Bystander shot dead at Drug Arrest

Cape Town metro police shot and killed a man and arrested another for being in possession of drugs in Philippi on Thursday. (IOL)

The 28-year-old man was arrested after he ran from police when they tried to search him in Heinz Park shortly before 11am, Captain Ntomboxolo Sitshitshi said in a statement.

In the bag he was carrying they found 35 mandrax tablets and three drinking straws filled with "tik", with a total value of around R6 000.

During the man's arrest local residents began throwing stones at metro police. A Heinz Park man allegedly fired a shot at them. Metro police fired back, killing him.

A .38 special firearm found in the dead man's possession was confiscated. A 25-year-old man from the area was arrested for malicious damage to property after he allegedly damaged a police vehicle during the stone-throwing.

You just have to love the locals who start stoning the police....

Death Clock for Tobacco....

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and anti-smoking activists unveiled a "death clock" tracking how many people will die from tobacco use to mark a new campaign against the illicit tobacco trade. (Illicit tobacco trade???? Eh?)

The WHO said it expects tobacco to kill more than 5 million people this year. (No word on the Cannabis Death Clock...? Hardly ever moves....?)

Cape Town drivers face "random" drug tests

South Africa has followed the example of Australia and is introducing "random" drug tests at roadblocks.

"Most of the young people who die on the city's roads, died because they they were on some kind of drug," said Community Safety MEC Patrick McKenzie. Of course not to point a finger at any drug IN PARTICULAR.... let's pick on them all.

The apparatus would be launched as part of the city's Safer Festive Season programme and the city's campaign against unruly road users.

The question stands. What happens when a member of the public tests positive? Asked whether test results could stand up in court, McKenzie said consultation with prosecution authorities was under way.

"We are having our legal department check up on this for us," and then he saluted policemen and women for their efforts in fighting crime and lamented a situation where sterling work by detectives came to nought, because prosecutors failed to do a proper job.... unlike politicians who don't do their jobs properly and think things through?

What a total and absolute FARCE. The department will deploy this new technology without having checked out the legality of trying to rely on test for a conviction. So the first driver to get pulled over will be...? Put in the back of the van? Then what? The unintended consequences of this "policy" are going to be laughable... There is no point using the test unless you are going to be able to rely on it in court - and there is no way that some little cellphone sized gadget is going to be totally accurate. In fact - before this test is foisted on the public I think that all parlaimentarians should be forced to take it before sitting in session.... Driving the Country drunk and drugged? I wonder what we'll find?

What are the consequences of a false positive test? The first person "caught" in Australia was INNOCENT... and the poor guy has had his name dragged through papers....

Police raid shebeens - spitting in the ocean

Police have been raiding illegal shebeens in informal settlements in Athlone, resulting in the closure of some operations.

This is like spittin' in the ocean - there are 30 000 shebeens in Cape Town and the police are only closing "some operations". Any follow up on where the illegal alcohol came from? Of course not....

Smoking Cigarettes makes you stupid!

Smoking kills.... and smokers face a speedier decline in several measures of cognitive function by middle age compared with their non-smoking peers, new research shows.

If you are stupid enough to smoke then you are destined to be stupid in old age as well.... thanks tobacco...

Huge Bust in Cape Town - 4kg's of Heroin!

Three men were arrested in connection with drugs worth R4,6-million in Bishop Lavis and Athlone in Cape Town, Western Cape police said on Saturday.

During a search police confiscated four kilograms of heroin, three kilograms of Tik, 2 000 Mandrax tablets and one kilogram of Ephedrine found in two rooms and a bathroom on the premises.

Free foetal alcohol syndrome tests

In an attempt to help curb the spread of foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), the City of Cape Town is expanding its free testing, screening and growth monitoring services to all city clinics.

The strategy also known as "Closing the stable door after the horse has bolted" was announced on Wednesday, South Africa's National FAS Day, by Deputy Mayor Grant Haskin.

"FAS is completely preventable if only both parents of unborn children, particularly the moms-to-be, understood the damage they are doing to their babies and made the informed decision to abstain from alcohol for the duration of the pregnancy," Haskin said.

"It's a lifelong and irreversible disability."

The Western Cape has one of the highest rate of babies born with FAS in the world. The syndrome affects 24 000 South African babies every year.

And out of every 1 000 children in the Western Cape, 88 are living with FAS, while in the Northern Cape the figure per 1 000 is 122. In the United States the figure is fewer than one child in every 1 000.

The syndrome is caused by the mother's consumption of alcohol while pregnant, preventing the brain of the foetus from developing properly.

The physical and mental damage can include attention deficit disorder, low IQ level, facial deformities, immune system malfunctioning, memory loss and low birth weight.

At any given time, 500 000 South Africans suffer from FAS disorders.

"The Western Cape has the highest level of youth binge drinking, 34 percent, where the national average is 23 percent," Haskin said. Cape Town has a 24/7 toll free Alcohol and Drug helpline: 0800435748.

- Cape Times

Are Shebeens SAFER for young drinkers ?

An age-gap war has broken out at shebeens in some Cape Town townships and owners are turning young people away because they often become violent, noisy or rude.

The friction turned tragic when two teenage boys were stoned to death, possibly by an angry mob of drinkers, after trying to force their way into a shebeen in Khayelitsha last Sunday.

Anele Kholisa, 18, and Banele Montile, 17, started arguing with the owner, demanding to be let inside, and the situation became nasty.

When police arrived they found the bodies of the two teenagers lying covered in blood with a concrete slab nearby. Nobody has yet been arrested in connection with the double murder.

Superintendent Andre Traut said police regarded the stoning incident "as an isolated matter, rather than a trend in the townships".

"Alcohol abuse is a contributing factor to violence and therefore contributes to serious assaults and murders."

But the owner of another shebeen in Langa, who asked to remain anonymous, said shebeen owners definitely preferred older patrons and some had even banned young people.

"I have been running my business for a long time so I have come to know my customers very well. I prefer the older folks because they want to enjoy their drinks, listen to music, braai and talk about sport.

"The young ones like to pick fights, they want to argue over nothing once they have had one too many drinks."

The owner said she understood the problem of young people drinking too much but she also needed to earn a living.

"I have a trading licence, I can't afford to lose it, which is why I try to sell responsibly. I allow them to buy if they are of legal age but they (young people) know that they are not allowed to drink here."

A regular at the shebeen added: "How can we hang out with our children? Even if we know that they drink, we can't hang out at the same spot. They must find their own drinking place."

"It is also about cultural values; my culture does not allow me to drink with my children because we see that as a sign of disrespect."

Another patron at the shebeen, Buti Ngalo, said young people tended to think they were "cool" when they drank and because they wanted to fit in with their peers, they succumbed to pressure and ended up abusing alcohol.

An owner at another Langa shebeen, who also asked not to be named, said it was important to keep to regular trading hours, know the young people in the area and respect other residents' space.

"As you can see my shebeen is not far from a school so I do not trade during school hours. I would not want a situation where schoolkids bunk classes and come to drink at my place so I am strict about the way I operate my shebeen."

He said he was a community leader and therefore understood the rules that needed to be followed.

"I have heard about incidents where young people have either stabbed each other or fought over a girl; that is why security is one of the priorities in my shebeen." - Cape Argus