A former acting judge, who hit Western Cape Deputy Judge President Jeanette Traverso with a golf cart, is again in hot water because of his antics behind the wheel - this time for drunk driving.

Leila Samodien

Justice Writer

A FORMER acting judge, who hit Western Cape Deputy Judge President Jeanette Traverso with a golf cart, is again in hot water because of his antics behind the wheel – this time for drunk driving.

Advocate Robert McDougall, SC, appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court yesterday after his blood alcohol level was found to be four times higher than the legal limit.

It was his first appearance.

This comes more than a year after the authorities pulled him over in a Mercedes- Benz on Ladies Mile in Bergvliet on January 31, 2011.

McDougall, who was not acting on the Bench at the time, was charged with drunk driving at the Diep River police station.

However, he could alternatively face charges of either reckless and negligent driving, driving with excessive amounts of alcohol in his blood or inconsiderate driving.

He was caught with an alcohol concentration level of 0.20g per 100ml of blood.

The legal limit is 0.05g per 100ml of blood.

McDougall, dressed in a blue blazer and tie, appeared calm and confident as he left the magistrate’s court yesterday morning following a postponement of the matter to March 16 for a plea bargain.

Speaking to the Cape Times about his court appearance, McDougall said the matter had taken so long to come before court because it had taken months to process his blood sample.

“It’s been such a long time since it happened. I can understand why people would be

interested in the Traverso matter.

“It was a freak accident, but not this,” he said, adding that “it was not certain that he would take a plea bargain”.

He also indicated that he would still act on the Bench if asked.

McDougall, 66, made headlines a few months ago when he accidentally struck Traverso with a golf cart during a game at the Royal Cape Golf Club in September.

Traverso was severely injured and was put in a medically induced coma in the intensive care unit at Vincent Pallotti Hospital.

She broke a number of bones, including her pelvis and shoulder, and also suffered a punctured lung.

The two were playing a round of golf on a Sunday morning with Judge Willem Louw when the accident took place. Judge Louw was not injured.

Speaking to the media a week after the incident, McDougall said he and Traverso had played golf together for many years without incident.

He said the two judges had been walking directly in front of him with about a metre between them.

He explained that he had tried to move the cart forward slightly but said that when he had tried to stop he “pressed the accelerator instead of the brakes by mistake” and had hit Traverso.

McDougall, a senior advocate at the Cape Bar who has previously acted on the Bench, was an acting judge when the incident took place.

At the time he said there was “no animosity” towards him at the high court, and that a number of colleagues had called him to lend their support.

While Traverso – who has been serving as deputy judge president since 2011 and is the first woman acting judge president in the country – is still recovering and has not yet returned to court to resume her duties, she is understood to occasionally visit the high court.

leila.samodien@inl.co.za

If Auction Alliance was guilty of improper conduct, the results of the investigation would be referred to the NPA, who could then bring a charge of fraud against the directors of Auction Alliance.

Zara Nicholson

AUCTION Alliance boss Rael Levitt has responded to the National Consumer Commission (NCC) following a complaint lodged by billionaire businesswoman Wendy Appelbaum who is embroiled in a dispute over the Quoin Rock Wine Estate auction.

Appelbaum lodged her complaint with the NCC last month, disputing the legality of the auction process. She bought the Stellenbosch farm for R55 million in December but said she discovered later she was the only genuine bidder.

Should the commission find Appelbaum’s allegations to be true, Levitt could be fined 10 percent of his company’s annual turnover, or R1m, whichever is greater.

He could also be charged with fraud by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in terms of the Consumer Protection Act, implemented last March.

Appelbaum’s dispute is at the centre of a bigger controversy about Auction Alliance’s business operations that exploded at the weekend, with allegations that Auction Alliance regularly used bogus or vendor bidders to drive up prices at auctions, and also paid kickbacks to attorneys, senior bank staff and liquidators to ensure they got more business.

Levitt, who has come under attack after the revelations surfaced, was given until yesterday to respond to Appelbaum’s complaint after missing a deadline last week.

He told the Cape Times yesterday: “My response has been submitted.”

Explaining the procedure, Commissioner Mamodupi Mohlala said the commission would call in both parties to try to find a solution.

“If we find there are two completely different stories and there is no agreement, we will issue a compliance notice to compel the respondent to make sure that the property is sold to Mrs Appelbaum at the correct price without any ghost bidders.

“So they will need to go back to the auction process with ordinary and correct bidders being part of the process.”

The NCC would then ask for an administrative penalty to be imposed by the National Consumer Tribunal.

If Auction Alliance was guilty of improper conduct, the results of the investigation would be referred to the NPA, who could then bring a charge of fraud against the directors of Auction Alliance.

The NCC investigation could take anywhere between a week and six months.

zara.nicholson@inl.co.za

Unesco has stepped in to the Chapman's Peak toll plaza issue and is investigating the matter so the UN body can "take appropriate action".

Melanie Gosling

Environment Writer

UNESCO has stepped in to the Chapman’s Peak toll plaza issue and is investigating the matter so the UN body can “take appropriate action”.

Lazare Eloundou, head of Unesco’s Africa unit of the organisation’s World Heritage Centre, said in an e-mail yesterday they had contacted South African authorities about the matter.

