Human-interest stories tug on emotions in 2015

MBOMBELA – In the last couple of years the way in which we consume news or information has undoubtedly changed with more and more newspapers going digital. There’s an ever evolving process through which people can find out about the world around them. But, one thing that has remained constant, is our nature as human beings to be interested in the things that happen to fellow human beings, putting people at the heart of local events. We’ve collected a series of human interest stories that made headlines this year.

• Literêre reus het diep spore in plaaslike dorp getrap
André P. Brink is op 6 Februarie 2015 op die ouderdom van 79 op ‘n vlug van Amsterdam na Kaapstad oorlede. Hy was op pad huis toe nadat hy ‘n eredoktorsgraad van ‘n Belgiese universiteit ontvang het. Wat min mense egter weet, is dat Brink ‘n oudleerling van Hoërskool Lydenburg was en daar matrikuleer het. Brink se werke is in minstens 20 tale vertaal, hy was lid van die letterkundige beweging, die Sestigers en was vyf keer getroud. Sy seun, Anton Brink, is ‘n kunstenaar.

• One of the Lowveld’s oldest residents passes away at 109
After a life full of adventure, Ms Joan McCready, one of the Lowveld’s oldest residents passed away in March at the age of 109.This charming and witty lady was born on November 11, 1905, and has been featured in numerous publications like Lowvelder and Get it Lowveld because of her longevity and inspirational attitude towards life. She lived at Macadamia Village in White River for several years, and then moved to a bedsitter at the care centre a few years ago. She and her husband moved to White River in 1975 to retire and he passed away in the early 1990s. To commemorate Joan’s 100th birthday in 2005, she received letters of congratulations from the Queen of England and Nelson Mandela.

• Hy wou net bobotie hê, toe vang hy byna ‘n baba
Willem van der Merwe van Johannesburg was eenvoudig op die regte tyd op die regte plek. Toe hy in April by Wallas Pub & Grill vir ‘n bobotie en ‘n yskoue bier stilhou, het hy nie verwag om as ‘n held daar uit te stap nie. Terwyl ‘n groepie mense heel gesellig gesit en kuier het, het ‘n man histeries by die kroeg ingehardloop en in gebroke Engels om hulp gevra. Toe die groepie ondersoek instel, het hulle gevind dat die benoude man se vrou buite in kraam was. Hulle het daarna vir ongeveer ‘n uur lank probeer om die provinsiale nooddienste in die hande te kry, sonder enige sukses. Van der Merwe, , wat in die Laeveld was vir sake en die krisis gade geslaan het, het toe sonder om ‘n woord te sê uitgestap, sy Audi nadergetrek en gesê: “Laai haar in”.Hy het toe met die vrou, haar man en Malele, na Themba gejaag. Laasgenoemde moes hulle vergesel om as tolk tussen Van der Merwe en die ouers op te tree, asook om vir hom te wys waar Themba is.Klein Willem van der Merwe Vilikazi is gebore nog voor hul behoorlik die leêr kon invul.

• This thorn among his roses has many scars
The corner of Van der Merwe and Mostert streets has a life of its own, thanks to Benedict Ndlovu. Even at 23:00 on a Friday night, motorists can spot this bubbly man prancing around with an admirable display of roses, sporting a contagious smile. Benedict Ndlovu has been selling roses for 22 years and has become a fixture at this intersection. He always treats motorists and passers-by to a little dance with his roses in order to advertise them. However, it has still not been an easy or stable life. He sometimes struggles to make ends meet and some days, he throws away more roses than he sells.

• Oud-Robbie wen Kanna met redelik onbekende kunsvorm
Nathani Lüneburg (33), ’n oudleerling van Hoërskool Rob Ferreira, het vanjaar die mondigwording van die Absa Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (KKNK) met oorgawe gevier deur ’n Kanna-toekenning vir die beste visuele kunsaanbieding los te slaan. Nathani het hierdie gesogte toekenning vir haar digitale animasie- en video-uitstalling, As die vlooie byt in La La Land, ontvang. Die ander nominasies in dieselfde kategorie wasFilmverse deur Diek Grobler en Baie belaglik deur Liberty Battson. Digitale animasie- en videokuns is ’n betreklik onbekende kunsvorm in Suid-Afrika en Nathani sal binnekort die eerste Suid-Afrikaner wees wat ’n doktorsgraad in digitale stopraam-animasie verwerf. Haar videokunswerke word aangebied as digitale stopraam-animasies of -rolprente en op massiewe skerms vertoon.

