AVBOB celebrates a milestone by rewarding its members on a large scale Port Shepstone - Workers in KwaZulu-Natal have downed tools.  This as they are protesting over job grading and unpaid wages.  The strike has left the Ray Nkonyeni municipality on KwaZulu-Natal's South Coast in disarray The MEC of The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) is expected to meet the disgruntled employees.  SuperSport Schools Plus including Westville Boys’ High and Glenwood the status quo was challenged when Hillcrest High School defeated the reigning champions It has been a sub-standard start to the season for the Green Machine when compared to their usual standards and goals from Banele Ngongoma and Aiden Whitby secured Hillcrest a treasured win Coach Cayle Marillier‘s Hillcrest team appears to be back to their competitive ways after a tough season in 2024 Westville Boys’ High School, meanwhile, played to a 1-1 draw against Pinetown Boys’ High, the winners of the Kearsney Soccer Tournament in 2024 Empangeni High School scored their first win of the season by defeating Northwood School 2-1 It was Northwood’s second consecutive loss after Hillcrest beat them 1-0 in the opening round of the league Port Shepstone is in strong early season form and has scored six times without conceding in their two outings They appear to be well-balanced and have already established themselves as a potential title contender they cruised to a commanding 4-0 win over Empangeni The second round of the Inland A league rained goals That was a welcome development after a disappointing first round that was marred by rain which led to some teams having to share the points teams were focused on bagging three points for a win Edendale Technical High School, eager to succeed recorded a 2-0 victory over Haythorne Secondary School thanks to goals from Wandile Madlala and Bekwa Alwande which earned their side three crucial points had to settle for a second draw in succession They finished 1-1 against Ixopo Secondary School Maritzburg College’s prolific striker and vice-captain netted twice in a 4-2 win over Alexandra High School and Siphelele Sibiya contributing the other goals for the Red Linpark High School claimed a convincing 3-0 victory over Newton Hillcrest High School 2-0 Glenwood High School Westville Boys’ High School 1-1 Pinetown Boys’ High Empangeni High School 2-1 Northwood School Port Shepstone 2-0 Bechet Edendale Technical High School 2-0 Haythorne Secondary School Carter High School 1-1 Ixopo Secondary School Linpark High School 3-0 Newtown Maritzburg College 4-2 Alexandra High School 15:00 – Amanzimtoti vs Sastri 16:05 – Durban High School vs Queensburgh High School 15:10 – Grosvenor vs New Forest 16:05 – Ashton Ballito vs Redwood 15:10 – George Campbell vs Canaan College 16:05 – Birdswood vs Durban Academy Field 2 15:10 – Brettonwood vs Canaan College 16:05 – Ashton Ballito Team B vs George Campbell Field 1 15:00 – Alexandra High School vs Riverwood 16:05 – Heritage Academy vs ML Sultan Field 2 Thornhill vs Northbury Maritzburg College Team B vs Maritzburg Christian School 15:00 – Maritzburg College Team C vs Umvuzo 16:05 – Michaelhouse vs Newtown Team B After breaking into the top eight of the Gauteng Development League (GDL) standings last week Zeekoevlei High lifted the Freedom Cup trophy on the weekend at Wynberg Boys’ High School after defeating Urban Academy in The Absa Wildeklawer Soccer Tournament has a new king sitting on the throne after four days of all-out action Following three days of football filled with surprising outcomes the Absa Wildeklawer Soccer Tournament is down to four title contenders Fans of the Mancosa KwaZulu-Natal Football Association (KZNHSFA) Second-Term League have been starved of football for a week NSRI Shelly Beach duty crew were activated following reports of a drowning in progress at Sea Park Beach An NSRI rescue craft JetRib was towed to the scene with our NSRI rescue vehicle while NSRI rescue swimmers Med-Evac ambulance services and Police Search and Rescue responded.On arrival on the scene a search commenced for a local 18 year old male who was missing in the surf zone.The teenager reportedly went missing in the surf after being caught in rip currents while swimming.There remains no sign of the missing teenager.Police Search and Rescue are continuing in an ongoing search.Thoughts care and compassion are with the family of the missing teenager in this difficult time We’re proud to announce that our newly rebuilt NSRI Station 21 in St Francis Bay is now officially open we held a blessing ceremony for two new state-of-the-art rescue vessels: the Spirit of St Francis III .. Gqeberha — The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) today officially celebrated the blessing of its latest state-of-the-art Offshore Rescue Craft (ORC) at a ceremony held at the PE Deep Sea Angling Club building Subscribe today for information about NSRI rescues Residents and businesses in Port Shepstone are raising a stink over the rubbish piling up in the South Coast town JOHANNESBURG -Residents and businesses in Port Shepstone are raising a stink over the rubbish piling up in the South Coast town Service delivery has come to a standstill after municipal workers downed tools over a job-grading dispute The Ray Nkonyeni Municipality is also accusing the striking workers of sabotaging the electricity supply leaving several areas in darkness for days eNCA’s Zanele Buthelezi has more in the video above PORT SHEPSTONE - The leadership of the Ray Nkonyeni municipality on KwaZulu-Natal's South Coast has been give three weeks to address concerns raised by the workers and community This comes after scores of workers took to the street to protest over job grading and unpaid wages READ | Service delivery in Port Shepstone disrupted as workers down tools The strike has left the municipality in disarray. The MEC of The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Thulasizwe Buthelezi has since met with the  disgruntled employees.  