I RECEIVED a Subpoena to appear in the Regional Court, Paarl Main Street. As a law abiding citizen I pitched up at 9 o'clock and realised at 1 o'clock that most of the people were leaving. 

Eventually another witness for the same accused informed me that we must return at 2 o'clock.

 I waited and waited - no one came out of court and no one went into court. 

At 15:45 the court ordinance appeared - I approached him to enquire how long I still need to wait. He informed me "that the accused was free to go - didn't the prosecutor inform me?" 

I wonder on what grounds the accused was acquitted. Could it be that the two witnesses were still waiting outside to testify? 

I hate to think what the consequences would have been if I never pitched up to testify/declare all I know concerning the theft of my vehicle!

Witness

The regional court, replies: The court was very busy that day with 17 cases and conducted business for a total of five hours and fifteen minutes. The defendant had admitted to the facts which the witness was to testify on. The prosecutor concerned did not however have time to go out and inform the witness that she was no longer required. We regret the inconvenience to the witness. We would like to thank the witness for her willingness to testify and hope that more people will follow suit.

EERS het ek gedink daar's net so hier en daar 'n sondebok, maar my naïwiteit het gou in skok en misnoeë verander toe elke tweede persoon met wie ek praat, erken dat hy/sy maar 'water steel', want 'niemand sien my mos nie'.

Dit gaan dikwels nie eens oor sogenaamde liefde vir plante nie - vir my persoonlik is dit die ergste om lewende plante te sien ly en kwyn - maar doodgewone selfsug en arrogansie.

Dit is seker ook dieselfde mense wat hulle nie aan spoedbeperkings steur nie.

Ek staan oorstelp dat mense kan dink dat hulle verhewe is bo reëls. Ek staan beskaamd om te dink dat baie van ons slegs die regte ding doen wanneer ons opgepas word.

Marianne, Paarl

EK verwys na die voorbladartikel in Paarl Post van 2 Desember oor Paarl Mall.

Dit was voorbladnuus dat 45% van Paarl Mall se huurders plaaslike besigheidspersone is. Dit is definitief nie die situasie soos verduidelik deur die ontwikkelaars die aand met die bekendstelling nie. Ek twyfel of daar 5% plaaslikes sal wees.

Ek is van mening dat die Mall net vir sekere besighede/persone bedoel is.

Die korporatiewe maatskappy kom weereens prominent navore en dat die huur nie bekostigbaar vir enige individuele besigheid is nie. Die huur wissel tussen R270 tot R300 per vk meter  en daar moet nie uit die oog verloor word dat jy nog 'n fooi moet betaal vir die sentrale verkoelingstelsel, water, elektrisiteit, vullisverwydering en pro rata vir eiendomsbelasting.

Baie van ons plaaslike sakepersone wat teenwoordig was, was baie teleurgesteld met die voorwaardes van die Mall.

Onder andere is die huur ontsettend hoog en nie bekostigbaar vir die individuele entrepreneur nie.

Tweedens, die Mall het geen vermaaklikheidsplekke nie en  derdens sal dit om 18:00 sluit en Saterdae selfs vroëer. Met hierdie faktore in ag geneem is dit duidelik dat die Mall net vir 'n sekere groep besighede bedoel is, en nie vir plaaslike entrepreneurs nie.

Teleurgestelde entrepreneur

GEDURENDE 2004 is ek aangerand, my motor gekaap en die polisie was gou op die toneel voordat ek na die ongevalle-afdeling vervoer is.

Baie dankie vir die goeie werk van inspekteur Jason Pietersen en konstabel Danene Smit, wat die skuldige aangekeer het en onder moeilike omstandighede hierdie gevaarlike kalant gerarresteer het.

Ek besef dat ons polisie geweldig baie werk het en het groot waardering vir die moeite en tyd wat aan my saak bestee is. Baie sterkte met die dikwels gevaarlike werk wat u moet doen.

JG de Villiers

BUYING a secondhand car is always a risk, as you have no guarantee that the engine is in mint condition or that the previous owner is not selling it neatly patched up following a crash.

A vehicle straight from the factory would not have had the chance to take suspect byways - like those leading to the pockets of greedy dealers.

But wih the high price of new vehicles, not everyone can afford to buy a shiny new car off the shelf.

So while the middle-class motorist braves the hard world of the vehicle trade, he should take no chances as far as the reputability of the dealer or the seller is concerned.

Never purchase a vehicle without checking the origin and rechecking the history of owners, even - as has emerged during a current investigation into car theft and fraudulant registration in Wellington - if the seller is known to you.

The most recent arrests include alleged buyers of stolen vehicles, secondhand car dealers and most alarmingly, an official at Drakenstein Municipality's traffic centre in charge of issuing roadworthy certificates when cars change owners.

That is why is it is good news for drivers of second-hand vehicles, when the brakes are put on offenders.