The Herald can confirm that what is believed to be the body of a white teacher, Jayde Panayiotou was found on Wednesday morning.
Panayiotou disappeared without a trace from outside her Port Elizabeth home just minutes after talking to a close friend at about 6.30am on Tuesday.
A massive search for her continued throughout the night and on Wednesday morning.
Panayiotou‚ a Grade 7 teacher at Riebeek College Girls’ High School in Uitenhage‚ was last seen at the gates to her residential complex‚ Stellen Glen‚ in Deacon Road by one of the residents.
She was just minutes away from being picked up by her close friend and colleague at Riebeek‚ Cherise Swanepoel‚ with whom she carpooled.
Police called in additional manpower on Tuesday night‚ including members of the dog unit‚ to help with the search‚ which was concentrated on bushy areas between Port Elizabeth and the black area of KwaNnobuhle.
A police helicopter was also dispatched to help the search as new leads came in.
Money was withdrawn from her bank account about one and a half hours after she went missing.
‘There is a lack of understanding from the residents on how best to use a vacant school’
Wholesale vandalism has seen an entire abandoned Port Elizabeth school simply vanish into thin air – stripped of everything but its concrete floor and support beams in under two months.
Using wheelbarrows, cars, vans and even their heads to transport items, Govan Mbeki township residents have reduced the school near Bethelsdorp to a shell to prevent people from other areas taking what they say belongs to them.
Gqebera High School, which cost R40-million to build, went from eight buildings to only support beams, with residents carrying off bricks and tiles bit by bit to add to their own homes or sell.
How the school looked just 2 months ago, paid for by the South African taxpayers (who are mostly white)What the school looked like after some “affirmative shopping”, stripped bare of all building materials
And although it is one of six in the city which have been left abandoned, the provincial Education Department says it is only aware of three such vacant schools.
The school was closed down earlier this year after pupils were relocated to the Tyilulwazi Secondary School.
The other schools standing vacant are Khumbulani High in Sydenham, DDT Jabavu in Motherwell, Masangwana Primary in New Brighton, KwaNobuhle’s Mlungisi Perfector and VW Kwinana in Khayelitsha.
The looting of Gqebera High has angered many residents, with some saying they had fought to keep the school open, only to see it reduced to nothing in a matter of weeks.
A 22-year-old former pupil, who only identified himself as Sbonda, said they had marched a number of times to try to save the school before it was closed.
“It’s painful seeing it reduced to this,” he said.
“Over the years, some of the teachers even put their own money into the school to keep it running and we even had to sleep in the school computer labs while it was open to prevent break-ins.
“We understood that there were only a few pupils but that was not the point.
“I tried to prevent people from taking away the pieces of the school, but you can’t stand alone in front of a thousand people because you will be putting your life in danger,” he said.
Kholisile Bobi, 49, said it was frustrating to see people looting the school, even though there was almost nothing left to steal anymore.
“My child went to that school so it is heartbreaking to see this.
“After the school closed down, we saw people from Veeplaas stripping it down.
“We would hear sounds and see people busy in the middle of the night while we slept. So residents got frustrated and also started stripping the school.”
Fezekile Grootboom, 42, said people started stealing computers before the school closed down.
“The community contributed greatly to the vandalism.
“People would just wake up on a random day and decide they needed bricks for projects and go get them.
“Even my next door neighbours’ new paving is made from those materials.”
While some of the residents have built or added on to their properties with the material, others are selling it to make a quick buck.
Prense Hando, 20, and Thandolwethu Mangesi, 18, said they had made more than R5000 just selling cables and door frames in the past few weeks.
“We take the material and sell it to people from KwaDwesi extension, Zwide, Veeplaas and Uitenhage,” they said.
Political party leaders have slammed the Education Department for “running the school into the ground”.
The department, however, said it had been in the process of deregistering the school from its assets and handing it over to the Public Works Department.
DA shadow MEC for education Edmund van Vuuren said he was not surprised that the vacant schools were being stripped down. “The department ran the Gqebera School into the ground. But I am not surprised because it is notorious for bad planning.
“There are good people in the department, but the majority are not good enough to manage and make sure that things are going well.”
