SAFER Cape Town

Cape cops’ R12bn drug haul

2012-02-09T11:08:00.001-08:00

Western Cape police have seized drugs valued at almost R12 billion since April 2010, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

This was the sombre revelation by Western Cape police commissioner Arno Lamoer during briefings by all provincial commissioners on crime statistics at Parliament on Wednesday.

Lamoer told the police committee the drugs trade was contributing hugely to crime figures and that the Western Cape was seen as the province that used drugs the most.

“Addicts steal to feed their habit. The province is also a huge destination for people. Eight million came through the airport between January and December last year.

“Every single day we confiscate drugs,” he said, adding that drugs worth more than R50m had been confiscated from buses in one week in January when drug routes into the province were blocked.

“The violent crime and the gangsterism in the Western Cape are all linked to one thing – drugs. If we can stop the drugs, crime will come down radically, and people will be safe.”

Community Safety MEC Dan Plato said on Thursday: “Looking at that R12bn just shows you that there’s an awful lot of drugs available. That is why Cape Town is the drug capital of South Africa. We are far, far ahead of other cities in terms of drug crime stats. We’re making a grave mistake by underestimating the drug problem in this city, because it’s bigger than anyone thinks.”

He said the drug trade considered Cape Town “a very lucrative place to do business”.

The wide range of anti-drug measures needed constant hard work and vigilance, he said.

“We need to continue to hit the drug cartels very hard. We can do much, much better. But we’ve had a recent glimpse into the underworld and at least we know they are now scared.”

On the drug statistics, Professor Bronwyn Myers, specialist scientist at the Medical Research Council, said: “The police need to be congratulated. But we’re still seeing high demand for treatment, as well as high levels of unmet treatment need in various communities, which suggests there are still lots of drugs being circulated.”

The prevalent drug was tik, but heroin use was rising. This was mixed with dagga to form “unga”.

Myers said drug abuse in the Western Cape “cuts across all communities, all demographics”.

The committee also heard from a number of provincial commissioners that the ever-increasing influx of foreigners into SA and the resulting increase in informal settlement populations were contributing greatly to the country’s crime rate.

The mushrooming of informal businesses – many opened by foreigners – and an absence of municipal by-laws to regulate them were problems cited by most provinces in tackling crime.

The Western Cape recorded a 1.6 percent increase in murders, from 2 274 between April 2009 and March 2010, to 2 311 between April 2010 and March last year.

For the same period, attempted murders rose by 26.7 percent, from 1 707 to 2 162.

Sexual offences dropped by 3.9 percent, from 9 678 to 9 299.

Robbery with aggravating circumstances decreased by 2.3 percent and carjacking by 20.5 percent, while truck-jacking rose by 21.7 percent. House robbery was up 4.1 percent and business robbery increased by 23.7 percent.

According to statistics supplied by Gauteng police commissioner Mzwandile Petros, murders in the province went from 3 444 between April 2009 and March 2010, to 3 257 between April 2010 to March last year. Attempted murder dropped from 4 800 to 4 104. Sexual crimes decreased from 15 645 to 13 987.

In the same period, commercial crime rose from 34 095 to 34 756 recorded incidents and robbery with aggravating circumstances was down from 47 289 to 40 052.

Carjackings dropped from 7 444 to 5 936, while truck-jackings went from 860 to 600. Residential robberies also decreased, from 8 051 to 7 039.

Bank robberies were more than halved in that period, cash-in-transit heists were more or less unchanged, while ATM bombings shot up from 103 to 229.

In KwaZulu-Natal, murders dropped from 4 224 to 3 749 (11 percent) and attempted murder from 4 614 to 3 915 (15 percent).

Sexual offences were also down, from 13 269 to 12 793 (3.6 percent).

Assault with grievous bodily harm decreased from 30 884 to 30 582 and common assault from 32 980 to 32 271. There was a substantial drop in carjackings, from 3 715 to 2 619 (29.5 percent), while residential robberies were down by 12.7. Residential burglaries declined from 40 393 to 39 550, and non-residential robberies dipped from 11 314 to 10 984.

Committee chairman Sindi Chikunga said there was a need for more focus on stock theft – which remained a problem affecting rich and poor, but particularly the poor, who used stock as their “bank” – as well as sector policing and detective services.

She called on the commissioners to have “no mercy” on members of the police involved in crime.

“Huge resources are pumped into the SAPS. It must enable police officers to do their jobs. As a portfolio committee we expect results,” she said. – Political Bureau

They tried to make me go to rehab I said No No No

2012-02-09T11:06:00.001-08:00

The Western Cape’s chief director for social welfare services, Dave McNamara, spoke out on Wednesday night about his drug arrest last June in the city centre.

McNamara said he was not caught with drugs when police stopped him at the Caltex garage in Orange Street early on June 28.

He disputed that he was arrested at or near the notorious Senator Park building on Long Street, which was known as a drug den.

McNamara, whose job description includes targeting substance abuse and related problems, was arrested in possession of an empty tik straw and lolly.

“I’m not a drug user, I’ve never been a drug user,” said McNamara.

On Wednesday, he was placed on leave for seven days while the Department of Social Development goes ahead with plans to suspend him pending an investigation.

Last July, days after his arrest, he took a drug test at one of the provincial government’s drug laboratories and said the results were negative.

“I’m prepared to take another drug test. If you work in the field of substance abuse you should be tested at any time,” said McNamara.

He said he had not informed his employers about his arrest because he believed he was “in the right, I hadn’t done anything wrong”.

“It was probably an error of judgement but I’m prepared to live with the consequences.”

He said he had never used tik, and said the empty straw and the lolly did not belong to him.

McNamara will appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court in April. His lawyer, William Booth, indicated that he would plead not guilty.

News of McNamara’s arrest emerged this week when a local tabloid reported on it and Social Development MEC Albert Fritz said he had also been kept in the dark about it until a few days ago.

Despite Fritz finding out about it, McNamara had not been immediately suspended and had been allowed to work until Tuesday.

But on Wednesday Fritz announced that after seeking legal advice he had decided to place McNamara on leave for seven days.

“In line with labour legislation, he has been informed of the department’s intention to proceed with suspension and during this time he will have the opportunity to defend the allegations,” he said.

Fritz said a decision would be made by next week to suspend McNamara.

Asked on Wednesday how McNamara had kept news of his arrest under wraps for so long, Fritz replied: “I wish I knew how he did that.

“I only found out at the end of last week. It’s absolutely amazing.”

He said McNamara would face severe penalties if he was proved guilty.

The ANC called for the head of Fritz if he knew about McNamara’s arrest. - Cape Times

‘Anti-drug’ director on drug charges - Shifting the Status Quo

2012-02-09T01:39:00.000-08:00

A SENIOR provincial director whose job description includes targeting substance abuse and related problems has been charged with drug possession after he was allegedly found with tik.

Dave McNamara, who is presently still chief director for social welfare services, was arrested in a notorious city centre block of flats last year and taken into custody.

Western Cape - Workstream on the Prevention and Treatment of Harmful Alcohol and Drug Use -

Dave McNamara - Chief Directorate of Implementation and Planning

He was discovered at Senator Park in the early hours of June 28.

A full tik straw and tik lolly were allegedly found in his pockets.

Over the years, McNamara has been widely quoted in the media about the province’s escalating drug problem. But news of his arrest emerged only this week when a tabloid got hold of the case number and asked police about the matter.

STRATEGY FOR THE PREVENTION OF AND TREATMENT FOR HARMFUL DRUG
AND ALCOHOL USE

For the Premier’s Coordinating Forum - 28 July 2010

Social Development MEC Albert Fritz said he had also found out about McNamara’s arrest only this week.

“The department has sought legal advice and is currently considering the most appropriate action,” he said.

Fritz said McNamara had been arrested on a charge of possession of illegal substances. He referred queries about the circumstances around McNamara’s arrest to police.

Yesterday, police spokesman Frederick van Wyk, without using McNamara’s name, said a case of drug possession had been opened.

He said the matter was under investigation and currently formed part of a court case. McNamara was expected in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court again in April.

Zodwa Mgwaza, the ANC’s spokeswoman for social development in the provincial legislature, said McNamara’s arrest could not be ignored. She said it was not evident how Fritz only found out about it this week, nearly eight months later.

“It is unclear how he could have been kept in the dark so long on such a serious matter.

“The MEC and the DA should now show it takes drug fighting seriously, suspend McNamara pending the court case and set clear future guidelines to deal with such occurrences,” Mgwaza said.

“Substance abuse is a serious problem causing enormous suffering in the province.

“The DA must ensure the battle against drugs continues unharmed,” Mgwaza said.

When McNamara was arrested in Senator Park last year, the block of flats had been notorious for crime, especially drug dealing and prostitution.

Constant police raids had been carried out in the building, and eventually Senator Park’s body corporate obtained an order from the Western Cape High Court authorising the upgrade of the building.

In July last year the building had been cleared of tenants so it could be revamped. - IOL

Welfare chief on leave after drug arrest

2012-02-09T00:42:00.001-08:00

A Western Cape social welfare senior director charged with drug possession after allegedly being found with tik in his car, has been placed on leave with immediate effect, social development MEC Albert Fritz said on Wednesday.

Dave Mcnamara was arrested in the Senator Park block of flats in the city centre early on June 28, but the matter came to light only on Tuesday after Die Son newspaper reported on the case.

A tik straw and tik lolly were allegedly found in his pockets. He had been widely quoted in the media through the years about the Western Cape's drug problem.

“It has been brought to my attention that a senior official in my department was arrested last year on a charge of possession of illegal substances,” Fritz said.

“I have taken legal advice on the matter and have decided on the following course of action. The official has been placed on leave with immediate effect for the next seven days.

“In line with labour legislation, he has been informed of the department’s intention to proceed with suspension and during this time, he will have the opportunity to defend the allegations.

“Upon the lapse of this seven day period, a decision will be taken on whether or not to suspend the official.”

Fritz said “contingency plans” were in place to ensure continued service delivery.

Mcnamara is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court again in April.

Zodwa Mgwaza, the ANC's spokeswoman for social development in the provincial legislature, said it was unclear how Fritz could have been kept in the dark about the matter for eight months.

“Substance abuse is a serious problem causing enormous suffering in the province,” Mgwaza said.

“The DA must ensure the battle against drugs continues unharmed.” – Sapa

Hot day in Cape Town

2012-01-11T05:53:00.001-08:00

Mayor pours booze down the drain

2011-12-20T01:18:00.000-08:00

More than 5000 bottles of alcohol confiscated on beaches this holiday season have been destroyed by the City of Cape Town.

Mayor of Cape Town Patricia De Lille, the mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith, and the member for social and early childhood development, Beverley Cortje-Alcock, poured all the alcohol down a drain at an Ndabeni storage facility.

The 2600 litres of confiscated alcohol were worth R66000. The haul of alcohol included cases of beer, ciders, brandy and champagne.

De Lille said: “One of the biggest problems around this time of year is people taking their alcohol to drink on beaches or other public spaces. Alcohol is banned on all city beaches. Our law enforcement officers will patrol the beaches over the festive season. We cannot be a society that condones personal entertainment without responsibility or consequences for illegal behaviour.

“We need to get rid of the stigma attached to Cape Town being the binge drinking capital of South Africa,” she said. (from the New Age)

Anti-drug campaign launched

2011-12-14T11:58:00.000-08:00

Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini has told Khayelitsha residents they could not rely on government to combat substance abuse.

She was speaking at the launch of a drug abuse campaign in the Cape Town on Wednesday.

The minister said the non-governmental organisations in Khayelitsha should unite to help fight the abuse.

Dlamini also called on the community to unite with a common purpose.

She encouraged a group of former drug addicts to start studying and complete their education.

Referring to the increase in South African drug mules, Dlamini called on parents to be more vigilant.

She added drug pushers were targeting the vulnerable and poor.

- Eyewitness News

Doccie reveals how drugs destroy young lives

2011-11-26T03:38:00.000-08:00

Delft, South Africa, 2011. And the living is not good. Youngsters have been turned into zombies with street drugs taking possession of them, ripping their lives apart.

Sound like a science fiction movie? Well, it’s not.

It’s a local documentary, screened for the first time in the city on Friday night, in which young tik addicts from the area give a brutally honest account of the stranglehold the drug has on them and what it has done to their lives.

Local production company Street Talk decided to make the movie to help curb the impact of tik abuse in their communities.

The film, Tik: The Devil Within, was made by two of the company’s film-makers Akhona Ndoloshe, 27, and Thembela Dick, 25, and was shot in Ndoloshe’s home area of Delft where there have been many problems with drug abuse.

He said: “In my area there are a lot of youngsters who drop out of school and they resort to drugs. Then they find themselves in and out of jail with no future.”

Ndoloshe, who interviewed people affected by drugs in the documentary, added that the film was centred around a group of addicts who would all use, buy and speak about tik on camera.

He said: “At first it was hard to get them to speak about it on camera, but after spending more time with them it was easier.”

Dick, who held the camera throughout the movie, added that although some of the scenes were frightening, the film was also filled with eye-opening scenes.

She said: “We also filmed a 15-year-old girl who was addicted to tik and was pregnant. I thought to myself, if she continues like this where will she be in five years?”

Dick hopes that this movie will help educate young people in all areas of the Western Cape, including her area, Gugulethu.

Ndoloshe said: “My dream is that the film will be seen by the government and they will decide to finally help the people, because there is not enough being done at the moment.”

However, Grant Jardine, manager of the Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre, has warned that scare tactics used in an effort to curb drug addiction often had the opposite effect.

He said though the fight against drugs in Cape Town had intensified, the situation remained as dire as before.

“The situation has remained the same, the only difference is the kind of drugs. Tik and heroin have become the drugs of choice over dagga and Mandrax.”

Jardine added that tik and heroin were incredibly addictive, which was a major reason for the increased usage of the drug.

He said: “It is highly likely that people will try tik and heroin and become addicted, which has led to the drugs having a bigger impact.”

*The movie will be screened on Cape Town TV (CTV) on Saturday night at 6pm and is available to view on www.streettalktv.com

- IOL

Police force residents to eat dagga

2011-11-23T03:22:00.000-08:00

A video of what appears to be two police officers forcing residents in Hanover Park to eat dagga confiscated from them is being investigated by the community’s police forum.

The incident in Surburg Walk was captured on a resident’s cellphone in a video recording on Sunday.

On Tuesday, Die Son ran stills from the video which showed two men dressed in the official police uniform.

One uniformed man, with a black cap, can be seen holding back a woman’s head and apparently putting something in her mouth, while the other uniformed man can be seen holding back the head of a man and putting something in his mouth.

A woman, with what appears to be a baby on her back, is also apparently forced to eat something. The substance the residents were fed was allegedly dagga.

Community safety MEC Dan Plato said he had addressed police authorities about the images, which had left him feeling disturbed.

“They are aware of it. That’s not the role of the police.

“If they wanted to arrest people, then they should have made arrests.

“They are there to enforce the law,” he said.

Anthony Daniels, chairman of the Hanover Park Community Police Forum (CPF), said the CPF had launched its own inquiry into the incident.

“I won’t have the full story yet, but we are investigating it ourselves.

“I’m going to be very disturbed if these images should turn out to be the truth,” he said. (from IOL)

Police find large consigment of TIK

2011-11-16T03:17:00.000-08:00

Two people have been arrested in Beaufort West after being found in possession of a consignment of tik with a street value of around R3 million, Western Cape police said on Wednesday.

The two, aged 24 and 38, were arrested when the Vehicle Identification Safeguarding Unit and the K9-Unit stopped a minibus en-route from Bloemfontein to Cape Town at a weighbridge on the N1 at 3.15pm on Tuesday, Captain Bernadine Steyn said.

