What made news locally in 2017

2017 was a year filled with plenty of news, locally, nationally and internationally.

The end of 2017 saw the ANC elect a new president, while the year was again marked by unrest, violence, corruption and protests.

Locally, there was plenty happening in Boksburg and the Advertiser was on hand to share the news as it happened and as it impacted the community.

Sadly, Boksburg continued to be rocked by constant crime, be it murder, housebreak-ins or theft. One such murder was that of Talby Forster, the slain Reiger Park Taxi Association chairperson who was gunned down. And then, despite intensified police patrols, Angelo informal settlement remains a violent hot-spot, with more than 20 people killed since the beginning of 2017.

There were also plenty of complaints regarding service delivery, be it water leaks, potholes or electricity outages.

Good news is that Boksburg again celebrated community empowerment occasions such as Mandela Day, the Shavathon, Cupcakes of Hope and the Cansa Relay for Life while a number of NGOs, like Rotary, continue to help the needy and the disadvantaged.

The Advertiser also conducted numerous interesting interviews, such as with Gareth Picton of the SA Cannabis Society, who has high hopes for medicinal use of cannabis and with hobbyists such as Dan Spengler, who collects shells and George Jardine who has a collection of over a 1 000 caps.

Here are some of the events and people that made for interesting news:

• Richard Thole

One of the most heartbreaking stories of 2017 was that of Richard, the five-year-old boy from Jerusalem who fell down a disused mine shaft in February.

The metro even had to call in the SANDF after days of failing to retrieve the child. Numerous factors complicated the rescue mission, such as the weather patterns.

In the end, the rescue mission was abandoned after all attempts to rescue the child proved unsuccessful.

Chrisania Carelse

Another shocking crime was the murder of 10-year-old Chrisania Carelse of Ramaphosa.

Chrisania’s naked body, which had sustained stab wounds to the neck and stomach, was found in the veld next to the ZCC Church on Elsburg Road on the morning of April 1. It is believed that she was abducted from her Ramaphosa home, raped and murdered before her body was dumped in the veld.

Investigations are still ongoing.

• Leeuwpoort development

The mega Leeuwpoort housing development in Boksburg was approved by the Ekurhuleni Municipal Planning Tribunal at the end of September. The Leeuwpoort project consists of three integrated residential development areas – in the North (Parkdene Extension Seven and Reiger Park Ext 19) and the South, close to Sunward Park. These will include 3 677 units built on 27 erven, 291 units built on individual erven, as well as further supportive economic and social erven.

• Angelo relocation

The relocation of the Angelo informal settlement remains a hot topic, and by the end of 2017 the matter had not yet been resolved. Residents have made it clear that they were against the plan to be relocated to a piece of land in Germiston and vowed to fight back should the metro use force to move them.

A point of controversy is that the metro has apparently spent millions of Rand on purchasing a piece of land deemed unsafe, to be used to temporarily accommodate Angelo residents. There are also concerns that not enough structures will be built.

• Ward 32 fiasco

The Ekurhuleni municipality finally managed to put together a team to serve as ward committee members in Ward 32 by the beginning of November. Initially, the elections for the ward committee was first held on January 10 at the Boksburg Hall.

Ward councillor Marius de Vos, however, argued that the elections were improperly handled by the presiding officers, and as a result, council annulled the results because of the reported irregularities in the voting process. Residents braced themselves for the re-run and went to the Civic Centre on January 31, only to find out that the decision to re-run the election had been overturned at the 11th hour by the metro.

The Public Participation Unit then said a warranted and vigilant assessment of the irregularities had been made and their outcomes were deemed immaterial to the final voting results. For that reason, the elected ward committee stood. De Vos then took the matter to Speaker of Council where he voiced his dissatisfaction with the process. This led to the final committee election.

• Ekurhuleni University

It seems it is all systems go for Ekurhuleni to host a university and Boksburg might be a possible location. The R21 Albertina Sisulu Corridor (in proximity to Riverfields and Serengeti Estates) and Green Reef (located in Boksburg, close to the East Rand Mines Golf Course) have been identified as possible sites for the proposed university for the Ekurhuleni metro.

According to a feasibility study conducted by the metro, it has shown that the metro, with a population of 3 379 104, definitely needs a university, considering the shortage of skills.

• Boksburg Lake

By the end of 2017, the Boksburg Lake has still not been restored to its former healthy state.

The metro did reveal that it has appointed a service provider to undertake scientific studies and to draw up the rehabilitation plan for the lake. There are even promises that the actual lake rehabilitation, which could cost around R200-million, is projected to commence in July next year.

In the meantime, upgrades to the facilities at the lake neared completion by the end of the year. The R6-m revamp is expected to be completed by mid-2018.

• The Knysna fires

One of the national news stories that touched so many hearts in 2017 was the fires that broke out in Knysna, which destroyed so many homes. Back home in Boksburg, the community rallied to provide relief to those impacted by the fires.

At the time, the Advertiser spoke to Dean Myburgh, a local volunteer firefighter who helped fight the Knysna fires.

