special meet-and-greet on 19 May.

The event, aimed at reaching out to community members from the Pipeline and Kya Sands informal settlements, was hosted at a soccer field on Agnes Road in Bloubosrand at midday. It was a chance for the public to get to know representatives from the CPF, raise concerns in the area and also called on community members to join the organisation if they had an interest.

Community members were invited to the meeting a few weeks ago when police officers from across the cluster embarked on an information campaign and went door-to-door handing out pamphlets about the meeting to both settlements.

“About 350 community members were present today,” explained Brigadier Sammy Thambo, station commander of Douglasdale Police Station. “The day was definitely a success.”
Besides meeting members of the local CPF, people in the community also had a chance to raise their own ideas and concerns for the area.

Brigadier Sammy Thambo, Station Commander of the Douglasdale Police Station. 

“We as the police are looking forward to having a better partnership with the community that we are serving and we encourage the community to work hand in hand with the police to address crime in the area,” Thambo said.

He also gave a special thanks to the communications officer for the station, Captain Mpho Tshetlhane, for her hard work as well as to Colonel Senna, Commander of Visible Policing for the station for putting the meeting together.

Life Tree Community Project gets a soccer field for Kya Sands children

JOBURG NORTH – A safe place for children to play the sport they love

The children cheer when they hear a new soccer field will be made for them at Tree Life Project thanks to World Sports Betting.

World Sports Betting has come on board to sponsor the Life Tree Community Project with a soccer field for the community’s benefit.

Tractors are already on site in Kya Sand to clear out land that will be converted to the soccer field and will be completed by July this year.

Ryno du Plessis, Christopher Thompson, Monwabisi Jini, Carla Kamp and Mark Evetts.

Life Tree Community Project has been working in the Kya Sand community for 20 years and currently run various programmes which include educating underprivileged children from the informal settlement under the Life Tree Academy banner.

With the help of Fourways Main Reef Rotary Club, the Kya Sand project will enable children to have a safe place where they can be children and have fun along with their peers.

Carla Kamp has followed in her family’s footsteps and now runs the project to continue their efforts to assist the community.

“We started here because there was a need. The holiday club started with a small youth church which then grew bigger until we outgrew the clubhouse, ” said Kamp.

“We saw this piece of property and our founder, Dr Belinda Kamp, wanted to start with five projects and one of them was sports development. But it was only recently that our sports programme started to take off when we found a wonderful coach Monwabisi Jini to assist.”

Carla Kamp strolls across the field that will be a soccer pitch.

Now Life Tree Community Project is one step closer to realising their vision of having a soccer field where children from the community can play soccer and other sports activities in a safe environment.

Kamp added, “Sport is an essential tool for social development. Sports development keeps them busy and their idle time is used playing soccer, finding encouragement and motivation as well as people to support them.

“Instead of standing and wagging your finger at a teenager and preaching to them, we are saying come and play soccer and they do something constructive. It is a positive way towards social upliftment.”

Carla Kamp, Ryno du Plessis and Christopher Thompson surprised the children with a new soccer field. 

World Sports Betting’s marketing manager Ryno du Plessis was pleased to see the children happy and enthusiastic about the soccer field when it was announced to them. He was introduced to the project by the Fourways Main Reef Rotary Club.

“It makes me feel wonderful and that is why we get involved with these kinds of projects, it’s what they call an emotional dividend,” said du Plessis.

“We have been looking for a largescale cause, although we do support a few small clubs and homes in the community. But this is our first big undertaking in Gauteng and we have to thank the Rotary Club for bringing it to our attention.

“We are a sports company and sport is in our culture and giving the children the opportunity to play on a proper field for the first time [is great]. I have heard stories of children going all the way to Zandspruit just to play soccer.”

The children of Life Tree Community Project in Kya Sands play soccer under the tutelage of coach Jini, a licensed coach who has a passion for the game and a love for his community to make a difference.

He is very excited that his teams will now have a safe place they can train and play. His teams have already been successful, leading the Mogale City’s soccer league and will now be able to play home matches in better facilities.

“It is all about their development and learning leadership skills. At the moment we have U11, U13, U15, U17, U23 and the girls’ team plays in the Open League,” said Jini.

“‘Having a new field will help because one of our challenges in our community is a problem of alcohol abuse.

