This article may contain graphic and/or adult content unsuitable for minors and sensitive readers An alleged cash-in-transit suspect was shot dead Eastern Cape transport and community spokesperson Makhaya Komisa says the incident occurred on the R63 road between Qumhra and Qonce on Monday night He said police responded to information of a white Isuzu double cab that may have been involved in cash-in-transit heists the vehicle was located at a Stop and Go in Qumrha Komisa says the police tactically approached the suspects' vehicle but the suspects began to reverse while simultaneously firing at the police one suspect was found fatally wounded in the driver's seat an exclusive podcast on the life of Vicki Terblanche Dive into the expansive world of motoring with Naresh Maharaj Join Mark Marshall as he shares his extraordinary encounters with everything from bees to reptiles i Home | South Africa Residents of Qumrha and Kirkwood in the Eastern Cape are picking up the pieces after widespread heavy rain caused damage in large parts of the Amathole District and the Sundays River Valley Municipalities Some of the area experienced localised flooding the residents in these areas continue to have minimal access to water and experience poor sanitation Communities in Qumrha feel helpless as this is not the first heavy rain to wreak havoc in the area but local businesses and places of worship have been hit hard is pleading with the government to assist her I make a living through this business and now Another resident who has been affected by the heavy rains says access to water remains a challenge in the area “It has been six years since we had running water I don’t know why we are subjected to this life Spokesperson for the Amathole District Municipality “Our disaster management are on the ground doing assessments to determine the extent of the damage caused we are waiting for the preliminary reports so that we can see the intervention and in terms of activating JOCs in the affected municipalities,” Sundays River Valley Municipality also had its own mopping up to do this morning This was after the thunderstorm caused localised flooding in Kirkwood yesterday Reports on the damage are expected to be available during the week An Eastern Cape police officer and an accomplice have been found guilty of fraud and defeating the ends of justice in a Road Accident Fund matter were convicted in the East London regional court this week They were arrested in 2023 for coercing another officer to change the details of an accident report involving Somtsewu where a passenger in his vehicle had passed away An inquest docket was opened into the 2020 accident on the N2 near Qumrha.  Mhlakuvana said about a year after the accident Njekanye who was one of the officers on the accident case went to the Qumrha police station where they convinced an officer to alter the initial report so that a claim could be lodged with the RAF but was "coerced" into altering the report and a claim was subsequently lodged Mhlakuvana said the RAF discovered the discrepancies between the original report and the altered version and the Hawks were alerted “The investigations by the Hawks established that Njekanye and Somtsewu colluded in an attempt to claim for an accident by changing the accident report that would have prejudiced the RAF to a cash value of nearly R5 million,” Mhlakuvana said The two are out on bail of R500 each and sentencing proceedings are expected to commence on 14 May The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) advises road users that a Stop/Go system will be implemented on the N2 Section 16 from Mooiplaas to Qumrha (formerly Komga) T-Junction where a periodic road maintenance project is currently under way The one-way Stop/Go will be implemented on two-segments Motorists can expect 10- to 20-minute delays at each Stop/Go “This project’s scope of work is extensive resealing of existing road surfaces and texture correction While these tasks may cause temporary inconveniences with a primary focus on infrastructure preservation Preserving and enhancing the road infrastructure not only ensures smoother travel but also contributes significantly to the economic and social well-being of the community,” said Mbulelo Peterson Regional Manager for SANRAL Southern Region SANRAL appeals to motorists to adhere to the warning signs to reduce speed when approaching the construction zones and to plan their trips accordingly as there are no surfaced alternative routes available SANRAL apologises for any inconvenience caused Talk of the Town is the weekly newspaper of record for the community of Ndlambe and serves readers in and around Port Alfred Caption: Thabiso Ngozwana SANRAL met with stakeholders and the community of the Great Kei Local Municipality to introduce its two imminent major road infrastructure development projects for the area which have a combined budget estimate exceeding a billion rand (R1 165bn) The two projects: upgrading of National Route R63 between km 