Plett protests

Small boat harbour developers rethink their proposal – see the story on this page

IN THIS EDITION:

Weekend crime update – this page

Global acclaim good for Garden Route – Property page

Sponsor these awesome local sailing and martial arts stars! – Sports page

Young woman raped, elderly woman held hostage

VIOLENT crimes shook Plett this weekend after a young woman was raped and an elderly woman held hostage during a house robbery.
On Saturday at about 1pm a 70-year-old woman was overpowered by a knife-wielding man in her home in Julia Avenue. Police spokesperson captain Bernadine Steyn said the victim was in the bathroom when she heard a noise at the front door.
The suspect forced the front door open and threatened the home owner with a knife, demanding a firearm and cash.
“He then ransacked the house and also took the safe, which was in one of the bedrooms, out of the wall and forced it open,” Steyn said.
The suspect took a 7.65mm pistol from the safe, and two bags containing several items from the house including a laptop, cellphone and clothes. He then fled the scene and hid in an abandoned house in the area.
The victim contacted her security company whose officials managed to track him down.
Steyn said when police arrived the man fired sh...

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Author: Yolandé Stander

Plett objects to harbour proposal in NO uncertain terms

Thousands of objections from Plett residents to the town’s proposed small boat harbour development have forced Western Cape Marina Investments to rethink its plans - JOHN HARVEY and YOLANDÉ STANDER report

ON Saturday about a thousand residents and visitors gathered at Central Beach to form a human ‘no’ sign in protest against the development and along with thousands of objections through a petition by the ratepayers association, locals made it clear that they did not support the R4-billion development.
PE-based CEN IEM Unit, which did the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), said it had been overwhelmed by the number of objections.
“Our client has indicated that he will investigate ways of amending the proposal to make it more acceptable to the Plett community,” said CEN’s Dr Mike Cohen.
Cohen said while there were 300 people who attended the public hearings, he had received some 800 objecti...

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‘The time has come in Bitou to put the past behind us’

An attempt by Plettenberg Bay-based civil rights organisation the Justice and Equality Front (JEF) to have members of the DA brought up on sedition charges has failed - JOHN HARVEY reports

FOR the past few months the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had been studying a docket containing affidavits to the effect that members of the DA and a Plett township group sparked public violence to unseat the ANC in Bitou Municipality in 2007.
However, in a letter to JEF attorney Hardy Mills, the Western Cape Director of Prosecutions gave reasons as to why not to prosecute.
He said the allegations were vague, there was no substantive evidence, the charges did not meet the description of the alleged offences, and there was not a reasonable prospect of a successful prosecution.
The complaints of sedition were laid with police by Mills in 2011. The JEF comprises a group of 10 Garden Route lawyers and additional members who seek to monitor corru...

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