So removing the children, even for a few hours, away from those kinds of influences will help a lot. It will be good to see the children come here and enjoying themselves but with the responsibility of taking care of it.”

Monwabisi Jini plays soccer with some of the children at break time.

Although the building and maintenance will be covered by World Sports Betting, the Life Tree Community Project still appeals to companies to sponsor a fence around the field so the children can be safe and secure as they play.

MTN race is for the less fortunate

MTN’s annual 21km race is set to turn the streets of Jozi Y’ello for the less fortunate.
The race has become an integral part of MTN’s 21 Days of Y’ello Care – the company’s flagship staff volunteer project. 21 Days of Y’ello Care raises funds to support ICT in education across South Africa and will kick off the overall 2018 Y’ello Care campaign on Saturday, 02 June 2018.

Once again, participants can choose whether to take part in the 5km or 10km races, or for the more adventurous, the 21km that takes runners through scenic Johannesburg. Runners will start off at MTN’s Head Office in Fairlands, following three different routes through the neighbouring suburbs.

The proceeds raised through the MTN 21km race will be used to support identified ICT in education initiatives. The main focus this year is on establishing a multimedia centre at the Sizwile Special School for the Deaf, located in Dobsonvillle, as well as upgrading the Afrika Tikkun Youth Centre in Diepsloot, Johannesburg and the Africa Tikkun Centre Youth Centre at Orange Farm.

“The MTN 21km race has grown throughout the years to become one of the key events on the South African athletics calendar,” said Jacqui O’Sullivan, Executive for Corporate Affairs at MTN SA. “We have received great support since we began the race in 2014, with thousands of runners joining us each year for the cause.”
In 2017, proceeds raised from the race were used to fund a multimedia centre at the Ekurhuleni School for the Deaf, located in Katlehong, Johannesburg, and the Thusong Youth Centre in Alexandra, north of Johannesburg. The previous year, the proceeds funded the multimedia centre which was handed over to the Department of Education in Sedibeng West.

The MTN SA Foundation has partnered with many other South African corporates for the 2018 race, namely, Huawei, Central Gauteng Athletics, CAMAF, the Department of Social Development, the Gauteng Department of Education, Central Gauteng Athletics, the Road Accident Fund, Kia, Clover, Ikhethelo and the Constantia Park branch of Checkers.

“We are excited about kicking off 21 Days of Y’ello Care this year, all with the aim of making a real difference and brightening lives. The MTN 21km race is a great start to our annual initiative that allows MTN to give back to our surrounding communities, donating time, money and skills to help those less fortunate,” concluded Jacqui.

More than 7 500 participants took part in 2017, and 8 500 are expected to participate in the 2018 run.

ts, as well as more information about race day logistics and surrounding area road closures can be found at www.entrytime.com. Entries are currently open and will be closing onThursday, 24 May 2018.

Metro police issue 81 fines during Sharonlea operation

SHARONLEA – Metro police aim to make roads safer

Motorists warned to obey the law.

Metro police issued 81 fines at a recent road safety enforcement operation.

This was part of the Metro police’s effort to make roads safer for motorists and pedestrians by enforcing the rules of the road.

The operation was conducted on the corner of Malibongwe and President Fouché drives.

Officers stop taxis and ensure that they are roadworthy.

Officers stopped 98 vehicles and searched 37 of them and 15 people were searched during the operation.
This comes after Metro police Superintendent Wayne Minnaar had warned motorists earlier this year to obey the rules of the road or pay a hefty price for breaking them. Vehicles that were not roadworthy would be impounded immediately and drunk drivers would face stiff penalties.

Motorists were also warned not to overload their vehicles as this put pressure on tyres and brakes, and all passengers must wear seatbelts.

Is your safety at shopping centre’s guaranteed?

RANDBURG – Seems like crime is dependent on which mall you use.

NARVIN NAIDOO: The malls in Randburg are really safe compared to where I live. Even at night, I feel safe using these malls as the buildings meet safety standards such as good lighting and patrol cars monitoring the area.

Shopping centres are being targeted more and more by criminals.

It is a rare occasion when a day goes by without one hearing of criminal activity occurring at a shopping centre nearby.

Some of these crimes involve the use of firearms which results in shoppers or employees getting wounded or killed.