ANC regional secretary Zandisile Qupe said it was unfortunate that residents had stripped the school instead of using it for other purposes. “There is a lack of understanding from the residents on how best to use a vacant school.”
UDM provincial leader Mongameli Bobani said the fact that vacant schools were often reduced to ruins showed that the department was not serious about education.
“It is a waste of taxpayers’ money for the government not to care about the buildings,” he said.
Education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said the department was only aware of three vacant school buildings in Port Elizabeth. “We are aware of Gqebera, Khumbulani and DDT Jabavu that are vacant.”
He said before a school was vacated, there was always consultation with the community.
“There are two ways a building goes vacant,” Mtima said.
“Firstly, rationalisation – where schools merge with other schools or when the structure is no longer safe to accommodate pupils.
“Secondly, urbanisation or relocation of the community.
“The entire process of deregistering a building includes public hearings with the community.”
“We ask them if they are in dire need of the building and if not, we hand it over to Public Works. “The community makes submissions and we then choose the best application.”
Mtima said the department was in the process of deregistering Gqebera and handing it over to Public Works.
“The process is … in the final stages,” he said.
Public Works regional director Johan van Dyk said Gqebera High had not officially been handed over to the department.
“Therefore there’s basically nothing we can do.
“We recently reported an issue to the police where 30 people broke down and stole roof tiles from Gqebera High School.
“In cases like these, police just shrug their shoulders, knowing that the culprits would get arrested today and do the same thing tomorrow,” he said.
Police spokesman Dumile Gwavu said three people had been arrested and later released for possession of stolen property from Gqebera last month, when one truck and two bakkies filled with building materials were confiscated.
“When the school stood vacant for the entire year, residents saw an opportunity to steal the school building materials and as soon as they see police, they leave the premises and return again later.”
While buildings such as Masangwana, Gqebera and Khumbulani are completely destroyed, others are either used for soup kitchens, Love Life gatherings or occupied by the homeless.
Mzamo Qashani, 32, who lives in front of Masangwana Primary, said people in the area had started making off with building material as soon as they heard it had been shut down for good. – Nomazima Nkosi, Yonela Mgwali and Chanice Koopman of the PE Herald
Black residents have forced the closure of a museum honouring anti-apartheid heroes, accusing the authorities of building “a house for dead people” while they live in squalor.
Once a tourist magnet, The Red Location Museum in New Brighton outside the southern city of Port Elizabeth houses hundreds of “memory boxes” containing the life stories of anti-apartheid activists, including former president Nelson Mandela.
The modernity of the R22m building, which won several international architectural awards, stands in total contrast to the plastic and corrugated iron structures which serve as houses for the neighbouring community.
The museum closed nine months ago in the face of threats by residents to assault visitors and efforts to reopen it have been met with violent protests.
Its website says only that it “is closed due to community protests”, in what is one of the oldest townships of Port Elizabeth.
The building has now been stripped by people helping themselves to electrical wiring, water pipes, power sockets, fencing and wooden fittings for their shacks.
Some security guards hired to patrol the perimeter of the building – which was also used as a research facility by historians – have abandoned their posts in fear for their lives.
“The conditions are getting worse. The fencing has been cut in several places and there is no lighting,” said one guard.
“Even the covers of the drains outside have been pilfered. It is dangerous, you don’t know when you will be attacked,” he said.
“The building used to be very busy and we used to mingle with international tourists here but now it’s a ghost.”
Chris du Preez, the museum’s acting assistant director, says no artefacts or documents were stolen or damaged during the looting.
The museum won the 2006 Lubetkin Prize awarded by the Royal Institute of British Architects as the best new building outside the EU.
Several Somali-owned shops re-opened for business on Thursday as a wave of looting and xenophobic violence in South Africa’s coastal city of Port Elizabeth was brought under control.
More than 150 small grocery shops were looted in four days of violence which was sparked by the killing of a 19-year-old South African boy by a Somali shop owner after an argument over cellphone airtime on Sunday.
“No incidents of looting have been reported since last night (Wednesday),” police spokeswoman Brigadier Marinda Mills said.
She added that “police will continue to maintain a high presence” in a number of affected areas.
