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DailyNewsTHURSDAY NOVEMBER 20 2014DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA DEADLINE EDITION

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Hospital escape haltedsubhedover 2 dekssubheyyyyyKAMCILLA PILLAY

POLICE have thwartedbrazen criminals whotried to rescue a gangmember from the Durban

hospital he had been taken to afterbeing wounded in a shootout inwhich a security guard was killedearlier yesterday.

Despite a shootout between thegang and police while pursuingthem from Inkosi Albert LuthuliCentral Hospital, all three were ar-rested after their car hit anothercar stopped at a robot.

Earlier in KwaMashu former po-liceman, Sibusiso Stanley Ngema,45, who had been working for En-force Security Services for just 19days, was shot five times in Kwa-Mashu and died at the scene.

Four gunmen had opened firewith 9mm pistols at E-section, nextto Zulu Road and near the Kwa-Mashu men’s hostel, at 10am.

Ngema had pulled out his gunand fired at the thugs, woundingone in the arm and leg.

Ngema’s partner, who had beenon duty with him protecting munic-ipal workers performing routinemaintenance, escaped unscathed.

The partner had been shot sixtimes in a previous incident in thesame township.

The gang escaped with hisfriends after the shooting, saidprovincial police spokesman, MajorThulani Zwane.

The wounded suspect was takenby the gang to King Edward VIIIHospital and later transferred toInkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hos-pital.

Police in the interim, receivedinformation that he was there andthat the other suspects were ontheir way to fetch him.

“While inside the hospital prem-ises, the police saw a suspicious-looking VW Caddy fitting the samedescription given to them (by eye-witnesses) and they tried to stop it.It is alleged that the suspects fled,knocking the boom gate down,”Zwane said. “Their vehicle… col-lided with another vehicle whichwas at the robot on the main road.”

All three suspects who were intheir vehicle were arrested and de-tained for murder, attempted mur-der and armed robbery.

Zwane said that one of the sus-pects sustained a broken leg as a re-sult of a collision and was taken tohospital under police guard.

Police also arrested the fourthinjured man.

“All arrested suspects, aged be-tween 29 and 36, are due to appearin the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Courtsoon.”

He said no-one from the othercar was injured.

The KZN Department of Healthdeclined comment, referring theDaily News to the police.

Enforce director Anthony Feuil-herade said the two security guardshad been assigned to protect a crewfrom the eThekwini electricity de-partment

“We often escort and protectworkers while they are doing theirinstallations or repairs. We workwith other departments like thewater department while it does itsplumbing and maintenance,” hesaid.

He said that Ngema had beenwith his partner near their Enforcevehicle when the assailants de-scended on them.

“Shots were fired. There was agun battle and (Ngema) was shotand died at the scene,” Feuilheradesaid.

The company’s head of investi-gations, Nico Potgieter saidNgema’s partner had been trauma-tised by the incident.

“It was quite devastating, but wemust commend the police on theirbrilliant vigorous work, leading tothe arrests of the four men.”

He said he believed that theguards were targeted for their re-volvers. “Of course, it’s not impos-sible that the workers were the tar-gets. They are often targeted fortheir equipment and cellphones.(But) I believe that the guns aremore valuable to them because theycan be used in the commission ofother crimes.”

In September, the municipality’sparks, recreation and cemeteriesdepartment proposed a R5 millionbudget to provide security in cer-tain hot spot areas, including Kwa-Mashu, Ntuzuma, Inanda, uMlaziand Lamontville.

Department head, ThembinkosiNgcobo, said at the time that munic-ipal workers, including brush cut-ters, were under attack by crimi-nals who were after theirequipment.

The municipality, he had said,spent millions of rand replacingequipment after workers had beenrobbed of brush cutters over thepast seven years.

“They have been mugged fortheir cellphones and work equip-ment. It comes as petty crime, butcould escalate into something big ifnot stopped,” Ngcobo had said.

Earlier this month, a workercutting grass with colleagues inUmlazi was attacked and robbedhim of his machine.

“Two unknown men jumped outof their vehicle, pointed a firearmat them, took the grass cutter anddrove off,” police spokesman,Colonel Jay Naicker, said at thetime.

Police gave chase, firing shots atsuspects’ car, which overturnedabout 2km away.

They were arrested and the ma-chine was recovered.

