Needy flood victims scramble for food

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By MATT MEDVED

Mietjie Peterson lifted her hands out of an empty vat of potatoes and gravy and sat back against a counter as a plastic sheet lowered and separated her from the scrabbling hands of the frenzied crowd outside.

Peterson is one of several displaced Philippi residents who volunteered to give out food to the estimated 800 people who turned the Brown’s Farm Community Hall into a make-shift refugee camp after heavy rainfall at the weekend flooded their homes.

The ward councillor for the area, Bongani Mini, said the displaced residents were being urged to go back to their homes last night because there was no rainfall expected today.

“Although their houses are still wet, many of them are anxious to return home,” he said.

“Many of them are afraid that they may lose their belongings to looters.”

Mini said the community was grateful for the food and blankets that the City’s Disaster Management department had brought for them, but he wished it had come sooner.

“It was raining on Thursday, but they didn’t respond until Saturday,” he said

Although Mini said that everything at the community hall was in order, the chaos that raged seemed to suggest otherwise. As one of the volunteers left the enclosed kitchen area holding loaves of bread, she was immediately swarmed by children attempting to snatch the loaves out of her arms as she pushed towards the exit.

When she finally emerged, her arms were empty and the children around her were squabbling over the pieces they had pilfered.

Peterson said many of the older residents were working together to help look after the younger ones.

By the end of the night she was anxious to get home, despite her home still being flooded.

“The rain came in from the top and bottom and everything is wet,” she said. “But I have two children and one of them has got a lung infection now. They need me.”

Informal residents want houses and toilets – and to be moved out of ‘unfit’places

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By MATT MEDVED

The SA Communist Party held a mass meeting for disgruntled Gugulethu residents at the Lucas Mbembe Community Creche last night to air their grievances with disaster response and service deliveries.

More than 120 residents showed up at the discussion, chaired by Cape Town SACP secretary Luthando Nogcinisa and SACP street organiser Lindile Sonyoka.

“This morning we went door to door to visit people affected by this disaster and they said the City of Cape Town had not sent anyone to help,” said Sonyoka.

Disaster Management logistical officer Aboubaker Kippie said he had personally delivered food parcels to the Lotus informal settlements and was shocked by the allegations of neglect. Several residents confirmed he had brought food and blankets to them last week.

But Lotus area ward councillor Mandisa Matshoba said that while Disaster Management had not responded quickly enough to the flooding, the real issue was about housing rather than food and blankets.

She said she had spoken to Housing MEC Nomvula Mokonyane about the issue and she was coming to visit the Lotus community today.

She also conceded Disaster Management was likely understaffed because of the other flooding and that the tangled electricity lines made it very difficult for trucks to enter informal settlements to help.

And while Gugulethu residents were generally appreciative of the relief, they were also more seriously concerned with the housing problems and lack of service delivery.

“The food and blankets, they aren’t helping. We already have food,” said Z Mbarane, a woman from the Lotus informal settlement. “What we need is work. We need houses, we want toilets.”

One woman asked that Disaster Management assist the community to get rid of excess water because it was exposing their children to diseases.

Lotus resident Jackson Mkhizwane said he did not think they should have to stay in the area as it was unfit to live in.

“Why should we just sit on top of a pile of rubbish where water is easily absorbed and will rise again as soon as it rains?” he said. “This is a cheap place where people cannot live, we need to be relocated. It has been 13 years since the democratic elections. People like Chris Hani gave their lives for freedom but most people are still not really free.”

Protest about services flares up

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By MATT MEDVED

It began with a single cardboard box set alight in front of traffic on Mew Way.

The protest flared up last night as Khayelitsha residents heaped trash upon the growing fire and danced around the flames, demanding access to housing and service delivery.

“We need houses and we need them now,” said Aniso Achmat, running past a second trash pile that had just been torched by a gang of fleeing boys.

Police officers holding shotguns had to patrol the street to keep order while the flames were extinguished.

“My baby has asthma and she cannot breathe when she sleeps because of the smells coming from here,” said Kanyisa Barumame, opening a metal box on the roadside to reveal the filthy public outhouse within. “We need proper toilets before more of our children become sick.”

Virginia Glosson nodded and tightened her grip on the shoulder of one of the myriad children crowded around the road.

“We have no house and no toilets,” she said. “My children have to go out and do their business next to the cars passing by. It is not right.”