"During their search of the minibus, they found five paper-bags containing a huge consignment of pure tik inside the spare tyre, attached to the rear bottom of the vehicle," she said.

It was later established that the tik, also known as crystal methampetamine, weighed about 9.6kg.

The two were expected to appear in the Beaufort West Magistrate's Court on Friday on a charge of dealing in drugs. (The New Age)

Cocaine mules caught at Cape Town International

2011-11-16T02:54:00.000-08:00

Some Cape Town doctors had a rather unusual day on Tuesday – they were in charge of the very slow process of monitoring two alleged drug mules as they “processed” at least 145 capsules containing drugs.

The men, a South African and a Congolese, were arrested at Cape Town International Airport as they arrived from Brazil, via Qatar, on Monday evening. Border police nabbed the two, aged 25 and 35, in an operation conducted with the help of Customs Border Control.

Police spokesman November Filander said the men’s luggage was searched during a routine check and a photo frame, containing 200g of cocaine worth approximately R57 500, was confiscated.

Filander said the pair also confessed to “transporting drugs in their systems”.

“They were taken to hospital for X-rays where they were positively tested for swallowing ‘bullets’ containing drugs. They are still in hospital to allow doctors to remove the drugs,” Filander said. (from IOL)

Call to ban smoking in cars

2011-11-16T02:50:00.000-08:00

Smoking should be banned in cars to protect drivers and passengers – especially children – from breathing in toxins far worse than those found in smoky bars, the nation's doctors have demanded.

The British Medical Association (BMA) is urging ministers across the UK to extend the ban on smoking in public places introduced in 2007 to all vehicles in a further effort to protect people's health.

Children are at particular risk from secondhand smoke in cars because they take in more of the chemicals from cigarettes than adults and may not be able to refuse to travel in a smoky car.

The BMA called for a ban after reviewing previously published research studies into cars and smoking.

A car's occupants are exposed to 23 times more toxins than they would encounter in a bar, the BMA's review found. Older people, who are more likely to have breathing problems, are also at extra risk of health damage from inhaling secondhand smoke in a car, it added.

The government is unlikely to do what the BMA recommends, though. "We do not believe that legislation is the most effective way to encourage people to change their behaviour," a Department of Health spokesman said. (from Guardian)

City sets up substance abuse strategy

2011-11-08T22:13:00.000-08:00

The City of Cape Town has implemented a substance abuse strategy after research showed a link between addiction and tens of thousands of “unauthorised absences” clocked up by its workforce in just one year.

In 2009, city employees clocked up 35,000 days of “unauthorised absences”, 235 dismissals and 510 resignations.

The figures were part of the city’s absenteeism analysis.

The city employs more than 27,000 people.

Demetri Qually, the mayoral committee member for corporate services, said the city had been working with the Medical Research Council (MRC) and had found a link between absenteeism trends and addiction.

The MRC is conducting a two-year study investigating the scope of drug use in the workplace in Cape Town, including the city council.

Qually said the city wanted to conduct more research on the issue with the MRC.

“It is envisaged that the city will benefit more from the research that the city seeks to initiate in partnership with the MRC using data from participating departments and directorates,” he said.

It would also start an awareness campaign for employees, which would encourage those who were affected to seek help from the city.

A report on the strategy was tabled before the corporate services portfolio committee last week.

The city piloted the Matrix project, an outpatient rehabilitation programme, with 15 employees.

The first group graduated last month, after being sober for more than 120 days.

Last week the portfolio committee gave the go-ahead for a second round.

The report said the strength of this programme was that employees could remain in their “normal environment”.

They had a strong support system because line managers played active roles in the rehabilitation process.

“The approach changed from being punitive to a supportive one which regards alcohol and drug dependency as a disease,” states the report.

This programme is just one of the measures to help employees struggling with substance abuse.

There is also a suggestion in the report that the city buy drug-testing kits through a tender process and introduce “on the spot” drug testing.

Line managers and supervisors will be trained to “manage and test” employees with substance abuse problems.

It’s hoped these plans will lead to a “zero tolerance” approach toward substance abuse.

Qually said the absenteeism in the analysis related to incidents that could not be explained by employees.

He said the rates had since been reduced.

According to the report, the city had also found that employees lived in areas with high substance abuse rates.

Another issue was the number of employees who had been to in-patient rehabilitation programmes, but had relapsed.

Although the city supported treatment for addiction, he said few employees were willing to discuss their problems.

“Very few staff members are open about the fact that performance issues are related to the disease of addiction and often only after disciplinary processes is this information shared with line managers,” said Qually.

Of those who participated in the Matrix programme, 70 percent were involved in a disciplinary hearing.

For 60 percent, it was not the first time they faced the process.

Speaking on the higher number of resignations versus dismissals, Qually said many employees resigned before they could be served with notices of further action.

He said it was not possible to give exact figures on how many employees were struggling with substance abuse.

The SA National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca) in the Western Cape said there were no figures on how many office workers were struggling with addiction.

Tertius Cronje, Sanca’s corporate services director, said the council was working with the MRC on a study to determine the scope of the problem.

Cronje said the council was assisting with the field work for the study.

It is being headed by Nadine Harker-Burnhams, a scientist in the MRC’s alcohol and drug abuse research unit.

The study is the subject of her doctoral thesis.

- Cape Argus

22 people held for drugs in Mitchells Plein

2011-08-21T04:57:00.000-07:00

Western Cape police say 22 people have been arrested for drug possession in Cape Town's Mitchells Plain.

Police spokesperson Frederick van Wyk said the 22 were arrested during an all-night crime prevention operation, starting on Friday night.

Van Wyk said various illegal drugs, including 47 dagga cigarettes, 13 mandrax tablets, 11 small packets of tik and six units of heroin were confiscated.

The suspects will appear in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate's Court on Monday on charges relating to possession of drugs. (from News24)

Warehouse of dagga and booze destroyed

2011-07-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

inlsa

Police pour confiscated alcohol into a large container.

In certain parts of the Flats, a warehouse full of booze and a few bags of dagga often means a lekker, fat jol.

But not when cops are in a party-pooping mood, ready to destroy illegal dop and confiscated drugs worth millions.

On Thursday, more than 858kg of dagga went up in smoke and liquor worth more than R125 000 was flushed away by cops in a strong message to criminals.

Western Cape police commissioner General Arno Lamoer told reporters at Delft’s Medical Waste Management: “For the last nine months, police have confiscated drugs worth R7.9 billion. These have all been possible thanks to tip-offs from communities.”

Police officials and the media watched as Lamoer poured famous brands like Southern Comfort, Red Heart Rum, J&B and Klipdrfit into a large container before watching the bags of dagga go up in smoke.

A police official at the Delft facility said that some of the liquor, all of which was confiscated from illegal shebeens, had passed its expiry dates and that some tavern owners even brewed some of the booze.

“We find that some of the alcohol is home-made and that the shebeen owners would stick the labels on themselves,” the official said.

At the end of the operation, those who hoped to score a leftover six-pack were left disappointed when members of the media and SAPS were served snacks, bottled water and soft drinks.

The officers also made sure no one was allowed to stand downwind from where the dagga was being burned.

- Daily Voice

Safety MEC gets an ultimatum

2011-07-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

Residents of a Mitchells Plain suburb hit hard by a drug epidemic are furious that Community Safety MEC Dan Plato told them not to get emotional, and have called for him to step down if he can’t shut down drug dens they say are operating in their area.

Angry residents and parents of drug addicts from Beacon Valley vented their frustration yesterday after attending a round table discussion on drugs and crime in the Western Cape, during which Plato told parents “not to get emotional” about the surge in drug abuse and crime.

The debate was hosted by 567 CapeTalk as part of the fourth anniversary of Primedia Broadcasting’s Crime Line.

Western Cape police commissioner Lieutenant-General Arno Lamoer and Plato were told by residents how drugs were destroying the community and how dealers operated “under the noses of police”.

After the discussion, Mitchells Plain community worker Cheryl Philander said the residents would give Plato an ultimatum.

She said there were 28 drug houses known to police in Beacon Valley and that unemployed youths were being employed by dealers to sell drugs to school children.

“Something has to be done before the end of the month to close those drug houses. The police know where these drug dealers live... but do nothing about it.”

Philander said she was disgusted by Plato’s response to the drug and crime problem in Mitchells Plain.

Plato said during the discussion that his department would work with the community police forum and neighbourhood watches in Mitchells Plain and across the province. “Drug abuse is a big problem, but we must not get emotional.”

Philander said Plato’s response was “disgraceful”.

“It’s very sad. Plato is not fit for that position. Our children are being turned into zombies because of tik and heroin.”

The call for Plato to step down was backed by the Mitchells Plain Community Policing Forum.

Its chairman Michael Jacobs, who also attended the discussion, said: “Dan Plato is not in touch with the community. He doesn’t know what the issues are and was the wrong man for the job. Plato’s attitude towards the community stinks. Helen Zille should remove him from her cabinet.

“We are tired. Every time (the) government tells us to partner with them but they do nothing. The government must come to the party. Stop talking. We need action.”

Plato today refused to comment about calls for him to quit. He said he was “misunderstood” when he told residents not to get emotional.

“There were claims made about them reporting these matters to my office and I told them not to get emotional about it.”

He said it was not his duty to get rid of drug dealers, but the duty of the police and Lamoer.

“... My job is that of oversight. I cannot instruct and give the provincial commissioner orders. I can only facilitate to try to get rid of the problem,” said Plato

He said he would meet with Mitchells Plain residents soon to listen to their complaints.

“The only way we are going to get rid of the drug problem in the Western Cape is by going after the high-flyers... but the police will have to spearhead that initiative,” he said.

Also at the discussion was Carol Mentor, whose 31-year-old son is addicted to heroin. She said more than 70 children in her street in Beacon Valley were using drugs, while drug dealers were “coining it”.

“The parents are suffering, but the authorities don’t care,” she said. “They only care about their seats in Parliament and their positions. The police and ministers must start doing their jobs. We want these tik

houses closed in Beacon valley and across Mitchells Plain.”

Beacon Valley ward councillor the Edwin Andrews said: “These drug dens are strategically

Lamoer said police would follow up on every complaint and tip-off from residents.

During the radio discussion, Lamoer said police had seized R7.9 billion worth of drugs in nine months in the province.

Regarding Plato’s call for the police to reinstate the dedicated drug and gang units, Lamoer said: “There are no plans to do that. We have the organised crime unit and the Hawks, who are doing a sterling job. There are sufficient units in place to deal with these problems.”

Provincial police spokesman Andre Traut said the allegation that police weren’t doing anything about known drug dens was unfair.

“... Drug-related crimes enjoy an extremely high priority with the Western Cape police.” He said this was born out by the regular and recent drug busts and countless arrests. – Additional Reporting by Murray Williams

- Cape Argus

Policeman arrested for drunken driving

2011-07-09T23:48:00.001-07:00

A Mitchells Plain policeman was arrested for drunken driving after he crashed his vehicle, Western Cape police said on Saturday.

Captain FC van Wyk said an unmarked Mitchells Plain police vehicle had crashed into an Opel Corsa bakkie in Vanguard Drive, Weltevreden Valley on Friday.

The driver of the police vehicle, a 26-year-old constable, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

He was released on R500 bail and would appear in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate's Court on July 11. (from News24)

More heat on Cape’s drunk drivers

2011-07-07T05:53:00.000-07:00

Western Cape transport authorities are set to open two more alcohol testing “Shadow” centres in the province to intensify their campaign to get drunk drivers off the roads and behind bars.

The centres, in Worcester and either Vredenburg or Cape Town’s northern suburbs, are set to open in a few months’ time, the Department of Transport and Public Works has confirmed.

This will bring to four the number of Safely Home Anti-Drunk-driving Operations War Room (Shadow) facilities in the Western Cape. The new centres are expected to “mirror” the state-of-the-art detention and testing centre in Athlone and will be built in partnership with SA Breweries (SAB).

Suspected drunk drivers are taken to the centres to measure their breath alcohol content. If tested at above 0.24mg of alcohol per 1 000ml of breath, the person is arrested, sent for blood tests, and detained.

The first centre was opened along Vanguard Drive in Athlone two years ago. A year later, Transport and Public Works MEC Robin Carlisle opened the second in George.

The Shadow centre in Worcester was almost complete, and officials were still determining whether to build the fourth centre in Vredenburg on the West Coast or in the northern suburbs, said Carlisle.

“We are discussing the location with the SAPS and other law enforcement units, because it’s them who bring in the most drunk drivers.

“The centres are very expensive - they cost between R2.5 million and R3m - but they are necessary to get drunk drivers off the roads. The psychological impact on the driver is enormous. The centre has a restraining impact on drivers.”

Provincial traffic chief Kenny Africa said there was a definite need for more Shadow centres, especially after the Western Cape “became known nationally” as the province with the highest number of drunk drivers in the country.

“This is the reality of the situation, and it’s killing innocent pedestrians and motorists every month,” said Africa. “We arrest drunk drivers across the province every week. We need these facilities in the Boland, the West Coast and the northern suburbs.”

Africa said drunk driving had become “an illness” in the Western Cape.

“We are fighting this evil every weekend. People are simply not listening. But the message is clear: we won’t take any nonsense. If you are drunk, we will arrest you.”

Since December 2009, 8 669 suspected drunk drivers have been tested at the centre in Athlone and 468 at the centre in George.

And despite no final ruling on the use of the Dräger breathalyser, tests using the device would continue at the centres across the province, said Carlisle.

Last month, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said it was confident that the Dräger would pass legal muster in the Western Cape High Court, despite its decision to have all drunk driving cases involving the device provisionally withdrawn or postponed.

The case is to be heard on July 28.

Western Cape NPA spokesman Eric Ntabazalila said all cases on the roll involving the device would be provisionally withdrawn and newer ones postponed.

The NPA’s decision followed a ruling in the Durban Magistrate’s Court that cleared a suspected drunk driver who was tested on the device.

But Carlisle warned suspected drunk drivers that the NPA’s decision to postpone their cases did not mean that they were “off the hook for long”.

“When we win that case in the Cape High Court, the NPA will then bring all those cases back on to the roll,” he said.

“We are confident that we are going to win that case. There is nothing we have heard so far in the court case that worries us. But if we don’t win it, we are going to appeal the decision all the way to the Constitutional Court.”

Clifford Joseph Hendricks, 27, of Kewtown, who is at the centre of the case, was arrested on January 23 last year for alleged drunk driving.

It previously emerged in court that Hendricks had been taken to the Shadow centre in Athlone and tested with a Dräger. It measured the concentration of alcohol in his breath as 0.95mg/1 000ml, nearly four times the legal limit.

Hendricks pleaded not guilty and is now contesting the efficacy of the instrument.

The city’s mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith, said he supported the Shadow centre initiative “100 percent”.

“We want the Shadow centre in Athlone to run at full steam. Not much is happening there now because of the Dräger case. We support Dräger and want it to be used. Waiting for blood test results takes too long. The Dräger is reliable enough.” (From IOL)

Drinking responsibly

2011-07-06T06:48:00.001-07:00

More Cannabis arrests...

2011-07-06T04:18:00.001-07:00

Two men were arrested by police on Tuesday while transporting a large consignment of dagga in a truck on the N1 between Colesberg and Bloemfontein, Northern Cape police said. "The police, in conjunction with the local traffic department, responded to a tip-off by pouncing on the suspects around 02:00," said spokesperson Mashay Gamieldien.

She said police searched the truck and found sixteen bags of dagga with an estimated street value of R2.57m, which were hidden in the front trailer of the vehicle.

The men were aged 34 and 35.

"We suspect the dagga was destined for Cape Town, and it was seized by the police together with the truck," Gamieldien said.

Meanwhile police in De Aar arrested a 19-year-old man for possession of 17 packets of dagga with an estimated street value of R238 000.