• Party people kidnap chef statue
The well-known chef statue in front of The Bistro Restaurant at Sonpark Shopping Centre was stolen in May.This incident occurred late one Sunday evening owhen a few male revellers who were presumably out partying at Upper Deck took the liberty of adding this item to their personal collection. CCTV footage captures the men taking the statue and loading it into their bakkie. The last bit of footage shows the bakkie driving away from Sonpark centre. The stolen chef statue was later returned to its rightful place at The Bistro Restaurant at the Sonpark Shopping Centre after having being taken on a short road trip to Hazyview. According to Sonpark Shopping Centre owner, Mr Kobus Jacobs, four young men returned the statue last night after heavy social media traffic disclosed their prank to the masses. “They returned the statue within 48 hours of the incident and we discussed the conditions of their punishment. They agreed to pay for all the damages as well as an undisclosed fine.”

• Die Laeveldleeu trap diep spore in SA lesers se harte
Wim Bosman se bekende strokiesverhaal, Louis die Laeveldleeu is so deel van Suid-Afrikaanse kultuur soos koeksisters en melktert saam met ‘n koppie boeretroos.Bosman is ‘n oud-Laevelder wat 30 jaar hier gewoon het en sy liefde vir die natuur en die bosveld in ‘n strokiesprent omskep het. Dié voormalige argitek het aanvanklik nie gedink dat sy pogings enigsins die moeite werd was nie. “Daan Kruger, die voormalige redakteur van Laevelder, ‘n goeie vriend het my toe gevra of ek nie ‘n strokiesprent wou doen nie. Ek het ingestem en ons het toe op Louis die Laeveldleeu besluit aangesien dit lekker alliterasie gehad het,” meen Bosman, wat sy eerste strokies by ‘n gaslamp geteken het. Die eerste strokiesprent het in Maart 1974 verskyn en elke week meer gewild geword, soveel so dat dit later die nasionale koerante gehaal het en in Engels as Louis the Lowveld Lion begin verskyn het.

• Couple takes the rhinos’ plight to top of the world
Local couple Deriree and Johan Eksteen teamed up with seven more people from across the country, including the well-known hiker and adventurer, Wayne Matthews, in taking a stand against rhino poaching by hiking to Everest’s base camp. Although they won’t tackle Everest itself but take the long way round, or base-camp route via Gokyo lakes and the three high passes as it is also known, this is by no means an ordinary hike.The group had to ascend three passes over 5 000 metres above sea level with the final destination at 5 545 metres. And according to Matthews, who completed this particular route before, this remains a challenge to any hiker as they are confronted with the ever-changing weather conditions and high altitude.This year the team’s goal was not only to promote global awareness of rhino poaching, but also to raise more than R100 000 for rhino-related projects, including the Fundimvelo Thula Thula Rehabilitation Centre for rhino orphans. According to Desiree she is willing to tackle the mountain in a full-bodied rhino costume to help focus attention on world rhino conservation.

• Cover guy ABSolutely ripped to the core
Local Angelo Picoto featured on the cover of Men’s Health magazine’s September edition. The Men’s Health Cover Guy competition is like a national election, with plenty of votes and nationwide coverage. He was announced the winner after thousands of votes, and ended up on the cover of SA’a best-selling magazine. This chopper pilot and ex-motocross champ from Mbombela, who currently lives and works in Mozambique, flies VIPs and tourists around to popular destinations which include the luxurious White Pearl Resort in Ponta Mamoli.

• Elderly man is stabbed 18 times by hitchhiker

An 86-year-old good Samaritan was brutally assaulted and left for dead by a hitchhiker he had picked up minutes earlier in September.Mr Robert “Pat” Paterson gave a young man a lift on the Mabalel/Uitkyk Road, only to be stabbed 18 times in the face and neck with an awl. He was discharged from hospital following a number of surgeries to his wounds.

• Wade Williams gets 30 years for Londolozi heist
Wade Williams (30), who has become known as Robin Hood in court, was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment in November after having attempted to rob Londolozi Game Reserve of millions of rand in April. He also tried to kill Londolozi’s financial manager.The account ofWilliams’ crime and subsequent arrest, read like a novel and the full scope of what happened that fateful day, emerged during his bail hearing on April 20. Williams looked straight ahead with an expressionless face while senior state advocate Ms Isabet Erwee and Capt Leroy Bruwer delivered the punches. The evidence against him was damning.