Through the tight trash-ridden corridors leading away from the chaos of the street, Elvis Monwuapisi huddled with his family next to a bonfire for warmth. He gave a doleful look at a massive puddle in the middle of the road and said his house was located on the other side.

“My house is still completely flooded, there is so much water in the room,” he said. “But I can’t even reach it to bail it out because the water is blocking the road. No one can pass through.”

Monwuapisi said he had waited for assistance from the Department of Disaster Management that never came.

“No one has come to help us,” he said. “We are on our own out here.”

Barumame pointed towards a deep pond lying in between sprawling piles of rubbish and scattered grassy patches, shaking her head.

“Ever since the rains, that water has been overflowing,” she said. “It is very dangerous and the children keep going there to play.

“Recently, people who want to rob and rape have been hanging out there too.”

Barumame also motioned to a scrap metal shack perched at the base of a rotting mountain of garbage.

“The family that stays there has a child who is only one or two months old,” she said. “The baby is sick because they live in the trash, it is not right.”

She sighed and slammed a nearby door, causing the muddy water at the base of the shack to splash up against her leg.

“Our homes are flooded, no one will help us and we do not have a council here to represent us,” she said.

“This is how we must make our voices heard.”

Storms bog down commuters across city

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By MATT MEDVED, MZOLISI WITBOOI & SANDISO PHALISO

Motorists have been forced to use alternative routes and hundreds of train commuters had to wade knee-deep through water today and yesterday after heavy storms flooded roads around the peninsula.

More than 200 residents of KwaKhikhi in Gugulethu, whose houses were also heavily waterlogged, said last night that they had been forgotten by the authorities, including their councillors.

Andile Nkwenkwana, 17, who lives on the corner of NY1 and NY65 in KwaKhikhi, said he watched hopelessly as water filled their two-roomed shack while his two older brothers were at work yesterday.

“There was nothing we could do because it was pouring hard outside. Before we knew it our shoes were soaked and the suitcases under the beds were all wet.

“We climbed on the bed waiting for the rain to stop and when it did, we realised |that the house has been surrounded with water. To our surprise our neighbours were in a similar situation,” said Nkwenkwana.

When his older brother, Sibuyiselwe Maholwana, arrived home from work, he “did not know what to do”.

“All my clothes are wet and I guess I will have to wear the same clothes tomorrow even though they are a little damp right now,” said Maholwana.

Neighbour Miriam Maliwa, who is a domestic worker in Hout Bay, said the bottoms of her cupboards were submerged in water.

“Our councillors did not even bother to visit us. All we want now is blankets and food, even though we don’t even know where we’re are going to sleep,” Maliwa said last night.

City traffic spokesman Searle Johannes said several roads were flooded during the yesterday afternoon’s peak period – with the M5 towards Ottery forced to close for |about an hour.

“There are lots of roads that were flooded but the water has subsided already. The only road that had to be closed for some time was the M5 towards Ottery. Traffic officers had to clean up drains that were clogged before the road could be used again,” said Johannes.

He said one outbound lane on De Waal Drive had been closed since Tuesday because of a mudslide.

Traffic was also backed up on De Waal, which was wet from the heavy downpours.

Duinefontein Road on the Cape Flats was overflowing with water, throwing traffic into chaos.

Sewer drains were overflowing on Paradise Road in Newlands, with water bubbling out of manholes like fountains and flooding the street. At least five waterfalls were cascading down the side of Table Mountain.

In Khayelitsha, some taxi drivers who got stuck had to use buckets to bale water from their vehicles after roads around the Nolungile train |station were in flood.

At least three taxis broke down and were abandoned by their drivers until the storms abated.

Bystanders said police arrived on the scene an hour after the roads were flooded and directed motorists away from the busy junction at Nolungile train station.

School children and people coming home from work on the trains had to cross the road carrying their shoes.

Resident Mziwakhe Makhonco, who lives near the train station, said the same thing happened last winter

“I have been standing here for the last 30 minutes and the situation does not promise to stop. I have to fetch my child from school and I am getting late. This shows that something needs to be done at this |road,” he said.

Taxi driver Monwabisi Khuntshulwa said: “I noticed the floods when I was coming to drop off some commuters at the Nolungile taxi rank.”

