The Elsies River Community Policing Forum’s Vice Chairperson Pastor Rodney Ockhuis says that extending the liquor store’s hours at the Avonwood Square Mall can have a negative effect within a community that already struggles with substance abuse.
There are many organizations that people can go to in Elsies River if they feel like their situation has become unmanageable. Equilibrium Centre is an organisation that provides professional help for people in our communities. Social workers at the organisation says that that the aim and vision of Equilibrium is to put role models in front of people from their own communities. They want people to realize that if others can become successful, so can they. The narrative within the Elsies River community needs to change.
Kayline Manuel a social worker with the organisation says that they work with mostly adolescents, but also with young people and adults. Their focus is on early intervention, specifically primary and high schools students. If they are experimenting with substance abuse or if they are in addiction, they aim to get to the child before they reach full blow addiction.
Former Muizenberg lawyer Theo Hartzenberg was found guilty on three of 20 charges against him. Hartzenberg was found guilty on one charge of statutory rape, exploitation and paying for sex with an adult male. He exploited homeless children as well as children who come from poor backgrounds by paying them R100 or R50 for sex. His case was heard at the Wynberg Regional Court.
Ilitha Labantu’ spokesperson Siyabulela Monakali says that cases of this nature paint a picture of moral degradation taking place in our society. The sad part is that these incidents often go unreported due to the complexity where perpetrators exploit the vulnerability of homeless children or those coming from poor households.
They solicit sexual favours from them with the knowledge that they are in a state of desperation or in need of money and food. They strongly appeal to the criminal justice system to impose the harshest sentence on the accused. The matter will return to court on April 18 for sentencing proceedings.
Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith says that they’re launching an ‘Eye in the Sky’ that consists of a camera that will monitor citizens in real time. This project has taken nearly three years to find its feet and it will now be rolling out and officials are receiving training. JP Smith spoke to the Daily Voice and says that it is important to make investments in technology.
Smith says that all manner of crime where you need to rapidly get eyes on a situation, track a situation or determine the circumstances and aside for the other situations that we have tested like disaster management and assessment, monitoring fire breaks, monitoring waterways, flooding, traffic management, and we will be able to monitor the city in only a few hours. He elaborates on the benefits of this news technology.
The seven men accused of killing rapper AKA – Kiernan Forbes and chef Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane consist of a businessman, mining boss, four taxi bosses and one unemployed suspect. According to IOL on Thursday Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi, Lindani Ndimande, Eddie Myeza, Mziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni, and Lindokuhle Ndimande appeared before the Durban Magistrate’s Court. The two brothers who fled to Eswatini are yet to be extradited.
AKA and Tibz’s live were taken outside Wish Restaurant, Florida Road, Durban on the 10 February 2023. Police have arrested seven suspects in the assassination. Most people believe that his death was a contract killing and R800,000 was paid for the murder, each of the suspects receiving R133,000.
The suspects were arrested between April 2023 and February 2024. Kwa-Zulu Natal’s Provincial Organised Crime Unit comprising detective warrant officers Bob Pillay, Praved Maharaj, Denver Parbhu and Sunil Sukdeo are the people in charge of the case. They will be back in court on March 6.
