All night drinking

The club, whose flagship venue is the Radisson Gautrain hotel, in Sandton, Johannesburg, is the playground of the ''black diamond"set and has become known for its extravagance and excess.

Kenny Kunene, owner of ZAR, booked a huge space at the Waterfront Studios, in the Cape Town Film Precinct, turning it into the kind of instant gratification experience Richie Rich would enjoy, if he were black. The now trademark bikini-clad girl with sushi draped on her body was there, lying on the bonnet of an overpriced sports car, with movers and shakers all enjoying copious amounts of the finest whiskies and wines (complimentary at the VVIP and VIP bars) money can buy.

Kunene himself, resplendent in a bling red jacket and matching glitzy shades, was playing the affable host, hugging and greeting all and sundry.

Naturally, gatherings like this are not without controversy, and this was provided by ANC Youth League president Julius Malema, who in his speech said:

"Helen Zille will not close ZAR at 2am, like she does to other clubs in Cape Town. The ANC owns ZAR and we will party until the morning".

- Timeslive

R1.1m drug bust in Beaufort West

A police search of three buses in Beaufort West netted cocaine and khat with a street value of almost R1.1 million on Friday.

A black bag containing about 1.1kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of R923,000 was found in the luggage compartment of a Volvo bus when sniffer dogs searched the luggage compartment around 6am, Western Cape police spokeswoman Bernadine Steyn said.

Three suitcases and three sport bags containing 1382 bundles of khat with an estimated street value of about R138,200 were found in the luggage compartment of a white Mercedes bus.

On a third bus, a yellow Volvo, 379 bundles of khat with an estimated street value of about R37,900 were found in two bags. A woman was questioned in connection with these bundles, but was later released.

No arrests were made in connection with the cocaine or the 1382 bundles of khat.

All the buses were going from Johannesburg to Cape Town.

Last Thursday cocaine worth about R19 million was found on another bus driving through the town. (from TimesLive)

More death from above

Bar owners resist new liquor laws

A group of disgruntled club, bar and restaurant owners say they won't back down in their battle with Cape Town over its liquor bylaw and will push ahead with legal action despite the city's decision to put the brakes on the legislation.

The Club, Bar and Restaurant Association of the Western Cape says it has already paid legal costs amounting to R100 000 and is awaiting a legal opinion from its advocate Jan Heunis. The legal opinion is expected on Monday.

On Wednesday the city said it would not gazette amendments to the bylaw while it awaits a legal review of the legislation.

The association said at a meeting yesterday that it was still planning to interdict the city from implementing its bylaw once certain amendments have been gazetted.

Yesterday the city issued a statement saying that it had commissioned a legal review of its new bylaw before any amendments were gazetted.

Zeeshaan Nordien, a spokesman for the group, said the fact that the city won't be gazetting the amendments today came as "good news for us". "But they are just looking at little flaws. They are probably going to have a much stronger bylaw and won't look at the constitutionality of it and how it's going to impact on us. But we've got some breathing space."

He said they would go after the Western Cape Liquor Act once the bylaw was out of the way.

Vusa Mazula, owner of Zula Sound Bar in Long Street, said it was important that the group didn't "melt away" like it did last year when the liquor bylaw was gathering steam. (from IOL)

Police find 7 kilograms of Heroin!!

Drugs worth R6-million were found in a bus on the N1 highway near Beaufort West on Tuesday, Western Cape police said.

Captain Bernadine Steyn said the bus was stopped by police who were searching cars on the highway around 2am.

Heroin weighing 7kg with a street value of R6-million was found in the bus and 950 Mandrax tablets with a street value of R47 500 were also found in the bus's luggage compartment, Steyn said.

The bus was going to Johannesburg to Cape Town.

Nobody was arrested in connection with the drugs and police were investigating. (Sapa)

SA Cannabis industry alive online

Dagga may be illegal in South Africa, but having it delivered to your door is just a mouse click away - and police are doing nothing about it.

At least two online "coffee shops" have begun operating in recent months, offering what they say is top-grade cannabis at about R125 a gram, plus delivery.

Both sites say marijuana is safe and healthy and should be legal.

"The law on cannabis is wrong," said Chris Bure, one of the brothers who launched Gauteng-based Four Brothers in September 2010.

"The fact that it is illegal is harming so many people. Allowed to freely grow and trade, the benefits of this plant would be felt worldwide, and the South African economy would boom."

Four Brothers, which delivers its goods via a courier service, asks customers to accept a disclaimer stating: "I am purchasing cannabis for personal use and have no criminal intentions whatsoever and understand that the government's illegal, unjustified prohibition is treason."

