TJanet Myburgh of Rocklands and Jerome Mentor of Westridge read the TygerBurger during a community engagement that the newspaper’s staff had with readers in Westgate last week Novus Media staff handed out newspapers and chatted to residents on the corners of Vanguard Drive and Morgenster Avenue on Wednesday 12 November
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Three men were set alight and burnt to death in Isiqalo informal settlement over the weekend.
Provincial office spokesperson Col
Andrè Traut said police have launched a murder investigation following the discovery of the bodies of three men in the settlement in Weltevreden Road in the early evening of Saturday 15 November
“Preliminary indications suggest that the incident is linked to vigilantism,” Traut said. “The South African Police Service condemns vigilantism in the strongest possible terms. Acts of mob justice are criminal and pose a direct threat to the safety and stability of our communities. No individual or group has the authority to take the law into their own hands, regardless of the circumstances. Such actions undermine the justice system and fuel further violence ” Elton Jansen mentioned the incident in his chair’s address to the Sub-council 17 meeting on Monday
He said the victims were allegedly extortionists “I also want to condemn the senseless killings of the three individuals. I was told they allegedly went to collect protection money and as a result of that they were attacked and killed. I condemn those killings but we also must condemn bribery We also must condemn the extortionist and extortion.”
Jansen also mentioned that his office at the Strandfontein Community Hall had been broken into on Sunday “This is the second attempt at breaking in at my office,” Jansen said, adding that he had opened a case with the police He said many government facilities are being targeted. Jansen said that office had been closed and he apologised for the inconvenience
GUNSRETRIEVED
Over the weekend, police also recovered several guns and ammunition. On Saturday 15 November, law enforcement officers recovered the nine firearms including a revolver and three rounds of ammunition in Portlands A 19-year-old was arrested.
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LAUREN OCONNOR-MAY@NOVUSMEDIA CO ZA
The Lentegeur community is mourning the loss of one of its most devoted safety champions, Trevor de Kock, who passed away on 8 November at the age of 57, following a heart attack after a short illness.
Born on 1 June 1968, De Kock dedicated more than two decades of his life to community safety, becoming synonymous with neighbourhood watch efforts in Lentegeur West
ALIFEDEFINEDBYSERVICE
"Trevor never just joined a neighbourhood watch he was the neighbourhood watch," Basil Coetzee, former Lentegeur Community Police Forum (CPF) Chair, said Coetzee had worked closely with De Kock for years and was the main speaker at his memorial service at Lentegeur Police Station last week
"He had a very particular and peculiar passion, and that is community safety He was literally a moving open door to his neighbours,” Coetzee said
He said De Kock, who worked in the security industry, had a passion for police work
“Trevor would have made one hell of a police officer That was his passion It's what he silently always wanted to be He was in the security industry, and I think that's where his passion for community safety came from I remember he worked at a clothing shop, but he was supposed to sell clothes Yet whenever there was a robbery somewhere or a pickpocket, Trevor was there He was always alert,” Coetzee said
He recalled several anecdotes which painted De Kock as a suburban Rambo with a kind heart, an abrupt but generous figure who carried handcuffs and his own personal crime scene tape He would patrol the streets as soon as he got home from work
De Kock was invaluable at fresh crime scenes, Coetzee said, taking control of the area and making sure that everything was preserved for detectives
He recalled an incident when a young person was shot
“When the person was shot, as we ran to it, Trevor was already on the phone I didn't even think about it, but he had three or four phones
“A few minutes after, we sat there with the mother of the deceased, and Trevor
secured the perimeter of the crime scene I never had to ask him to do it He would have a bag with white-and-red tape He would put it out and by the time the police came, they didn't have to worry about it When the detectives came, they found untouched crime scenes That was Trevor ”
Coetzee said that De Kock was not only generous with his time during patrols but was always ready to answer when neighbours had problems
“And not necessarily a safety problem, just a people's problem Trevor would go He had a bicycle with worn tires and storage, but he would go everywhere with that bike ”
ADEVOTEDFRIENDANDFAMILYMAN
Not all Coetzee’s recollections were humorous though He recalled with emotion how good a friend De Kock had been to him