Police arrested 111 people in connection with the pillaging. The man accused of killing the South African teenager was arrested but later released due to lack of evidence.
Violence spread to several townships in the eastern coastal town.
“Engagements with representatives of the foreign nationals, the community and other stakeholders will continue to make sure peace and calm returns to the area,” said Mills.
But some Somalis said they were still nervous.
“I am still nervous but the police have promised us protection, and some members of the community are supporting us and that is why I am back,” Aran Adbikarin.
Amid widespread poverty and unemployment, frustration in South Africa’s run-down neighbourhoods often boils over into anti-immigrant violence.
An explosion of deadly attacks in 2008 killed more than 60 people and displaced thousands into refugee-style camps.
Locals often accuse foreigners from other African countries of stealing their jobs and women.
Foreign-owned shops are also accused of uncompetitive business, selling their wares at lower prices than their South African counterparts.
South Africa plays host to millions of asylum seekers and refugees from across the continent. – AFP
The police must stop the violence between South Africans and Somalians living in Port Elizabeth, the ANC in the Eastern Cape said on Monday.
“Any type of violence, including looting of shops owned by Somali nationals is illegal, wrong and has no place in South Africa,” African National Congress provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane said in a statement.
“The SA Police Service members are the first and last line of defence for our communities, and we call on them to use the law and public order policing techniques to stop this wave of violence.”
Eastern Cape police said seven men had been arrested at the weekend for looting and burning Somali-owned shops in Port Elizabeth.
At least 10 shops in KwaZakhele and New Brighton were attacked.
Brigadier Miranda Mills said two shops were looted and burnt in Ntintili street, and a car parked outside was set alight.
Several other shops were targeted on Sunday following the arrest of a Somali man accused of shooting dead a man outside a shop on Saturday evening.
Police had since moved some foreigners out of the area.
Mabuyane said the ANC in the province was calling on residents in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro to refrain from taking the law into their own hands.
“Somali nationals must also stop using violence to resolve challenges they face but must put their trust in the police to deal with any challenge.
“Violence will not help us deal with any situation but will make matters worse for our people,” he said. – Sapa
Several shops belonging to Somali nationals in KwaZakhele and New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, were looted and burnt at the weekend, Eastern Cape police said.
Brigadier Marinda Mills said at least ten shops were attacked.
“Two shops at Ntintili Street were looted and burnt and the vehicle which was parked outside the shop was set alight,” said Mills.
Several other shops were targeted on Sunday. Ten shops were left bare by looting gangs.
Police had since moved some foreign nationals out of the area.
The attacks followed the arrest of a Somali man after he allegedly shot and killed a man outside a shop on Saturday evening.
“According to a witness there was an argument between the suspect and the victim. The [police] arrested the suspect and the firearm used… was recovered,” said Mills.
The man was expected to appear in court soon.
Meanwhile, police had been deployed to patrol the area. – Sapa
South Africa is destined to get more nuclear power stations as means of electricity generation as part of the Integrated Resources Plan.
It is envisaged that 9 600 megawatt of electricity will be generated in this manner by 2030 but nuclear power stations are not universally welcomed, especially after the Fukushima disaster in Japan.
These issues will be on the agenda of the Nuclear Industry Association’s (Niasa) annual convention starting in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday but even more significant is that Thyspunt, a 90-minute drive from Port Elizabeth is the preferred site for South Africa’s second nuclear-fuelled electricity plant.
Over the past six years, the proposed nuclear power station for Thyspunt has been opposed on several grounds. These include environmental, cultural and agricultural.
A third draft Environmental Impact Assessment is due to be released by Eskom in October which will then re-ignite the public participation progress.
Those opposing the building of a nuclear power station at Thyspunt are very concerned about the lack of transparency in the process.
“This site was selected by the previous regime by the apartheid Government. It would have been really great if we could start the selection process again in the new South Africa which would have been more inclusive and would look more at the situation that it is at the moment,” says the Thyspunt Alliance’s Trudi Malan.
She says that they are greatly concerned by the fact that it seems that Eskom is not really paying attention to what they are being told about this specific site at Thyspunt.
The Niasa convention will also be looking at the potential economic developments surrounding the implementation of the nuclear programme in South Africa.