Melikhaya Zagagana30 December 2024 | 9:15Search continues for missing teen at Shepstone beachThe National Sea and Rescue Institute says police divers and ambulance services were activated on Saturday after the teen was caught in a rip current JOHANNESBURG - Emergency services are continuing a search for an 18-year-old man who went missing in the surf zone at Shelly Beach in Port Shepstone The National Sea and Rescue Institute (NSRI) says police divers and ambulance services were activated on Saturday after the teen was caught in a rip current READ: North West police probe drowning at Hartbeespoort Dam The incident comes after warnings from the NSRI over fatal drownings in rivers and beaches countrywide. "There remains no signs of the missing teenager. Police search and rescue are continuing on an ongoing search. Thoughts, care, and compassion are with the family of a missing teenager in this difficult time," said NSRI spokesperson, Craig Lambinon. Sections This article may contain graphic and/or adult content unsuitable for minors and sensitive readers. Four people died when an unroadworthy bus travelling from the Eastern Cape to Durban, with more than 33 passengers on board overturned on the N2 near Port Shepstone on Saturday. The MEC for Transport in Kwazulu Natal Siboniso Duma says the driver was arrested on the scene and taken to the Margate Police station where he will be charged with culpable homicide. He says he is in contact with his counterpart in the Eastern Cape MEC Zolile Nqata to keep him abreast of those injured from the Eastern Cape. The names of the deceased have not yet been released. MEC Duma says the bus will be kept in Port Shepstone for further examination. He says the services of highly trained examiners and other experts will be enlisted to carry out an investigation. " Reckless driving, drinking and driving as well as cutting corners will earn those that are on the wrong side of the law a prison term," he said. Journey to Justice, an exclusive podcast on the life of Vicki Terblanche, a slain Gqeberha mother. 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 JOHANNESBURG - The Department of Transport in KwaZulu-Natal has closed the Umzimkhulu River Bridge, on the south coast of the province, from Monday to begin with emergency repair work.   The bridge will be closed from 3 pm on Monday afternoon, and repairs are expected to span over six months at a cost of R190 million.   The department said prolonged rainfall and floods have compromised the structural integrity of the bridge, which connects Port Shepstone to areas such as uMtentweni and Sea Park and is also used as an alternative route to connect to Durban.   Provincial Department spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya said the closure of the bridge was necessary to ensure public safety.   He added that motorists have been advised to use alternative routes while the department awaits further feedback from the minister of transport.   "They also agreed that they will await the national Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, to give feedback following a submission requesting her to exempt motorists from paying toll fees.  “The bridge was built on the old system of caisson, that is why you now see the piers rotating, which now compromises the integrity of the entire bridge." The shack where a Chinese businesswoman was rescued after being kidnapped in what police believe to be a notorious syndicate operating between Durban and Port Shepstone POLICE confirmed the arrest of eight suspects accused of allegedly kidnapping a Kokstad Chinese businesswoman and demanding a hefty R15 million ransom Metro Police Spokesperson Colonel Boysie Zungu said of the eight suspects arrested two were women who were captured on video withdrawing the ransom from a bank in the Durban Central Business District One of the females was apprehended as she attempted to fl ee to another province in the Pinetown Paradise Valley area.These suspects were involved in coordinating the syndicate’s operations,” said Zungu He said the three kingpins of the operation were arrested in Port Shepstone and have been identifi ed as the alleged organisers of the kidnapping “A guard was also apprehended at an informal settlement in Port Shepstone This suspect was allegedly responsible for guarding the victim who was found disoriented but physically unharmed in a shack She was immediately taken to a hospital for medical evaluation,” Zungu said He said the Chinese businesswoman was accosted by the group as she was closing her bottle store in Kokstad.The kidnappers a syndicate operating between Durban and Port Shepstone held the victim hostage and initially demanded a ransom of R15 million from her family which the victim’s family paid into a designated bank account the suspects demanded an additional R1.2 million negotiations had reached a stalemate and a decision to form a rescue operation was made,” said Zungu.  