Johannesburg – Efforts to put out a fire that broke out in the mountains between Swellendam and Barrydale in the Western Cape had to be scaled back on Friday because of poor weather, an official said.

“We had people there, but we pulled them back because of the weather, Overberg fire chief Reinard Geldenhuys said.

He said the fire was higher up in the mountains where there was mist.

“We will go back when the mist clears tomorrow.”

Geldenhuys said the fire did not pose any threat to properties at the moment.

The fire broke out in the area after a lightning strike on Tuesday night.

Geldenhuys said an assessment on the extent of the damage caused by the fire could only be done once it had been put out.

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Johannesburg – The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Friday ruled in favour of two women army recruits whose contracts were cancelled because they tested HIV-positive, the SABC reported.

The court ordered that the SANDF re-employ the women, according to the report.

It ruled that the army was frivolous and abused court processes.

The two women had undergone two years of training before their contracts were cancelled because of their HIV status.

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Johannesburg – Businesses in Bedfordview, east of Johannesburg, have been affected by the low water supply in the area.

– Are you affected? Send us your eyewitness accounts and photos.

Many have resorted to bringing containers of water from their homes or relatives’ homes to ensure their businesses are able to continue.

There has been no water in the area since Saturday.

Gym affected

Virgin Active Bedfordview club manager Shelley van Wyk said the gym had been heavily affected since the water shortage.

“We’ve been adversely affected. Members in the area don’t have water at home and they come here and there’s still none.”

Van Wyk said there had been no water from 10:00 until the end of business at 21:00 on Thursday. On Friday there was some water but she was not sure for how long. The gym had locked some toilets for hygiene reasons.

Between 2 500 and 3 000 people went to the gym on a daily basis and the lack of consistent water supply was becoming a problem, she said.

“Today we’ve got water slightly, but it’s not sufficient.”

She said water from the water tanker supplied by Rand Water often only lasted for about an hour.

Eating out

Gym member Nicole Katsouris, who lives in Senderwood, said it was difficult to gym with limited water.

She still had water where she lived and family and friends were coming over to her house to have showers.

“You can’t go to the malls because it’s unhealthy.”

She said she had gone to a restaurant during the week which claimed it had water, only to find out that it did not.

“It’s disgusting and unhygienic.”

No washing

Bedfordview resident Jennifer Valentim said she and her five family members had not washed dishes or clothes since the water shortage began on Saturday.

“We’ve been using pool water to flush our toilets and we’ve been eating out outside of Bedfordview.”

She said they were also relying on family in the south of Johannesburg for showers and food.

Valentim was at the Synergise spa having her nails done.

Spa owner Shirley-Anne Hale, who lives in the south, said she brought water from home for her business.

She had four 25-litre containers of water in her car’s boot and four five-litre containers in the spa’s toilet.

Quiet week

She said her business had been affected by the water shortage.

“It’s been a quiet week because some of the clients think we are closed.”

A salon owner, who lives in Edenvale but runs her business in Bedfordview, said she was also bringing water from home in containers.

She had resorted to washing her clients’ hair using mini bowls and buckets.

She said some clients refused to have their hair washed in buckets, and left, but most of them were understanding.

“We’re doing okay, we still have business,” she said.

“We run late every day. Things that take us 20 minutes will now take 45 minutes so it takes us longer [to do business].”

She said some of her clients brought containers of water with them to assist her.

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Cape Town – A Cape Town man, accused of the racial abuse and assault of a domestic worker, will know on 24 October whether he will pay damages of R100 000 in a case before the Equality Court.

The last witness in the case, brought by domestic worker Gloria Kente against Andre van Deventer, was cross-examined on Friday.

Mariechen Pienaar, Kente’s former employer, originally testified for Van Deventer – her boyfriend at the time of the alleged racial abuse.

During cross-examination by Peter Williams, for Kente, on Friday, Pienaar conceded that on 28 June 2013 Van Deventer had called Kente a “kaffir” several times. She could however not recall exactly what Van Deventer had said to Kente.

Williams put it to Pienaar that her former boyfriend and father of her child had called Kente a “lazy kaffir”. Pienaar said she could not remember the exact words.

“I know there was the f-word. I know there was the k-word,” Pienaar conceded.

Pienaar did not witness Van Deventer allegedly grabbing Kente by the neck of her pyjamas, spitting at her, or calling her “a kaffir” repeatedly.

Kente had worked for Pienaar for nine years as a domestic worker and nanny. Kente says Van Deventer racially abused her for some time during the couple’s rocky relationship.

Williams said he would submit to the court that Pienaar had a “selective memory” where incidents between Kente and Van Deventer were concerned.

Van Deventer previously admitted to using the word but denied the assault, which led to a criminal matter in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court, where he faces charges of crimen injuria and common assault.

Kente also turned to the Equality Court last year claiming Van Deventer had violated the Equality Act.

Kente is seeking R100 000 in damages and an unconditional apology from Van Deventer.

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Cape Town – It was clear from the outset that opposition parties had not meant to participate in good faith in Parliament’s ad hoc committee on Nkandla, ANC Deputy Chief Whip Doris Dlakude said on Friday.

Briefing the media following a walkout by opposition parties from the committee proceedings earlier in the day – after the ANC refused to agree to call President Jacob Zuma – she said they had not “provided compelling and legitimate cause” for him to appear.

“It was clear from the outset that the opposition’s desire was never to participate in the committee process in good faith, with a view to assist Parliament to arrive at sound resolutions on the matter.”

The briefing was called in response to the opposition walkout.

Dlakude said the ad hoc committee was expected to conduct “a qualitative interrogation, robust analysis and thorough appraisal” of the reports before it, and formulate an opinion for the National Assembly’s consideration.

“The committee was neither called to re-investigate nor to review the findings of the reports.”

She said it remained the ANC’s view that the reports provided sufficient information to enable Parliament to form an opinion.

“While the committee is empowered in terms of the rules to summon individuals to appear before it for questioning, this would have meant a rehash of the investigation, which would have warranted an alteration of the findings of the report.”

If individuals mentioned in the reports were called to testify before the committee, a legitimate expectation would be created that their testimonies, which might either agree or materially contest the reports, should be taken into account when the committee reported to the House.

“This would have unavoidably compelled Parliament to review the reports, which is in conflict with the institution’s constitutional powers.

“In this regard, the ANC cautioned against opening the re-investigation process that would have thrown the institution into a legally untenable situation.”

‘Anti-Zuma campaign’

Dlakude said the opposition parties’ mission was “to abuse the committee to pursue [their] relentless and obsessive anti-President Zuma campaign”.

ANC committee members were present at the briefing.

ANC MP Mmamoloko Kubayi said the ad hoc committee – expected to sit again on Tuesday – would continue its work.

“As long as there’s a quorum, the committee can work… If they [opposition parties] don’t come back, it’s their loss,” she said.

Dlakude said Public Protector Thuli Madonsela had stated that the SA Police Service had to determine which non-security upgrades to Zuma’s Nkandla residence should be paid for by the president.

“In this regard, the president has tasked the Minister of Police [Nkosinathi Nhleko] to deal with the matter.

“Asking the president to appear before the committee to give details of how, when and how much he should pay, even before the minister of police can conclude his process, is tantamount to putting the cart before the horse,” she said.

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