The Randburg Sun asked residents what their views were on mall security and safety and this is what they had to say …

DANIEL MATHEBULA: I feel safe depending on which mall I am at. The malls I use have upgraded the security to deal with the increasing crime levels.

JAMES BAXENDALE: I do feel safe in certain shopping centre’s, you notice the security guards even though you only see them in the background. Some centres are crime hotspots as they are easier targets with possible escape routes.

SNE NGWENYA: The level of security is fine but it depends where you are. I believe some victims, their family and friends’ mindsets on mall security will never change due to their experiences.

LAZARUS NAIDOO: I feel safe because I have lived in this area for long. I know which malls to go to and which to avoid. Some of these shopping centres need to improve their security to keep their status as safe malls.

VERONICA MANYAMBA: I was once a victim of crime at a shopping centre but it wasn’t too serious. Except for that one incident, I feel safe at the malls I go to. I feel that the security is adequate.

CANDICE-JADE TALJAARD: I don’t feel safe anywhere. We need more security everywhere as we constantly hear of and see people being victims of crime.

Help police find this wanted suspect

JOBURG – Johannesburg Central Police ask for help from community members in tracking one suspect wanted for a car hijacking.

Johannesburg Central Police are requesting the assistance of community members to help them with information that will lead to the arrest of a suspect wanted for a car hijacking.

According to Captain Xoli Mbele, spokesperson for the station, on 11 March, at about midday, a 47-year-old female was driving a silver Mercedes Benz with the registration number FR 46 CK GP along Locomotive Road south of Johannesburg.

“She was stopped by two males driving a black Golf.”

He added that they pointed firearms at her and forced her out of the car before they drove off in it.

The police spokesperson said the victim described one of the suspects as dark in complexion who is slim and has brown eyes.

The victim said the suspect spoke English and could be in his 30s.

Police are appealing to anyone with information on the whereabouts of the suspect to contact Johannesburg Central Police Station’s Sergeant Willem van Rooyen.

Details: Sergeant Willem van Rooyen 073 366 2164.

Randburg court sentences Cosmo City man to 12 years imprisonment for multiple crimes

JOBURG – The Randburg Magistrates’ Court found man guilty of several criminal offences and sentenced him to 12 years’ imprisonment.

The Randburg Magistrates' Court recently sentenced a 34-year-old man to 12 years' imprisonment.

Raymond Mpofu (34) will spend an effective 12 years behind bars.

Mpofu was sentenced in the Randburg Magistrates’ Court by Magistrate Lebogang Leshabane. He was convicted of seven criminal offences that he had committed over the months leading to his arrest.

Mpofu was arrested in June last year for housebreaking with intent to rob and robbery with aggravating circumstances and was never granted bail. After his arrest, police positively linked him to other crimes.
He was arrested after he had broken into a home in Bromhof where he tied up the domestic worker in the bathroom. He stole a TV and other household items. A passer-by who saw him climb through the wall alerted the police and Mpofu was arrested before he could run away.

Upon his arrest, police found that he had been on a crime spree, committing house robberies in the Bromhof area.

At his home in Cosmo City, police also found items that were believed to be stolen property.

His charges and sentences:

• Four counts of housebreaking with intent to rob and robbery with aggravating circumstances; he was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment on each count.
• Robbery with aggravating circumstances; he was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for this crime.
• Two counts of possession of suspected stolen property; he was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment on each count.

Leshabane said the sentences will run concurrently, which means that Mpofu will spend an effective 12 years in prison. The court also declared him unfit to possess a firearm.

City’s electronic bills ‘often undelivered due to spam filter settings’

JOBURG – Ward 87 councillor, Bridget Steer, assists residents who do not receive their accounts via email.

 Residents should contact their service providers and ask for the whitelisting of the City of Joburg domain to ensure statements are delivered directly to their inbox.

Residents who do not receive their City of Joburg bills via email should check whether or not their Internet service provider has an automatic setting which sends the statements directly to junk mail or spam.

This according to Ward 87 councillor, Bridget Steer, who believes that many residents do not receive their statements via email because of their spam filter settings.

Ward 87 councillor, Bridget Steer, says electronic statements are often not received via email because of spam filter settings.

“Residents should please contact their service providers and ask for the whitelisting of the City of Johannesburg domain. This will allow residents to receive their electronic bills directly to their inbox,” she said.

