The Rep 22 October 2021

6 Tel: (045) 839-4040 / editorial: mjekulal@therep.co.za / advertising: charodinev@therep.co.za 22 October 2021 THE R E P R ES E N TAT I V E
FACE 2 FACE with /
MSINDISI NGQEME
DJ and producer
QWhat kind of work do you
do?
AI am a self-employed deejay
and song producer for Mag
Tee Msakazo and Msira
production.
What do you enjoy about your
wo r k ?
I enjoy travelling because we get
bookings around the province,
to see beautiful places, meet
new people.
What are three things you
cannot live without?
God, my phone and my laptop.
What advice would you give to
the youth who aspire to be like
yo u ?
Follow your dreams and do not
sleep on them. All is possible
through hard work and
determination.
What fuels your motivation?
It is waking up every day with
a chance to rectify my
mistakes and improve myself
and my dreams.
What is your favourite holiday
destination?
Johannesburg. Soweto is very
a beautiful place. Musically it
is rich and its people are
f r i e n d l y.
Who is your role model?
My role model is Cairo Cpt.
What book are you reading?
I read sport magazines.
Are you going to vote in the
local government elections?
Yes I will vote. It is important
because it is an opportunity
for us to elect parties of our
choice to deliver change.
Rural safety is paramount
On Wednesday night
I happened to tune
in to etv Channel
194 and ended up
watching Checkpoint.
The issue that was covered
were the killings of 11 elderly
people by an unknown person
or persons in a very short
period of time at Ezingqolweni,
near Lady Frere.
Apparently the gruesome
killings occurred over a period
of about six months and have
left the community not only
traumatised but constantly
afraid for their own safety.
Villages, by their very
nature, have households that
are situated far from one
a n o t h e r.
They are arranged in such a
way that individual household
safety becomes difficult to
maintain as many households
these days are no longer the
full and bustling ones they
once were just two decades
ago.
Many younger people have
gone to urban areas for various
reasons and leave the elderly
all by themselves or living with
small children who really are
GETTING HITCHED
IN TOUCH
Phumelele P Hlati
just there to offer
companionship and no help,
security wise.
This village and so many
like it are therefore at the
mercy of any person or persons
with evil intent.
What has happened,
however, to this village is very
much out of the ordinary - to
have 11 elderly people
butchered in the same way in
an obscure village should have
triggered all the SAPS protocols
so that the killer or killers were
caught as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, since 2019,
no definite breakthrough has
occurred in this case.
In their response the police
said they were still waiting for
forensic results from the items
they collected at the scenes.
A SAPS spokesperson wa s
non-committal about anything,
but was insistent that the police
did not believe the killings
were the work of a serial killer
because they “did not want to
scare the community”.
So where does this leave
the community of
Ezingqolweni and many others
like them caught in the grip of
crime and with nowhere to
run.
The people told the reporter
they no longer felt safe in their
own homes, they ate supper by
6pm and then left their houses
to sleep in a group in one
house.
If you know anything about
the elderly and their love of
their own space, you would
see that this is a major
disruption.
To give up sleeping on your
own bed and in your own
house, to give up living freely
in your own household is a
huge psychological problem.
People associate rural areas
with peace and tranquility but
these days it is anything but.
They are now dens of drug
users, rapes and other serious
crimes - a far cry from what
they were a mere two decades
ago.
The social fabric of many of
these villages has broken down
so much that many people
would rather live in cramped
spaces in the urban areas than
risk harm in the villages.
Judging from the response
of the SAPS spokesperson, the
police seem to be no closer to
solving these killings.
He seemed defensive and
offered no concrete steps to be
taken to solve the safety
problem in that village or any
village for that matter, in a
similar predicament.
Unfortunately, this is the life
in the rural areas.
The government
department must come to the
party and start crafting
solutions to these problems
before rural areas become
ghost villages.
With local government
elections coming up, these
things should be prioritised and
given attention.
TIED THE KNOT:
Bride Odette du
Plessis and groom
Kerwin Poovan got
married at Queens
Casino in Komani
earlier this month
Picture: CLAYTON
SMITH
KOMANI WEATHER
The prevailing variable weather
will continue over the weekend
and into the week ahead, so it
seems our traditional spring is
yet to make an appearance.