The technologies used are foreign based but the potential for job creation is based in the construction phase creating cautious optimism for organised business.
“We have companies that are in the energy space and in the engineering and manufacturing space. We advocate for them to get an opportunity on such a big plant. It is complicated in one sense but it still works with bolts and nuts and pipes and valves. The point is also to demystify such a plant that it is not as complicated sometimes as it gets presented,” says Nelson Mandela Bay business Chamber’s Mandla Madwara.
A second nuclear power station for South Africa is not a done deal yet and indications are that the court will probably have the last say as those opposing nuclear power say they will take it all the way. – SABC
Former US president Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea will on Tuesday visit the Ubuntu Education Centre in Zwide in Port Elizabeth, one of the Clinton Global Initiative commitment sites.
The centre was opened in 2010 as part of the initiative. It is the culmination of the efforts of the Ubuntu Education Fund, which has become one of South Africa’s largest Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) since it was founded in 1999.
The fund reaches 40 000 children and has fund-raising offices in New York and London.
South Africa is the last stop of an African tour by the former president and his daughter to four countries where Clinton Foundation projects are located.
Bill Clinton is visited former President Nelson Mandela at his home at Qunu in the Eastern Cape last year. The two former presidents met on the eve of Madiba’s 94th birthday.
Clinton was trying to get more support for a charity he helped start that provides training for impoverished South African school children in the hope that they can carve out a better future for themselves.
Last night’s match between the Lions (in red) and the Kings
Lions captain JC Janse van Rensburg praised the courage and character of his team as they registered a crucial away win in the first leg of their Super Rugby promotion-relegation series against the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth on Friday.
The visiting side, who lost their Super Rugby status this year to the Kings, beat them 26-19 to take a massive advantage into the second leg in Johannesburg next Saturday.
The Kings, though, picked up one bonus point for ending within seven points of the Lions’ score.
Van Rensburg, whose team have not had many tough matches recently, said it was the most physical game they had played this season.
“Yes, it was definitely a tough, physical game and we made a lot of mistakes in the first half, but hats off to our team for the guts they showed tonight (Friday),” Janse van Rensburg said.
The Lions tested the Kings’ defence, one of the Eastern Cape franchise’s outstanding assets this season, he said.
“We worked hard to attack their defence because we knew it was very good and in the second half it went well.
“We showed a lot of character and we fought for each other.
“Now we are looking forward to Ellis Park, which suits our game, and we will have 40 000 fans behind us this time.”
For Kings skipper Darron Nell, it was a tough pill to swallow, but he took some solace from the fact they had earned a bonus point.
“That bonus point was the at least something,” Nell said, “and now we know what we have to do — win by more than seven points — and we must plan accordingly.”
He paid tribute to the Lions for their efforts, while adding that the Kings’ attacking moves were not as clinical as they should have been.
“The Lions did very well, they kept the ball better than we did and we didn’t get our set phases right to get into the game. So that is something we need to get work on and get right for next week,” Nell said.
“I think we can just look at where we went wrong and work on those things, and that should help our game massively. I thought the guys played well at stages but there were times, on attack, when we weren’t great.” – sapa
Southern Kings director of rugby Alan Solomons has encouraged his team to live up to expectations when they meet the Lions in the first of their Super Rugby promotion/relegation playoff fixtures on Friday.
In what is being billed as their biggest challenge of the season, the teams clash at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, in Port Elizabeth, in the first of two legs, with a spot in next year’s Super Rugby competition the prize.
The second leg will be played in Johannesburg on August 2 and the team with the most log points after the two games will join the remaining four South African franchises in the 2014 competition.
“This match is critical to both franchises because the consequences of these matches are extremely serious,” Solomons said ahead of the crunch encounter.
“The winners of these two matches remain in Super Rugby and the side that loses is out of Super Rugby.
“And you have to understand the consequences of not playing in Super Rugby, because there is no inspiration to retain young players and no top-class rugby for the public, so the consequences are dire.”
His words were echoed by Lions’ president Kevin de Klerk, who said it had become extremely difficult to retain sponsors and the fans’ interest without the lure of Super Rugby.