Visit cojestatements.co.za to request the whitelisting for the City of Joburg domain. This will ensure that your Internet service provider recognises the domain as a trustworthy source and messages will go directly to your inbox. In other words, the software applies a blacklist of spammers and a whitelist of known good senders.
“It is important for residents to receive their electronic billing statements timeously.
“Thanks to the effective support of the DA-led administration, Executive Mayor Herman Mashaba has announced that residents will not incur increases related to property valuations if they raised objections. Until the objections process is finalised, residents will pay the same amounts as per previous bills.”

Steer hopes that residents will continue to see improvements, even amidst challenges such as the R170-billion service delivery backlog inherited from the previous administration.

The reasons behind the land invasion in Zandspruit
Leaders of the Economic Freedom Fighters explain the issue of land grabs.

Gift Mkasi, EFF's Bokamoso Branch Secretary, checking out a shack being erected by a resident of Zandspruit.

A leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters in Zandspruit has explained the reasons for the persistent scourge of land invasion in that area.

As Zandspruit is arguably one of the leading hubs of land invasion in Joburg, the secretary general of the EFF in Zandspruit (Bokamoso branch), Gift Mkasi, detailed the complexities of the issue and why residents resort to protest action when land-grabbers are interrupted by law enforcement.

Gift Mkasi, EFF’s Bokamoso Branch Secretary and EFF’s development leader, Yandisa Phungu, pointing out land belonging to a plot owner who is allegedly influencing land invasion. 

In his in-depth explanation, he listed renting of shacks, poverty and the failure of the City of Johannesburg to address concerns as some of the critical issues pushing residents to grab land in Zandspruit.

In an interview with the Northsider on the plots currently being taken over by the residents, he said: “The issue of land invasion taking place around Zandspruit is pushed by people who pay rent, because they are in the majority. As the level of unemployment is high, people are taking over vacant land to avoid paying rent,” said Mkasi.

Although not being able to pay rent is ostensibly the perfect excuse for land-grabbing, Mkasi said that some people are doing so for personal gain, and leasing the land to foreigners. This is something the EFF strongly opposes.

“We believe the crisis of land invasion might be driven by the need for a place to stay, but it is being pushed by profiteering, because some people operate illegal businesses on this land,” he said.

He made an example of an area called Kanana, which was grabbed by locals, but is now occupied by foreign shop-owners. “This means that somebody who sold the land, which is against the laws of the country, is behind this whole issue. You can’t sell land that does not belong to you. And invading it means you have an intention to stay there,” Mkasi explained, making it clear, as the leadership of the EFF, that they are against land invasions with intent to make a profit.

The plot owner criticised by Zandspruit councillor, Victor Mafinya, was also lambasted by Mkasi for influencing land invasion on municipal land. “There is a plot owner named Van Zyl who is influencing people to take municipal land and leave the privately owned land,” he said.

Gift Mkasi, EFF’s Bokamoso Branch Secretary, pointing at where the land invasion is taking place.

He said the EFF’s intention was to demonstrate that they need private owners to surrender the land to the people, not what they were witnessing as people invade land set aside for development.

Mkasi said land invasion in Zandspruit has escalated because of the empty promises made by the City of Johannesburg. “We got an empty promise from the MMC for Housing, Mzobanzi Ntuli, on 20 January. He said the council was going to provide Zandspruit with serviced stands, but we have until today not received any further information about these stands. Our people said they might stop grabbing land when this promise comes true”.

When asked if the area will still experience protest action, Mkasi said the reason for protests is that the City of Johannesburg responds to them by sending in members of the JMPD and the police to quell the protesting, “… and, when we see the police, we see people we must fight with, and this results in violence.”

Cosmo City home ransacked in robbery

COMSO CITY– Police on the hunt for suspects after house robbery.

Captain Balan Muthan warns the community to ensure that their doors and windows are closed at night.
A homeowner in Ext 2 was forced to lay face down on his bedroom floor while five suspects ransacked his house during a robbery.

The incident occurred on Thursday 10 May and members of the Honeydew Police Station are working hard to crack the case.

According to the station’s spokesperson Balan Muthan, the suspects entered the home at about 1am while the owner of the house was in his bedroom.

“He heard footsteps and as soon as he started shouting, he was hit on his head with an unknown object,” said Muthan. “It was then that he noticed the suspects inside his room wearing black clothes. They switched on the light, forced him to lie down and covered his head with a blanket.”