A 51-year-old man was also arrested after the police found dagga with an estimated street value of R38 500 in his possession. (from News24)

Ban on alcohol advertising "no matter what"

2011-07-06T04:16:00.000-07:00

A complete ban on alcohol advertising will result in a total loss of revenue, including sponsorship, sports development leveraging, events and below the line activities, of R2.6 billion, a preliminary impact study has found.

The actual impact on alcohol abuse would be negligible, independent marketing analyst Chris Moerdyk said in a statement today.

Loss of above the line advertising revenue for the mass media would be R1.8 billion.

The SABC would lose about R400 million, Dstv and e.tv combined about R500 million, and radio, lifestyle magazines, and newspapers the balance.

Another impact on the mass media industry would be job losses of about 2500 – mainly low earner employees in the print and out of home (outdoor) sectors, as well as sports marketing and management companies.

However, many media companies believed the figure of 2 500 was too low, Moerdyk said.

The impact on the alcohol industry itself would be a short-term drop in branded liquor consumption of between five and eight percent, but this would
recover in the medium-term due to direct marketing.

“Brand leaders would, in fact, benefit from an advertising ban by increasing market share at the expense of lesser placed brands.”

The impact on dependants of retrenched employees would result in approximately 30 000 people losing their breadwinners due to the high number of dependants per breadwinner in the lower ranks of the workforces, in particularly the print and out of home industries.

The impact on alcohol abuse would be negligible, Moerdyk said.

Precedents in Canada, Denmark, and New Zealand found no evidence of reducing alcohol abuse – which resulted in bans on alcohol advertising being lifted.

The impact on substance abuse in poorer areas would also be negligible due to alcohol and substance abuse emanating mainly from non-branded liquor products such as home brews and methylated spirits as well as, glue, tik, and other substances.

Regarding the impact on the South African fiscus, Moerdyk said a study was still underway by an independent accountancy firm.

However, one example would be the loss of VAT on about R2 billion of the R2.6 billion, due to advertising budgets being allocated directly to the bottom line in most liquor firms. VAT loss would be some R280 million.

An unintended consequence of a ban on alcohol advertising would be increasing pressure from within South Africa and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to ban fast food advertising.

The WHO had identified obesity as the biggest global health hazard.

It would be difficult for government to justify banning alcohol advertising without banning fast food advertising, the impact of which would be a further 3 000 job losses in the media and marketing industries.

The impact on television programming would be two-fold. Firstly, the inability to purchase sports programming from overseas due to a loss of revenue, and secondly, the inability to broadcast sports and lifestyle programming containing embedded liquor sponsorship or branded content.

“Given the role advertising leveraging plays in liquor industry-sponsored sports development projects, these projects would more than likely be curtailed or abandoned should the liquor industry not be able to derive any added value benefit.”

Further, liquor industry sponsored Drink/Drive advertising campaigns at Easter and Christmas could be severely compromised should liquor industry sponsors not be able to “brand” these campaigns.

South Africa’s potential to host international sporting and commercial events and exhibitions would also be compromised should any of these events have a global liquor sponsor, such as Budweiser for the 2010 World Cup, Moerdyk said. (From IOL)

ATM Inside

2011-06-29T11:53:00.001-07:00

Drager ban won't let drivers off hook

2011-06-24T07:21:00.000-07:00

The recent decision by the National Prosecuting Authority to withdraw or suspend provisionally all cases in which a Drager breathalyser test has been used to measure drivers’ blood/alcohol levels should not be viewed as just another way for drunk drivers to avoid penalties.

This advice comes from Helen Szemerei, CEO of insurance company IntegriSure, who says that South African insurance underwriters have become very vigilant in repudiating claims in a country where “drunk driving has become a socially acceptable practice”. (It's not just socially accepted - it's the national sport)

“The South African insurance industry does recognise the result of breathalyser tests,” says Szemerei. “A written statement from a traffic officer at the scene indicating that the driver appeared intoxicated may also be acceptable for some insurers to reject a claim.”

Some insurance companies go to great lengths to repudiate claims where alcohol involvement is suspecte..... (IOL)

There have been a number of questions about the German Drager machine’s reliability since its introduction more than ten years ago.

Its use was suspended in Gauteng in 2010 after a forensic investigator tested the Drager on 37 people and found that the results varied enormously, even when testing the same person twice. Among his concerns were that the Drager was affected by ambient temperature, so the results would vary if it was a cold night or a hot afternoon.

Rat Park: Addiction is a situation, not a disease

2011-06-22T22:40:00.000-07:00

Thousands of studies have been done claiming that addiction is a disease, mostly by putting rats in a cage with some drugs and noting that they’ll repeatedly take the drugs, even if it means starving to death.

Bruce Alexander was skeptical about these results. He noticed that the rats in the experiments were stuffed alone in a boring cage with little else to do. “If I was strapped down alone in a cage,” he thought, “I’d probably want to get high too.”

So he built a rat park — a large, intricate, brightly-painted and heavily-padded structure to make the rats actually happy. He put half the rats in the normal cages and half in the park and gave both equal access to drugs.

The rats in the cage got addicted, while the rats in the park stayed away.

Then, even more strikingly, he took rats who’d had 57 days to get addicted to the drugs and took half of them out of the cages and put them in the park. The rats, even though they’d been addicted in the cage, suddenly stayed away from the drugs. They even voluntarily detoxed — trembling and shaking, but still staying off the drugs.

The top-shelf journals like Science and Nature rejected the study. It did end up getting published in a peer reviewed journal (Pharamacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, impact factor 1.5), but received little public attention. His university pulled the funding for the project. (from SciencethatMatters)

Citizens getting involved in Police work

2011-06-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

Ho Ho Ho!!!!

A Tactical Cannabis

South African Police gardening and pruning service

Burning the evidence... job done I suppose? Medals and Noddy badges for everyone

Medical Cannabis research in South Africa.

2011-06-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

(with thanks to Prof Charles Parry and David Bayever)

Die Russe se krokodil

2011-06-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

Russia has the world's largest heroin taking population. Krokodil is a cheap heroin substitute for those who can't afford the real thing. (from the Independent)

Atlantis facing booze 'evil'

2011-06-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

As the city’s Liquor Unit prepares to intensify its crackdown on illegal shebeens threatening the safety of women and children, one of the most troubled areas is waging its own war against the drinking establishments.

Atlantis residents say shebeens are destroying the West Coast town, with families who live nearby saying they have become dens of social evil, luring children as young as 12 to sell drugs.

Even legal shebeens, they charge, are resulting in a sharp reduction in property values.

Local ward councillor Barbara Rass has warned that the drive to encourage investment in the area could be scuppered by the introduction of more licensed shebeens deterring potential investors.

This week residents handed a petition to Rass to oppose the opening of another shebeen.

Rass submitted the petition to the local sub-council, which falls under Durbanville. She said the sub-council would hand the petition to the Liquor Board.

The city’s Liquor Unit said the area was one of the most problematic, along with Kraaifontein and Macassar.

Nathan Ladegourdie, assistant chief of the city’s specialised law enforcement services, said the unit started operating in Atlantis towards the end of last year. At that time, there were 148 illegal shebeens. Following a series of operations, 66 shebeens closed.

But Ladegourdie said there was still a stream of complaints from residents. He said across the entire city there were about 2 800 shebeens.

Atlantis resident Kenneth Rhodes said he and his family had been living in Atlantis for more than 20 years. A few years after they moved in, a shebeen started operating next door. When those tenants moved, the new owners applied for a licence for a shebeen.

Residents said they were told the application notice was published in local newspapers, but said they did not see it.

Now about 40 residents in the surrounding area have submitted a petition opposing the licensing of the shebeen.

Rhodes said he and his family were aware of the trouble associated with living near a shebeen. His wife, Denise, said the shebeen caused upheaval in the road.

“There were fights all the time. Our daughter, who was studying for matric, had to move out. When I came home, my driveway was always full of cars,” she said.

When new tenants moved in two years ago, they hoped the problems would be over, but Rhodes said they began to notice an increase in crime.

“People’s cars were broken into, things that didn’t happen before. Then we realised they were selling drugs.”

He said young children were working on the premises.

Another resident, Joyce Thomas, and her son, Jeff, live directly behind the premises.

Jeff said the new tenants had closed off sections of their yard with iron plates.

“It is against our property. They don’t even ask for permission. I’ve been to the police so many times about this, but nothing happens,” he said.

Joyce, who is 79, said she was unaware of any permission having been sought to open a shebeen on the premises.

“We are also paying rates here. Sometimes I can’t open my back door because of the smell of the drugs,” she said.

Ladegourdie said 99 illegal shebeens had been closed across the city between January and April. Fines amounting to R110 000 had been issued to shebeen owners during the same time period.

“The Liquor Unit is constantly attending to complaints in all areas throughout Cape Town, and will continue operations to address illegal shebeens. These operations will specifically be centred on complaints received from areas where women and children are adversely affected.”(from IOL)

NPA postpones all Drager cases

2011-06-12T23:30:00.000-07:00

All court cases where evidence was obtained using the Drager breathalyser device have been provisionally withdrawn, the National Prosecuting Authority said on Sunday.

“The NPA is going to have all cases where the evidence was obtained using a Drager provisionally withdrawn or postponed, pending the Western Cape High Court ruling,” spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga said.

“The ruling will set a precedent... we are confident that the NPA has a strong case in favour of the Drager.”

The device measures the volume of alcohol vapour in a drinker's exhaled breath.

In the Western Cape High Court Clifford Joseph Hendricks is currently challenging the validity and accuracy of the Drager (SUBS: Umlaut on a) apparatus used during his arrest last year. His alcohol vapour count was 0.95mg. The maximum allowed is 0.24.

A Durban man was cleared of drunken driving this week after his lawyer challenged the law regarding the use of the breathalyser device, the Sunday Times reported.

The Durban Magistrate's Court found hotel manager Aveer Inderjith, 22, not guilty after the State failed to “produce any evidence regarding the instruments used”, according to court documents containing the ruling.

His lawyer Anand Nepaul was quoted as saying: “This was the first time I dealt with the legality of using that instrument to adduce evidence in court. The transport minister must sort the act out and get reliable equipment. You can't charge people where there is no law allowing the use of the equipment. First it has to be legal, secondly, reliable.”

Durban police spokesman Colonel Jay Naicker told the newspaper the city stopped using the Drager system in April, and was now using blood tests. (from IOL)

(The Drager is no more than a useful indicator someone is intoxicated. The problem is the police aren't allowed to take the blood required for the test to prove they're drunk: Not that I'd allow the police to take blood!)

Buying medical marijuana on credit?

2011-06-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

A little-noticed move by American Express to ban the purchase of medical marijuana with its credit cards has reignited a longstanding debate: How much can a credit card company control what you buy?

To the surprise of consumers, major credit card companies are making decisions about what they can and can't buy with their credit cards. What's off-limits? Legal purchases like gambling chips and donations to at least one controversial non-profit organization; in some cases, buying pornography is also restricted, and so, increasingly, is medical marijuana. Last month, shortly before Delaware became the 16th state to legalize medical marijuana, American Express told merchants that its cards could not be used to buy it.

Companies say they're protecting themselves against legal risk, but critics say this kind of corporate policy is an inconvenience for merchants, infringes on consumers' rights and amounts to moral policy-setting. "You ought to be able to use a credit card for any legal purchase," says John M. Simpson from the non-profit Consumer Watchdog. "It seems to me that credit card companies are imposing their moral values on the world." (from SmartMoney)

Noose tightens on club, pub and restaurant owners

2011-06-10T03:32:00.000-07:00

The finger of blame has finally been pointed at the owners of establishments who serve drinks as long as their customers have money to hand over and then wave them goodbye as they walk out the door with their car keys dangling from their hand.

Cape Town restaurants, pubs and clubs will be targeted by traffic officers if they routinely allow drunk patrons to leave their establishments and get behind the wheel, the Western Cape Transport Department has warned.

And today, as part of its LeadSA campaign, the Cape Argus publishes the list of names of the most recently convicted drunken drivers sentenced in Western Cape criminal courts. These names have been handed over to the provincial transport department by magistrate’s courts to be capture on the eNatis database.

This “Name and Shame” campaign is in partnership with the provincial government’s “Safely Home” campaign.

At the Brandhouse Responsible Drinking media awards last week, the Cape Argus won the print category for its contribution towards reducing drunken driving.

As the latest 58 names are published today, Western Cape Transport MEC Robin Carlisle announced that he was to ramp up the pressure against drivers who abuse alcohol. Now restaurant, shebeen, club and bar owners are in his sights.

Carlisle has called on owners of these venues “to take responsibility for those who drink at their establishments”.

“Every club, pub, shebeen or restaurant has a responsibility to help me to eliminate drunken driving,” said Carlisle.

“I am giving notice that I will, in the future, use roadblocks and other methods to target certain localities where people consume large quantities of alcohol.”

The MEC said he would give establishments “time to get their house in order before the onset of these roadblocks”.

But he warned that the roadblocks would start soon.

Until now, it has not been common practice for traffic authorities to target specific establishments, but Carlisle said this would now change.

“I do not accept a situation where people are plied with massive amounts of alcohol and the proprietor looks the other way when they stumble out the door to climb into their cars.

“As proprietors you are morally responsible to ensure that the person that gets drunk on your premises does not drink and drive, endangering their life and the lives of others.”

Carlisle said the roadblocks would be followed up by meetings with the owners of pubs and similar establishments at which he would explain what he believed to be their responsibilities.

Tourism MEC Alan Winde said of the plans: “I’m in support of this.

“It makes good sense for an establishment owner to intervene.”

He said owners not only had a moral obligation but “it makes good business sense for an establishment owner to prevent patrons from going out on to the road and driving drunk or, worse, hurting and damaging other people.

“I convened a meeting late last year between Fedhasa (Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa), big liquor producers and the taxi industry to discuss this.

“I envisage a restaurant going into a partnership with a transport company – it would be easy to work out a business model – and for a restaurant owner to be able to direct patrons to a taxi service, if necessary,” he said.

Winde added, however, that the primary responsibility would always remain with the drivers.

Fedhasa Western Cape’s Dirk Elzinga sounded a warning in response to the news: “The minister should not exaggerate. Responsible restaurants are already doing this – that’s what good restaurant and good bar owners do.

“Yes, there may be some ‘not-so-responsible’ owners who are not doing this, and we would have no problem with them (being targeted). But the minister should not be draconian against those who are being responsible.”

Winde cited the impact of “last drinks” campaigns in New Zealand and Australia, where law enforcement officers would find out where drunk drivers had been prior to their arrests and then investigate whether action could be taken against proprietors. (from IOL)

Scare story about tik from the Voice

2011-06-10T03:27:00.000-07:00

Parents beware! Sly drug dealers may be targeting your kids with a new type of tik that is specifically made to be attractive to children.

Instead of the usual white grainy substance, this form of tik is pink and looks like children’s sweeties.

It’s even named Strawberry Quick because of its colour and texture - similar to powdered pink cooldrink or pop rocks that crackle in your mouth.

Drug experts and community workers warn that the new form of tik is just as addictive as the original and could be even more devastating to youngsters.

Strawberry Quick is said to be a cheaper form of tik because it is mixed with colouring.

The substance comes in different colours and flavours and is believed to be a hit on Cape Flats school playgrounds.

Narcotics experts tell the Daily Voice that kids are taking the drug thinking that it’s sweets and then fall ill.

Cape Flats residents who have heard about the drug say it’s been around since last year but has been kept quiet.

A community activist and Mitchells Plain resident says primary school children have become easy targets for Strawberry Quick dealers.

“People are talking about the drug but no one has gone to the police to report it to anyone,” says the concerned man.

“We first heard about it when it was used at a Mitchells Plain school, and since then nothing much has been done about it.

