2016’s most-read news stories

2016 has come and gone, and what a year it was …

Crime and extreme weather conditions seemed to dominated the community’s attention.

Here are the top 10 stories on the GCN’s website, www.germistoncitynews.co.za, from January to December.

1. WARNING: Strong winds expected to hit Gauteng overnight: https://bit.ly/2aMfhD9

In August the metro and the South Africa Weather Service warned residents of strong and damaging winds that reportedly would hit Gauteng from midnight on August 2 into the wee hours of August 3.

2. Warning – Weekend’s cold front could bring severe thunderstorms and damaging winds: https://bit.ly/2csi9CT

In September the South African Weather Service warned Johannesburg residents to prepare for a significant drop in temperature as a cold front swept into the city. It was reported that temperatures would drop into the teens for several days.

3. R100k reward for information on murder suspect: https://bit.ly/2aeMR36

In July, the Primrose police appealed to the community for assistance in tracing a man wanted for questioning in connection with two 2015 murders. The murders took place in Sun Street in July 2015. “Two men were found dead. Each appeared to have sharp and blunt force injuries,” said Sgt Styles Maome, the communications officer for the Primrose police. The passport of January Lebion was found at the scene.

4. Eleven-year-old child missing: https://bit.ly/21NuPdK

In March, The Pink Ladies issued a missing child alert for Calvin Koen (11). The youngster went missing from the Elsburg policing area on March 4. At the time of his disappearance he was wearing his school uniform. He was later found.

5. Eight-year-old boy kidnapped, found dead: https://bit.ly/2bO4zsE

In August, a tragedy played out at the Simmer and Jack landfill when the body of an eight-year-old boy, who had been reported kidnapped, was discovered. Workers found the boy’s body at about noon, along with that of his 41-year-old alleged kidnapper, under a duvet on top of a hill at the landfill site.

6. Prostitutes are taking over Primrose: https://bit.ly/1GiYfD9

When you take your dog for a walk in the park in Begonia Road, Primrose Hill, be careful where you step. You might find yourself stepping on a used condom or a condom wrapper. The GCN was told about the situation by a concerned resident in November 2014, who walks his dog through the park every day. “The prostitutes bring their clients here every day, normally between 5pm and the early hours of the morning. They use the back end of the park where it is slightly quieter, and you see a different car every 30 minutes or so,” he said.

7. Warning – Severe thunderstorms, with damaging winds and hail predicted: https://bit.ly/2dqEQf1

In September, the weather was anything but predictable with a cold front even sweeping through Gauteng, just when residents had begun to prepare for Spring. The South African Weather Service’s attention, however, turned from cold weather to wet weather with a warning of severe thunderstorms being issued on September 28.

8. Blind woman murdered in her home: https://bit.ly/2deRXxp

In September, a 76-year-old blind woman was found murdered in her home in Olivier Street, Elsburg. The Elsburg police rushed to the house after receiving a call from a neighbour at about 8.40pm, who informed them that he had seen three men coming out of the deceased’s home. “Upon arrival, the police found that the woman had been stabbed in her upper body with a sharp object,” said Const Daphney Phooko, the communications officer for the Elsburg SAPS.

9. Two children murdered, bodies found in unused Germiston building: https://bit.ly/2bf0ZdO

In August, the Gauteng police arrested a 40-year-old man following the discovery of two children’s bodies in an unused building in Germiston. The two cousins, both eight years old, were reported missing at the Germiston Police Station shortly before the discovery. It is unclear how the children died, but it is believed that both children had suffered head injuries.

10. Warning – severe thunderstorms and flooding predicted for today: https://bit.ly/2fgDRwF

After a storm wreaked havoc in Ekurhuleni in November, the South African Weather Service predicted a 60 percent chance of rain in the days that followed. The above normal rainfall would reportedly hit Gauteng, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.