UD Express - E-Edition - 13 November 2025

AccusedinVeroniquemurdershowslittleremorseincourt

SHANTI JAFTA

THE suspect accused of the brutal murder of Veronique May (8), a girl whose body was discovered on 6 October in KwaLanga in Kariega, briefly appeared on Monday, 10 November, at the Uitenhage Magistrate’s Court with a smirk on his face as he entered the dock

The appearance was an emotional one for the mother, Destiny May, as she was crying during the proceedings after seeing the accused, Lelethu Nkosana (27), who was known to her prior to the incident

Arrested in the Kamesh precinct on 6 October, the suspect faces charges of kidnapping, rape, and murder of a minor

The charge sheet states that there are a few things outstanding in the investigation, such as the DNA sample, fingerprints, and witness statements

According to SAPS spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse Van Rensburg, preliminary information indicates that the young victim was reported missing by her family on Sunday, 5 October, at SAPS Kamesh after 17:00

“A search was immediately launched by the police,” she said “Information was obtained regarding whom Veronique May (8) was last seen with on Sunday evening SAPS Kamesh found the man and, for his own safety, he was removed from the community to the police station ”

Speaking to UD Express, Veronique’s grandfather, Raginald Malgas, said she was like his own child “She was our little sunshine,” he said “She was very intelligent and energetic When you asked her to go to the shop, she would always run She even told me that she wanted to be the first one at school the next day She always had that mindset of being first at everything ” Malgas added that they would miss Veronique as this incident had ripped his family apart “Our hearts as a family have been broken by this We always see this happen to other people, but we never thought it could ever happen to us ”

The father, Bulelani Khumazi, shared, “We know the perpetrator; he lives in our neighbourhood and

took advantage of our little girl His little sister and my daughter were friends She trusted him ” Thankful for the eight years he spent with Veronique, Malgas said that he does not want Veronique to be remembered as a victim “I want her memory to live on, which is why I plan to warn other children and families about this In our case, it was someone known to us who did this I want to warn other learners and families to be vigilant by going to schools to have talks with them about being aware of perpetrators like these, so that no family goes through what we went through ” The matter was postponed to 22 January 2026 for further investigation, with Nkosana to be held in custody

GiftoftheGiversstuurwatertrokkenaDespatchweensernstigewaterkrisis

ELLEN HANCKE

WATERTROKKE is gister vanaf

Adelaide deur Gift of the Givers na Despatch gestuur nadat duisende mense in die omgewing al dae lank sonder water is.

Verskeie skole en ’n jeugsentrum moes gesluit word omdat toilette en waskamers nie gebruik kan word nie. Volgens die DA-raadslid vir wyk 52, Frans Swanepoel, is dit veral die inwoners van Wyk 41 in Daleview, Reservoir Hills en Khayamnandi waar baie van de skole se kinders woon.

Swanepoel het Dinsdag gesê “al ons smeekoproepe het op dowe ore geval en ons moes krisisbestuur toepas.” Volgens Swanepoel word duisende mense deur hierdie krisis geraak. “Ons kry ’n beperkte voorraad water met enkele watertrokke

van die Nelson Mandelabaai Metro af. Daar is egter geen noodplan in plek en ook nie genoeg watertrokke nie. Dit is hartverskeurend om te sien hoedat klein kindertjies en bejaardes met 5-liter kanne sukkel tot waar hul huise is.”

Volgens Swanepoel is tenke in die dorp is lankal leeg en mense moet nou drinkwater aankoop om te oorleef Mense kan ook nie bad en klere was nie en moet met duur water hul toilette spoel en kos maak. Water kos nou al R18 vir 5 liter en die inwoners kan dit net nie meer bekostig om water aan te koop nie.

Een van die moedelose inwoners van Despatch, Karin Nel, het ten einde raad die hulp van Gift of the Givers ingeroep Volgens Swanepoel het die organisasie onderneem om vanuit Adelaide na Despatch te

kom met watertrokke. “Die krisis het 11 dae gelede al ontstaan. Die Nelson Mandelabaai Metro het nie raad met die waterkrisis nie. Ook Joe Slovo-woonbuurt op pad na Gqeberha, is al meer as ’n week sonder water.”

Water word vanuit die Gariepdam met kanale na opvangsdamme by Addo gelei Hierdie damme is vol. Die water gaan vandaar na suiweringswerke en na die pompstasies by Nooitgedacht. Vandaar word dit na Chatty Reservoir gepomp Hierdie reservoir moet egter 40 persent vol wees, voordat dit na Reservoir Hills gelei moet word Omdat die reservoirtorings by Despatch baie hoog geleë is, word die nodige druk nie opgebou nie en kan daar nie water na die Endstraat-opgaartoring en die twee ander reservoirs naby die krema-

torium herlei word nie Aanvanklik was net die hoogliggende areas op Despatch sonder water. Dit het egter nou al uitgebrei na verskeie ander woonbuurte soos Campherpark en Manor Heights

“Ons kinders en ons bejaardes kry swaar. Die Metro steur hulle nie aan ons noodroepe nie Hulle het nie kontrakte in plek om water na ons te stuur nie Die enkele kere wat daar wel ’n trok kom, stop dit in die middedorp by die polisiestasie en moet mense kilometers ver per voet aflê met waterkanne.”