Capetonians opened their hearts and their wallets on CapeTalk radio today, and by noon, had raised money for around 10 500 blankets.

The provincial Department of Social Services also made a public appeal for blankets and other relief supplies.

Blood flows from Salt River mortuary

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By MATT MEDVED

Neighbours of the Salt River mortuary were yesterday horrified to discover bloodied water seeping out of the facility’s gate and flowing down the street.

An environmental health official confirmed the incident and said it was being taken up with the manager of the city mortuary.

“I’m not sanctioned by my department to discuss the incident,” he said.

“We must wait for the response from the manager of the facility.

“He was at the scene as well and is aware of the incident.”

Wayne Mitten, the manager of the mortuary, did not return several calls to his cellphone when attempts were made to contact him for comment.

A neighbour, who refused to be named, said he had lived next door to the morgue for three years and similar incidents had happened “eight or nine times” during that period.

“Today it was just shocking,” he said.

“It’s normally just a murky red colour with a horrendous stench, but today it was extremely red with a strong, pungent smell.

“It went on for ages. It was hideous and revolting.”

He said he had called the environmental health department numerous times regarding similar incidents and officials had spoken to the manager on more than one occasion.

“I overheard them talking and the manager said it happened often,” he said.

“He said their drains were blocked.

“They didn’t seem too fussed and I guarantee it will happen again.”

He said the worst incidents usually occurred during the summer months when there was a spill and the heat made the smell of the contaminated water unbearable.

“During the summer, it gets into the building and you just can’t get rid of the smell,” he said.

“I just wish it would stop, especially when I’m sitting at work all day.

“When the windows are open in the summer, it is just horrific.”

He said he hoped that |yesterday’s incident would be |the last.

“I have customers and suppliers who come to the office and they have to step over that to get to my front door,” he said.

“It’s simply barbaric.”

Cold, wet weather set to last till Monday

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By MATT MEDVED

Heavy rainfalls and gale-force winds are expected to settle in today as another cold front descends on the province.

“Weather services have told us heavy rainfalls will start late tomorrow morning,” disaster management spokesman Johan Minnie said.

The SA Weather Service warned yesterday of very cold and wet conditions as well as rough seas with huge waves.

It is expected the blustery conditions will last till Monday.

“There will be light and heavy rain, with breaks in between, but from tomorrow it will be more or less continuous until Monday,” said weather forecaster Nick Koegelenberg.

Minnie said that flooding had hit the hardest in six areas, including Wallacedene, Lotus Park, and Kosovo settlements.

Homeless People’s Crisis Committee project manager Des Ross said flooding in the southern suburbs had hit areas including Jimsebos in Philippi and Datjie in Diep River.

2 held after boy shot at N1 garage

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By MATT MEDVED

Two men were arrested early today after a five-year-old boy was shot dead in a botched hijacking at a N1 garage near Kraaifontein at the weekend.

Police spokeswoman Constable Siphokazi Mawisa said the men, aged 20 and 24, were arrested at about 3am in Kraaifontein.

Both face charges of murder and armed robbery and will appear at Kuils River Magistrate Court on Wednesday.

Meanwhile the father of the boy, Dillon Meiring, who died after being shot at the Engen 1-Stop garage on Friday, has blasted President Thabo Mbeki and the provincial leadership for giving him the cold shoulder over his plight.

Dillon was shot in the face when three men tried to steal the family’s car.

His father, April, said he had tried to meet Mbeki while the president was holding an imbizo at a new rehabilitation clinic in Kraaifontein, but had been barred from entering the premises. He said phone calls and e-mails to Premier Ebrahim Rasool and Community Safety MEC Leonard Ramatlakane were “to no avail”.

“I am just so disappointed with the administrators and people there who have been speaking about these very incidents for weeks,” said Meiring.

“I thought it would be a good opportunity to get in contact and try to draw attention because of this nightmare of an incident. But I received nothing. Not even a phone call or an acknowledgement.

“They say they work for us and want our advice, but it’s like they don’t care at all.”

Mawisa said the police investigation was still ongoing.

Anyone with information can call the Kraaifontein police on 021 980 5500 or Crime Stop on 0860 010 111.

Meiring said the family had held a vigil for Dillon in Eersteriver yesterday and were hoping to arrange a funeral in Oudtshoorn, their home town, by next weekend.

“I really just want to bury my baby so my family can start trying to move on,” said a tearful Meiring.