“However, primary school children are the easiest targets and drug dealers are getting them hooked so they can become addicted to the drug and from there they start stealing from their parents.”

Baronise Henry, from Mediator Strandfontein drug support and counselling group, says she initially thought it was a prank when she found the warning about Strawberry Quick in her mailbox.

“But then I contacted the South African National Council of Alcoholism and Drug dependence who confirmed that it is a poor quality tik that’s dyed with food colouring to make the drug more ‘kinky’,” she says.

But Baronise makes it clear that the drug is just as dangerous as its notorious relative.

Parents have been urged to warn their children not to take packets of sweets from strangers and to tell teachers if they are offered any suspicious substances at school.

Experts abroad - where the drug has been around for at least two years - say it tastes like strawberry and comes in a bright pink colour.

There are growing concerns that the younger crowd will find the drug more attractive because of the variety of colours and flavours it comes in.

And dealers cut the drug with battery acid and other harmful substances to make it go further.

Flavour and colour are added to the meth during the cooking process, instead of afterwards, which means the drug does not lose potency.

The substance can be ingested by snorting, smoking or injecting.

The drug is more popular among new users who snort it because the flavouring can cut down on the bad taste.

A US police official says the drug is particularity aimed at the younger crowd.

“If dealers can get younger people using it, they can get long-time buyers,” he says. - (Daily Voice on IOL)

Unnamed community member makes sensational claims about drug without evidence. Independent drug expert confirms claims having received an email from an unknown source. Finally, US drug official is quoted "as authority".

SAB launches "How to be a good drunk" program

2011-06-10T03:23:00.000-07:00

Well it's not called that, but it's basically the same thing:
Twenty-five-year-old Sibusiso Chapi is one of 100 Umlazi men to participate in an R8-million project aimed at teaching men to behave better after a few drinks.

Chapi heard about the Tavern Intervention Programme for Men, known as TIP, at his favourite drinking hole, popular Umlazi tavern Max's Lifestyle.

The programme, led by SA Breweries in partnership with Men for Development in South Africa, includes workshops over six weeks to change men's beliefs and their behaviour towards women and children, to create awareness of HIV/Aids and to promote drinking responsibly.

Chapi yesterday said he wanted to change.

"I tend to become forgetful after a few drinks and end up giving my belongings to people I do not know. Just last week, I gave away my phone. I want to be responsible." (from Timeslive) (Too drunk to even know that someone stole his phone.... oh dear)

Caffeine poisoning hits 600 children.

2011-05-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

The City’s Health Department is investigating how energy chewing gum, whose sell-by date had expired, landed up in the hands of more than 600 children who have been treated for possible caffeine overload.

On Tuesday Fisantekraal residents milled around the clinic next to the Trevor Manuel Primary School when children complained of stomach pains and headaches.

As the day progressed more and more children arrived at the clinic complaining of similar symptoms and were taken to hospitals across the city.

It is believed the Blitz Caffeine Energy Gum was dumped by a company on a farm in Fisantekraal, near Durbanville.

Some of Trevor Manuel Primary School pupils collected the dumped sweets and sold them to fellow pupils and other Fisantekraal residents for 50c a pack.

The schools’ principal, Edward Rasmus, said more than 600 of his pupils were affected.

He said the children all had similar complaints, which were primarily stomach and head pains.

“We can’t say it is the gum that caused it and we can’t say it isn’t,” Rasmus said, adding, however, that the chewing gum was the common thread.

“The concern is that the gum has been spread through the whole community, because the children who picked it up on the farm sold it everywhere,” he said.

Chantell Basson, who lives close to the school, was at the clinic when the first three pupils came in.

She said the two boys and a girl were crying and had severe stomach pains. One of the boys collapsed in pain.

“The nurses gave them glucose water and then more children came in with the same stomach cramps,” said Basson.

Yesterday the city’s Health Department director, Dr Ivan Bromfield, said the product was not meant to be consumed by children.

The gum’s packaging says that it is not recommended for children, pregnant or breast feeding women or caffeine sensitive people.

It also says that one pack is the equivalent of six energy drinks.

Bromfield said medical experts assumed that the children who were receiving treatment may have suffered a caffeine overload.

“We will be investigating how the product came to be on the farm and why the children had access to it,” he said

Laticia Pienaar, spokeswoman for Tygerberg Hospital, confirmed last night that seven girls and three boys were kept overnight for observation. She said they were in a stable condition, showed no signs of food poisoning and would be discharged later today.

The provincial Health Department’s medical rescue services confirmed they received the first call to attend to the children at 10am yesterday.

Metro Rescue’s Emergency Medical Service’s (EMS) Keri Davids said they transported 174 children, between the ages of seven and 14, to the Tygerberg and Karl Bremer hospitals and to the Kraaifontein, Delft and Elsies River community health clinics.

An EMS doctor also treated and discharged 419 children at the Fisantekraal clinic.

The children were treated for stomach cramps, headaches, lethargy and vomiting, Davids said.

Albert Ngetu, the father of 10-year-old Zandry Ngetu, raced to the clinic after she started vomiting.

A panicked Ngetu, said he had made Zandry drink milk after she had told him she ate the chewing gum.

“And then she started vomiting and couldn’t stop,” he said.

Police spokesman Warrant Officer November Filander confirmed this morning that they were assisting health department officials in tracing the origins of the expired chewing gum and that an inquest docket had been opened.

Disaster Risk Management spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said it was not clear when laboratory tests on the chewing gum would be completed. (from IOL)

Cops raid Dagga Party leader's home

2011-05-02T02:07:00.000-07:00

Police raided the home of the leader of the Dagga Party of South Africa, but all they found were a few seeds.

Jeremy Acton, whose party is registered in the Langeberg Municipality to contest the May 18 local government elections, said he was not at his Montagu farmhouse when police arrived early on Friday, but they questioned one of his workers and took him to the police station.

“They took all the pips and took photographs of my marijuana graphics and a poem I have for meditation.”

Acton, who was in Robertson at the time, said he wasn’t sure if a warrant had been issued for his arrest, but he wasn’t planning to return to Montagu until tomorrow.

Acton had taken his Dagga Party pamphlets to the police in Montagu and explained that he was fighting to get the herb legalised. He said he’d heard the police wanted to stop his efforts. (from IOL)

This raid is in contravention of Mr Acton's constitutional right to free political activity. Only a moron of a magistrate would sign a search warrant for a political party.

Zero alcohol limit proposal

2011-05-02T02:06:00.000-07:00

Drivers in South Africa could soon be banned from drinking any alcohol at all before getting behind the wheel.

John Motsatsing, chief director of road transport regulation in the Department of Transport, said the government was seriously considering a zero alcohol limit for all drivers.

“Irrespective of how many drinks you’ve had, you cannot judge if you are over the alcohol limit, because you are not an expert,” he said. “So why can we not say no drinking at all if you are driving?

“We are going to do away with the alcohol limit. We are drafting a document and will put it out for public comment.”

At least 203 people were killed in road accidents during the Easter weekend, according The Road Traffic Management Corporation.

It is estimated that almost half of all weekend motor vehicle crash victims at public hospitals are injured as a result of abuse of alcohol.

In metropolitan roadblocks one in every 10 drivers tested is above the legal alcohol limit, according to the corporation’s Ishref Ismail.

The reports listed that 57 percent of drivers tested positive for alcohol in 2008, an increase of 16 percent from the statistics compiled in 2002.

The reports showed alarming growth in alcohol use by all road users, with an overall 6 percent increase by 2008 in the number of people who died in traffic accidents while they had alcohol in the bloodstream compared to 2002.

Robin Carlisle, Western Cape Transport MEC, said the plan was “bold and dramatic”, but “wishful thinking”.

He said while close to 700 people had been killed on the country’s roads as a result of drunkenness last month, the government needed to get the basics right first.

“The emphasis should be on those who drive drunk, not those who have a drink and drive.”

Caro Smit, director of South Africans Against Drunk Driving, said her organisation understood that it was difficult to have total zero but that they would support a 0.02 limit which allows some sort of reasonable leeway for measurement error – especially to avoid criminalising people for taking medicine like cough mixture.

“We feel strongly that the alcohol limit should be lowered drastically,” she said. “However, it is no use lowering the limit if authorities are not going to catch those who drink and drive… we still do not have enough testing…”

Alta Swanepoel, independent traffic and transport consultant, said a zero alcohol limit might be hard to police.

“We don’t have enough traffic officers to take on hundreds of people and charge them.” (from IOL)

How to stop smoking? Start taking pills!!!!

2011-04-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

The first quit-smoking pill, designed specifically to stop the urge to light up, has arrived in South Africa.

Unlike the anti-depressant pill Zyban, which has side-effects that helped smokers quit, Champix is the first pill designed specifically to stop the urge for nicotine.

Over a 12-week cycle, the pill removes the desire for a smoking "high" by blocking the part of the brain that is satisfied by the effect of smoking.

Clinical psychologist and founder of the Society for Research on Tobacco and Nicotine, Dr Karl Fagerstrom, warned smokers of the dangers of their addiction at a media briefing in Johannesburg yesterday.

"One of every two smokers will die early," he said, adding that the problem was "more important than HIV or malaria".

Six million people worldwide die from smoking every year. In South Africa 31% of men and 9% of women smoke at least one cigarette a day.

Fagerstrom said smokers added to healthcare costs and spent less time working.

"They take more time out of their job to smoke and that is also a cost."

He said banning smoking in public places reduced the number of smokers.

"On average 4% of smokers give up [because of the regulations] and those who continue to smoke, smoke less."

The main effect of the legislation, he said, was to "denormalise tobacco culture". (from TimesLive)

A short history of the coffee drug.

2011-04-15T05:46:00.000-07:00

They probably don't realise it, but a number of world leaders might benefit from learning something of the history of coffee before speechifying on narcotics and the law. The "war on coffee" is far older than Nixon's War on Drugs, but it proved equally ineffectual. For centuries, coffee was the subject of bans, controls and tariffs, religious proscription and noisy vilification. But it always crept back, smuggled through the ports, black marketed, cut with acorns or ground broad beans. Centuries of history only see it becoming cheaper and ever more available despite all attempts to control it. (from the Guardian)

2011-04-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

A Rondavel

2011-04-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

That is all...

No deaths.... Just a Rondavel

125 South African smokers die A DAY!!!

2011-04-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

About 125 of the 23% of South Africans who smoke die from the habit every day, the National Council Against Smoking said. This means a total of 44,400 deaths a year, said the council in a statement.

Reducing the prevalence of smoking from the 23% to 5% in the next three decades was possible. "But it will require an intensification of the tobacco control campaign. "In particular, the government will have to look at its tobacco taxation policies which are in urgent need of revision."

Global action a top priority

According to leading medical journal The Lancet, an urgent global action to cut tobacco use should be the top priority of government.

This would assist in the fight to reduce deaths from chronic diseases such as strokes, heart attacks and cancer.

A global team of scientists had proposed that the United Nations (UN) should aim for "a world essentially free of tobacco by 2040, where less than 5% of people use tobacco".

This recommendation would be made to the first UN High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to be held in September 2011, The Lancet said.

The council said the meeting would provide the stage for powerful international action to develop, implement and fund actions against NCDs.

Every day, about 15,000 people die world-wide from diseases caused by tobacco.

"This rise is due to the tobacco industry's uncontrolled activities and persistent efforts to influence and weaken tobacco control policies," The Lancet said.

It added that key measures to prevent tobacco use were to raise tobacco taxes, place health warnings on tobacco packaging, smoke-free work and public places, a complete ban on all tobacco promotions, and control of illicit trade. (from News24)

South Africa's failed prohibition

2011-04-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

The consequences of a policy, whether unintended or not, determine whether a policy has been successful or not. The South African government has adopted a one size fits all prohibitionist policy for "illicit" drugs and the results are in... We have a winner and the winner is.... Mitchells Plain. Well the children of Mitchells Plain to be more precise. The policy of prohibition has made drugs freely available to children. The policy of prohibition has resulted in all drugs being sold without regulation and freely on the street corners.... TO CHILDREN. This policy has produced the result of drugs being freely available to children - which is exactly what it set out to prevent.

Mitchells Plain: SA’s teen drug capital

2011-04-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

DAGGA and tik remain the drugs of choice for school pupils in Mitchells Plain, with the most up-to-date research suggesting that dagga smoking in the area is so common that its prevalence is three times higher than the national average.

Worse still, the study revealed that substance abusers in Mitchells Plain were younger than their European counterparts, putting them at a much higher risk of developing drug dependency at an earlier age.

In addition, tik use was so prevalent in the area that its use now surpassed that of Ecstasy, cocaine and crack.

The study, conducted by Stellenbosch University and published in the SA Family Practice Journal, polled 400 pupils from 12 high schools in Mitchells Plain. It offers some of the most up-to-date statistics, pointing to an ever-growing problem.

Researchers found that at least 9 percent of all the pupils had used tik, while one in every 20 had used it during the previous year.

The prevalence for cannabis use was three times higher than the national prevalence rate of 10 percent, determined in 2007, the study showed.

But the statistics came as no surprise to those fighting drug abuse in the city.

The Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre’s Grant Jardine said that whenever drug use prevalence was studied in South Africa, Cape Town came out worst.

The new study also suggests that alcohol is the most common substance of choice among adolescents, with half of the pupils surveyed having consumed alcohol in their lifetime, and 34 percent having consumed it in the previous month.

The previous statistic reported for Cape Town was 31 percent.

Cigarette use was also highly prevalent, with more than double the number of pupils reporting having smoked cigarettes during their lifetime, when compared to pupils in the US and to South Africa as a whole.

The use of cannabis, for instance, was associated with the conversion of short-term memory into long term memory, cognitive impairment of comprehension and verbal recall, and mental illness – conditions that could lead to learning difficulties and ultimately to school dropouts.

“These potential learning difficulties apply to approximately 40 000 students in Mitchells Plain between the ages of 12 and 20 years, and may extrapolate into poor academic performance, school failure, school dropout, and a demand for additional learning resources,” said Hamdulay.

The use of illicit drugs was also associated with risky behaviour such as domestic abuse, risky sexual behaviour, carrying a knife and suicide attempts.

It was believed that cannabis was more popular in Mitchells Plain as it was easily available, inexpensive, easy to produce, and because the law prohibiting its use was not frequently enforced. (from IOL)

Cape Drug use at work soaring

2011-02-25T21:05:00.000-08:00

An alarming number of companies in Cape Town are seeking help for employees who use - and in some cases even sell - drugs in the workplace.

The SA National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca) in the Western Cape has reported that about 100 companies had approached it over the past three years.

And a local labour law firm says about half of the 1000 companies on its books reported an increase in drug use at work.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) says it has also noticed an alarming spike in the use of drugs at Cape Town businesses and has commissioned a study to gather figures and information about the extent of the problem in the Western Cape.

Nadine Harker-Burnhams, an MRC scientist in its alcohol and drug abuse research unit, is heading the unit’s two-year study into drug use and the workplace.

Harker-Burnhams, who is doing her doctoral thesis on the subject, said although several firms faced the dilemma of employee drug use, there were no official numbers and also no national guidelines for dealing with the problem. The problem was not confined to any specific sector or career, she said.

Tertius Cronje, Sanca’s corporate services director, said there was a “dangerous upswing” in the number of employees using drugs at work.

“More companies are asking for assistance. More employees are using drugs at work, and even selling them there, using the workplace as a marketplace.”

Peter Schultz, chairman of the SA Association of Social Workers in Private Practice, said he had worked with firms from six sectors that were dealing with employees who took and sold drugs at work. Schultz would not disclose the type of industries, but said they varied.

He said telltale signs of drug use were frequent bathroom breaks, frequent latecoming, unexplained ailments and generally erratic behaviour, where the employee seemed “out of control”.

