Sadly 2018 provided us with many heartbreaking stories.  It was a year which saw Mother Nature wreak havoc on our area. Storms, deaths and damage.

It was a year which saw human nature also bring destruction to the town – the May and June protest marchers, unprecedented in Dundee, that made the town ungovernable for a day or so.

We said goodbye to two local legends – SD Soni and Foy Vermaak.

It was a year that will, tragically, be remembered for breaking our hearts.

The January 25 storm started it all as a massive hail and rain storm cut a trail of destruction through Dundee, ultimately claiming six lives.

Little girl’s body recovered

Dead body washed up in river

McKenzie Street becomes a river of running water

Dundee/ Vryheid Road flooded

The cost of the storm

A tribute to a much-loved Dr Ncube

And there were those who assisted in the tragedy:

 De Beer family give a helping hand

And then there is Corrie (or Coronation Park) which never fails to drive residents living nearby up the wall with the wild parties and resultant litter.. will 2019 be any different?:

Coronation Park plunges to new depths of despair

And in February we said a sad goodbye to one of the town’s legends, SD Soni:

Final tributes pour in for Mr Soni

Also in February, the education fraternity was saddened by departure to China by much-loved Uelzen principal, Jorg Raffenberg:

Uelzen says farewell to Mr Raffenberg

March was especially sad: a swollen Sandspruit River washed away Warrant Officer Jakes Juggan’s police van  – claiming the lives of his wife, Molly, and close friend, Ashok Rajoo.

How the trio disappeared was not immediately known, sparking a district-wide search that brought the community together to assist the devastated families. The search ended on April 1 when the police van was recovered in the river and all three bodies recovered two days later:

 Final salute…

Final body recovered from river

Rivers subside as search for missing policeman, wife and friend …

Police divers deployed to search for missing trio

Aerial search augments huge hunt for missing policeman, wife and …

Police divers deployed to search for missing trio 

Still no trace of missing trio

Hospitals did not fare well either in 2018. The Church of Scotland Hospital was found to have patients sleeping on the floor:

Patients sleep on the floor of COC Hospital

More tears were shed when much-loved Celeste Rachmann succumbed to cancer. Tribute was paid to this lady who touched so many hearts in Dundee   by close friend Rae Bester who made this stunning video: A tribute to a dear friend…

You can always rely on Home Affairs to frustrate and drive many to tears. 2018 was no different:

Another five year ID terror story

And in May we had to say goodbye to former Springbok, Lood Muller, who was tragically killed in Dundee:

Sentraal’s men of the match, Henk Booysens and Eugene Corbitt with former Bok player, Lood Muller, who watched the game.

Springbok dies in tragic crash

Dundee Junior Secondary School also hit the headlines in May. Snakes, the Department of Education and shoddy infrastructure led to parents protesting outside the school:

DJSS parents protest outside Oldacre Street school

Crime was ever-present. City-style shoot-outs had residents running for cover in June:

CBD  wild-west shoot-out in Dundee

May and June saw protest action hit Dundee like never before with burning tyres, rubber bullets flying and much damage and intimidation

Stone throwing on the Vryheid road

Greytown closed by burning tyres

Protesters gather outside municipality

Dundee Hospital can also be relied upon to provide strange news – remember the naked patient who hijacked an employee?

Family want answers after naked patient hijacks employee in hospital parking lot

Also on the medical front, a Durnacol family is still awaiting answers after a man died after not receiving treatment following an asthma attack:

Durnacol man dies after paramedics fail to help

Human nature showed its depraved side when a man accused of child porn was jailed:

Man jailed for depraved child porn activities

The Courier also started looking at once-glorious spots and places in the area which are abandoned and neglected.

Places like the Glencoe railway station.

Accidents were in 2018 – like most years – ever present and brought much tragedy to families:

Security guards killed in tragic smash

And in central Dundee, the fact that huge trucks rumble through the town was again brought into sharp focus after the horrific death of a pedestrian:

Man cut in half after being dragged by truck

Fires in October saw a building engulfed in flames in the industrial area:

Blaze reduces building to ashes

There was yet another desperate search for a Chilean backpacker who stayed over in Dundee and was never seen alive again. It was a story that reverberated around the world:

Chilean man confirmed dead

The murder of a lawyer in his car shocked and puzzled many:

Murdered lawyer named by police

The collapse of two pyramid schemes in Dundee in two days brought much financial heartache to many:

Forex scheme shutdown in police raid

Another terrible accident in November proved again just how dangerous our roads are:

Seven dead in tragic crash

Also in November, Home Affairs was again accused of bringing heartache to a family after declaring a woman ”dead”:

Home Affairs killed me, says distraught woman

A relative was accused of killing an eight-year-old girl in November – another story that left readers in tears:

Search for eight-year-old ends tragically

Our only hope that 2019 brings with it more tears of joy than tears of fears. Much of it rests in our hands and in the hands that pray.