“We would go to his house and I can tell you something we would sit late at night and talk ” De Kock is survived by his wife Matilda and son Trevino De Kock also maintained a close working relationship with the police, especially the station commanders, such as the Lentegeur Police Station’s first commander, Col Elizabeth Hermanus
“Between the two of them, when you saw one, you would look for the other as if they were joined at the hip But it was because of his relationship with people, irrespective of rank, standards, or status He approached everybody in the same way ”
Coetzee said De Kock embodied the true spirit of police work
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Patrolling police officers chanced upon a gruesome and puzzling scene in the early hours of Wednesday 12 November
Lentegeur police spokesperson
Const Navon van Houten said officers investigated a grey Volkswagen Polo parked on the corner of Park Road and Hillcrest Street in Montclare at 06:00
“When the members inspected the vehicle they saw occupants inside without any signs of life,” he said
Officers called for an ambulance and paramedics declared the three occupants, two men and a woman, dead on arrival
The victims had multiple gunshot wounds, but no casings were found on the scene, Van Houten said Residents, however, reported hearing shots when police questioned them
Van Houten said police suspect the victims were shot elsewhere and then driven to that spot and abandoned there
Lentegeur Community Policing Forum (CPF) chair Michael Jacobs said: “We call on the South African Police Service and the relevant authorities to look thoroughly at the circumstances surrounding the three ending up being found dead in a car ”
murders had occurred elsewhere
“We as a community cannot allow gun violence to continue unabated in our communities,” he said, also calling for “constant roadblocks” and stop-andsearches
Van Houten added that police do not think the shootings are gang-related
The police’s provincial media centre issued a statement saying that an intensive investigation has been launched, but claimed that the shooting was suspected to be gang-related
Provincial Commissioner of the Western Cape Lt Gen (Adv) Thembisile Patekile, in a statement, expressed strong condemnation of the senseless act of violence and reiterated the police's unwavering commitment to dismantling gangs and rooting those who continue to terrorise communities out
“Gangsterism has no place in our society," he said "The South African Police Service will continue to exert pressure on these criminal networks until every individual involved in violent crimes is brought to justice ”
The public is urged to assist police by sharing any information that could aid the investigation Information can be shared anonymously via Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or through the MySAPS mobile application igting.
He confirmed police’s suspicion that the
Mitchell’s Plain art therapist Mark Jenecker was awarded an Influential Men award earlier this month Jenecker was among 100 men and women who were awarded for“making a substantial difference in our country and being exemplary representative of South Africa”,a press statement said The awards ceremony was held on Saturday 8 November at the Grand West Casino.Thirty men,35 women and 20 top singers were honoured from a vote of 110 000
The three categories in the Influential Awards are Influential Women Awards,Influential Men Awards and Artes Awards 2025.Nominations are open for 2026 Call or message Pinky Mothie on 081 268 4067 for details
LAUREN OCONNOR-MAY@NOVUSMEDIA CO ZA
For 40 years, Imperial Primary
School has thrived and lived up to its motto “school of excellence” despite sitting on the border of two known gang territories.
The secret, according to the school’s long-serving teachers, lies not in resources or location, but in dedication and a shared belief that every child deserves excellence, regardless of their circumstances
And most importantly: faith
“Imperial always acknowledges God first When we have assemblies, we pray first, the Muslims and the Christians, and even when we have a staff briefing in the mornings, each teacher gets a chance to give a motivational speech or devotion,”
said Beverley Riley, a teacher at the school who has been there for 26 years
Riley began her career as a Grade R teacher with no primary school experience or qualifications
She had been recruited from a nearby crèche by former principal Colin Baron, who was the school’s longest-serving principal with 37 years at the school
Baron recognised her potential
“He saw potential and he put me in Grade R And then after that, he asked me if I could take up the challenge to teach Grade 1 And I said, ‘yes, sir' I knew nothing about Grade 1, but I took up the challenge And from there on, he motivated me to go and study ”
Riley would later go on to win the education department’s teacher of the year award in 1990 She now teaches Grade 3 at the school