Both organisations said senior managers were more likely to use tranquillisers or cocaine, call centre agents tended to use stimulants and employees in labour-intensive jobs favoured tik. Employees in the sales sector were more likely to drink at work, they said.

Cronje said: “You would seldom find managers using tik and employees in labour do not have the money for the more expensive drugs.”

The organisations said it was easier to detect when employees were smoking dagga or drinking at work, because these had distinct odours and the change in users’ behaviour was obvious.

Drugs such as tik, cocaine and heroin were harder to detect.

Schultz said people used drugs in bathrooms at work or, in the case of managers, in their own offices.

Harker-Burnham said employees would also use drugs during lunch breaks, or just before they got to the office each day. She said the food and retail sectors had reported a recent increase in dismissals relating to drug use at work. The industries would not disclose figures, she said.

The MRC had also noted that some referrals for patients admitted to treatment centres came from employers, Harker-Burnham said.

She said several factors led to people using drugs at work, including stress and working in high-risk environments, such as those involving hazardous chemicals.

Employees who felt they were receiving “little reward with high demand” were also more susceptible to alcohol and drug abuse, she said.

Her study is set to start in the next two months and will focus on measuring the extent of drug abuse in Western Cape workplaces, as well as testing “evidence-based” interventions.

Ironically, Schultz said, in the short-term, employees using drugs could seem more efficient and productive, but their performance would soon take a “nose-dive”.

Grant Jardine, from the Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre, said companies had over the past three or four years become more aware of drug use in the workplace.

He said drug abuse was causing on-site accidents and contributed to high rates of absenteeism.

Advocate Lionel Harper, the head of the legal services department at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, said that in most cases companies could not force employees to undergo drug tests. They would first have to get an employee’s permission and that of the union.

“The employee cannot be compelled to undergo the test but refusal can lead to a negative inference. I would advise a policy on this matter so that the employees and unions are in agreement… because (substance abuse) impacts on the productivity and operations of the company and they are a danger and safety hazard to the employees.”

- Cape Argus

Legalise Soft Drugs

2011-02-25T07:48:00.000-08:00

A call has gone out in the South African Medical Journal for a review of the legality of psychoactive substances such as marijuana (dagga).

Professor JP van Niekerk, managing editor of the journal, said it was important for South Africa to reopen the debate about the criminalisation of these substances, and to reconsider its policies in light of the fact that war against drugs in South Africa had failed.

It was time to face reality, the professor added, and rationally debate the question of decriminalisation.

“It makes no sense to legalise the use of alcohol and tobacco, but not the less dangerous substances like marijuana,” Van Niekerk argued.

He said that by decriminalising drugs there could be better control, and that the country could gain revenue from it through taxation.

He argued further that the role of criminal drug dealers could be significantly reduced.

Van Niekerk believes that improved state control, as is the case with tobacco and alcohol, could also be applied in the control of drugs in South Africa.

The high prices of illegal drugs, he said, often forced those dependent on them into criminal activities, including drug peddling and robbery, to finance their addiction.

On the other hand, he added, one of the reasons many people stopped smoking was because the price of tobacco was increased.

Controlling prices in this way was one of the mechanisms that could be used to manage the problem.

Van Niekerk said the way in which the drug scourge was being “fought” was actually making the drugs more valuable, and was attracting more participants to the illicit drug economy.

If they were decriminalised, he argued, drugs could be better controlled and the money saved could be used for education about the harm caused by drugs, and for the rehabilitation of addicts.

Van Niekerk said that while the use of drugs may be a vice, it should not be considered a crime - so making criminals of a large proportion of South Africa’s population.

“It is easier for youngsters to buy drugs than it is for them to buy cigarettes, because they would be asked for their ages. If the same could be done with drugs, then that would mean more difficult access to them,” he said.

When asked whether he believed the idea would work in South Africa, Van Niekerk answered that he did.

He added that evidence showed that the country’s current policies to fight the war on drugs were not working, with more and more people accessing drugs.

A recent study done by the SA Medical Research Council on drug abuse in the Western Cape showed that alcohol was among the worst abused substances, with Khayelitsha singled out as the area of the province where it was most abused. (from IOL)

Man arrested with R19 million Cocaine

2011-02-25T07:46:00.000-08:00

A man was caught with cocaine with an estimated street value of R19m in Beaufort West on Thursday, Western Cape police said.

Police stopped and searched a yellow Volvo bus near a garage in the town shortly after 02:00, Captain Frederick van Wyk said.

Police sniffer dogs found a black bag in the luggage compartment. When police asked for the owner of the bag, one man tried to run away.

He was arrested and asked to open the bag. Inside police found several kilograms of cocaine.

In a separate incident police recovered dagga with a street value of R60 000 after they stopped and searched a cream-coloured Toyota Cressida on Wednesday evening.

Two men, aged 26 and 26, were arrested when six bags of dagga weighing 60kg were found.

All three men were expected to appear in the Beaufort West Magistrate's Court on Friday. (from News24)

Zuma confronts Mitchells Plain drugs saga

2011-02-08T21:35:00.000-08:00

President Jacob Zuma has called for “concerted action” to deal with the abuse of alcohol and drugs in Mitchells Plain.

Zuma said in a speech at the Sultan Bahu Treatment Centre in Mitchells Plain on Tuesday that he was concerned that the abuse of alcohol and drugs was becoming a fashionable part of the lives of “some” children.

“Statistics indicate that the age of experimentation with drugs is nine years, which is way too disturbing,” Zuma said in the speech which was attended by Western Cape Premier Helen Zille.

“We have seen in some communities that some children drink alcohol on their way to school.

“This calls for concerted action amongst all of us as parents and community members. We must work together to curb the spread of substance abuse in our communities.”

Zuma said the government had a duty to build recreational facilities and improve the quality of life for communities, so that poverty did not breed the “proliferation of drugs and the abuse of other substances”.

“We are pleased to note action being taken by communities and individuals to fight substance abuse and educate our children and families.

Zuma said he was concerned about the high numbers of pregnant women who were abusing alcohol on farms in the Western Cape and parts of the Northern Cape.

“The impact on the unborn child is devastating,” he said.

Zuma said most in-patient treatment centres were not accessible to majority of patients and were found mostly in the cities.

“We therefore must find a way of extending them to rural and informal settlements, especially in the light of rising demand for treatment services,” he said.

“However, the out-patient treatment services are also available, and have ensured that patients receive treatment while remaining in their communities and families.”

- Sapa

Intransigent shebeen owners may lose home

2011-02-02T02:17:00.000-08:00

For years the city couple ran an illegal shebeen from their home, and the police raided them 52 times.

Then the National Director of Public Prosecutions decided that the only solution to the illicit trade was to seize their home, and won the subsequent court case.

But now the couple, who have two school-going children who live with them, are appealing the judgment to a full Bench at the Western Cape High Court in a bid to save what they say is their family home, their children’s inheritance and their livelihood. The couple, Hilda and Edward van der Burg, from Athlone, have been selling liquor illegally since 2001 and despite repeated raids by police, have continued doing so.

The State has argued that having the couple forfeit the house, which is located next to a school and a church, is the only way to stop them from selling the liquor.

The Van der Burgs had apparently applied for a liquor licence previously but this was not approved.

In the Western Cape High Court on Friday, their attorney, Gregory Derris, argued that because the couple had never been imprisoned and were only ever issued with fines, it had not been a strong enough deterrent to keep them from selling the liquor.

But Judge Jeanette Traverso interjected, saying: “These are grown-up people we’re talking about. They had warnings, they were convicted and sentenced. They’re not puppies that run around.

“Police conducted 52 operations against them. I’ve been around for 65 years and the police haven’t had any operations against me.”

Judge Chantal Fortuin also questioned whether the couple deserved to keep the house at all after their blatant disregard for the law.

“But there is a family home that is being conducted here as well,” said Derris.

“If the property is taken, it will affect the living arrangement of the entire family. This is not just a shebeen. It’s a family home, and that is better than living on the street.

“They haven’t simply shown a blatant disregard for the law, they have a hand-to-mouth existence.”

Geoff Budlender, for the National Director of Public Prosecutions, however, told the court that while the children may lose out on their inheritance, there were no indications that they may be left homeless, as the couple claimed they earned R2 000 a week from their vegetable stall.

He said it was necessary for the court to send out the message that if you conduct illegal business from your home, your house could be seized.

“These are people who are living in a shebeen, not a shebeen being run from a home,” said Budlender, adding that the business was “popular”, “successful” and “substantial”. “Their attitude to crime has been: “I can continue carrying on with the crime as long as I pay a fine.”

“Forfeiture is the only means available to the law for ending this scenario.” (from IOL)

You have to wonder about the supply side of the equation. Where is the shebeen getting its booze from? Solve that problem and the shebeen would stay closed when the police close it down.

All night drinking

2011-01-31T23:49:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-29T04:07:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-29T02:59:00.001-08:00

Bar owners resist new liquor laws

2011-01-24T21:42:00.000-08:00

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!!

2011-01-24T21:39:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-24T21:36:00.001-08:00

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’

2011-01-24T03:46:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-12T23:10:00.000-08:00

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

Booze by-law backdown

2010-12-31T03:07:00.000-08:00

New year revellers can drink until the early morning hours on Saturday if they choose – the City of Cape Town has done a last minute U-turn on its controversial new liquor laws.

Yesterday Councillor Taki Amira, chairman of the Liquor Policy Task Team, announced that the new laws – outlawing alcohol sales after 11pm in residential areas and 2am in business areas – would not be implemented at New Year.

The announcement followed a meeting between Amira and city club and bar owners who said the laws would impact heavily on their businesses.

At the meeting, UCT student Rowan Dunne pointed out that the laws under which the council wanted to promulgate the new measures were not yet gazetted and would only be gazetted on January 14. Dunne, 28, is a Master’s student in social development, policy and management, and works part time in entertainment.

Amira announced the new measures on Tuesday, saying at a press conference that the new liquor by-law that regulated alcohol trading hours would take effect at midnight today “The city wants to remind liquor traders that the new trading hours kick in at the beginning of the new year,” Amira said on Tuesday.

He said this meant that bars and clubs in business areas would have to close by 2am tomorrow and that those close to residential areas, which may now enjoy late trading hours, would have to abide by the new legislation and close by 11pm, or risk losing their licences.

The news was met with disappointment by some businesses which were promoting big New Year’s Eve bashes.

But most traders contacted by the Cape Times accepted the new trading hours and pledged to comply with the regulations.

After the announcement, a host of objections flooded into the city council, with mayor Dan Plato having several emergency sessions with angry restaurant and club owners whose unhappiness led to their meeting yesterday withAmira.

After the meeting the city said: “The City would like to allay fears of club and restaurant owners with regards to the enforcement of the City’s new Liquor Trading Days and Hours By-Law. The by-law will be phased in over the next few months and will not be stringently enforced until all role players have been extensively educated and informed about the new legislation.”

Amira said the aim was not to close down clubs, bars and restaurants which did not comply by today, but to properly inform everyone affected by the new by-law in order for them to comply with the legislation.

Amira said the new measures would be brought in but not implemented. “As with all new legislation, it has been decided that this new by-law will be phased in over a period of time. During the first few months of 2011 we will educate and inform everyone affected by the by-law about its contents and what is expected of them.

We will not enforce the by-law, fine nor prosecute people until all role players have been properly educated and everyone has been given a fair chance to make sure they comply with the law.”

Restaurant and club owners used yesterday’s meeting to raise concerns.

Amira said the city had amended the original by-law and that the amended version would be officially approved on January 14.

Under the new by-law, establishments with a trading licence for non-alcoholic goods can stay open after the specified hours as long as they cease serving alcohol. But the law prohibits the sale and consumption of alcohol on the premises after hours.

Special events in need of a temporary licence will have to apply individually.

For a full schedule visit www.capetown.gov.za.

- Cape Times

Cape bars, clubs get grace period

2010-12-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

Independent Newspapers

Cape Town clubs and bars are to be given several months grace to become "educated" on their reduced trading hours, the City said. Photo: Independent Newspapers

Cape Town clubs and bars are to be given several months grace to become “educated” on their reduced trading hours, the City said on Thursday.

In yet another confusing instalment in its crackdown on liquor sales, it said both that its new by-law would not be enforced at all until a later stage, and that it would not be “stringently” enforced until later.

The by-law, which limits the trading hours of inner-city bars and clubs to 2am, comes into effect at midnight on December 31.

Some venues were granted special dispensations under existing legislation to stay open to 4am.

A group of owners have threatened to go to court next week over the new law.

“The by-law will be phased in over the next few months and will not be stringently enforced until all role players have been extensively educated and informed about the new legislation,” the city's communications department said in a statement on Thursday.

However the statement also quoted the chairman of the council's liquor policy task team Taki Amira as saying: “We will not enforce the by-law, fine nor prosecute people until all role players have been properly educated.”

Everyone would be “given a fair chance to make sure they comply with the law”, he said.

On Wednesday he said in a media statement that bars and clubs in business areas “will have to close by 02:00 on January 1”, and that liquor outlets “will have to abide by the new legislation”.

Amira and the city have been unable to say whether the new by-law means businesses will be able to stay open after 2am, selling non-alcoholic products such as coffee, and what will happen if patrons order several drinks just before 2am.

Amira also maintained on Wednesday that there had already been adequate communication on the changes.

“When people say, we haven't been told, we haven't been communicated (with), it shocks me,” he said then.

He said in Thursday's statement that the aim was not to immediately close down clubs, bars and restaurants that did not comply, but to “properly inform everyone affected by the new by-law in order for them to comply”.

“As with all new legislation, it has been decided that this new by-law will be phased in over a period of time,” he said.

The City's safety and security chief, Richard Bosman, said that initially the City's law enforcement agencies would merely register complaints from the public “and keep record thereof for future reference”.

- Sapa

Massive cocaine bust in Knysna

2010-12-12T19:50:00.000-08:00

Nearly 50 bags of cocaine bricks with an estimated street value of R380 million have been seized at the Knysna waterfront, and two Chinese, a Taiwanese and two Capetonians have been arrested.

Police said the haul is believed to be one of the biggest in the province. They were unable to say where the drugs had been destined for, nor from where it had come.

“This bust was a result of a well-planned sting operation by crime intelligence and the Knysna police service after they received information from the public regarding illegal activities taking place near the Knysna Waterfront,” said Captain Malcolm Pojie.

On Friday, police swooped on a flat at the waterfront where the five suspects lived.

“After being interrogated, the suspects accompanied the police to their boat where the police discovered the 48 bags of bricked cocaine.”

Pojie said the boat was anchored next to the flat. The cocaine and the boat, worth approximately R1.5m, were confiscated.

By late yesterday afternoon police were still on the scene, combing the area for further clues.

“The investigation will be conducted by the Provincial Organised Crime Investigation Unit, which is attached to the Hawks,” Pojie said. (from IOL)

Economic Crisis...

2010-11-19T08:19:00.001-08:00

Drunk mommy forgets baby at one-night stand

2010-11-19T02:18:00.000-08:00

A Cape Town mom got so drunk she forgot her baby at the home of a man she had a one-night stand with.

The 22-year-old mom says she forgot she had taken her child with her to a shebeen where she met a man she spent the night with.

Noxolo Lugwali, 22, had her whole Garden City, Mfuleni, community and cops mobilised looking for her two-year-old baby Linathi.

Meanwhile, the child was safely at the home of the unsuspecting lover who woke on Tuesday morning to find the mother had left without her baby.

Noxolo told the Daily Voice she had gone out on Monday evening to have a few drinks.

“I usually go with my child to the shebeen and drink while she is there,” she explained.

“I don’t know what came over me this time.”

She said she went home with a man she met at the Bardale shebeen and the next morning she went home without Linathi – and only realised hours later that the toddler was not with her.