After about two minutes, the homeowner noticed it was quiet and realised the suspects had fled.


When he searched through his house, he noticed that electronic equipment and other household items worth about R25 000 were missing.

The homeowner then alerted police who promptly attended to the scene before he was rushed to hospital with head injuries.

Balan has warned the community to ensure that all their doors and windows are closed before going to bed.

A Cosmo City man had his vehicle, a bakkie, stolen while parked in the Parkrand Spar parking lot on

Thieves continue to target vehicles in Boksburg
Ten new cases were reported, following the Advertiser’s recent article on vehicles being targeted in the CBD.
A number of vehicles were reportedly stolen and other hijacked in Boksburg during May so far.

*In some of the latest vehicle-related crime, a Cos

mo City man had his vehicle, a bakkie, stolen while parked in the Parkrand Spar parking lot on May 3. The complainant left the car in the spot at about 12.15pm and when he returned to the area the car was gone.

*A Volkswagen Polo Vivo was hijacked in the driveway of a property on Ash Avenue in Plantation on May 4. The driver told the police that he was waiting for the gate to be opened when another vehicle pulled up behind his vehicle.

A man, described as an African man in a balaclava, approached his car, aimed a gun at him and ordered that he get out of his car and lie down on the ground. A second criminal searched the victim and took his cellphone before they drove away in the victim’s car.

*Another car, a Fiat Uno, was stolen on May 3 from the parking area of a block of flats on Market Street, Boksburg CBD. The owner parked his car at about 7.40pm and went to sleep, but when he woke up the following day the car was gone.

*On May 4, thieves stole a Nissan NP200 while parked on the corner of Commissioner and Kaap streets in the Boksburg CBD.

*A woman had her white Toyota Conquest stolen while parked on Burg Street, Boksburg CBD on May 4. The woman parked her car and went into the nearby bank, but when she returned to the roadside parking her car was gone.

*In Sunward Park, thieves stole a yellow Toyota conquest while parked in the Sunward Park Hospital parking lot on May 4.
The victim told the police that he parked his car in the parking lot of the hospital at about 8.40am. When he returned to the parking area the car was gone. It is understood that security guards at the hospital’s parking lot showed the victim a CCTV footage showing VW Golf Five arriving at the scene, before one of its occupants, a man described as an African male, was seen driving away in the victim’s car.

*A Mazda Midge was stolen while parked in the Bokkie Park parking lot on May 5. The owner parked his car went into the park where he had a braai. A few hours later he returned to the parking lot to find that his car was stolen.

*A Dalpark man’s Toyota RunX was stolen while parked on Commissioner Street, Boksburg CBD on May 5. The victim left his car in the roadside parking but when he returned to the area within 10 minutes, the car was gone.

*A green VW Golf One was stolen while parked on Commissioner Street next to the civic centre on May 6.

*An employee had his company’s white Toyota Quantum Kombi hijacked while driving along Trichardts Road near the N17 in Sunward Park.

The driver told the police that he noticed a vehicle signalling for him to pull over and he did. The occupants of the vehicle, two men, approached his vehicle and pointed a firearm at him. They then instructed him to lie down in between the seats and drove the kombi to an open field in Gosforth Park to where they eventually dumped him.

*A white Nissan Sentra was stolen while parked on Commissioner Street next to Spar on May 7.

Kya Sands furniture designer pays homage to Africa

JOBURG NORTH – Local designer finds inspiration in Africa.
Velaphi Mpolweni was a runner-up at the Homemakers Expo hosted at the Ticketpro Dome in February earlier this year.

Mpolweni next to his design at the competition earlier this year.

Mpholweni entered a furniture design, inspired by traditional Zulu women’s headwear named isicholo, under the name of his furniture company, Lowe Furniture Designs.

Velaphi Mpolweni, runner-up at the Homemaker Expo, with his certificate.

“The design came about as a tribute to women, and my concept was to show the suffering of a woman and her pain,” said Mpolweni. “My furniture design is a wine storage unit but it’s mobile and progressive, just like a woman. They never led nations to war, it is only men.”

Velaphi Mpolweni’s design is inspired by women and Africa.

Mpholweni made an effort to use an Afrocentric approach to his design and even used materials from the African continent, such as Kiaat Wood and African Mahogany, to manufacture the wine storage unit.