The municipality had not com-mented on the latest attack by timeof publication.

Ngema’s family said that they

Twitter #Shakes as fans hail Bafana winnersSIHLE MLAMBO

WHAT a bunch of winners! Andwhat a difference four months un-der a new coach has made forBafana Bafana.

The national football team wasthe toast of the Twittersphere afterdrawing to Nigeria away last night,completing an undefeated cam-paign to qualify for the Africa Cupof Nations.

As thousands of fans took to so-cial media to hail coach ShakesMashaba – #shakesmashaba – assaviour of the national footballteam, Sports Minister FikileMbalula chipped in with a chirp athis own expense.

He tweeted: “We are a proud na-tion, our people deserve to be happy.Well done Bafana Bafana – bunch ofwinners.”

In January, after Bafana’s exitfrom the African Nations Champi-onship, on the back of a 3-1 home

defeat to Nigeria, Mbalula calledthe team a “useless bunch of los-ers” who have “disgraced the coun-try”.

Now it’s arch-rivals Nigeria whoare in disgrace, having failed toqualify to defend their crown inEquatorial Guinea in January.

It is the first time in six yearsthat Bafana Bafana have qualifiedfor the Africa Cup of Nations, hav-ing participated in the past compe-tition by default as hosts.

Although South Africa squan-dered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2,they have qualified in the cam-paign with some style, playing withflair, grit and heart – scoring ninegoals in six games, conceding justthree goals in the process.

All this with the “cheapestcoach” and an inexperienced groupof players.

Political analyst Justice Malemasuggested the Economic FreedomFighters could make capital from

the team’s performance.He tweeted: “#BafanaBafana are

doing so well the #EFF should putthem on the list of assets to be na-tionalised. And someone give#BraShakes a whisky!”

Twitter user Mthetho Tshemese,using @VillageShrink, tweeted: “Ithink I’d take the non-tacticianShakes Mashaba anyday. With hisnon-tactician approach he’sachieved so much (more) than tac-ticians”.

Twitter user @Matt_Damn_Ghoped Mashaba would learn topark the bus – a reference to thetwo-goal gap that was thwarted bythe Nigerians.

“Safa must organise a trip forShakes Mashaba to go see JoseMourinho.”

Finally, @lulu_luwela summedup the end of another good nightfor Bafana: “Now Nigeria wishesthey’d agreed to host the Afcon.”

COLOURONLY

KZN science boffsbuild on successMPHATHI NXUMALO

BRIGHT sparks from the University ofKwaZulu-Natal showed off their met-tle at the Electrical, Electronic andComputer Engineering Open Day yes-terday, when students got to show offthe projects they had been working onduring the year as part of their stud-ies.

Electrical engineering student El-isha Govender’s project analyses thedegradation of oil that is used intransformers. She said a voltage wassent through the oil to see at whatpoint it started to degrade and thishelped to assess the condition of thetransformer.

Govender, 21, who is an intern atEskom in Germiston, said her projectwas something that the power utilitycould use.

She also did a simulated study ofvegetable and mineral oil.

“Vegetable oil breaks down at ahigher voltage which is good. It is bet-

ter than mineral oil in this sense.” Shesaid this could be good for the environ-ment.

Fourth year electrical engineeringstudent, Cuan Naicker, 24, displayedan elevator that uses a “brushless”motor. He said this was more efficientand easier to maintain than the onescurrently used.

Although they would be costly tobuy and maintain, Naicker said thebrushless motors were the “way of thefuture”.

He said the motors could be con-trolled with a computer program hehad developed. The speed and amountof energy that is used in the motorthat powers the lift could also be con-trolled.

The university’s Electrical, Elec-tronic and Computer Engineering ac-ademic leader, Professor Thomas Af-fullo, said that the ability to be creativeand design new products and services“at a high level of performance” wasthe greatest asset of every engineer.

Caylin Naidoo displays his ‘Virtual Interactive Presence Robot’ during an openday held at the Howard College campus yesterday. The robot can be controlledremotely via the internet and has features such as video streaming.

PICTURES: RAJESH JANTILAL

Engineering student Kriban Govender demonstrates hisremote controlled ‘quadcopter’, which was named theBest Control Systems Project.

Elisha Govender shows her project, which analysesthe degradation of oil that is used in transformers.

PICTURE: SIBONELO NGCOBO

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