PORT SHEPSTONE - Ratepayers in Port Shepstone Margate and surrounding areas in KwaZulu-Natal have been left to fend for themselves after a prolonged strike by municipal workers READ: Service delivery in Port Shepstone disrupted as workers down tools Workers from the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality downed tools in October over unpaid wages and disputes around job grading eNCA reporter Zanele Buthelezi provided an update from the field The bail application for officer Darren Govender who faces a schedule six charge of premeditated murder was yesterday postponed to next Wednesday in the Port Shepstone District Court According to South Coast Herald Dressed in a smart white long-sleeve shirt and jeans an assistant superintendent law enforcement officer for Ray Nkonyeni Municipality represented by Attorney Sharlene Govender and Advocate Wesley Matthews He also faces charges of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and reckless use of a firearm in public Govender pleaded not guilty and remains in custody He handed himself over to police on February 12 after the incident in which businessman Brad Hughes (54) was shot and killed at a pub in Shelly Beach Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp Channel Read original story on www.citizen.co.za Home | South Africa Heavy rains at Port Shepstone on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast have damaged roads This has led to extensive damage to some homes in the eThekwini metro as well several business owners are clearing their premises of stock to properly clean and assess the impact of the damage to their stores Petrol stations in the area have also been flooded Shop owner Mohammed Abu-Sayed says he estimates that half a million rand worth of his stock has been damaged So now I see small what I came to front of shop Clean up operations started in shops and a garage in Marine Drive in Port Shepstone. The area was flooded after last nights heavy downpours that left a trail of distraction in the area.#sabcnews pic.twitter.com/p6kPLhT56m — Mlondi Radebe (@mlondiee) February 26, 2025 says the damage to businesses has affected the entire community And when anybody’s business is affected it affects the community as a whole Because it’s like throwing a stone in the water That’s what makes me so heart sore when I see and hear of bad things happening That’s my first thought: how can I help?,” says Vantone but they’ll have a shot at a title when they face Porth Shepstone in the final of the Cowie Cup.Following a rigorous four-week process of elimination featuring top teams from across KwaZulu-Natal the Cowie Cup has been narrowed down to Maritzburg College and Port Shepstone High It’s also a showdown between the past two champions College lifted the title in 2022 and Port Shepstone is the reigning champion Port Shepstone faced Pietermaritzburg’s Alexandra High which necessitated a penalty shootout to determine the winner while they converted all of their spot kicks who have been in the mix for titles in a number of tournaments this season withstood a stiff challenge from Westville Boys’ High to book their place in the title decider who had beaten the Griffin 2-1 in a recent derby clash Maritzburg College 1-0 Westville Port Shepstone (5) 1-1 ( 4) Alexandra High Maritzburg College vs Port Shepstone (TBC) A 59-year-old Spanish diver missing at Protea Banks was rescued after 3+ hours adrift and a TNPA helicopter located her safely 9 nautical miles away; she was uninjured UPDATE PENNINGTON BEACH INCIDENT: Saturday Body of missing teenager located and recovered: The Pietermaritzburg High Court has sentenced a Port Shepstone man to 20 years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend on Christmas Day last year The Witness reports that Nkosingphile Shozi (27) appeared in court yesterday where he entered into a plea agreement with the state Shozi intentionally killed Esti Valentia Sengane (26) near Bhobhoyi the deceased visited the accused at his residence for a sleepover “The accused assaulted the deceased with a stick causing fatal injuries,” the court documents stated The cause of death was determined to be multiple blunt force trauma Shozi admitted the couple argued on Christmas Eve and because he didn’t have enough airtime to call the police or ambulance who made the call for him,” his defence lawyer said Judge Khosi Hadebe described the murder as barbaric and an act of control “The deceased is described as a bubbly and friendly person loved by her family and neighbours – you have robbed them,” she said You were already on the right path by studying and securing a future in employment Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal Read original story on witness.co.za JOHANNESBURG - The seaside town of Port Shepstone on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast is a no-go zone following numerous reports of a violent taxi protest.  Eyewitness News understands that aggrieved taxi drivers and owners have blockaded all exits and entries into the town, including parts of the N2 highway.  This after members of the road traffic inspectorate impounded a number of taxis yesterday as part of "Operation Shanela".  