21.7 and the N2 past Qumrha (km 43.64) and the reseal of the N2 Section 16 between Mooiplaas (km 49.9) and Qumrha intersection (km 70.2) will be constructed from the second half of 2023 The scope of the R63 upgrade entails the widening and rehabilitation of the existing two-lane single carriageway with geometric safety improvements and widening of the road while the N2 Mooiplaas to Qumrha intersection project entails crack sealing and resealing to improve and rehabilitate the road welcomed the news during the Taking SANRAL to the People stakeholder engagement session in Qumrha “I commend SANRAL for heeding the call to upgrade the R63 and N2 This will bring major investment to this area including the construction of a taxi rank and walkways for pedestrian safety We also welcome the upgrades SANRAL will do along the R63 from Bhisho to N6,” he said SANRAL assist with upgrading of the Qumhra main road to a tarred pavement as this would go a long way in changing the face of the town for the better Great Kei Local Municipality is constituted by mostly poor households living below the poverty line Most of the population is unemployed and many of the households are indigent requiring subsidised basic municipal services he said “It is very painful to see youth with a bleak future SANRAL’s road infrastructure investment here will change this over the next few years through the many jobs that will be created.” The three spheres of government must work together in implementing the District Development Model (DDM) Through our engagements and work we do behind the scenes we lobby for such development so it is good to see that Great Kei will be a construction site this year,” said Cllr Tekile alluding to other pending municipal and provincial road construction projects that are earmarked for the area SANRAL introduced the consultants and main contractors for the two projects Mariswe (Pty) Ltd are the appointed consultant and H&I Construction (Pty) Ltd is the main contractor BVI Consulting are the consulting engineers with Tau Pele Construction (Pty) Ltd being the main contractor we anticipate construction to commence in August upon conclusion of the mobilisation phase We are currently developing the Contract Participation Goal (CPG) Plan which will outline the work packages that will be informed by a local skills analysis and will be workshopped with the PLC,” said Mr Thabiso Ngozwana The Municipal Manager of Great Kei Local Municipality Mr L Lambila encouraged the community to support SANRAL’s road infrastructure construction programme “We must be ambassadors of these projects and sing from the same hymnbook as these projects will benefit our communities,” he said “We urge our SMMEs to participate in the training because we want you to grow and develop into formidable businesses This training will help capacitate you,” said Cllr Tekile Ndika emphasised that the training is not a prerequisite to participate on SANRAL tender opportunities and nor does it put one at an advantage when tendering on SANRAL projects “This opportunity will equip you with the prerequisite business skills that go beyond SANRAL projects,” said Ndika “Transformation is among the key priorities of SANRAL we have established a transformation unit that is dedicated to assisting our emerging contractors material and plant suppliers and service providers with some of the challenges faced on the ground,” said Ndika urging local SMMEs to make use of this unit to intervene Amathole District Municipality Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) representing the Executive Mayor of Amathole District Municipality said: “The budget allocation for local SMMEs means that something is being done by government to capacitate local SMMEs I plead with you to please not waste the one-billion-rand investment that is coming to your shores Any challenges that arise can be resolved through working together.” When local artist Penny Smith went with her husband to Komga Hospital for their Covid-19 jab she was immediately struck by what she saw how clean and how smartly run it was,” she said “I said to them ‘You’ve got no paintings on your walls’ and they said they couldn’t afford it.” and when her husband returned for his follow-up vaccination on August 2 she brought a surprise with her – six paintings which she had done herself for the hospital to hang up in their offices and reception area “I’ve had lots of blessings in my life and I like to bless other people when I can,” she said and joked that most people know her simply as Penny the Artist She and her husband originally lived in Mozambique for ten years a lack of art supplies made Smith get creative with her materials “That’s when I started painting on bark like you see in those paintings [at Komga Hospital] It’s the epidermis of the coconut palm tree,” said Smith Komga Hospital acting nursing service manager Martha Makwadini thanked Smith for her kind donation and said they were happy with their new artwork which was sure to brighten up the