•  The Ogod saga

The South Gauteng High Court ruled in favour of Ogod in 2017. This is after the Organisasie vir Godsdienste-onderrig en Demokrasie asked the court to declare it unconstitutional that certain religious activities receive precedence over others.

Six schools were named in the application, whereof one is Laerskool Baanbreker in Parkrand.

According to the judgement, public schools may not promote one religion to the exclusion of others while religion may be practised at schools but within a specific framework, including the Constitution and the Schools’ Act. At the core of the judgement is the fact that a specific religion may not be promoted at the exclusion of others.

• Artists make a name

In 2017, the Advertiser spoke to numerous artists who have proven their talents and skills with a brush.

l Marius Fouche: He is a local upcoming artist who never had the opportunity of going to art school or attend art classes, but that didn’t stop him from using his talent. He discovered his passion and talent for art in primary school, where his classmates would ask him to draw their favourite animation characters. He developed his own unique style and placed his signature on every single artwork he created.

l Henriette Mostert: She caught the limelight with her series of drawings of the late Madiba in celebration of Mandela Day.

l Heydee Breganski: This local artist held her solo exhibition at a gallery in Parkhurst. The exhibition was entitled Reflection and is an array of different works and sizes. It focuses mainly on landscapes, which is a reflection of Breganski’s love for the beauty of South Africa.

• St Dominics dominate at national champs

The St Dominic’s drum majorette teams made history at the South African Majorette and Cheerleading Association (SAMCA) National Championships during July. St Dominic’s became the first school to win the coveted Champion of Champions title in both the primary (Saintees) and high school (Saints) elite division in the same year.

Both teams won the Champion of Champions trophy with a clean sweep in first places in all five categories held throughout Nationals week, competing against the best South Africa had to offer.

• Those who achieved

There were a number of local residents who did great things during 2017. Here are just a few of them:

* Mavis Netshituka (August 18): Emperors Palace’s chef de partie, Mavis, had the opportunity of travelling to India where she introduced guests at the Sofitel Hotel in Mumbai to a taste of South African cuisine.

* Mama Africa: Boksburg North artist Linley Macheso-Phiri, known as Mama Africa, launched her first gospel DVD, Ndidalira Inu Yesu (I rely/depend on you, Jesus).

* Marius van Rensburg: After a ‘frustrating’ four-year writing process, AuthorHouse in the UK has published van Rensburg’s first book, The Dilemma of Being Chosen. The Dilemma of Being Chosen is classified as a spiritual/religious book and explores the idea of chosenness.

*Grushcenka Ruiters: Local Dawn Park Primary School teacher released her first book in which it teaches children about death and helps them to deal with it. The book, titled Mommy’s Gone and Daddy’s Forever, is about a family that loses the father of the home through death.

* Helene Boshoff: Boksburg High School’s first female principal.

* HunTER: Atlasville singer HunTer won the Female Vocalist of the Year award at the 2017 Texas Sounds International Country Music Awards held in Texas. The awards recognise excellence in country music as performed worldwide.

*Daniella dos Santos: Won the girls’ division of the Ackermans Style Squad 2017 competition. Her own designer range will be on shelves in stores across the country early this year.

*Ryan Papenfus: This Boksburg musician of Bizzarian Guitar Studio collaborated with Santoro Arikum to create a unique new hymn for the Catholic Church’s feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The hymn, entitled Our Lady, was received very positively by the church. A copy of it has also been sent to the Pope in Rome and if he approves, it will be published as an official Catholic hymn.

* Prof Glenda Gray: This former Boksburg resident was named on the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. Gray has pioneered advances in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, which has saved thousands of lives. She is the president and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council and involved in HIV vaccine research.

• Local beauties

2017 again proved Boksburg certainly does not lack in the beauty department. A number of local residents shone in pageants.

* Casey de Witt: This Miss Teen Gauteng 2016 scooped another modelling title as she was crowned Miss Africa 2017 as well as Miss Africa Transcontinental 2017.

* Janine Habig: Selected as one of the Top 100 semi-finalists for the Mrs South Africa pageant.

* Thembelihle Mnguni: A Zee World Miss Teen Commonwealth SA finalist.

* Nicole Ramroop: Finalist in the SA Teen Ambassador Pageant.

* Bo-Dean Peters: Crowned Miss Gauteng 2016/17. She was also one of the finalists in the Miss United Nations South Africa pageant.

*Mikayla Dovale: Won the Lady Gracious South Africa pageant. The teen finalist is a Grade Nine learner at Boksburg High School. Mikayla aspires to be a prominent fashion designer with the aim of opening her own fashion business one day.

*Natasha Prinsloo: Crowned Miss Pre-Teen Johannesburg 2017 in the age 10 to 12 category.

* Dwayne Geldenhuis of Beyers Park was crowned Mr King South Africa. He then automatically qualified as a finalist in the Mister International 2017 pageant, making him Mister International South Africa 2017. Dwayne will represent South Africa in the Mister International pageant in April.

* Annette Dempsey Clark: Crowned Mrs Globe South Africa 2017. She represented South Africa at the Mrs Globe pageant in Schenzhen, China during December.