We'll have more on this developing story in our upcoming bulletins. Black and White’s supporters.Maritzburg College were crowned the 2024 champions of the Cowie Cup after defeating the 2023 titleholders to reclaim the title they last held in 2022 with both goals being scored in the second half of the match after they upped their attacking pressure The team’s prolific striker Mazithi Qasha scored the opener for College getting onto the end of a long through-ball before calmly lofting the ball over the ‘keeper Philasande Khuzwayo delivered an impressively composed strike from outside the box curling the ball around a defender and into the goalkeeper’s bottom left-hand corner to effectively seal the win for the Red College asserted their dominance in the final from the onset with Zipho Makangela skillfully penetrating the Port Shepstone defences down the right flank College exhibited superior control of the game with their trademark short and they also appeared more threatening than their rivals with Thule Cele narrowly missing a gilt-edged opportunity in the first half after successfully evading the offside trap College’s high defensive line caught out the south coast side who were blown up time after time for straying way offsides “The offside trap is something that we have been working on for the last three years,” College coach Chemon Petersen told SuperSport Schools Plus after the match and they did exceptionally well in communicating and judging when to do it There were many times when Port Shepstone could have got in behind us and made it a one-on-one game with the ‘keeper and as Petersen said: “Offence wins you games While Makangela challenged Port Shepstone down the right flank throughout the game College held back on trying their luck down the left-hand side during the first half That was because Sheppie threatened down their right on the counterattack which included bringing on Nzolo Ngcemu as a third striker The home side brought the left flank into play much more through wing-back Braydon Middleton and they were rewarded for that decision Another move that paid dividends was switching Malachi Momple to defensive midfielder was effusive in his praise of Momple’s contribution “He’s a very special player with an unbelievably gifted left foot He always seems to have time on the ball and nothing flusters him,” Haswell said “We switched him to defensive midfielder in the second half to get more control over the passing in the game but we weren’t making key passers from that key central defensive midfield position Momple made a difference and impressed with his decision-making and the range of his passes executing one-twos to get the attack rolling and finding players out wide with beautiful raking long balls to stretch the Port Shepstone defence Haswell also praised College captain KG Matshoge for the example he set and his captaincy “He’s a young man with such heart and maturity It’s an absolute pleasure to work with him,” he said which followed a victory in the annual Raw Cup clash against Durban High School (DHS) last week Haswell continued: “You see how much it means to us and how hard we work I can only imagine what it means to our players “They’ve been through some heartbreak They were part of last year’s team and they thought that winning would happen naturally They learned the hard way that you have to work for each and every result To see them grow through that process and learn from their mistakes you can’t ask for any more as coaches “They carried us in the Raw Cup and today That composure and leadership really rubbed off on the team.” While Maritzburg College won three titles in 2023 – the KZN Inland League and the Pietermaritzburg and Midlands FA Cup – they didn’t win the Raw Cup or the Cowie Cup it was pleasing for College to finish off the season by capturing the two titles they didn’t land last year Five different trophies in two years is quite some haul Coach Petersen summed up Maritzburg College’s Cowie Cup triumph: “Port Shepstone was a very good side they didn’t give us much to work with But I think sticking to our guns and trusting what we’ve worked on carried us across the line.” Community members in Port Shepstone were left stranded on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast after the Ugu Taxi Association decided not to operate The association’s Deputy Secretary-General claims that the Department of Transport is failing to issue operating licenses timeously Taxis operators are aggrieved at the provincial Department of Transport that they claim are not issuing operating licenses on time Commuters had to use alternative means of transport to work and town Caluza says they are prepared to return to work if the department addresses their grievances “We need permits … we did apply for permits and we have got receipts whereas we have receipts to prove that we applied for permits We are paying rank permits and the rank hasn’t been yet finished in NPS If you can go and see where we are stationed … we are using the garage [filing station] along the roads.” Taxi drivers were also affected by the no work-no pay policy being applied Drivers Browndash Cele and Mzwandile Ntanzi say the taxis they are driving have been impounded in the past as the driver is working for his family and if they are not working they will not be able to support their family The rand is very low and food price is high these days,” says Cele “Our bosses have submitted all the documents to the board but they don’t get licenses Shanela comes from Pietermaritzburg and impound the vehicles but we are losing the income and the passengers are also loosing the money.” KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport Spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya says an urgent meeting has been called with the Ugu Taxi Association the MEC would like to emphasise the need for an ongoing engagements with the taxi industry and there is a Taxi Indaba which is planning to take place in a month of August The MEC appreciates the bold leadership of Santaco as it represents more than 240 associations in the province,” says Sibiya Members of the association say they will continue with the strike until the department meets their needs