Schooling Resumes After Tragic Discovery at Overberg High
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) announced that classes at Overberg High School in Caledon will continue following the discovery of a Grade 10 student's body in a storeroom, reports News24. Photos of Deveney Nel were widely shared on social media after she missed her ride home to Grabouw. Police reported that the 16-year-old was found in a storeroom on school grounds. According to Rapport newspaper, Deveney was allegedly stabbed in the neck and chest before being dragged into the storage room. The school governing body (SGB) informed parents in a letter that no arrests had been made.
Western Cape on High Alert as Fourth Dam Faces Risk of Collapse
Western Cape authorities are on high alert, fearing a fourth dam in the Swartland region could burst its banks. Last week, three dams collapsed, causing widespread destruction and displacing families whose homes were flooded due to the heavy rain, reports News24. Humanitarian relief efforts and cleanup operations are in full swing. Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina, accompanied by Western Cape Local Government MEC Anton Bredell, visited the town of Riverlands on Sunday to assess the impact of the dam collapses. "The City of Cape Town has sent an engineer and dam specialist to advise local authorities. An outlet has been created to lower the water level, which is being monitored hourly," said Bredell. Meanwhile, Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has deployed the Emergency Housing Team to assist displaced families affected by the floods urgently.
Kelp Harvesting Rights Spark Tensions in Buffeljagsbaai
Two groups of kelp harvesters in Buffeljagsbaai, Western Cape, are clashing over artisanal kelp harvesting rights, also known as small-scale fishing, reports News24. The conflict in this small fishing village centers on the right to harvest kelp from the beach and the cool shallows of "Concession Block 5," near the southernmost tip of Africa. These sea forests, often overlooked by beachgoers, provide a vital source of income for impoverished communities like Buffeljagsbaai, where generations have relied on the ocean for their livelihood. Buffeljagsbaai is one of South Africa's remote fishing villages where the community fiercely protects its land tenure rights and traditional way of life. From 2001 to 2015, the Buffeljagsbaai Marine Company (BMC), as the sole shareholder of the Marine Development Trust, held kelp harvesting rights. However, after the fisheries department completed its small-scale fishers application, verification, appeals, and rights allocation process last year, these rights were transferred to the Buffeljagsbaai Sea Whale Cooperative.