space for staff and patients alike and website in this browser for the next time I comment Recaptcha Change Image Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" As the day for Local Government Elections (LGE) approaches, residents of Qumrha in the Eastern Cape have reiterated their call to not cast their votes the Amathole District Municipality’s consistent failure to address their water and sanitation woes SABC News reported on the plight of the residents which include water shortages poor sanitation and lack of refuse collection It is a laborious effort to access water in some parts of Qumrha The residents have been with water challenges for about a year This has been attributed to lack of infrastructure and poor maintenance Residents have lost hope that their municipality would ever solve this situation Who can vote whilst living and breathing in sewer?” asks one resident “The municipality is taking us for granted The powers of supplying water to the community must be given to great Kei Municipality because Amathole has failed us,” says another resident [WARNING: Strong language] Lack of service delivery at the Amathole District Municipality: East London police are investigating a case of business robbery after five men tried to rob the Komga Spar Supermarket in Qumrha earlier on Tuesday The drama unfolded shortly after 7 am when suspects ordered the manager to hand over the keys to the safe before locking all the staff inside the storeroom Police were alerted about a robbery in progress at the supermarket situated along the R63 in Qumrha and immediately responded and called for back-up from the Tactical Response Unit and the National Intervention Unit Spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana says when officers arrived on the scene they came under intense gunfire from the criminals who were armed with pistols and assault rifles the suspects gave up when one was killed and three wounded Brigadier Kinana says a fifth suspect was arrested and is currently in custody while his three accomplices are under police guard in hospital ammunition a grinder and a vehicle were confiscated Brigadier Kinana says it is suspected that the suspects arrived at the scene with a stolen vehicle aged between 30 and 40 are expected to appear in the Komga Magistrate Court once they are charged Police did not release the identity of the suspect who was killed The other men will only be identified once they have appeared in court the Eastern Cape Transport and Community Safety MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxotiwe has commended the police for their swift response and heroic work in protecting themselves and innocent shoppers during the shootout “We salute our officers for putting their lives on the line to protect the people of this province Their actions are an indication of good work that the officers are putting in day in and day out Five less criminals out of our streets,” said Tikana-Gxotiwe Eastern Cape police are investigating a double homicide after a woman and her 20-year-old son was shot dead on their farm in the Komga area in the early hours of Friday morning Agri Eastern Cape identified the victims as 51-year-old Zoliswa Panyaza and her 20-year-old son Xolisile Agri EC said they were deeply saddened by yet another senseless murder of a farmer Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said it is alleged that two men knocked at their door He says the woman's 12-year-old daughter hid in the bathroom and was taken to a place of safety Kinana says the circumstances surrounding the shooting are unclear at this point and forms part of the investigation Thabo Madliwa from Komga in the Eastern Cape grows hemp and vegetables Thabo Madliwa from Komga in the Eastern Cape believes it is important to realise that it is okay to have failed or not completed anything in life He also believes that it is important to pass on your expertise to your loved ones so that someone else can continue building your farming legacy He says family farming businesses are established on sacrifice and that their success requires a great deal of effort and dedication Madliwa developed into the man he is now as a result of his upbringing in East London where he met people from diverse backgrounds who let him comprehend life as it should be lived were crop farmers when they ultimately moved to Cove Ridge “We were also instructed to contribute to the fields We would contribute by ensuring that the drums contain water their parents instructed him and his siblings to sell veggies to drivers on the streets and highways Their lives became more interesting after realising they could profit from it Madliwa pursued a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University after completing high school Gogo Nokhaya became ill and was diagnosed with hypertension Madliwa says that in his research he found that Madliwa began cultivating hemp on 2 000 square metres of land which is cannabis with no psychotropic properties As much as I