On Friday the temperatures
will range between 13 and
25°C. It will be partly cloudy
and there is a 50% chance of
scattered showers. The wind will
be fairly strong.
It will be partly cloudy again
on Saturday, but it seems there
are no prospects of moisture.
The minimum temperature will
be just 9°C, but the maximum
will go up to 26°C. The wind
will gust fairly strongly at times.
On Sunday temperatures will
be down, starting at just 8°, with
the maximum only reaching
17°C. Humidity will be high,
and there will be a gentle breeze
with just a slight chance of a
little precipitation. -
w w w. a c c u w e a t h e r. c oz a
SOCIETY SNIPPETS
From birthdays to anniversaries to achievements to notices ...
Share your information with us:
mjekulal@arena.africa or fax (045) 839-4059
YO U R VOICE opinions on the street
What do you think about…
H a p py birthday wishes to Tegan
Barraud (October 22), John
Phillips and Pauline Roberts
(October 23), Gail Hartley
(October 24), Vukile Mkile
(October 25), Ntombi Bunu
(October 26), Helena Wagener
and Nelia Moss (October 28),
Anezwa Mduzana (October 29),
Rowan Knight, Cameron Drake
and Di-Venuto Jekels
(November 1), Christine
Maclean and Kirsty Watson
(November 3), Julie de Bruyn
(November 5).
Special wishes to Maphelo May
who celebrated his 60th
birthday on October 15.
Ke i t h Pugh suffered a nasty
health setback recently and was
taken to hospital in East London.
We wish him a speedy and
complete recovery.
Q u e e n s t ow n featured
prominently on the TV
programme Carte Blanche last
Sunday evening, keeping many
viewers glued to their screens.
Unfortunately the content was
not very complimentary and did
not reflect well on our town, but
the facts are there for all to see
and we sincerely hope for better
coverage next time.
Condolences to the families and
friends of Nomazwe
Qamngwana Mabheka, Lizo
Msebenzi, Fanie van Straten,
Kenny Adams, Mieta Baleni,
Mieta Davids, Zoliswa Gcuwa,
Akhona Mena, Noxolo Mjikwa,
Sipho Nokepeyi, Ronald
Ngebiyana, Nosisi Stuurman,
Wendy Tromp, Xola Ngqula,
Nozibel Kakaza, Dambile
Swartbooi and Nodayixele
Nzuzo.
ANGA
DYONASE
The department of
health has announced
that children aged
between 12 and 17 can
now receive Covid-19
vaccinations, and there
will be no need for
parents’ a p p r ova l
according to the
Children’s Act. The Rep
intern Mbalentle Stofu
asked residents of
Komani what their
concerns were about
the decision.
Anga Dyonase
S I YA B U L E L A
MBEKANA
of Newvale
This does not sound
good at all. Parents
know what is best for
their children,
especially those under
age. It is so unfair
because I am sure those
children do not even
know their underlying
health issues.
Siyabulela Mbekana
of Bede
The government is not
considerate of children.
There are those who are
BENNITO
NINGIZA
born with chronic
illnesses and are not
aware of them and how
they may react to the
injection. People with
chronic disease do not
respond well to the
vaccine, some even
die.
Bennito Ningiza
of Mlungisi
Our children are under
our authority. There are
things they do not know
that we do, for instance
there are frequently
NOLUTHANDO
T U N G WA N A
asked questions they
might answer wrongly.
They are still under age
and it is our duty as their
parents to protect them.
Noluthando Tungwana
of Mlungisi
We are worried about
our children, but I do
think it is a good
decision. They attend
school daily and are at
risk of contracting the
virus from teachers and
people they come into
contact with. The
L I YA N A
MBEKI
vaccine is there to
protect and combat the
spread of the disease.
Liyana Mbeki
of Mlungisi
The government is
violating the rights of
children. What do
minors know about
taking a decision all by
themselves? My worry is
that they react, get sick
and eventually die and
we will not know what
happened. This is what
it will come to.