Surge in Missing Persons in Nelson Mandela Bay
At least 10 people in Nelson Mandela Bay have disappeared over the past few months, reports News24. Family members have turned to social media in a desperate effort to locate their loved ones. Chaplain Bernadine Wilken, founder of the missing person's organization "Missing They Wrote," said that an increase in the number of teenagers reported missing in the metro. She said this isn’t true for all cases, some teenagers temporarily vanish but often return home once their missing posters begin to circulate. Wilken said that while there are still several active missing person cases involving adults, the overall number of missing adults in the Bay has remained consistent.
Homes Washed Away After Dam Failure
Over 50 households were displaced after the Riverlands Dam walls collapsed, according to IOL. The incident caused extensive damage in Chatsworth and Riverlands, located just outside Malmesbury, north of Cape Town. Residents awoke to find their homes submerged, with some losing everything as their houses were swept away. Western Cape MEC for Local Government, Environmental Affairs, and Development Planning, Anton Bredell, reported that Swartland Fire and Rescue and Law Enforcement Services successfully rescued 15 people. "Injured individuals were evaluated for near-drowning and taken to nearby hospitals for observation and further treatment," he said.
City of Joburg Manager Gets 7 Years for Diesel Scam
A former City of Johannesburg employee, who rose from a cleaner to a project manager, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for stealing R1 million worth of diesel, according to News24. Sipho Machuene Dikhoba, 50, appeared before the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Palmridge, facing fraud charges related to the theft of diesel meant for broken generators. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane stated that the Department of Social Development's finance department discovered irregularities in diesel invoices between 23 August 2019 and 22 October 2020. Further investigations revealed that diesel was being purchased multiple times a day, even though the generators in question were found to be non-operational.