It was after neighbours asked here where her child was on Tuesday afternoon that she started looking for her.

“I searched the whole area and didn’t find my daughter and then, after a while, I remembered that I went to that man’s house,” said Noxolo.

“When I arrived there, he told me he had been looking after her while I left her there.”

When the Daily Voice arrived at Noxolo’s home, the toddler was playing outside and her mother was sleeping inside the shack and had no idea that her baby was outside playing unattended.

Noxolo’s mother Nomaza Lugwali said: “My daughter only cares about alcohol and men and she doesn’t care about her own little girl.

“She has been in Cape Town for six weeks but she acts like she has been here for a long time.

“If I go to work, she takes her child to the shebeen and even though she has a boyfriend here, she will go to sleep somewhere else.”

Nomaza said she is grateful her grandchild is back home.

But she added that she would be sending her daughter to a special youth development centre so she can learn to be more responsible.

- Daily Voice

SAB "helps" with alcohol syndrome?

2010-11-18T21:13:00.000-08:00

The Department of Social Development and SA Breweries are talking about how to tackle the high incidence of foetal alcohol syndrome.

The syndrome - which includes mental incapacity of children whose mothers drank alcohol while pregnant - is a big problem in Northern Cape and Western Cape, where a study has found 122 of 1000 children affected by it. (That makes it a whole 12%!)

Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini, SAB executives, academics and other experts are holding a two-day indaba in Boksburg, on the East Rand, to develop ways of dealing with the problem.

Dlamini said: "While aware that the SAB is in the business of selling liquor for profit, we welcome this partnership, because it shows that they have put national interest ahead of making profit at the expense of the people." OH FUCKING REALLY? 30000 shebeens in the Western Cape! Where did all that come from?

SAB's executive director for corporate affairs and transformation, Vincent Maphai, said: "This partnership between industry, experts and the government allows for the best utilisation of skills and resources to drive a meaningful and effective impact on the lives of South Africans affected by the abuse of alcohol."

The department and SAB said yesterday the indaba would try to "generate terms of reference for the appointment of an NGO to rollout the agreed programme [for fighting the syndrome]". (from TimesLive)

And in other news... SAB's earning rise by 16%

The world's second-biggest brewer, which earns more than 80% of its profits from emerging markets, said Africa and Asia had fully recovered, while high unemployment in mature markets was holding back any upturn in beer sales.

Chief executive Graham Mackay yesterday painted a picture of a two-speed world, with beer volumes growing in Africa and Asia and recovering in Latin America after a tax rise in Colombia, while the western world saw little improvement. (also from TimesLive)

Cape Town's drunk driving spree continues unabated

2010-11-15T20:27:00.000-08:00

City and provincial authorities have arrested more than 2 500 motorists for drunk driving in the Western Cape in the past five months – an average of more than 500 a month.

A total of at least 2 555 motorists have been arrested since June - a figure compiled by the Cape Times from statistics provided by the City of Cape Town’s traffic service, provincial traffic service and metro police traffic officers, who conduct separate or integrated roadblocks but keep separate statistics.

These figures have been compiled as new campaigns have been launched to raise awareness about drunk-driving, campaigns which authorities say appear to be starting to shift driver attitudes.

Provincial traffic chief Kenny Africa said the number of drunk-driving arrests made monthly were affected by factors such as sporting events, the time of the month and the location of roadblocks.

Provincial traffic officers were responsible for main and national roads in the Western Cape and held 24 roadblocks each weekend.

In July this year provincial traffic officers arrested 198 drunk drivers, the highest number of arrests the provincial traffic service recorded in five months.

Africa attributed this to the World Cup during which a number of people had travelled between provinces to get to and from matches.

Numbers arrested spiked again in October when provincial traffic officers arrested 160 motorists for drunk driving, a figure up by 46 compared to the previous month.

“One of the main reasons it went up is because there were more rugby matches and other sporting events during the month.

“We also changed our strategy and went from static roadblocks to moving roadblocks which move from area to area,” Africa said.

Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz said a range of factors affected the number of drunk-driving arrests made weekly.

“It’s very interesting how sports and other big events in Cape Town actually affect the arrests,” he said.

Merle Lourens, spokeswoman for the City of Cape Town’s traffic service, said four or five roadblocks were held a month in and around the city, not necessarily in the same areas each time.

She said the location of roadblocks depended on, among other factors, the accident rate in a particular area.

About 25 officers were deployed to each City of Cape Town roadblock.

The metro police also held roadblocks within the city, mostly over weekends.

Deputy metro police chief Yolanda Faro said the time and place of operations was planned according to offence patterns and crime threat analysis.

She said extra roadblocks and visible policing were planned for the festive season to clamp down on drunk driving.

Transport MEC Robin Carlisle said the figure of more than 2 500 arrests in five months was “extraordinarily high”, even by international standards.

But Carlisle said a number of initiatives aimed at clamping down on drunk driving had recently started bearing fruit.

These included the “Name and Shame” campaign which started last month and which involves the names of convicted drunk drivers being published.

“What we are finding, and that’s through chatting to people on buses, etc, is that they are aware of the campaign. There’s a change in attitude.

“We want to get the message across that it’s simply not worth having that extra glass of wine,” Carlisle said.

Fritz agreed that there appeared to be a shift in behaviour very recently.

Regarding the Name and Shame campaign, he said: “People are apparently petrified about this campaign.

“They’re really worried, so aren’t drinking and driving,” he said.

Fritz said extra visible policing and roadblocks seemed to result in fewer motorists taking chances.

Africa agreed that extra operations and the campaigns appeared to be working.

“The message is really getting out now. We won’t stop with the roadblocks until we’re not making any more drunk-driving arrests.

“There’s definitely a change in driver behaviour. We’ve received many phone calls from motorists saying they won’t be driving drunk any more because, for example, a friend or a colleague on Facebook told them not to drink and drive,” he said.

After radio broadcasts in which motorists were urged not to drink and drive, Africa said there was a decrease in the number of arrests being made in roadblocks.

“Motorists are adhering to our call.” (from IOL)

Shorter Liquor purchasing for Cape Town

2010-11-15T20:24:00.000-08:00

Cape Town's drinkers will have less time to buy liquor or spend in pubs next year, the City said on Wednesday.

In terms of a new by-law, from January the new drinking hours for pubs, clubs, restaurants and hotels would be 11am to 2am, instead of the current 10am start, with an option to continue to 4am.

For liquor stores and supermarkets, the liquor trading hours would be 9am to 6pm. Currently the hours were 8am to 8pm.

The councillor who chaired the City's liquor policy task team, Taki Amira, said it had been difficult to please everybody in the drafting of the new by-law.

"With over 3.6 million residents from widely divergent social environments, the City of Cape Town has a responsibility to treat all citizens equally and to help fight the scourge of alcohol abuse," he said.

"The City has tried to strike a balance between the hospitality industry which preferred longer trading hours, and community leaders who insisted on tighter regulations." (from IOL)

Premier signs Drink Driving Pledge - will it change the way people behave?

2010-11-08T21:47:00.000-08:00

Western Cape premier Helen Zille has become the first South African to sign her name to an international campaign to combat drunk driving.

"We are very much hoping... that drinking and driving becomes as much of a taboo in South Africa as it is in many other countries in the world," she said.

The campaign, called Join the Pact, is run internationally by whisky maker Johnnie Walker, and was launched locally by the brand's local distributor Brandhouse Beverages.

Zille said at the Cape Town ceremony Tuesday that everyone should get into the "wonderful habit" of ensuring that if they went out and had a few drinks, there was a designated non-drinking driver to fall back on.

She joked that the way to avoid the hassle of deciding who was going to be the designated driver was to get elected into public office and get appointed as a premier or Cabinet minister.

"Then you have a driver who's a permanent designated driver and who's never allowed to drink so that you can have a few, and sit in the back, and feel good about life."

Brandhouse managing director Gerald Mahinda said South Africans needed to remind themselves of the tragic consequences of people who chose to drink and drive.

"If you choose to drink, make a plan so you don't have to drive," he said.

"We need to be the change that we want to see, and to take responsibility for our actions."

Taking responsibility for their actions is not something the alcohol industry is very good at. How come there are 30000 shebeens in the Western Cape? The alcohol industry supports these illegal operations and has in fact been setting them up. What about letting inebriated patrons leave the alcohol industry's licenced premises when it is obvious that they are about to drive home? Is that called taking responsibility?

Drunken Man sentenced to 3 years house arrest

2010-10-31T22:16:00.000-07:00

A drunken man who stabbed his drunk common-law wife with a broken bottle neck during an argument was on Friday sentenced to three years' house arrest.

Henry Beukes, 33, appeared in the Bellville Regional Court before magistrate Deon Oosthuysen, who said neither Beukes nor the woman had any respect for each other.

The incident happened at Fisantekraal, near Durbanville, in March last year, when a drunk Beukes arrived home, to find his common-law wife, Maria October, drunk as well.

Oosthuysen said the woman had been jealous of Beukes, and in her own drunken state had physically attacked him.

This was triggered by a suspicion that Beukes was having an affair because he wanted to go out again for more to drink.

Oosthuysen said Beukes' defence, that he attacked the woman in self defence, was “laughable”.

He said Beukes had pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted murder, and a full scale trial had ensued before the court could get to the bottom of the incident.

Beukes was found guilty of assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm.

Oosthuysen said Beukes had claimed innocence to the very end, and it was only now, that he was to be sentenced, that he claimed to have remorse.

Under house arrest, he would be free to work for a living and attend church, but he would not be allowed to consume liquor, or drugs without a doctor's prescription. (from IOL)

The sentence for stabbing someone in the face with a broken bottle is going home and spending 3 YEARS with NO DRUGS.

80% of crime in Motherwell linked to alcohol

2010-10-24T22:24:00.000-07:00

Eighty percent of crimes committed in South Africa's third most populous township - Motherwell in Port Elizabeth - are alcohol-related, said police on Sunday.

Motherwell station commander Keith Meyer said that the 13 square kilometre township has 106 licensed taverns and many illegal shebeens.

“Apart from drunken driving and drunk and disorderly arrests, seven armed robbers were arrested for holding up a Somali-owned shop. The men, ranging in age from 18 to 26, will appear in court (on Monday). Another man was arrested after being found in possession of stolen goods, weapons and cash,” said Meyer.

Meanwhile, a 19-year old man was arrested in Nellmapius, near Mamelodi, east of Pretoria, after he allegedly stabbed to death another man following an argument over a girlfriend. Police spokesperson Shawane Sepato said the argument between the two men started in a tavern in the area.

Sepato said one man stabbed the other with a sharp object. The man was certified dead upon his arrival at hospital. Police arrested 145 suspects for various crimes during a crime operation in the Mamelodi cluster.

Sepato says suspects were arrested for crimes including possession of dagga, assault, possession of stolen motor vehicles and the possession of firearms and ammunition. (from IOL)

It really does not make sense to be arresting people for possession of cannabis when on the polices own version alcohol causes 80% of the crime!!! How about arresting some people for public drunkeness, or closing down illegal drinking establishments? This makes me wonder - Who is in charge of licencing 109 taverns in 13 square kilometres?

You can pick up a copy of the application at the South African Library and the application cost a whole R100. (Cape Gateway)

The Department of Trade and Industry is in charge of the Liquor Act. (the dti's liquor act page)

Should be Legalized

2010-10-21T22:19:00.000-07:00

Major drug campaign planned

2010-10-12T23:38:00.000-07:00

The Department of Social Development and the Central Drug Authority (CDA) are launching an anti-substance abuse national campaign, a department spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Abram Phahlamohlaka said the campaign would run with the theme “No place for drugs in my community”.

“South Africa is facing a growing phenomenon of substance abuse, which is linked to the illicit drug trafficking trade,” Phahlamohlaka said in a statement.

The launch would take place on October 14 in Upington in the Northern Cape, where there were high levels of substance abuse and Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).

The drug trade had serious implications for South Africans because substance abuse contributed to crime, gangsterism, domestic violence, family dysfunction and many other forms of social problems, Phahlamohlaka said.

After the national launch provinces would conduct their own programmes in the form of door-to-door campaigns throughout the country, Phahlamohlaka said.

The Minister of Social Development Edna Molewa, accompanied by other national ministers, and Northern Cape Premier Hazel Jenkins, MEC Alvin Botes, and CDA members would conduct a door-to-door campaign in the areas most affected by substance abuse and educate communities on its dangers.

The campaign would aim to get people talking about the problem in the public arena, homes and schools, and to stimulate debate and action at all levels of society.

“The South African government recognises that the drug problem is complex and requires decisive and collective national action if the goal of creating a drug-free society is to be achieved”.

- Sapa

National Prosecuting Authority CLAIMS success... alas its all lies

2010-10-07T05:20:00.000-07:00

Despite more than half of the cases set down for trial in court disappearing from the court rolls, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has claimed an 88% rate of successful prosecutions.

Reading the annual reports of the police and NPA together shows that a vast number of serious crime cases reported to the police are never enrolled for trial. Of those that are, more than 50% are taken off the roll for various reasons.

The two reports show that despite a moderate decline in the incidence of some serious crimes and an improvement in efficiency at the NPA, the country still has a great deal of serious crime — with more than a 75% chance of the culprits getting away with it.

National director of public prosecutions Menzi Simelane, in his first annual report tabled in Parliament yesterday, said there had been an improvement in the performance of the prosecuting service in 2009-10, with the conviction rate rising almost 3% from that achieved in the 2008-09 financial year.

“The disposal rate of the courts is also indicative of their improved performance. During 2008-09, a total of 1,07-million cases were disposed, of which 59,7% were removed from the roll by means of withdrawal, issuing of a warrant, transfer, mental referral or struck off the roll, and 40,3% were finalised with a verdict or an alternate dispute resolution method,” Mr Simelane said.

“During 2009-10, fewer cases were removed from the roll (and) more were finalised. A total of 1,06-million cases were disposed, of which 55,9% were removed from the roll and 44,1% were finalised. This translates into a 3,7% increase compared to 2008-09.”(from BusinessDay)

The Bushmen have a Cannabis enhancing plant?

2010-10-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

South African Bushmen have been chewing kanna (Sceletium tortuosum) for hundreds of years to reduce stress, relieve hunger and elevate their moods. Now there are plans to market the exotic plant worldwide as a new over-the-counter drug

Aside from its potential health benefits and mood-altering qualities, the plant is also well known for its ability to enhance the effects of other psychoactive drugs - particularly cannabis. (From MNN)

Ben-Erik Van Wyk, a professor of botany and plantbiotechnology at the University of Johannesburg, said he's extensively researched the plant and found no ill effects or evidence of dependency. (Clearly the man hasn't tried hard enough!)

When chewed, the plant gives a slight head rush, which is similar to the effect of smoking a cigarette, Van Wyk said.

"It's a product with huge potential," he said. "Anyone who has chewed it and has experienced the sensation of the plant definitely knows there's something happening." (from Psyorg)

So clever..

2010-10-04T23:02:00.000-07:00

The cannabis plant has a survival stragety which is ingenious. The cannabis flower is valued by humans for its effect when smoked. The one bit of the flower which IS not smoked are the seeds. Where do the seeds go? Pretty much EVERYWHERE!

Two men were due to appear in the Sterkspruit Magistrate's Court on Monday for the alleged possession of 58 bags of dagga, Eastern Cape police said.

Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Mpumelelo Landu said the two were arrested outside Sterkspruit when police searched two vehicles they were travelling in on Friday.

Police confiscated 58 bags of dagga each weighing about 120kg.

“The value of the dagga was about R6,9-million,” said Landu (From IOL)

How much cannabis does it take to kill a person?

2010-10-04T01:04:00.002-07:00

Quite a lot. In fact so much that it's not possible according to the Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs.