It also says: "It's not the law that makes something illegal, it's your mind. If you believe cannabis is illegal ... you are not allowed to purchase any cannabis off this web page. Your mind makes you guilty and we do not wish to participate in any criminal activities."

Strains available include Hammer, named for its impact on the smoker; The Builder, "a subtle head stone"; Aurora, "a very nice mental high"; and African sativa, "a nice energetic mind high".

One regular customer, Jonathan Crosthwaite, 36, described the website as "a real blessing" because it was much safer than buying on the street. "It (cannabis) helps me and it's good for me, and the only person that would stop me from that would ... be trying to oppress me," he said.

"I totally disagree with the law. I'm not scared to go to jail if I have to."

Crosthwaite said he had been a regular smoker for 16 years, during which time he had earned Springbok colours in the martial art jiu-jitsu.

"I think Four Brothers are doing a good thing. It is expensive, but you get what you pay for. At least these guys are not taking advantage of us."

He said smoking dagga "makes me feel great, it makes me feel enthusiastic, motivated. The compassionate and merciful thing is to legalise it."

One of the brothers behind the site, Ruan Wentzel, said they had written to President Jacob Zuma and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) arguing that cannabis should be legal, but had received no substantive response.

"We took the matter into our own hands," Wentzel said.

"The goal became clear to do something that the government does not want anyone to do, and that is to sell/grow cannabis, and inform others of the good that cannabis can really do." (from TimesLive)

Not for much longer?

Cops swoop on dagga ‘hothouse’

Police have confiscated dagga plants with an estimated street value of R400,000 from the garage of a Table View house.

Spokesman FC Van Wyk said a tip-off led police to the garage of a private residence at about 8pm on Friday. The garage, he said, had been converted into a “hothouse” for the growing of dagga plants.

A total of 413 plants were confiscated, Van Wyk said.

Police also removed two air conditioners, lights, 12 transformers, five humidifiers and 13 coco peat blocks, which can be used for hydroponic plant growth.

Seven people were arrested and were due to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday. The suspects are aged between 20 and 49, Van Wyk said.

He said the seven had been charged with illegal possession and dealing in cannabis.

- IOL / SAPS

Cape commissions review of liquor by-law

The City of Cape Town has slammed the brakes on its controversial liquor by-law while it awaits a legal review to test the legalities of the legislation.

This move comes as a group of about 150 club, pub and restaurant owners claim to have raised a R1-million war chest to fight the by-law in court before certain amendments are gazetted.

The Club, Bar & Restaurant Association of the Western Cape is planning to interdict the city from implementing its by-law once certain amendments have been gazetted.

Yesterday the city issued a statement that it had commissioned a legal review of its new liquor by-law before any amendments were gazetted.

“Except for a few minor technical adjustments, we don’t foresee any major changes to the by-law. We want to make absolutely sure that every aspect of the by-law passes legal muster before it is formally gazetted,” said Speaker Dirk Smit.

Asked if the city was “backing down”, Smit threatened to end the interview.

The city’s statement went on to say that Cape Town had the highest formal incidence of alcohol and drug abuse of any city in South Africa and the new by-law constituted part of the city’s strategy to address the scourge of alcohol abuse.

“With over 3,6-million residents from widely divergent social environments, the city has tried to strike a balance between various interest groups,” said executive mayor Dan Plato.

Danie Cronje, director of commercial services and liquor law at Cluver Markotter, who is assisting the association in its fight, said he was informed about the city’s decision to review the by-law.

“There are a number of problems with it. It’s going to be a problem to enforce it before the Provincial Liquor Act comes into effect,” said Cronje.

He said the by-law was still confusing as there was no clarity on which sphere of government prescribed the trading hours.

On the looming interdict Cronje declined to comment.

“The senior counsel is dealing with it. If the city won’t enforce the by-law it (interdict) may not be necessary,” said Cronje.

Shaan Nordien, who helped form the association, was less diplomatic. “We’re going to knock these guys (city) down. They’re getting scared. We’ve got the R1-million behind us for the fight,” said Nordien.

Justifying the by-law, the city said research had shown that the reduction of alcohol trading hours had a positive impact on alcohol abuse. It cited a study in Diadema near São Paolo, Brazil, and studies in Australia and in South Africa that have also shown positive effects resulting from cutting back on hours.

In Siyahlala, an informal settlement of around 1,300 dwellings in Nyanga, which had the highest murder rate in South Africa in 2006/7, a community initiative was implemented between May 2006 and June 2007, it said.

It said crime had plummeted from between five and eight murders a month to zero, and between 30 and 38 assault cases a month to between 10 and 17. One of the interventions involved getting shebeens to close by 9pm.

- Cape Times