He said police were investigating fingerprints on the car door and a bullet shell casing in the car.

The Meiring family had arrived in Cape Town at 7pm on Friday and were planning to meet a relative who would guide them to their accommodation. They were to attend a funeral on Saturday.

April Meiring, his wife Samantha and their three children Charne, 8, Dillon and Darryl, 1, waited in their vehicle in the Engen car park for the relative to arrive.

But after three men had robbed a 67-year-old man at the garage at gunpoint, they chose the Meirings’ vehicle to make their getaway and tried to pull open the passenger door.

Meiring started the engine, but the robbers fired several shots, one of which struck Dillon in the jaw.

Because they did not know the area, Meiring frantically drove for 10km in a vain attempt to find a telephone.

But, frightened by the large amount of blood Dillon was losing and not knowing where the closest hospital was, they pulled over on the N1 roadside.

Meiring tried to get help from the passing traffic, but no one stopped, and Dillon died 30 minutes after being shot.

“We were waving our arms and trying to get attention from people,” said Meiring.

“My wife even took my son into her arms to show them that he was bleeding. But no one stopped.”

It took another half an hour for a police car travelling in the opposite direction to see the family and come to their aid.

Police drove the family to a Kraaifontein hospital where Dillon was pronounced dead.

Dillon’s death came just days after Rasool introduced an action plan to strengthen an ailing Community Safety department, placing outgoing provincial director general Gilbert Lawrence in charge.

‘We need to educate soccer fans’

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By ANDISIWE MAKINANA, ZARA NICHOLSON and MATT MEDVED

The SA Football Association in the Western Cape says the whole culture of soccer fans in South Africa needs to change before the 2010 World Cup and will embark on an education campaign to achieve this.

Although commentators said the 90 Minutes for Mandela football match on Wednesday night was a commercial success, it was not short of chaos, including a pitch invasion at the final whistle.

Spectators also complained of backlogs in the parking garages and the seating ar-rangement on the stands.

Yesterday a Safa Western Province meeting agreed that although the organisation of the match was largely successful, there was a downside.

Chairman Vernon Seymour said: “We are happy with a lot of things about that match: marketing, good attendance, sizeable number of white people at the stadium.”

But he admitted that there was still a lot to be done before the 2010 World Cup.

“We paid attention to the downside of the game as well; there were lessons learnt and we will correct them.

“For instance, the pitch invasion doesn’t happen in cricket and rugby matches, where there are also no fences around the ground.

“That shows we need to beef up security for soccer matches, but more importantly, we have to educate people that running on to the field is not right.”

Seymour said parking was another concern at Newlands and was a major factor in moving the World Cup.

“In future we will look at or-ganising public parking in areas like Kenilworth, Mowbray and even town and then have shuttles to the stadium.”

Another issue that needed to be addressed urgently was seating arrangements at Newlands.

Seymour said Safa-WP had received complaints that people had fought over seats in the stands. “We normally have a free-sitting arrangement in our PSL matches. People buy tickets with a seat number but would sit anywhere.

“So from this season we will look at enforcing the rule and have visible policing at the stadium. It is about educating people and it will be achieved,” he added.

Gavin Lewis, general manager for marketing at Newlands, reported that all things had gone well at the match, which had attracted a full house of 52 000 fans.

Lewis said that although vuvuzelas were allowed at the match at Newlands on Wednesday and at any other soccer match hosted at the stadium, they were still banned at rugby matches.

“It is for technical reasons at rugby matches where they have line-outs, scrums and lots of other calls and every player needs to hear the calls,” Lewis said.

He said no residents or resident associations were involved in making the rule.

Cape Town unites at Newlands for Madiba bash

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By MATT MEDVED and ELLA SMOOK

The “90 Minutes for Mandela” game at Newlands last night has shown that Capetonians can unite, says Cape Town mayor Helen Zille.

Describing last night’s World XI vs Africa XI match as “enjoyable, safe and a milestone in preparation for the 2010 World Cup”, Zille said today that it proved that Capetonians could fill a football stadium in spite of “little advertising and a short lead time”.

Last night’s match featured a boisterous and a near-capacity crowd, but was marred by a pitch invasion at the final whistle.

Security personnel had to scramble to protect the players and dignitaries.