"Cannabis presents almost no toxicity and cannot lead to an overdose." Summary Report regarding Toxicity of Cannabis.

"I've heard that you have to smoke something like 15,000 joints in 20 minutes to get a toxic amount of Delta9 THC. I challenge anybody to do that..."
Dr. Paul Horby, PhD Biochemist & Human Pathologist

"There are no deaths from cannabis use anywhere; you can't find one "
Dr. Lester Grinspoon, MD Professor Emeritus, Harvard Medical School

How much alcohol does it take to kill a person?

2010-09-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

A man died after downing a pint of vodka in four seconds, an inquest heard.

Richard Davies, 29, from Thornaby, near Stockton, had been drinking with friends before the alcohol knocked him unconscious in January.

Mr Davies was found not breathing in a pool of his own blood, and died hours later.

Recording a verdict of misadventure, Teesside coroner Tony Eastwood said the alcohol in his system had killed him.

The hearing on Tuesday at Teesside Coroner's Court was told how the electrician's mate was five-and-a-half times the legal drink-drive limit and his body contained traces of the then-legal high mephedrone, which has since been banned.

However, Mr Eastwood said the alcohol in his system had killed him and that the mephedrone was not a contributing factor. (from BBC)

MDMA.... where have all the good drugs gone?

2010-09-27T04:34:00.000-07:00

Remember when you used to take one little white pill and it would make your eyes roll back in your head as you came up so hard that you nearly fell backwards? Remember when you’d spend a whole night asking strangers for massages, combing other people’s hair, and convincing yourself dance music wasn’t crap? The clichés are now about as dated as the drugs are shit. An edgy twitch is not the same thing, and I’m sorry, if you’re under 21, you probably can’t understand what we’ve lost.

I was having this whinge to a dealer friend (who we’ll call Julio) about the current poor condition of the drugs market. Why Julio, I asked, is it not possible for your chemist brethren to create some pills that actually live up to their name? I want to actually feel ecstatic. I want joy in a pill. Give me “endless feelings of gooey warmth and happiness”. If I wanted a short-lived buzz followed by six hours of sleepless terror I would take speed.

Julio explained why it is that our pills are piss poor, and why MDMA has, for the last three or four months, taken on an uncanny likeness to speed. Shock, horror – they can no longer make MDMA. I wouldn’t have believed him if it hadn’t been confirmed by three additional dealers, all who advised me to ignore anyone claiming to be selling MDMA, unless they had buried it in a hole a year earlier only to sell it now in the high-demand market at inflated prices. One component of the compound 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, which was only legal to produce in China, has been made illegal to manufacture over there, making it near impossible to track down.

This has lead to every crooked chemist in the land coming up with shitty concoctions to feed us. That is why the MDMA is now mostly MDMC, tastes sweet and only gets you high enough to remind you how good real MDMA once was. Equally, they are packing those pills – which were already bulging with all sorts of non-kosher stuff like ketamine – with every possible substitute. Julio is just a dealer, not a politician, and doesn’t know when the situation will be sorted. I’ll leave the final words to Julio: “Just think about our kids, man. They’ll never know what the real shit was like.” (from Viceland)

Health warning... MDMA no longer exists.

Tik and risky sex linked

2010-09-27T04:30:00.000-07:00

According to Andreas Plüddemann, Senior Scientist at the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Unit at the Medical Research Council (MRC), the common thread in many studies, is the strong link between methamphetamine use and sexual behaviour, with many users reporting that tik use enhanced sexual experiences and vice versa.

“A number of users report experiencing highly positive aspects of sexuality whilst under the influence of methamphetamine, more so than any other substance-dependent group,” he said.

This, he added, also often led to a higher level of sexual risk behaviour, including multiple partners, risky partner types (e.g. anonymous sex partners), and high rates of unprotected sex among users.

“The link between tik use and risky sexual behaviour is a great concern, given the epidemic of tik use in the Western Cape and the area's high HIV stats.

“The use of methamphetamines can further fuel HIV infection rates, compounding what is already a health crisis,” he said.(from News24)

Tik less harmfull than mothers of tikheads

2010-09-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

MOTHERS with drug-addicted children stood up to support Ellen Pakkies during her sentencing in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court on Friday.

Ellen was found guilty of murdering her tik-addicted child, Adam, on Friday 24 October. Magistrate Amanda von Leeve requested additional witnesses from Ellen's home in Lavender Hill to explain the situation in the family at the time before the murder to inform her sentencing.

Last year, 12 September, Pakkies turned herself in at the Steenberg Police Station, telling officers that she had strangled her son, who she said was addicted to tik and Mandrax.

On Friday, Adrian Samuels, Ellen's defence lawyer, presented Von Leeve with a range of mothers who had also suffered under the abuse of their tik-addicted children.

Vanetia Orgill from Mitchell's Plain took the stand to talk about her son, Troy (27), who had been a drug addict for over ten years.

Troy committed suicide at a friend's home at the start of the year. He had apparently stopped taking drugs for two years before his death, but had developed schizophrenia as a result of his drug abuse.

Orgill told the court that her son had on numerous occasions tried to kill her in his drug rages, and that on one occasion, in his drugged state, he had asked her and his sister for sex. Troy was forced to live outside the family home in a car as he could not be trusted in the house.

Orgill said her son had constantly been in and out of jail for theft.

Ellen's son Adam had likewise been forced to live in a shack in the family's back yard because he constantly stole from the house.

Orgill said her son would often throw rocks at the house, breaking all the windows; Adam had apparently done the same thing.

At one stage, said Orgill, she came close to breaking down, and forced a gun into her son's mouth. It was a family friend, apparently, who convinced her not to pull the trigger that night.

She said that "close to the end", she started wishing that her child would die. She told Von Leeve that she had given Troy a rope to hang himself with.

"People can call me hard and cold because I told my son: 'You pig, why don't you just hang yourself?'." And Troy did end up hanging himself.

Von Leeve asked Orgill what she thought when she first heard about Ellen's murder trial. "I thought, 'I hope she gets away with it,'" she replied.

Von Leeve stopped Samuels from presenting any more mothers, saying that the evidence would be too repetitive. Ellen's sentencing will continue on Thursday.

- Peoples Post

Central Drug Authority admits failure in war on drugs

2010-09-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Central Drug Authority Annual report (p81) reads as follows:

"On the basis of comparing the baseline data contained in the CDA Annual Report 2006/2007, the NDMP mission of a measurable reduction in the supply, consumption and harm associated with substance use and abuse in South Africa has clearly not been achieved.

Current indications are that despite the work done by the CDA and it's incomplete implementing infrastructure, the drug problem has grown."

There it is in black and white. You might think that the CDA might ask why its policy is failing, but no. That doesn't happen.

The Western Cape war on drugs

2010-09-15T03:14:00.000-07:00

The Western Cape has set about clamping down on illicit drugs. The arrests made for "drug related crime" make for interesting reading year on year:

2003 - 19,940
2004 - 30,432
2005 - 34,788
2006 - 41,067
2007 - 45,985
2008 - 52,781
2009 - 60,409

That would be 285,402 arrests in 6 years. Is this success? Does this mean fewer people are taking drugs? The answer to that is a resounding no. The war on drugs has FAILED and badly too. In 2002 there was no tik for sale on the streets. Now it's everywhere.

Success? No.

It's an easy way for the police to pad their statistics and please the politicians. All these arrests are lives ruined, but it's not by the drugs, but it's through the policy, the arrest, the criminal record. People who are addicted to drugs have a medical condition. I've never seen a medical condition successfully treated by incarceration, but that's the "policy" of the government.

War on drugs blows up in Western Cape's face

2010-09-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

Nearly half of South Africa's reported drug-related crime between April last year and March this year was in the Western Cape.

Out of 134 840 incidents recorded nationally, 60 409 were in the province - an increase of 14.5 percent over last year's figures for the region. The number is also 200 percent higher than in the comparable period to March 2004.

The area with the most cases in the region, Mitchells Plain, recorded 6 572 drug-related crimes, up from 5 705 last year. Elsies River, Bishop Lavis and Manenberg were also drug crime hotspots.

The Medical Research Council's (MRC) Andreas Pluddemann said Mitchells Plain, with a population of 1.2 million, was the province's largest suburb and cautioned that this should be taken into account when analysing the area's high drug crime

Each sector patrol vehicle was expected to conduct a minimum of 20 stop-and-search operations each day, he said.

According to MRC figures, tik is still the most commonly used drug in the province.

Pluddemann said tik, crack cocaine and heroin were the drugs of choice for Western Cape users.

Speaking about the police's efforts to get drugs off the province's streets, Pluddemann said there remained more than enough drugs for users.

While there were a large number of drug-related arrests, "they are not really getting to the manufacturers", he said (IOL)

You have to wonder where you'd have to look to find evidence of success in the clampdown we see here? 60409 people in the Western Cape get criminal records. Now how are they supposed to get jobs? Ruining lives forever because someone has a medical problem never solved anything. Drug addiction is a medical, not criminal issue. Criminalizing drugs drives it underground meaning addicts do not get the treatment they need. The incarceration of addicts is a total misallocation of resources. Why not spend the same money on providing rehabilitation rather than wanting to put people in prison. The prohibition has failed, since there are more than enough drugs! South Africa has maintained a prohibitionist policy in it's National Drug Master Plans. Since 1998 tik and heroin has appeared from nowhere. Now it's ubiquitous. Kids in Khayelitsha are smoking it. If this is success for a prohibitionist I'd hate to know what failure looks like. From where I stand I just see the state failing out people.

International FASD day

2010-09-08T23:25:00.000-07:00

Today is International Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder day.

Alcohol advertising is well funded. Too well funded. £60million for a pretty Peroni ad campaign for instance!!!

SAB, the main driver of the problem, has provided a million rand sponsorship for a thousand FAS children. A R1000 per retarded child? That is what SAB are buying the silence of FASFACTS with.

Read more about FAS here.....

The alcohol industry itself is in denial. The ARA don't mention Fetal Alcohol Syndrome on their industry view points page or anywhere else for that matter.

In the meantime... "drink responsibly"... whatever that means.

Smoking laws to be tightened

2010-09-08T22:44:00.000-07:00

Smoking outside, within five metres of your office door, will soon be illegal and companies found guilty of contravening the rule could face fines of up to R50,000

The Department of Health is poised to gazette new smoking laws, including those governing smoking outside, which could come into effect early next year.

Dr Yussuf Saloojee, director of the National Council Against Smoking, said yesterday: "Regulations for smoking within prescribed distances of entrances is coming pretty soon. Exact distances are still to be decided but it will probably be five metres."

But regulating smoking in public areas is not enough for Saloojee.

"Having smoking and non-smoking areas is like have peeing and non-peeing areas in a swimming pool," he said.

Speaking at a conference on cancer in Johannesburg yesterday, Saloojee said the link between smoking and cancer is "so well established that we don't need to do much more work on that".

"The real challenge is what do we do about it?"

Cigarettes, which Saloojee said contained the same products used to make paint stripper, ant poison, vinegar, rocket fuel, mothballs and disinfectant, were linked to an increased risk of contracting 15 types of cancer. They also predispose smokers to medical conditions like impotence, reduced semen quality, and reduced fertility in women.

"But I don't recommend smoking cigarettes as a method of birth control," Saloojee joked.

He said that regulating smoking in the workplace should also apply to domestic workers whose workplace was inside a home.

"There has been a deliberate decision by Parliament to exclude smoking legislation in the home," he said.

During the World Cup, every stadium was a designated non-smoking zone, which Saloojee said was only "partial victory" because right outside stadiums many football fans lit their cigarettes.(Timeslive)

In a ridiculous move the government is now making people walk 5 meters from their workplace's front door to have a smoke. South Africa has had some arbitrary rules in its past. Sticking pencils in people's hair? Welcome to the FIVE METER RULE! I hope the government realises that fining a company in the middle of a world wide financial recession R50000 will bankrupt most small firms. Good luck with that! What happens if a person walks 5 meters from where they work, but now it's right in front of another person's front door? Talk about making one's "own problems" someone else's. Personally I am not particularly fond of people smoking really near me, but this is crazy. Nuts. LOCO. The "doctor" is showing signs of paranoid delusions. No need to joke about unborn children Dr Saloojee... I wish the man would move on and "establish the link between cannabis and cancer", or not as the case may be..

Drunk British tourist falls to his death after night out

2010-09-02T22:55:00.000-07:00

A British tourist's last night in Cape Town ended in tragedy when he fell to his death walking up the stairs to his lodgings.

Neil Anthony Woodcock and friends had returned from a celebration at a nearby restaurant to a double-storey Gordon's Bay house at about 11pm on Tuesday when he apparently lost his balance and fell 3.5 metres.

Police spokesman Gert van der Merwe said his friends reported he had been drinking, but didn't say how much, adding: "They also said that he had had heart problems." (from IOL)

Alcohol is JUST ANOTHER DRUG and a dangerous one at that. A heart attack might have killed him, but it's best to just look at the most obvious 3.5metre fall?

Forensic backlogs years long

2010-09-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

Backlogs in toxicology testing at South Africa's three skills-strapped forensic laboratories are measured in years, Parliament's health portfolio committee heard on Wednesday.

Briefing members, health department cluster manager Melvyn Freeman said a "reasonable" time frame for toxicology analysis - a service provided to the SA Police Service and National Prosecuting Authority, essential in the investigation of so-called non-natural deaths - was two months.

But responding later to a question from Democratic Alliance MP Mike Waters, he conceded that the actual backlog was much longer than this.

Waters, who paid a visit to the three forensic laboratories in April this year, said the toxicology backlog at the Cape Town laboratory was seven years long; at Johannesburg, eight years; and at Pretoria, four years.

Waters also gave figures for the backlogs in the three laboratories' other key functions - blood alcohol analysis, mainly involving drunk driving; and food analysis.

"On drunken driving... it's between 12 and 16 weeks in Cape Town. In Johannesburg it's three years... By that time the court's thrown the case out and the guy's got away with it. And in Pretoria, it's 16 to 18 weeks.(from IOL)

Netherlands closing prisons due to lack of criminals

2010-09-01T00:58:00.000-07:00

The Dutch justice ministry has announced it will close eight prisons and cut 1,200 jobs in the prison system. A decline in crime has left many cells empty. (nrchandelsblad)

IF only they were to indulge in a war on drugs like the South African government I am sure they could fill all those empty cells.... It's not as if they don't have enough dope smokers!

Child dies after taking unknown "G-fluid" drug.

2010-08-31T23:07:00.000-07:00

A friend of Shane Jonker, the boy who died in a Krugersdorp nightclub at the weekend, apparently told medics they had drunk G-fluid, a type of Ecstasy.

"We should never have drunk that stuff," the friend said at the scene.

The friend referred to the type of Ecstasy in liquid form, Corné Ludick, co-owner of Fahrenheit nightclub in Boltonia said on Monday.

She said when she tried to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, she saw white granules, "like when you bite into a Panado", in his mouth.

Ludick says she has known Shane since he was a child, when she did pro bono work for children as a practising advocate.

"He was like part of the furniture here (at the club) and always referred to me as 'his mom'."

According to her, he arrived at the club, where a foam party was being held, shortly before 20:00 on Friday with between five and eight friends.

"We were still throwing shirts into the foam as gifts for the kids when one of his friends went to one of the bouncers and said Shane is lying on the floor."

Ludick carried Shane outside. She has first aid training and immediately checked his pulse and breathing.

"His body was still warm. His pulse was 46/50 and he was still alive.

"Then I saw his airway was blocked.

"I saw white granules in the yellow phlegm in his mouth and wiped it out with a tissue so I could open his airway. While I was doing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, one of the guests called Netcare 911."

When the paramedics arrived and questioned his friends, Ludick heard one of them referring to G-liquid.