The Kings suffered a blow when regular centre and captain Andries Strauss was ruled out of the promotion series, and was replaced by young Shane Gates, with lock Darron Nell taking over as skipper.
The Lions will be desperate to regain their Super Rugby status and have named an experienced line-up for the first encounter, with flyhalf Elton Jantjies and lock Franco van der Merwe set to play key roles.
After seeing the Lions team, Solomons said he was expecting a massive test, but was up to the contest.
“There is no question that the Lions have got some really good players, but I do not think they are better than we are,” he said.
“I think this will be a tight affair that will turn on little things.”
Kings’ centre Ronnie Cooke said the coastal outfit were prepared for a running game from the Lions.
“Elton brings an x-factor to the game that will suit the Lions because they play a running game,” Cooke said. “He could spark something for them.”
Both Solomons and Kings’ coach Matt Sexton said there was a feeling of excitement in the camp, but said they were concentrating on the basics and sticking largely to the game plan which had worked for them this season.
“I think the general feeling we have is excitement, it’s a huge occasion, it’s like a test match or world cup final,” Sexton said.
“The guys are looking forward to the occasion.”
The New Zealander said he did not want to give too much away about the game plan.
“You take each team on their merits and there are opportunities that will be presented during the match and we just need to capitalise on that,” he said.
“The times where we have been successful on the score board are times where we’ve been very clinical in our approach.”
Meanwhile, Lions coach Johan Ackermann is well aware of the implications for the two matches.
“We all know how important it is and the [Lions] players are hungry to get another taste of Super Rugby,” he said. “We can’t hide from the fact that there’s a lot at stake and for both teams there are two important weeks ahead.”
Ackermann has had to weld a side together after many senior players were loaned out during the season and he is hoping the Lions will not have to face the situation again.
“It [defeat] will be a huge blow for either union. In their case, having been in just for one year, then fall out and stop the entire process… it will be an enormous setback. – sapa
Experienced lock Darron Nell will captain the Southern Kings in the first of the two-leg Super Rugby promotion-relegation matches against the Lions in Port Elizabeth on Friday.
“Darron has done a tremendous job for us over the years in a leadership role,” Kings director of rugby Alan Solomons said on Tuesday.
“Whenever he has captained a side he has done so successfully, and after giving the matter careful consideration we feel he is the best man to lead the side in this big game.”
Nell stepped into the leadership role after centre Andries Strauss broke his left hand in training on Friday and was ruled out of the double-header against the Lions.
Strauss assumed the captaincy earlier in the season when first-choice captain Luke Watson was sidelined through injury.
Former Sharks lock Steven Sykes, who has also captained the Kings this season, was named on the bench for Friday’s clash.
The second leg of the promotion-relegation matches will be played in Johannesburg on August 2.
Promising young centre Shane Gates stepped up to replace Strauss and will partner vice-captain Ronnie Cooke in the midfield.
New Zealander Hadleigh Parkes, who missed much of the season with a broken arm, will slot in at wing.
“He (Cooke) has, throughout the season, had a very influential role and has played nearly every single game for us, and we are very fortunate to have someone of that ilk taking leadership of the backs,” Solomons said.
Solomons said there was a fair amount of consistency in the team that had been selected, with many pairings having played together during the season.
The pack remained relatively unchanged, with Schalk Ferreira, Bandise Maku and Kevin Buys forming the front row, while the loose trio of Wimpie van der Walt, Jacques Engelbrecht and Cornell du Preez would be looking to make a significant impact.
“This match is critical to both franchises, because the consequences of these matches are extremely serious,” Solomons said.
“The winners of these two matches remains in Super Rugby and the side that loses is out of Super Rugby.”
Southern Kings team: SP Marais, Marcello Sampson, Shane Gates, Ronnie Cooke (captain), Hadleigh Parkes, Demetri Catrakilis, Shaun Venter, Schalk Ferreira, Bandise Maku, Kevin Buys, Cornell du Preez, Darron Nell, David Bulbring, Wimpie van der Walt, Jacques Engelbrecht.
Replacements: Hannes Franklin, Charl du Plessis, Steven Sykes, Devin Oosthuizen, Nicolas Vergallo, Waylon Murray, George Whitehead. – Sapa
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