“I wanted to pay homage to and reflect our continent, not to just show something that is from Europe,” he said.

“It is important to have Afrocentric designs because I am an African and belong to the continent. There is also an aspect that we always affirm Africa wherever we are. And who else will do so and tell our stories better than us?
“That is why the tagline of my company is ‘Evolution of style, enhancing the beauty of Africa’, because we are a beautiful continent and we don’t need to be known for wars and other negative things.”

The unit can be used to store wine and glasses.

Mpolweni started designing at a very young age as he was raised on farms and had to rely on his hands. He later studied electrical engineering and finance, venturing into the banking sector until 2015 when he decided to start his own business designing and manufacturing furniture.

He believes that the current design trends are turning towards South Africa, with people moving away from Tuscan inspired houses and more towards tin and thatch roofs.

“Shiny furniture is out and people want to feel the authenticity of the wood and that inspires me as a designer.

“Being second in the competition has given me confidence. I am starting a family business and it seems that there is not a lot of well-established businesses.

I have five children, some in school and others in varsity so it is hard, but I am excited about the future, what I can leave for them and leave behind unique furniture across South African houses.

Whoever buys my furniture will have a story to tell, who I was and what I have achieved, and that is what my goal is.”

Do you want to be a part of the CPF? Community Policing Forum

JOBURG NORTH – Police officers from across the cluster embarked on an information campaign to invite residents of Kya Sands and its surrounds to meet and even become members of the Community Policing Forum.

Officers from the police stations in Douglasdale, Honeydew, Randburg, Linden, Diepsloot and Florida take part in the operation.

Members of a number of South African Police Service stations spent 9 May out and about in the greater Kya Sands area, handing out flyers and interacting with the community as part of an information campaign.

The officers travelled around the Pipeline, Kya Sands and Msawawa informal settlements on 9 May. to hand out pamphlets.

Police officers from the stations in Douglasdale, Honeydew, Randburg, Linden, Diepsloot and Florida handed out an estimated 2 000 pamphlets in the Pipeline, Kya Sands and Msawawa informal settlements when they went door-to-door. The aim of the campaign was to invite residents of these areas to a planned meet-and-greet with the Community Policing Forum (CPF).

Police officers go door-to-door to hand out the pamphlets and explain the purpose of the meetings

It is also hoped that more members will join the CPF, which links ordinary residents to their local Saps through initiatives like neighbourhood watches and also improve communication between the police and their community.

Warrant Officer Roux explains the planned CPF meetings to a resident

Four armed men hijacked a truck that transported liquor to Cosmo City - One in Police Custody

Suspect nabbed for possession of suspected stolen property
JOBURG – One of the suspects took charge of the driver’s seat. They drove around until they reached Shoprite in Yeovillle where they started offloading the stock into a standby bakkie.
Yeoville SAPS arrested a suspect for possession of suspected stolen property at the corner of Hunter Street and Bedford Road in Yeoville.

 One suspect is expected to appear in court for possession of suspected stolen property.

According to Yeoville SAPS spokesperson Captain Sifiso Mabizela four armed men hijacked a truck that transported liquor to Cosmo City.

“The driver of the truck alleged that he was approached by four armed men whilst at a stop sign. The suspects pointed firearms at them and ordered them to lie down in the back seat and tied them up.
“One of the suspects took charge of the driver’s seat. They drove around until they reached Shoprite in Yeovillle where they started offloading the stock into a standby bakkie. A police car was passing by and one of the hijacked guys lifted his tied-up hands to alert the police.

The suspects loaded liquor onto a standby bakkie.

“Police officers stopped and the suspects fled the scene. The driver of the loaded bakkie was arrested. He is expected to appear in court soon while police investigations continue,” he said.

Shop owner suffers gun shot wound in Cosmo City robbery

COSMO CITY – Shot fired during armed robbery.

Honeydew police are on the hunt for seven suspects who held up a shop in Cosmo City yesterday morning, 10 May.

Four of the suspects entered the shop and demanded money from the owner and shop assistant who were in the shop at the time.

Three other suspects were waiting in a getaway vehicle parked outside the shop in Morocco Street. According to police spokesperson Captain Balan Muthan, one of the suspects had a knife while another had a firearm.