Shane was declared dead on arrival at the Netcare Krugersdorp hospital.

Police spokesperson Odette van Staden said a preliminary post-mortem was done but further tests are needed.

According to Ludick there was no violence toward any child at the club.

No irregularities or under-18s are allowed at the nightclub, and five security officers search guests for weapons and drugs and check their ID books. (from News24)

*********

I smell a rat. This the gung ho one sided story of a woman nightclub owner/advocate who has a child die in her club while on drugs. Not even drugs I've heard of mind you. G-fluid? What are we talking here? GHB maybe? No wonder the child is dead if alcohol was around. She found him alive, but his airway was obstructed? BY WHAT? Little granules like Panado doesn't obstruct breathing. If someone's airway is obstructed you have to clear their airway before starting CPR. When did his pulse stop? Where was the party's medic? Or did this woman think she had it all in hand, being first aid trained and all, but standing there with no equipment. And finally.... notice this woman KNOWS about G-fluid?

If anyone who reads this has ever heard of G-fluid please do write in the comments. I would of course check on the CDA's database, but it doesn't exist.

Three cheers for drunk driving Cape Town

2010-08-31T09:27:00.000-07:00

The Western Cape has a shocking record for drinking, driving and killing people on our roads. Statistics include:

So far this year nearly 2 000 people have been arrested for driving under the influence in the province. This past weekend alone, 96 people were arrested for drunk driving.

From January to May, 296 people were killed on provincial roads - 87 drivers, 101 passengers and 108 pedestrians, says the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works.

"Speeding and drunk driving are the two major causes of road fatalities," said Solly Malatsi, spokesman for the department.

Caro Smit, director and founder of the NGO South Africans Against Drunk Driving (SADD), said "people drink drive in South Africa because they can and they have got away with it for so long". (from IOL)

Nothing strikes harder than IRONY. Not even the strikers!

2010-08-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

Premier Helen Zille was struck by the IRONY of SAB being a sponsor in the "War on Poverty"! Why is she struck by this? Has the War on Poverty superceded the War on Drugs? Has she all of a sudden realised that alcohol is a drug and that the Western Cape has a chronic drinking problem?

So what happened? How did South Africa double its alcohol consumption in the incredibly short time of 8 years? In the 1998 it was 10 litres of alcohol per person per annum, but by the 2006 National Drug Master Plan it had climbed to 20 litres!(p.8) The cost of alcohol to the country is beteen R10Billion and R20Billion per annum.(p.5/8) SAB's turnover from South Africa in 2008 was $US4,4Billion while employing 9200 people. Accepting lower figure means each SAB employee COST the country just over a million rand each in damages which the country bears rather than SAB. Whatever happened to product liability?

SAB happened. 200 000 shebeens happened. SAB accounts for 90% of beer sold in South Africa. Quite how SAB beer gets into the shebeens is just a mystery. There is apparently a bootlegging industry:

"One group who may feel marginalised by the normalisation of shebeens are the bootleggers - the independent retail distributors (IRDs), who supply the shebeens. Like the shebeen owners, the IRDs are illegal and in a new dispensation would no longer supply many of the resulting taverns. But necessity is the mother of invention and many IRDs will find alternative outlets to ply their trade. In practical terms, SAB could never supply all shebeens/taverns in the townships." (Financial Mail)

Who are these people selling such large quantities of alcohol to obviously illegal operations? There's no bona fides here.

Who is responsible for alcohol? Surprisingly it's the National Liquor Authority, which is part of the Department of Trade and industry.

If the Department of Trade and Industry knows there are 200 000 shebeens in the country what steps has the NLA taken to close these down? What steps has the NLA taken to find how the shebeens get the stock into their SAB sponsored fridges reserved for SAB products only? And are these not practices not uncompetitive in terms of the law?

Perhaps the National Liquor Authority has some answers for the premier. They have a highly informative FAQ, but it's not what you're thinking. No one is asking what about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome? What is the rate now? No one is asking about all the dead pedestrians 60% of whom were blind drunk? (NIMSS 2007) 57% of all violent deaths in South Africa had drunk victims. 50% of all drivers killed were intoxicated. 46% of victims of "other unintentional deaths" were drunk.

The answer might lie in first National Drug Master Plan of 1998 which put alcohol in the care of the Department of Trade and Industry.

The alcohol industry has a public face. Unlike alcohol the website is safe, smiling and non threatening. The website is of course propaganda through and through. For instance the obfuscation regarding whether alcohol causes violence:

"Violence clearly occurs independent of alcohol consumption, even in countries whose populations largely abstain from drinking. For example, both domestic and other violence are prevalent in countries where alcohol consumption is discouraged or forbidden."

I do wonder if the Premier likes her tea "met ys"?

SAB 'irony' strikes Zille

2010-08-27T21:52:00.000-07:00

Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille has been "struck by irony" after discovering the sponsor for a "War on Poverty" event in one of the poorest regions of the Western Cape was South African Breweries.

According to the Premier one of those visited "Was so drunk he could not stand on his feet and kept referring to me as 'baby'."

"When the master of ceremonies moved the vote of thanks for the day's proceedings, I was struck by a final irony.

"The major corporate sponsor of the event was none other than South African Breweries. Go figure." (From News24)

Largest cannabis bust in South Africa for 10 years

2010-08-27T00:17:00.000-07:00

East London police seized over four tons of dagga with an estimated value of R5.8 million on Wednesday night in what has been labelled the biggest dagga bust in the area since 2000.

The arrest was made by members of the East London Dog Unit .

“We then took the truck through to East London to the fire brigade and got them to cut open the locks at the back with an angle grinder and found the massive haul of dagga inside,” said Captain Robert Muller

“We suspect it is from deep inside the Transkei and the driver was heading to Cape Town. The N2 is one of the main dagga-smuggling routes in the country.”

Each bale had a unique marking on it, which police said was used by the smugglers to identify who had placed the order.

In total, some 135 bags weighing 4.48tons were removed. The dagga has an estimated value of R5.8 million . “This is easily the biggest consignment of dagga that police have confiscated in the last 10 years,” said police spokesperson Captain Stephen Marais.

Marais said the man would appear in the East London Magistrate’s Court on Monday on a charge of dealing in dagga. (from the Dispatchonline)

Massive cocaine bust in Port Elizabeth

2010-08-25T22:49:00.000-07:00

Cocaine with a street value of about R1.4bn, was seized in an "unusual" container at the Ngqura harbour in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday, police said.

"The container was unusual in that it looked like a petrol tank and had a construction with pillars holding it together," police spokesperson Captain Sandra van Rensburg said.

"Inside the container we found 22 000 litres of oil and inside the pillars, the cocaine was hidden."

Police were still trying to establish the amount of drugs in the container. By late on Wednesday afternoon, they weighed out about 100kg, with an estimated street value of about R1.4bn.

Police suspect there was about 250kg of "pure cocaine".

"Right now, we still need to pump oil out of the container to see if there are more pillars inside," said Van Rensburg.

No arrests had been made yet. (from News24)

How was the figure of R1.4billion was reached? If you divide that by the price of cocaine per kilogram (R350000) you get to 4000kgs!!! IF it is pure cocaine it can be cut into three for sale and the total drug amount is 750kg's at R350000/kg which only amounts to R262million. Either way there is some funny SAPS maths going on.

The police are highly premature in announcing their "find" before they have made any arrests. Perhaps they got all "chatty" once they had handled and played with 100 kg's of cocaine and they just couldn't keep it IN any more.

Zille, Motlanthe's boozy welcome

2010-08-21T23:50:00.000-07:00

Drunken residents opened the doors of two of the first three houses visited by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and Western Cape premier Helen Zille during a door-to-door visit to two Plettenberg Bay townships yesterday.

In one house the householder kept calling Zille "baby".

Motlanthe is on a countrywide anti-poverty campaign driven by the Presidency.

They were welcomed by drunken residents in KwaNokuthula, where houses are supplied by the government.

In one house, a 47-year-old woman told the delegation that she was unemployed and asked if the government could provide her with food parcels. She said until two months ago the family had lived on their 89-year-old mother's pension grant, but she died in June.

The woman, who is also HIV-positive, is getting free anti-retrovirals from the state.

Zille said she was shocked by the levels of alcohol abuse. In the case of this woman, the state had done all it could do. "It has provided a pension, medical care and housing."

In another house, Zille found a couple who complained about unemployment, but they were so drunk that the man kept addressing Zille as "baby".

- Cape Argus

Embedded reporters join war on drugs

2010-08-20T22:42:00.000-07:00

On Thursday the Cape Argus accompanied police as they raided two suspected drug houses and a brothel in Woodstock. The first house raided was in Church Street, at 11.15am. (from IOL)

No mention made of search warrants., just more one sided propaganda. It's as if the journalists have all stopped thinking.

Whatever happened to decriminalising cannabis?

2010-08-18T22:05:00.000-07:00

For those of you NOT in the know, the 1998 National Drug Master Plan called for the decriminalisation of cannabis to be investigated (page 18). It's 2010 now. So what happened?

In 2006 the new National Drug Master Plan was rolled out and "decriminalisation" and other "harm reduction measures" just dropped right out.

Whatever happened to the call for decriminalisation? The government DID do a study called the "South African Cannabis Position paper". It is NONSENSE and it's available here. The government hasn't released the document mind you. That would be too embarrassing. The paper would have you believe that cannabis smokers can hold their breaths for "minutes"!! The paper is defective primarily because it failed to properly examine the "harm done by cannabis." Just how many deaths are we talking? None I tell you. I wish I could bring you good news, but the sad reguritated propaganda produced by people singing for their supper is what we have to deal with.

So there you have it. Decriminalisation has gone NOWHERE.

Decriminalisation is not the answer though. Decriminalisation is bad for the law. Decriminalisation means that the police just get to "ignore" the law - usually when involving small amounts only. This is bullshit. Imagine a law stating you were not allowed to carry more than 6 beers at a time? If you've got a seventh one the police can arrest you. It doesn't make sense. Decriminalisation is based on a lie. The law is wrong and the law has to change. The prohibition of cannabis has ruined thousands of lives and with the police now getting big pats on the back for each arrest the rate of injustices perpetrated is accelerating.

On a personal note two weeks ago a friend of mine was caught in possession by 5 policemen. When they weren't expecting it he jumped over the handcuffs, grabbed the joint and ate it. The cops didn't take too kindly to this and beat the shit out of him and then maced him while he was lying on the ground. All this for a joint? I ask you.

Leading doctor urges decriminalisation of drugs

2010-08-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

One of the UK's leading doctors said today the government should consider decriminalising drugs because the blanket ban has failed to cut crime or improve health.

"I'm not saying we should make heroin available to everyone, but we should be treating it as a health issue rather than criminalising people," said Sir Ian Gilmore, former president of the Royal College of Physicians.

"This could drastically reduce crime and improve health," said Gilmore, who added that drugs should still be regulated. (from the Guardian)

The Union

2010-08-16T06:10:00.001-07:00

Tik bust at Cape Town Airport

2010-08-16T02:10:00.000-07:00

A 19-year-old Malaysian woman travelling with 1.2kg of tik was arrested at Cape Town International Airport, Western Cape police said on Sunday.

She was arrested while checking in with an airline on Saturday, said Superintendent Andre Traut.

"Her suitcase was equipped with a false compartment, containing 1.2kg tik with a street value to the tune of R360 000."

She was arrested and expected to appear in court on Monday. The woman was one of four people caught for drug possession over the weekend.

On Sunday, police arrested an Ethiopian man at a bus stop in Bellville, Cape Town after searching his belongings. The 24-year-old man was allegedly found with 132 khat plants with a street value of R10 000.

In another case, two South African men, aged 26 and 32, were arrested on Sunday for possession of 129 cartons of Mega cigarettes which had been illegally imported to avoid tobacco taxes.

They would appear in the Bellville Magistrate's Court on Monday. (from News24)

Drug raid at Senator Park goes bad.

2010-08-12T22:25:00.000-07:00

Police had to call for back-up to get out of a block of flats in the city centre after a crowd of about 140 residents stopped them from leaving.

During the stand-off on Wednesday at Senator Park, residents allegedly threw stones at police officers, causing what police estimate to be about R30 000 worth of damage to two cars.

The City of Cape Town says that almost weekly drug raids are conducted at Senator Park, and that metro police had gathered statistics of how many and what kind of drugs are seized there.

In the past three months, mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said, 199 tik lollies, 60 units of tik, 101 units of rocks, 16 units of heroin, 92 parcels of dagga and dagga cigarettes, 24 parcels of cocaine, five crack rocks and seven units of unga (heroin mix) had been seized in 10 raids.

Smith said today that these seizures were enough to warrant ongoing raids at Senator Park. (We've found it here before so we're going to find it again! Great logic from Cape Town's number 1 nazi. No need to consider what it's like for the law abiding residents who are having to live through this each time? Do these folks really have no rights? What you're seeing here are the Metro cops acting outside the law. There is no warrant that covers all the apartments in the whole of Senator Park.)

During yesterday's raid, a 19-year-old man fell off a balcony, landed on a first floor window ledge, and was injured. Police claim that this happened when the young man jumped through a kitchen window after scuffling with police, while the man's girlfriend insists he was pushed by officers. (the story according the Voice)

The ambulance took the man to hospital after his fall and he has been charged with possession of drugs as well as escape from lawful custody. He is currently under police guard in hospital
(from IOL)

Metro police on drug rampage

2010-08-08T10:53:00.000-07:00

Cape Town Metro Police's Operation Choke swung into action at the weekend, raiding homes on Friday night, arresting 27 people, issuing more than 250 fines, and seizing tik, Mandrax, dagga and heroin. (from IOL)

The goal is to stem the flow of drugs around the Peninsula by repeatedly raiding drug dens.

Drugs are considered the fuel that feeds the violence among gangs on the Cape Flats.

A Weekend Argus team accompanied Metro Police who raided five homes, four flats in Athlone and a house in Hanover Park.

Metro Police chief Robert Young has vowed to continue with Operation Choke, saying only ongoing raids can stem the flow of drugs.

"It's also about keeping drugs out of the areas where they're sold. We're focusing on roadblocks too. You see, he who controls the roads controls the drugs."

The raid ended about midnight. Asked if every night was as eventful, a sergeant said: "This? This is f*** all. We've had it easy."

Cops in on the cannabis trade.

2010-08-07T03:27:00.000-07:00

The Minister of Police's answer to the questions of the Reverend K R J Meshoe (ACDP) reveal the police are in on the cannabis game.

The Reverend asked (inter alia)

(1)(a) What quantity of drugs have been stolen from store rooms in police stations in each of the past five years up to the latest specified date for which information is available and (b) how many people were (i) found to be responsible and (ii) arrested in this regard;

(...and (b) how many (i) arrests and (ii) successful convictions were obtained in each case?

and the Minister relied thus:

(1)(a) Drugs stolen from store rooms in police stations
2005: 30 kilograms 040 grams cannabis,
2006: Nil
2007: 1 000 kilograms 280 grams cannabis; 43,5 tablets methaqualone (mandrax)
2008: 496 kilograms 224 grams cannabis; 123 kilograms 267 grams cocaine
2009:(1 January 2009 to 31 August 2009): 1 182 kilograms 123 grams cannabis; 824 grams cocaine; 65 008 tablets methaqualone (mandrax); 137 grams methamphetamine

...(2)(b)(i) 21 arrests

(2)(b)(ii) A total of three (3) successful convictions obtained. The other cases are still under investigation.

Issued by: South African Police Service - 7 October 2009

So a ton of cannabis is stolen by the police from the police storage per annum for sale and consumtion. Only three convictions obtained from 21 arrests for doing this? What is going on here? Sure South Africa produces 3000 tons per annum, but how come the cops have a get out of jail free card?