Baron’s quiet nurturing of potential became part of his legacy Acting principal
phenomenal, really, because we can always depend on our parents,” she said This bond persists despite the challenges of many learners going home to fractured households, absent parents and needing to navigate gang territories
The Grade 6 teacher, who started at the school when she was “very young” in 1987, declares that she would not trade her experience at Imperial for anything
The newest long-serving member of the school, Norman, also joined the school as a novice teacher, with only three months of substitute teaching under his belt, but never left “I came as a substitute teacher in 1994 for someone that was off sick for a month,” he said “And 31 years later, I am still here ”
Norman attributes much of the school’s success to Baron’s leadership approach
“I think a lot of the success of the school was built on the vision of the principal, Mr Baron, and his ability to tap into the strengths of the teachers So this school has been built on the shoulders of the teachers ”
The achievements that Norman refers to include the school’s consistent sporting and academic success Avontuur adds that elite high schools all over the city come every year to Imperial to recruit Grade 7s
The high number of pupils that have gone on to become doctors, scientists and elite sportspeople has also made the school “in demand”, Avontuur says
This popularity results in hundreds of Grade R applications being rejected due to applicants not having siblings at the school or being out of its feeder areas
Groep, a Grade 5 teacher who started at the school in 1989, exemplifies this dedication “I was 21 when I started and now I am in my 60th year,” she said Curiously, several of the youngest teachers to join the school are former pupils, proving the school is an attractive place to be
This year, Imperial Primary, which is situated in Beacon Valley, celebrates its 40th anniversary
Dit was nooit my droom om ‘n joernalis te word nie Hoewel lees en skryf altyd deel van ons familie-gene was, het ek dit nooit oorweeg om ‘n nuusskrywer te word nie In ons huis was koerante en tydskrifte lees verpligtend, maar dit was nie ‘n beroepskeuse nie My mense was mynwerkers Ek onthou hoe my pa elke Sondag die Rapport se verskillende afdelings aan ons uitgedeel het My een broer lees eers die sport, ek die tydskrif, my pa die sake en my ander broer die Kaap Rapport ens As jy klaar is dan gee jy maar aan Een van ons vriende, Romeo, het nie gehou van lees nie Hy het Sondae gesit en televisie kyk terwyl ons lees Wanneer ons klaar is, het hy altyd gevra: “Wat sê die papers?”
Nou dwaal ek af, want ek wou eintlik praat oor hoe ek nie eintlik ‘n joernalis wou word nie Ek wou ‘n skrywer word, want dit was die ding wat die maklikste vir my gekom het Maar ek wou nie nuus skryf nie Ek wou stories vertel met helde in en gelukkige eindes en mooi meisies Stories waarin net die bad guys seerkry en kinders kan speel sonder die vrees om seergemaak te word Waar mense in vrede saam lewe
Toe beland ek in die joernalistiek Omdat ek van ‘n klein dorpie af kom, was ek baie beskerm teen die wreedheid van die lewe Toe ek vir koerante begin werk het ek, ‘n arme protestante laaitie, besef boosheid is oral rondom ons En dit is so algemeen dat sommige koerante nie eens meer daaroor wil skryf nie
DIEJOERNALISTIEKHETMYSO BAIEDIEAFGELOPE24JAAR GELEER,MAAREENVANEEN VANDIEGROOTSTELESSEIS DATEKBITTERMINMENSE MOETVERTROU.ENDAARIN LÊMYPROBLEEM.
Ek kan nie eens meer onthou hoeveel stories ek al oor moorde en verkragtings geskryf het nie Daar is maklik niks waaroor ek nog nie berig het nie, maar steeds voel ek iets gaan binne-in my dood as ek hoor van ‘n kind wat leed aangedoen is Dan wonder ek hoe boos moet jy wees om ‘n weerlose kind skade aan te doen?
Deesdae as ek ‘n man en ‘n jong kind saam sien, kyk ek na die kleinste detail Watter kleur klere het hulle aan Hoe lyk die man? Hoe stap hy? Het die kind kenmerke waaraan sy uitgeken kan word? Ek doen al hierdie dinge omdat my kop vir my sê dat ek binnekort oor hierdie kind moet skryf
Die joernalistiek het my so baie die afgelope 24 jaar geleer, maar een van die grootste lesse is dat ek bitter min mense moet vertrou En daarin lê my probleem Ek wil nie so wees nie, want ek hou baie van mense My vrou sê altyd sy weet wanneer ek lanklaas ander mense gesien het, want ek begin kriewelrig raak Maar my vertroue in die mensdom is geskaad Ek kry onlangs ‘n oproep van iemand wat my liederlik uittrap en sê joernaliste is die skuim van die aarde Hy was nie tevrede met iets wat ek geskryf het nie Nadat hy al sy woede uitgeskel het, vra ek hom: “Hou jy van mense?”
Hy aarsel aan die ander kant van die lyn en sê: “Ek hou baie van mense, maar joernaliste is mos nie mense nie ” Ons albei raak toe vir ‘n oomblik stil en ek bars uit van die lag Die volgende oomblik toe lag die oom ook En toe lag ons saam Toe besef ek, ek like nogal my job - BRENDEN RUITER