“The armed suspect continued to demand money and then shot the shop owner in the thigh,” said Muthan. “The suspects then proceeded to the cash drawer and took an undisclosed amount of money before fleeing in the getaway vehicle. They dropped a cell phone while getting into the vehicle”

Police and ER24 were called to the scene after the suspects ran away to investigate and assist the shop owner who had sustained a gunshot wound, leaving him in a serious condition.

Paramedics treated the patient and provided him with pain-relief medication before he was transported to Helen Joseph Hospital for urgent care.

Taxi accident in Cosmo City leaves six injured

COMSO CITY – It is unclear what caused the accident on Marina Street.
Six injured when taxi rolls in Cosmo City.
Six people were transported to various hospitals on Thursday May 10 in the morning after they were injured in a taxi accident.

The taxi rolled in Marina Street, and it remains unclear what caused the incident.

When ER24 paramedics arrived on the scene, they found the taxi on the side of the road. The occupants had already got out of the vehicle and were gathered around, in shock.

Paramedics assessed the patients and established that five had sustained moderate injuries while one patient had sustained more serious injuries.

The patients were treated for their injuries and the seriously injured provided with pain-relief medication before they were transported to nearby hospitals for further treatment.

The driver of the taxi had disappeared from the scene.

The MyFAME organisation seeks to develop young talent

Members of a local youth and talent development initiative recently put together a star-studded extravaganza on Freedom Day, 27 April.

Youngsters had fun preparing for the MyFAME auditions held on 21 April at the Olivedale Library.

Members of a local youth and talent development initiative put on a star-studded extravaganza to celebrate Freedom Day, recently on 27 April 2018.

The recently launched MyFAME Foundation was founded by husband and wife partners Bono and Tdee Rambani.

The foundation held its first audition at the Olivedale Library, where youths arrived to participate on 21 April.

Youngsters had fun preparing for the MyFAME auditions held on 21 April at the Olivedale Library.

“The auditions were in preparation for our first talent showcase event though we are hosting on Freedom Day,” said Bono Rambani.

According to Rambani, the organisation aims to create platforms for young people to discover their gifts and use them to impact the world.

Rambani said, “We have participants coming from Randburg and surrounding areas such as Cosmo city, Honeydew, Diepsloot and Windsor.”

MyFAME is a faith-based organisation that aims to develop young talent in the fashion, arts, multimedia and entertainment industries.
The foundation partners with communities in developing their talent and releasing them into the marketplace fully equipped and industry-ready.

Rambani continued, “Many youngsters from disadvantaged communities aspire to make it big in the entertainment industry, but lack the opportunities that are available to those who are closer to the mainstream industries in big cities.

“This leaves them unable to pursue their dreams, thereby resorting to other means, which may not always be good to make a living. MyFAME will scout for talent through various means and events, in particular, disadvantaged communities across the racial, social and religious barriers, giving them an equal opportunity to enter this exciting field.”

The Free Your Dreams talent showcase event was held on 27 April and was free of charge to the public.

Participants also got to network with other artists in the entertainment industry to gain knowledge, as well as receive guidance about how they master their craft.

The event took place all day at the Evolution Dance Studio, First Floor Pine Park Centre, 2 Dalmeny Road, Randburg.

Details: MyFAME Foundation – 079 456 5777.

TWO GUARDS WOUNDED IN CASH-IN-TRANSIT ROBBERY IN COSMO CITY

COSMOCITY - Two security guards were shot in a cash-in-transit incident in Cosmo City,It’s understood a group of robbers opened fire on the security vehicle. Police spokesperson Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said a group of men travelling in three vehicles attacked a cash-in-transit van at Cosmo City Junction after 8:00 on Saturday morning.Dlamini said the men made off with an undisclosed amount of cash and were still at large.

“One of the guards was treated for a gunshot wound to his foot and another received advanced life support treatment for a gunshot wound to his chest.

“Both were transported to hospital for further medical management‚” he said.

“SAPS‚ Johannesburg Metro Police and security services attended the scene. The exact circumstances surrounding the incident are not yet known‚” Vermaak added.

ER24 spokesperson Werner Vermaak says both guards were transported to a hospital for further medical treatment.

“Paramedics from ER24 and other services arrived on the scene and found the two security guards had sustained gunshot wounds, one to his foot and the other to his chest. One of the guards was treated on the scene.”

No arrests have been made.