• Two mothers accused of killing their children
Two mothers are in police custody after they allegedly murdered their young children in October.One allegedly strangled her infant son and, with the help of his father, dumped his body in a dam near her house. The other was found after apparently having consumed poison next to the bodies of her five-year-old son and her 18-month-old daughter. Police suspect that she wanted to commit suicide.

• Seuntjie se trane oor vis kry 5 miljoen kyke
‘n Video wat bykans twee jaar gelede tydens ‘n dag-uitstappie na Kwênadam geneem is, is al meer as vyf miljoen keer op die web gekyk.In die video toon klein Wilco Zoomers Botha empatie met ‘n uitgespoelde vis, vertel wat hy dink met hom gebeur het en wanneer hy gevra word wat nou met die vis se hartjie gebeur het, antwoord hy dat dit na “Liewe Jesus” toe is.Die oorspronklike video is op Zoomers en Botha se Facebook-blaaie gelaai, en was ook al op die TV-program Kwêla se bekende videokompetisie. Die nuutste weergawe wat nou weer op die sosiale mediaplatform die ronde doen, is deur ‘n ene Santuario Gaia gelaai, en lees in Spaans: “Kind sterf die dood van ‘n vis. “Die seun leer ons ‘n les in empatie vir alle diere spesies.”

• Oud-inwoner sorg vir bedreigde rankplant se voortbestaan
Dis nou bewys dat mnr. Basie Joubert, wat ook sy eie Christelike radiostasie het, werklik geseënd is met groen vingers nadat hy sy plantkennersvernuf gebruik het om ‘n bedreigde Ceropegia rankplant spesie van uitwissing te red. Oktober verlede jaar het een van Joubert se luisteraars hom vertel van ‘n bedreigde spesie in die Burgersfort-vallei. Ontwikkeling sou egter in die area plaasvind, en ten spyte dat die tydperk vir vertoë reeds verby was, het hy die ontwikkelaar geskakel en later by die omgewingsdepartement beswaar aangeteken het, is die ontwikkeling gestop en ‘n bewaringsgebied van byna 30 hektaar afgekamp vir die spesie se voortbestaan.

• Lowveld Hospital the best in the country

The motto of Lowveld Hospital is “hospital with heart”. By applying this business principle, the hospital was rated as the best private hospital in the country.The hospital, a true Lowveld success story, received top honours during a prestigious gala function hosted by Discovery Health Care in November in Johannesburg. With a remarkable rating of 89 per cent for 2014 – it was not only positioned first place in the country, it was also the only hospital in the province to be positioned in the top 20.

• NHS se geliefde Oom Hendrik vier 90ste verjaarsdag saam met leerders
Hy was nooit ‘n onderwyser nie, maar Hendrik Strydom is al ‘n instelling byHoërskool Nelspruit (NHS). Oom Hendrik is wel nog werksaam by die skool, en toe hy in November sy 90ste verjaarsdag vier, het die leerders het hom letterlik op die hande gedra. Hy is al dekades lank betrokke by die skool, eers as ouer, later as ondersteuner, stigterslid van die Nelliesklub 1 000 en navorser van die skool se geskiedenis. Tans is hy in beheer van die 101-jarige skool se argiewe, wat hulle beplan om volgende jaar in ‘n volledige museum te omskep.

• Hi-Tech sold to listed company for millions
In one of the biggest acquisition deals ever in the Lowveld, the Hi-Tech Security franchise, including Hi-Tech Nelspruit and Hi-Tech White River, was sold to CSG Holdings this year. All three acquisitions were effective from November 1 and the initial amount of R79,3 million was settled in cash.The rest of the amount could be increased by a maximum of R53,2 million based on specific future financial performance criteria which will be settled by a combination of cash and shares.Good news for Lowvelders and Hi-Tech clients is that Mr Johnny Kerswill (managing director: Hi-Tech Nelspruit) will now be at the helm of the Hi-Tech Lowveld and will run the operation for at least the next three years. Kerswill and his dedicated team have had a tremendous impact on fighting crime in the Lowveld.

• Local air show voted best in country
After years of absence, the Lowveld Air Show really did come back with a bang and all the hard work has now paid off.This year’s show, which was held in May, is said to have been one of the finest air shows ever staged at Nelspruit Airport.The event was recently voted the best in the country at the Air Show of the Year awards, promoted and sponsored by African Pilot magazine.Zandspruit Air Show in Hoedspruit, followed by the Grand Rand Air Show in Germiston were the runners-up.