JubJub held after 4 boys mowed down in crash

Ian Mthombeni was led to the four bodies lying in the tall grass. A silver space blanket was lifted and his knees buckled. The father stared into the dead face of his 16-year-old son and let out a wail.

Andile, a Grade 11 pupil at Altmont Technical High School, was one of four boys killed yesterday while walking home from school - mowed down by an out-of-control car.

The boys were killed when a Mini Cooper crashed off the road and rolled into the grass. According to witnesses and metro police officers at the scene, the Mini was racing against another Mini Cooper down Protea Boulevard, which runs between Protea Glen and Protea North.

Joburg metro police confirmed that one of the drivers of the vehicles was musician JubJub Maarohanye, Mama Jackey's son. Both drivers were arrested.

It appears a charcoal-coloured Mini was speeding past a blue one when it encountered an oncoming vehicle. In a bid to get back into its lane, it crashed into the blue Mini and sent it hurtling off the road.

The blue car rolled about 10 metres before coming to a rest on its roof. The charcoal one also swerved off the road and stopped a metre from the tarmac, at 90 degrees to the road.

The accident happened around 4pm, and a further three boys were rushed to hospital as priority one - a term used by medics to determine the seriousness of patients. Neither driver was seriously injured.

Mthombeni doesn't know, or doesn't remember, who called him to tell him about the crash. "I'm not sure," he kept saying.

Mthombeni rushed to the scene and waited to be led to the bodies. A chaplain spoke to him and put a hand on his shoulder. It was at about 5.40pm that his nightmare was confirmed.

Standing among the bodies, Mthombeni lost his strength for a moment and was helped up by the chaplain. School shoes, hats and bags were scattered at his feet.

Grey school trousers and arms protruded from the space blanket.

Mthombeni was taken away and sat on the pavement across the street. He buried his face in his hands and wept.

His wife was at the hospital, having been falsely told that their son was there.

"He was my only child," he said, before being taken away in a police car. His wife arrived later and was also led away by officers.

The Star cannot reveal the names of the other boys until their families have been informed.

It's understood that some of the boys were from a Jeppestown school, and all appear to have been in grades 10 to 12.

JubJub's father Sydney was at the scene and declined to comment. Sydney was seen speaking to various police officers and to Jeff Maranele, Jub Jub's manager.

He was also spotted trying to remove a sticker, saying "JubJub" in cursive script, while the cars were removed. Officers were forced to push him away.

A witness who identified herself only as Tumi, said she was driving past the scene as the crash happened.

"This was a clear case of reckless and negligent driving and nothing else," the angry woman said. "It could have been avoided. I could see the face of this boy, he looked so young... about 13 or 14 years."

As time passed, more and more parents arrived at the scene, desperate to find out whether their children were among the dead. Some fought with police officers, who tried to push them back. Others broke down and cried.

Tragedy strikes during illegal race

A Lansdowne woman was killed on Friday night when two dicers raced up behind her and crashed into her car from the rear, which led to her smashing into a bus stop and then a palm tree.

Nadeema Hendricks, 61, died at the scene in Klipfontein Road, Rylands. The incident happened at about 10.40pm as she was on her way home. Even though metro law enforcement officers on an undercover exercise were present, the two racing vehicles sped away. Police have yet to trace the drivers.

But two other people were arrested on the scene for reckless and negligent driving, city traffic services spokeswoman Merle Lourens said yesterday.

Athlone police spokesman Ian Bennet said Hendricks was driving towards Athlone when the two speedsters came up behind her. Hendricks's car was pushed off the road by one of the cars. Hendricks lost control and hit a bus stop and then the tree.

Klipfontein Road is notorious for illegal street racing. One of the more popular routes is the "quarter mile" between Petunia Road and Vanguard Drive, which is used to test for speed.

The smooth straight double lanes are ideal for illegal racing, to the fury of the authorities, residents and other road users. The authorities have been powerless to put a stop to drag racing, which attracts hundreds of young people every weekend.

Last year the city promised to clamp down on drag racing, and in June a total of 2 415 speeding offences were recorded. Five drivers were arrested in Athlone and two in Bellville for street racing as the traffic authorities intensified pressure.

The races usually begin at the Petunia Street robots and two cars at a time race up Klipfontein Road, make an illegal U-turn in the middle of the large Vanguard Drive-Klipfontein Road intersection and then race down Klipfontein again.

Friday night's accident happened on the home stretch, metres from the robot.

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Nyanda a minister of luxury
Jackie Mapilopo
MG | 12 March, 2010


When in Cape Town Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda lives a five-star life at the city's top hotels -- courtesy of the taxpayer.