“Ek het vier diensgroepe van nagenoeg ’n duisend lede elk. Ons is paraat, maar die krisis is nou by omkeerpunt verby,” aldus Swanepoel. “Ons het ’n taakmag met verskeie loodgieters en vrywilligers ingespan om die kleppe na te gaan. Sonder die Metro se hulp kan ons

egter nie hierdie krisis afweer nie ” Op Sondag, 9 November het NMBM op sosiale media gesê dat daar steeds wateronderbrekings in dele van Despatch en Joe Slovo ondervind word.

“Deur foutopsporing wat ter plaatse gedoen word, het die spanne daarin geslaag om water in die Endstraat-opgaartoring aan te vul en die water vul sterk op Ons het gesien dat die meeste gebiede oornag met kraanwater herstel is,” het die verklaring gelui. NMBM het verder Sondag gesê dat water in Reservoir Hills en dele van van Khayamnandi herstel is “Watertrokke word egter steeds ontplooi om met herstel te help. Ons vra om verskoning vir die ongerief en bedank inwoners vir hulle geduld terwyl ons probeer om hierdie saak op te los.”

R89millionbridgeprojectrestorestransportlinks

SHANTI JAFTA

AFTER 17 months of KwaNobuhle road users having to use makeshift roads, the Matanzima Bridge and Nomakhwezana Bridge, both located at the entrance of KwaNobuhle in Kariega, have been reopened by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe on Friday, 7 November 2025, making them safe for road users to use with 90% of the overall work done, with minor touch-ups being done underneath the bridges

The bridges were closed after the June 2024 flash floods that saw the rain washed away part of the bridges, leaving a gap on the road

The area was deemed a disaster zone, and after long delays caused by procurement challenges, a contractor was finally appointed to repair the bridges

The closure of the bridges threatened livelihoods and the daily commute of residents, as those working outside of KwaNobuhle had to endure longer periods in traffic as all commuters made use of the Nomakhwezana Road, which was always congested, often making commuters late

The Uitenhage & District Taxi Association (UDTA) took a major hit from the closure of the bridges Speaking to UD Express, the UDTA spokesperson Lubabalo Vesele said, “Taxis had to use one congested road, often making their passengers late The unmaintained Ndlambe Road connected to Nomakhwezana Road was riddled with potholes, often taking up half the road, tearing through taxi tyres, causing dings to the taxis as well as other maintenance issues The opening was also welcomed by the Association ”

He also touched on the potential vandalism of the bridges “The fixing of the bridges was a collective effort of the relevant stakeholders, the Association and the community Anyone trying to steal cables will be undoing the work we fought for and will therefore be seen as a threat to the partnership we have built to

make this opening a reality Perpetrators will be dealt with accordingly ”

According to the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Executive Mayor, the municipality is thrilled about the reopening of both the bridges

When asked about completing the works in time, Lobishe said, “We might have started the work on these bridges owing to the disaster, but the work was necessary It made us aware of the necessary maintenance that needs to be done to the bridges Thorough technical work has been done to the bridges to sustain them for the next 50 years to come ”

She added, “The gabion baskets under the bridges are in place to prevent a collapse of the wall along the riverbanks The remaining 10% of work to be done is clean up ”

Lobishe added that the bridges can now accommodate all motor vehicles, trucks included “Residents will now have access to the healthcare facility that is in front of the bridges, namely the Laetitia Bam Community Health Centre ”

Although the municipality was criticised by KwaNobuhle residents for the delays in fixing the bridges, with official work only starting 11 months after the collapse, Lobishe welcomed the criticism

“Some people criticise to nudge us towards perfection We are happy that they managed to put us in the spotlight in the bad times so that today, we can be in the spotlight for something positive for the community,” she said “Working under immense pressure, not only did main contractors benefit from this project; even 38 local SMMEs benefited from this with the creation of 200 jobs We have built social cohesion through the stakeholders that have participated in the project ”

Sharing the figures for fixing the bridges, Lobishe shared that the total amount spent by the municipality to fix these two bridges was R89 million "We have an additional R59 million of infrastructure funds that will be used to fix the affected parts of the city,” she said

“We have not managed to help homes that were affected by the floods because the housing mandate is not the municipality’s and we have not yet been able to sit down with the relevant department There are multiple factors contributing to our slow pace in addressing affected families ”

She concluded with a message to the community, “We thank residents for their patience and ask for them not to burn tyres on the bridges ” Also addressing vandalism to infrastructure, she said, “The cables of these bridges are more protected than ever Anyone who attempts to steal cables from the bridges would be risking their lives ”

Residents witnessing vandalism to public infrastructure are urged to report it by calling Crime Stop on 08600 10111

LikuweisDuxlearner2025

Primary School’s Dux

for 2025 is Likuwe

She was awarded many prizes as well as this prestigious title at the prize-giving held on 6 November. She is a deserving winner as she has excelled in all areas and is a true ambassador for

UitenhageGolfClubnews

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