Relive the past with news from 25 years ago in the SUN

Bring back the rope and give us hope
“Bring back the rope and give us hope” was one of the slogans shouted by protesters on Saturday morning at a rally held to demand the reinstatement of the death penalty.
About 50 people joined the march which moved through the CBD at about 10.30am on Saturday. Petitions were also made available before the march for people to sign. The march is one of many similar marches being held throughout the country by disgruntled citizens fed up with the ever-increasing crime rate. One of the organisers, George Fourie, said the march was well supported and many people had signed the petitions.

Isipingo ratepayers will only pay half 
The Joint Action Committee of Isipingo will not be initiating a rates boycott.
This was decided at a mass meeting held in Isipingo on Monday night. The decision taken is ratepayers will only pay 50 per cent of their rates at the 1994/1995 assessment, excluding the proposed 15 per cent increase for 1995/1996. According to Committee chairman, Coops Pillay, Isipingo is paying almost twice as much as Toti residents but in the spirit of the Masakhane Project, they will not boycott rates completely. A resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said rates in the Isipingo area are in excess of R4 000 per year.

Plant pays off 
Toyota’s tool and die manufacturing plant in Prospecton opened in 1989 at a cost of R55-million and has recently earned in excess of this amount in export orders.
This follows confirmation of new foreign export business for TDM – the first for tooling from Toyota Australia, valued at R14,9-million and the second for Toyota in Turkey, worth an estimated R5,2-million. In addition, an order has been awarded from August Lapple, Ireland for R2,5-million.

“New-look” for local traffic cops 
Both Toti residents and visitors to the area will find a “new-look”, user-friendly traffic department this holiday season.
Members of the three branches of the Southern Council, namely, Isipingo, Amanzimtoti and Kingsburgh, recently went on an intensive basic public relations course conducted by a public relations specialist, Chris Skinner.
The new campaign will centre on: increasing traffic patrols over the holiday season, monitoring traffic flows, attending to and assisting at accident scenes, cracking down on drinking and driving offenders, alerting motorists to traffic hazards and danger spots and easing parking problems in Toti and surrounds.

Whirly-bird catches worm 
Crime prevention was the reason residents of Kingsburgh were woken by a helicopter flying over the area on Monday night, 20 November.
The helicopter, operated by the police at Louis Botha airport and fitted with a powerful search light, will be used regularly for crime prevention and in follow-ups to crimes committed in the area.