Brazilian football legend Pelé, 66, did not suit up to play, but he did kick off the match and ran a lap around the field, hand-in-hand with Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o. He also led the crowd in a chant of “Say no to racism”.

The nail-biting match, which ended in a 3-3 draw between the Africa XI and World XI teams, was in honour of Nelson Mandela’s 89th birthday yesterday.

A message from Mandela was broadcast on video screens around the stadium before the kick-off.

“Part of the true beauty of the game of soccer is its power to unite people,” said Mandela.

“I remember how we used to play soccer as prisoners on Robben Island. It helped us keep hope during those dark days.”

Eto’o said the match was one of the best he had ever been selected to take part in.

“This is not the World Cup final or the Champion’s League final; it’s a match to celebrate the life of a great person,” he said.

“And I hope we can celebrate again with Mandela at the World Cup in three years.”

Fans blasted their vuvuzelas and waved signs saying, “Veels geluk liewe Madiba (Congratu-lations, dear Madiba)”.

Announcers described the crowd as “a full house” and fans wanting to buy last-minute tickets were turned away outside the stadium.

“The guys have been playing very well and it’s good to see more of the African guys being featured out there,” said fan Xolani Mfazo of Khayelitsha. “I do wish I could have seen Pelé play, though.”

Jimmy Mosamo, 27, of Fish Hoek, said he had come out to see favourites like Doctor Khumalo and Lucas Radebe play.

“The game has been great, it’s like a Champion’s League atmosphere,” said Mosamo.

“And there is a great mixture of white, coloured and black people here,” he said.

“Soccer truly can bring people together, just like Madiba says. It’s what South Africa has been missing.”

Zille thanked Fifa, the 2010 Local Organising Committee and Safa “for bringing this event and international soccer stars to Cape Town”.

“This match has vindicated their trust in Cape Town and the allocation of nine World Cup matches to Cape Town’s new Green Point stadium. We will treat this as a test-run for 2010, hold an extensive debrief to build on success and to make improvements where needed.”

Meanwhile, Sapa reports that Mandela marked his birthday by launching fellow elder statesmen on a venture to re-duce conflict and despair.

He was the host at a ceremony in Johannesburg to an-nounce the formation of a brains trust of world leaders, bringing together such people as ex-US president Jimmy Carter and former UN chief Kofi Annan, on a mission to tackle some of the world’s most pressing problems.

The Elders will be chaired by Richard Branson.

Pele wishes South Africa well in World Cup

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By MATT MEDVED

A star-studded line-up of football legends graced a Cape Town restaurant last night before tonight’s “90 Minutes for Mandela” exhibition match.

The match, which will be played at Newlands stadium, pits an all-star African XI against a World XI team in honour of Nelson Mandela’s 89th birthday.

Mandela, meanwhile, was in Johannesburg today and besides hosting a press conference on a new humanitarian anti-poverty club of “global elders” such as Kofi Annan and Jimmy Carter, he planned to spend the day with his family.

Tonight’s match features such football icons as Brazilian star Pelé, as well as Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o, Dutch great Ruud Gullit and former Spanish striker Emilio “The Vulture” Butragueno.

City 2010 officials have dubbed the match a “litmus test” of Cape Town’s capacity to support football in advance of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

“Cape Town is often not seen as a soccer city by way of filling the stands,” said Fifa vice-president Jack Warner. “However, sales for the match are now just under 30 000 seats.”

The stadium has a capacity of 51 000.

Mayor Helen Zille said the support proved Cape Town was ready to do its part in hosting the 2010 World Cup.

“We want South Africa to be among the top league of countries in the world,” Zille said at the restaurant last night. “And a response like this helps to disprove the afro-pessimists.”

In a short speech, Pelé joked that most of those present were not alive when he made his World Cup debut at age 17 in 1958.

He also wished South Africa luck with the 2010 World Cup, though his loyalties remained with his home team Brazil.

“Everybody knows football is everything to me,” said Pelé.

“Football has given me the opportunity to travel all over the world and meet different people and cultures.”

The World XI team will also include Christian Karembu of France and Andoni Zubi-zarreta of Spain.

The African XI team will include former Bafana Bafana favourites Mark Fish and Philemon “Chippa” Masinga, as well as Abedi Pelé of Ghana, Rabah Madjer of Algeria, Kalusha Bwalya of Zambia and Daniel Amokachi of Nigeria.