Thursday 12 February 2004

This site will be updated on 20 February  2004 at 17:00

Nuus - News

• Rooi-warm: krag af van hitte
• Verkragter gaan 32 jaar sit
• Baby dies in flames
• Firemen attacked

kort op die hakke van die 42,8 grade wat op 31 Januarie 1951 gemeet is, en die 42,5 grade wat op 18 Januarie 1974 gemeet is. In November 1985 en in Januarie 1993 is ook 42 grade gemeet.

Die kwik het Maandagaand 20:00 nog op 33 grade gestaan en teen middernag het dit slegs tot 26 grade gedaal. Die koelste temperatuur was 23,6 grade vroegoggend.

Dinsdag was feitlik net so warm met 40 grade toe die krag omstreeks 16:30 onderbreek is in Huguenot en Sentraal-Paarl weens oorlading van die netwerk. Die krag is binne 'n halfuur op die meeste plekke herstel.

Volgens inwoners wat al meer as 30 jaar in die Paarl bly, het hulle nog nooit so warm gekry nie.

"Ek het in die gemak van my eie huis gesweet, ek het nie meer geweet waar om my neer te lê nie," het 'n benoude inwoner gesê.

"My klere het aan my gekleef en dit het vir my gevoel of ek nie genoeg water kon drink om my koel te hou nie. Toe het ek maar op die klipvloer in die gang gaan lê."

Baie mense het al Saterdag (36 grade) en Sondag (35 grade) hul toevlug tot die Bergrivier geneem om af te koel en die hitte in hul huise te ontsnap.

Veldbrande in die omgewing het die gebied se brandbestryders besig gehou sedert Vrydag.

Volgens Danie Wilds, die Wynlandse brandweerhoof, het twee yslike brande, een anderkant Dutoitskloof en een naby Saron, Maandag uitgebreek.

Teen Dinsdagmiddag was sowat 100 brandweerlede, 10 brandweervoertuie en helikopters op die toneel.

Om alles te kroon is die water Maandagaand om 21:00 op Saron onderbreek omdat die stroom wat die reservoir voed, byna opgedroog het. Die toevoer is Dinsdagoggend vyfuur herstel nadat die dam effens opgevul het.

Plaaslike meubelwinkels kon nie voor bly met die aanvraag na waaiers en verkoelers.

Terwyl daar by een firma in die Paarl 15 lugverkoelers in die laaste twee weke verkoop is, is die waglys vir verkoelers by 'n meubileerder glo so lank soos die Nyl. Hulle kan ook skaars voorbly met die aanvraag na waaiers.

Volgens Elza Albertyn van 'n plaaslike winkel is hulle heeltemal uit voorraad nadat 30% meer waaiers as gewoonlik verkoop is. Maandag alleen het sy 12 waaiers verkoop.

Die Wemmershoekdam, wat die Paarlvallei van water voorsien, is tans 58% vol en waterbeperkings word nog nie oorweeg nie.

* A power blackout hit Paarl on Tuesday afternoon at the end of a four day heat wave. The power cut was blamed on the high electrical consumption by fans and air conditioners.

ELKEEN het 'n reg om te lewe en dit is tyd dat die howe swaarder strawwe oplê, het 'n landdros Saterdag in die Paarl gesê toe hy 'n verkragter tot 32 jaar tronkstraf gevonnis het.

Rodney Roman (22), 'n bendelid van Carterville, het in Julie en Augustus 2001 'n tienermeisie ernstig beseer toe hy haar verkrag het.

Hy is ook skuldig bevind aan mesroof en aanranding

Landdros Patrick Ross het ter opsomming gesê: "Verkragting is 'n epidemie, 'n kanker in ons gemeenskap.

"Dit is 'n aanval nie net op die vrou se liggaam nie, maar ook op haar integriteit.

"Die hof moet die boodskap uitstuur dat dit nie geduld sal word nie. Elkeen het 'n reg om te lewe en dit is tyd dat die howe swaarder strawwe oplê."

Die sake teen Rodney Roman is deur speur-insp Sandra Fourie ondersoek. Roman verskyn eersdaags op 'n verdere aanklag van verkragting van 'n jong meisie van Carterville.

* A Wellington rapist has been sentenced to 32 years in prison.

A YOUNG mother slumped outside her home in Wellington in the early hours on Saturday with serious burns, unable to rescue her little daughter from the flames that were engulfing the wooden shack.

Andiswa Nxale (22) was rushed to hospital with severe burns, shortly before firemen managed to retrieve the charred body of Jonela (15 months).

"My blankets were on fire when I woke up at about two o'clock," Andiswa whispered from her hospital bed on Tuesday.

"I still don't know how I got out of the flames, but I could not get my daughter to safety.

"I was still there with the fires all around, when I heard that my baby had died.

"Now I am in hospital and I don't know how she will be buried. Her father lives in the Eastern Cape."

Andiswa's two elder children (aged 3 and 7) were with her mother in her White City home on the fateful night.

"I am just glad that they were not also with me when the fire broke out," Andiswa said. She has lived in her OR home for four years, while working as a contract farmworker.

Residents this week speculated that a lovers' tiff in a shack near that of Andiswa resulted in the shack being torched.

The fire spread quickly, engulfing 49 homes in the informal settlement and leaving nearly 200 people without homes and possessions.

TWO firemen were injured when a crowd of onlookers, many of them drunk, attacked the firefighters while they were trying to contain a blaze in Paarl East on Sunday night.

The shack in Runelli Street was completely destroyed by fire.

A brick was thrown at a fireman, injuring him. Another fireman was hit in the face, causing his spectacles to break.

"It is not easy to concentrate on your work when you have to look over your shoulder, or when one man fights the fire while a second has to guard his back," a frustrated fireman said afterwards.

Not even the presence of Paarl East police could keep the rowdy onlookers at bay.

The crowd only dispersed when heavily armed members of the Area Crime Prevention Unit arrived on the scene.

The Fire Service management made an urgent appeal to the public this week to stop interfering with fire fighting activities.

"Causing harm or injury to firemen is totally unacceptable. We are disappointed in the behaviour of the crowd," Derick Damons said.

In another fire, on Sunday, a family lost all their possessions when their four-roomed shack behind a house in Deborah Street, Paarl East, was engulfed in flames and burnt to the ground.

No-one was injured.

The cause of both fires in Paarl East is still under investigation.

A grass fire on Thursday last week destroyed the cricket pitch in New Orleans and the Paarl East cricketers were forced to change their venue to the Parys cricket grounds.

On Saturday the Drakenstein fire brigade had to attend to three grass fires.

On Sunday the firemen were called out to fight five more grass fires before the strong south easterly wind fanned the flames out of control.

The men were kept busy with six grass fires on Monday, as well as assistance to the Boland District fire brigade who were battling a huge fire at Saron.

The blaze spread over a wide area to the mountains outside Tulbagh.