Harare – Zimbabwe has confirmed eight cases of cholera, including two on the border with South Africa, state media reported on Thursday.

Two children, aged five and 10, had been quarantined with cholera at Beitbridge District Hospital, the official Herald reported.

Six other cases had been recorded in Mudzi and Chiredzi, the state Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation said.

Mudzi is on the border with Mozambique, where 41 people have died of cholera. Chiredzi is in south-eastern Zimbabwe.

Another possible case was being investigated in Chirundu on the Zambian border, the report said.

Beitbridge district administrator Simon Muleya told the Herald: “The two victims are from the same family and according to our rapid response team there are no other cases from the same village.

“The situation is now under control and there is no need for people to panic,” he said.

The children were reportedly in a stable condition in the Cholera Isolation Centre of Beitbridge District Hospital.

Cholera killed more than 4000 people in Zimbabwe in late 2008 to early 2009. The disease spreads particularly fast during the rainy season through contaminated food and water.

Johannesburg – A man accused of killing a two-day-old baby by using her as a weapon to beat his girlfriend abandoned his bail application at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court, the Star reported on Thursday.

Alexander Forba, aged 32, was expected to appear for his bail application on Wednesday, but instead decided to withdraw his application. He faces a charge of murder and assault.

The case was moved from the Kgosi Mampuru II prison court to the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court last month.

His lawyer Bronwinn Marshall reportedly objected to the application made by media houses to have her client’s picture taken and published, but Magistrate Desmond Nair overruled it.

Forba allegedly came home in the early hours of Sunday in a drunken state and argued with the baby mother’s over the paternity of the child.

The court heard that he allegedly assaulted the mother, then followed her to a nearby filling station where he pulled the baby from the mother and used her as a weapon.

The baby was rushed to Kalafong Hospital but later died from her injuries.

The case has been postponed to 13 April for investigation.

Cape Town – Lieutenant Colonel Mike Barkhuizen says the first time he laid eyes on a girl at the centre of a 17-year-long kidnapping saga, he knew she was the baby kidnapped in 1997.

According to Netwerk24, Barkhuizen, who works for the Hawks, had been searching for the girl, now 17, for the past five years.

The results of the DNA tests were just a formality to him, he said. He knew instantly it was her after meeting her on the afternoon of 24 February.

For more http://www.news24.com

Cape Town Disaster Risk Management says the Muizenberg fire that broke out over the weekend is under control, and firefighters are dealing with hotspots in Clovelly and Constantia north.

“The crews remained through the night and this morning [Thursday] helicopters will go out and inspect the area but currently the fire is under control.”

For more http://www.news24.com

Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt aimed a swipe at a specific newspaper article after his side deservedly beat defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns.

Sibusiso Vilakazi’s goal 13 minutes from the end handed Gavin Hunt his eighth win over Pitso Mosimane in a game the Clever Boys dominated for large periods.
For more http://www.kickoff.com

Mahikeng – The North West Department of Local Government and Human Settlements is on track to take over the completion of the 2400 social housing units in Mahikeng’s Unit 3. This follows after the project came to a halt following a dispute between the developer and the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA) over the incomplete structure. The Department is currently in discussions with the Ministry of Human Settlements for additional funding.

At the start of the project, the Department entered into an agreement with the developer and subsequently injected R54 million into the project which was to been undertaken in three phases. The first phase comprises of 612 rental units, second phase – 844 units and last phase – 944 rental units.

The agreement was in a tripartite form where Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA) agreed with the developer on their part and the Department also had a direct agreement with the developer with their own contribution. One of the conditions of a social housing project is for development to have a social housing institution (SHI) and the province did not have one when the project started.

The Department has recently conducted an assessment on the works already done on the project and submitted a business plan to both the national Departments of Human Settlements and Treasury to facilitate the resumption and completion of the first phase of the project.

MEC Collen Maine says the Department will in the meantime hire a security company to safeguard to avoid the ongoing vandalism.

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