Since taking office in May last year, Nyanda has not spent one night in his ministerial residence.

Instead, he uses the lavish rooms of the Mount Nelson and The Twelve Apostles hotels at a minimum cost of R4 000 a night.

A Cabinet colleague of Nyanda told the Mail & Guardian that the reason Nyanda had apparently given for refusing to move into his Hooggelegen residence in sought-after Upper Claremont was because the public works department had not bought him a bed.

A senior communications department source confirmed this explanation was also doing the rounds in the department, but added that Nyanda was allegedly also unhappy that his house did not have a view.

Although Nyanda's spokesperson strongly denied this, the department of public works confirmed on Thursday that Nyanda hadn't moved in because of a delay with the delivery of furniture "to accommodate him". Public works spokesperson Thamsanqa Mchunu confirmed that Nyanda's furniture finally arrived on February 5 and February 26.

But communications department spokesperson Tiyani Rikhotso told the M&G on Thursday the house "[was] not ready for occupation". He confirmed that the communications department has been paying for Nyanda to live in Cape Town hotels since his appointment in May last year.

According to the M&G's information, Nyanda stays in the hotels an average of four nights when he visits Cape Town to attend Parliament. If he attended all National Assembly and special sittings since taking office, he would have spent about 88 nights in Cape hotels.

According to its website, The Twelve Apostles charges R4 915 a night for a luxury room and the cheapest suite available costs R8 055 a night.

The M&G was reliably told that Nyanda stayed in a "luxury suite" at this hotel.

The luxury suite at the Mount Nelson that Nyanda uses normally costs R11 095 a night, but hotel invoices in the M&G's possession indicate that he pays R4 995 nightly for an "accommodation package".

If he splits his stays between the two hotels, he could easily have racked up a bill of R400 000 since May last year.

Rikhotso declined to provide a breakdown of Nyanda's hotel stays, saying he "was not in a position" to do so.

Nyanda checked into the luxury suite at the five-star Mount Nelson this week for four nights. The M&G's photographer spotted him leaving the hotel with two bodyguards on Wednesday morning.

When the M&G called the hotel on Wednesday evening, we were transferred to Nyanda's room and he answered the phone.

The M&G is in possession of two Mount Nelson invoices for Nyanda's stays in February this year. From February 6 to February 12 he ran up a bill of R33 330 for six nights’ accommodation, food, mini-bar expenses and laundry services.

Between February 14 and February 19, the hotel billed Nyanda R21 417 for four nights' accommodation and food.

The hotel confirmed that Nyanda stayed at the Mount Nelson from February 19 to February 23.

A policeman at the double-storey Hooggelegen mansion allocated to Nyanda confirmed that it was Nyanda's official residence, but that the minister had not yet moved in. He said he thought this was because renovations were taking place.

'Malicious' claim

From outside the house the M&G could see no sign of renovations.

Another source in the communications department said Nyanda wanted to swap his Cape Town mansion with that of Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor, a neighbour of President Jacob Zuma. Rikhotso called the claim "malicious".

Pandor lives in Groote Schuur Estate, where Zuma and most of his ministers reside.

"First the BMW, now this. It's very embarrassing to leaders of the ANC," a senior ANC national executive committee member remarked this week.

"How do you tell people to work together with us for a better future when a minister is willing to spend almost 10 grand in one night on accommodation?"

Last year Nyanda came under fire for spending R2,4-million on two luxury BMWs for his Cape Town and Pretoria offices.

Last week the M&G went on a conducted tour of Nyanda's usual suite at the Mount Nelson. The sweeping marbled entrance to the Lord Nelson suite is breathtaking and the rooms are decorated in a modern colonial style.

Superbly done out by Cape decorator Graham Viney in creamy silk fabrics, it has a decadently lavish interior.

A mirror image of the neighbouring suite that talk show host Oprah Winfrey occupied when she visited Cape Town, it is surrounded by magnificent gardens.

Staff at the glamorous five-star Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, which stands like a glossy beacon above Llandudno Beach, said the minister booked "quite a number of rooms" when he came to stay.

Nyanda had stayed there recently, said a staffer, while another insisted that he had booked out of The Twelve Apostles last Thursday.

Surrounded by the Table Mountain National Park, this boutique hotel is decked out in an eclectic contemporary African style and boasts breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean. It also has 24-hour room service and a luxury spa.

Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa was in hot water last year after spending R234 000 on accommodation for him and his bodyguards at Cape Town's Table Bay Hotel while his official residence was being renovated.