A recap of news of 2018: A look at January to April 2018
The first four months of 2018 had more downs than ups for Krugersdorp.
Before we start prepping for some new year celebrations, let’s take a moment and reflect on the year that was 2018.
Here’s a round-up of what made headlines in Krugersdorp.
We start in January:
• The News reported on Belinda de Beer, a then 55-year-old local resident who got to go home after spending two-and-a-half months in hospital after suffering three heart attacks and a stroke. Doctors feared for her life.
• Silverstar Casino welcomes new leadership – that of Anneke Potgieter, the first woman in the General Manager’s seat at the entertainment destination.
• Laerskool Protearif opens its doors again in January 2018 after the school was devastated by a tornado in 2017. Repairs amounted to almost R2 million, yet they managed to have the school ready for the new year. Principal Donna Lourens and his team were all smiles on the first day back at school.
• 22 January was known as the day that Krugersdorp stood up against the drug lords in town. The whole town was shut down and residents, businesses and schools had to close their doors for fear of being vandalised by angry protesters. Their message was loud and clear: “Get out of our town or we will throw you out”.
February:
• The Krugersdorp West Swimming Pool was re-opened after a shortage of funds from Mogale City Municipality prevented it from being maintained and cleaned.
• National Police Minister, Fikile Mbalula, made drastic changes to the management of the police on the West Rand and saw to it that suspect drug houses and bordellos were bulldozed after Krugersdorp was shut down by protesters on 22 January in the #KrugersdorpWaronDrugs saga.
• Residents of Rant-en-Dal, more specifically those bordering an infamous lodge, decided to take action against the owner after a New Year’s Eve party turned nasty resulting in drunken and disorderly patrons, damage to property, a stabbing and severe noise pollution. They made their feelings clear to the lodge – “Host another party like this and you will be taken to court”.
• Mogale City is named one of the culprits after an audit was conducted on water wastage. Mogale loses about 44 per cent of its water as a result of various issues like leaks and mismanagement.
• Elnet Snyman came under fire again for her home-schooling centre and methods after a investigating team found irregularities in her ways. The News first reported on Snyman in 2013. The investigating team of a prominent bank asked her about one of their employee’s fake matric certificate. Soon after that, she closed the centre’s doors and disappeared, citing a nervous breakdown.
March:
• It became known that three Life Esidimeni patients had died in Krugersdorp. DA Gauteng Shadow Member of the Executive Committee for Health and Member of the Provincial Legislature, Jack Bloom, escorted Dr Dorothy Sekhukhune to the psycho-geriatric facility in town to find out how the deaths occurred.
• Mogale City Municipality made it known that it wanted to sell the dilapidated Bob van Renen Sports Stadium to help its cash flow problems. The council asked permission to proceed, but said permission was vehemently refused.
• Tent squatters made themselves at home on the corner of Kobie Krige and Church Streets in Krugersdorp’s CBD and Facebook erupted with posts from angry posters. Some said they felt sorry for the group of people, while others said they were trying to uplift the town only to find people squatting everywhere.
• An angry mob gathered at the Krugersdorp Magistrates’ Court in order to teach an alleged rapist a lesson. The group protested outside the court, but the accused managed to slip away from the crowd.
April:
• Another baby death was reported at Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital. The baby’s mother told the News how she gave birth to her baby without any assistance from nurses or doctors. She sat with her dead new-born baby between her legs for more than 10 minutes before being assisted.
• Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital responded to the baby death by giving a half-hearted apology. They claimed that all their midwives were on duty and that the mother grossly exaggerated her account of giving birth.
• The accused in the #KrugersdorpMurders case, Marcel, Leroux, Marinda and Cecilia Steyn, as well as Zak Valentine, appeared in the Johannesburg High Court just to hear that their trial had been postponed again.
• The Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development announced that it was planning to build a new and improved Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital.
Make sure you visit the News’ website tomorrow to view the recap of May to August 2018.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at krugersdorpnews@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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