expand it via my family enterprise Madliwa says that cannabis did wonders for his grandmother’s illnesses other people in his community also benefitted from it He emphasises that growing hemp is quite challenging Endalweni Trading also produces tomatoes and green beans and their produce is distributed to agro-processing companies I like the fact that I make and consume fresh food which is beneficial for sore muscles and joints Getting a permit to grow hemp is very hard to come by but his business was granted a permit in 2019 Whoever wants to establish a hemp company must be aware that it will be difficult and requires patience is that there is always a plan B if your product does not make it to market “One must always examine agricultural processing methods It takes time to understand these concepts but the effort is worthwhile,” he says He is also studying in order to expand his hemp enterprise and would like to distribute his products globally someday Especially for the majority of chronically ailing elderly patients ALSO READ: Poultry farming is just one of Poppy’s passions Get Stories of Change: Inspirational stories from the people that feed Mzansi This week's agricultural events include Food For Mzansi's Nampo Bothaville lunchtime conversations Deloitte's conversation with agricultural experts With 21 global awards in the first six years of its existence Food For Mzansi is much more than an agriculture publication unashamedly saluting the unsung heroes of South African agriculture We believe in the power of agriculture to promote nation building and social cohesion by telling stories that are often overlooked by broader society Contact usOffice: +27 21 879 1824News: info@foodformzansi.co.zaAdvertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za KOMGA – Sindile Zweni (55) is expected to appear before the Komga Magistrate court in connection with a Komga farm attack which occurred in April 2016 Zweni was arrested by Eastern Cape members of the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime unit on Monday in Worcester and made his first court appearance before the Worcester Magistrate court He faces charges of armed robbery with aggravated circumstances possession of unlicensed firearms and impersonating a police official  Zweni’s case has been transferred to the Komga Magistrate court where he is expected to appear next week Tuesday This is the second suspect that the Hawks have arrested in relation to this case Thandolwethu Vakele  (30) appeared before the Komga Magistrate court on August 14 2017 for the same charges He was arrested on  August 9 this year in Cape Town It is alleged that on April 5 last year four armed men three of whom were allegedly dressed in SAPS uniform The men were driving a white Toyota Fortuner which was fitted with police blue lights They allegedly gained entrance into the farm under the false pretence of investigating a rape case which was allegedly committed by one of the farm workers The men allegedly assaulted a 49-year-old woman who owns the farm They then apparently took an undisclosed amount of money Vakele’s next court appearance will also be on September 5 2017 Enquiries: Captain Anelisa Feni @ 071 481 3251 Boy’s touching gesture sees school collect food LOOKING for his lost pet and not finding it led Colby Kean from Komga Junior School to initiate a charity pet drive at his school he went in search of it or a new cat at Pet Pals but instead of finding his beloved cat he saw the pets there with no food and this broke the 11-year-old’s heart Kean then approached Komga Junior principal Lester Pike with a view to holding an inter-class competition to collect pet food and to raise awareness of animal shelters The school’s pupils all wanted to get involved and for two weeks they brought in tins and bags of pet food “We were also fortunate to get a huge donation of fresh pet’s mince and bones from one of our parents Kean said: “Because this really broke my heart I asked my principal if we could collect food for the animals and we did this for two weeks and managed to collect 505.99kg of pet food “I am very happy and I hope the animals get a great life,” he said then got to deliver the food to Pet Pals last week “I am extremely proud of the way in which our pupils showed their willingness in such a caring way when asked to assist,” Pike said Kean said he wanted to collect food again for the animals early next year said her son really had a “big and giving heart” Pet Pals chairwoman Sue Kriel said she was very touched and grateful to have received the donation from the school “They are such a small community and I was so surprised and happy with the donation We struggle with food as we use between 38-42kg of dog pellets and 15kg of cat pellets a day “The food does not last long and the donation will go a long way [to keeping us going],” Kriel said CHECK OUT: Turn unemployment into income. Your next job starts here. Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg police shootouts and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years QUMRHA, EASTERN CAPE — The Minister of Police applauded members of the South African Police Service for arresting two cash-in-transit (CIT) heist suspects in the Eastern Cape on 24 March 2025. One suspect was shot and killed in the ensuing shootout. According to the South African Police Service, members of the East London Tactical Response team and tracking team followed a white Isuzu double cab bakkie on the R63 near Qumrha. The suspects who were in the vehicle immediately reversed their vehicle and opened fire on the police officers. Read also SAPS arrests Zimbabwean in connection with Soshanguve shooting as death toll rises to 6 PAY ATTENTION: stay informed and follow us on Google News! One of the suspects was killed in the ensuing shootout and the two suspects were arrested after they tried to flee the scene The vehicle was stolen from Mthatha and linked to a few heists in the province Police Minister Senzo Mchunu saluted the efforts of the police to arrest the suspects and expressed his concern about the spate of CITs in the country. He also noted that the extent to which the suspects were armed was alarming and concerning. He also called on companies involved in transporting cash to tighten their security and be more vigilant. Read also Teacher kidnapped outside of Gqeberha school in the Eastern Cape In a related article, Briefly News reported that a motorist recalled how she saw a CIT heist happen in front of her eyes on the N11 in October 2024. She said she arrived on the scene before the heist happened. Read also Senzo Mchunu condemns murders of Soshanguve patrollers South Africans demand action and not words She heard multiple gunshots and saw a man fall to the ground The vehicle then went up in flames before more gunshots ensued PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza! SANRAL, the South African National Roads Agency Limited SOC has recently introduced two significant road infrastructure projects for the Great Kei Local Municipality According to the budget unveiled SANRAL is expected to spend R1.165 billion on R63 Qumrha-N2 and N2 Mooiplaas to Qumrha project in the Eastern Cape The first project involves the enhancement of the national R63 spanning from kilometre 21.7 to the N2 beyond Qumrha The second project focuses on the resealing of Section 16 of the N2 stretching from Mooiplaas to the Qumrha intersection Scheduled to begin in the second half of 2023 both projects have their own specific scopes The R63 upgrade will involve widening and rehabilitating the current two-lane single carriageway incorporating geometric safety enhancements and road widening the N2 Mooiplaas to Qumrha intersection project aims to improve and rehabilitate the road through activities such as crack sealing The mayor of the Great Kei Local Municipality expressed a positive reception to this news welcoming the projects and their anticipated benefits expressed appreciation to SANRAL for responding to the need to upgrade the R63 and N2 He acknowledged that these developments would bring significant investments to the region including the construction of a taxi rank and pedestrian walkways to enhance safety the mayor welcomed SANRAL’s commitment to upgrading the R63 from Bhisho to N6 Given that the Great Kei Local Municipality is predominantly comprised of impoverished households living below the poverty line with high unemployment rates and a significant number of indigent households reliant on subsidized basic municipal services the mayor emphasized the urgency of creating opportunities for the youth He highlighted that SANRAL’s road infrastructure investment in the area would help alleviate this situation by generating numerous job opportunities in the coming years Ngozwana further mentioned that SANRAL has made arrangements to engage local suppliers for sourcing materials and encouraged those with borrow pits to be prepared for potential involvement The R63 project is expected to create more than 360 job opportunities for the local community along with over 40 subcontracting opportunities eight percent of the contract value will be dedicated to labor with a minimum of 30 percent to be subcontracted to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMMEs) it is estimated that R54 million will be spent on SMMEs while R40 million will be allocated to labor costs The consulting firm Mariswe (Pty) Ltd has been appointed as the consultant for the R63 Qumrha-N2 project while H&I Construction (Pty) Ltd has been designated as the main contractor the consulting engineers BVI Consulting have been awarded the contract for the N2 Mooiplaas to Qumrha project with Tau Pele Construction (Pty) Ltd serving as the main contractor Also read North West Province Address Construction Delays Concerns on Road Projects Welcome to Construction Review a portal that serves the building and construction industry through our blog social media presence and print publication Contact us Guest Posting Take down policy