“We have contacted the South African authorities to get more information in order to take appropriate action. We are also studying the existing legislative measures protecting Table Mountain National Parks as a World Heritage Site,” Eloundou said in the e-mail.

The e-mail was sent to environmental campaigner and polar swimmer Lewis Pugh, who had helped get one of the Norwegian fjords declared a World Heritage Site. Pugh wrote to Unesco on Sunday alerting them to the toll plaza construction on Chapman’s Peak, asking to whom he could make the report that a local World Heritage Site was under threat.

“I live in Cape Town and local government want to build a large toll plaza and administrative building in the Table Mountain National Park, which is part of the Unesco Cape Floral Region Protected Areas,” he wrote.

“Our legal team says this is contrary to South African law. But government are insistent that they will press ahead, and have started laying the foundations. There have been protest marches and a hunger strike but no one seems to listen,” Pugh wrote to Unesco.

Yesterday Pugh told the Cape Times there were many disturbing issues in the Chapman’s Peak toll plaza development, “but the one that gets to me is building an office block on a World Heritage Site inside a national park. These places are sacrosanct and must be protected. I wrote to Unesco asking if they can intervene and they have kindly agreed to do so.”

At the Chapman’s Peak site yesterday there was only a handful of construction workers who left around lunchtime.

Protesters had expected toll road concessionaire Entilini to “start pouring the concrete” yesterday after the company got a Western Cape High Court order to remove former hunger striker Bronwen Lankers-Byrne from the site late on Monday night.

Earlier that day, police had arrested fellow protester Fiona Hinds, who had camped on the site for five days.

She has been charged with malicious damage to property for allegedly spray-painting “Murray & Robbers” on the netting around the site.

She is expected to appear in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court this morning.

The Cape Times asked Enzo Menegaldo, one of the Entilini directors, what the company planned to do on site yesterday, but Menegaldo said he was not prepared to discuss it.

On Monday police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk told the Cape Times that Entilini had laid the charge against Hinds, but yesterday Menegaldo said this was not so, and that the charge had been laid by Chapman’s Peak Construction Joint Venture. Entilini had only obtained the high court order.

“We were surprised to have the police arrest her,” Menegaldo said.

He said site agent Johan Ehlers, a Haw & Inglis employee, had laid the charge. Ehlers confirmed that he had done so after their security guards on site had seen a car draw up on Sunday, February 5, from which people alighted to spray-paint the netting.

The guard took down the

vehicle registration, Ehlers laid a charge and police traced the car to Hinds.

Ehlers said they had video footage of the spray painters, taken by the security guard on his cellphone, but he admitted they could not say it was Hinds.

Graham Taylor, the attorney representing Lankers-Byrne and Hinds, said yesterday they would challenge the court order obtained by Entilini and have it set aside.

It had been issued with no prior notice, and apparently it had not been served by a sheriff of the court.

The order applied to Hinds, Lankers-Byrne and Charlie Gorton and “any other person whose identities are not known”.

“We have a good chance of having it set aside,” Taylor said.

melanie.gosling@inl.co.za

It's a World Cup year, and in a World Cup year, it's not always today's result that is the immediate focus.

Zaahier Adams

AUCKLAND: It’s a World Cup year, and in a World Cup year, it’s not always today’s result that is the immediate focus. At least, that is the view of South African convenor of selectors Andrew Hudson.

The World Cup is, of course, the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September, and Hudson views the planning for that event as far more important than the Proteas’ T20 series “final” against New Zealand at Eden Park today.

Hudson has certainly had plenty of discussions with coach Gary Kirsten while he’s been in New Zealand, because the pair are almost in perfect synergy, much like when they opened the batting for South Africa during the 1990s.

Kirsten has tried to give all his players time in the middle during the three-match T20 series against the Black Caps, and has manipulated the batting and bowling line-ups to view a certain player in a set situation – which explains why Wayne Parnell strode out at No 3 in Hamilton. The fact that he was not an instant hit does not seem to deter Kirsten – or Hudson, for that matter.

“We back Gary 100 percent, totally understanding what he is trying to achieve,” Hudson remarked.

“Of course the team want to win, but at this stage, it is not completely results-driven, and to have that mindset within the pressures of professional sport is incredible.

“It’s about following the process that ultimately pays dividends at the World Cup.”

But it is not just on-field gameplans that require monitoring. A 15-man squad need to be decided upon come September, and the current brainstrust are not afraid to stretch their net to find the right personnel. And importantly, when discovered, like Richard Levi at the moment, the structures around him are good.

“Some people think (simply) throw him in and give him a run,” Hudson said.

“Grooming is also about getting used to the culture, getting to know the guys. In hindsight, it was great learning for (Levi) to feel comfortable in the new surroundings. We never intended it this way when we picked him, but it seemed to work out like this.”

Levi will have to wait a while longer for his debut in one-day internationals despite the clamour for him to be added to the 14-man squad set to face the Black Caps in three matches after the T20 series.

The new T20 world-record holder will return home tomorrow as originally planned, leaving Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla to start the Proteas’ ODI innings.

“We have to honour the guys we have. To change and manipulate now would be wrong. Let’s see it for what it is: Richard was picked for T20s and he’s delivered in one of them. It’s not a train smash, he has a whole career ahead of him,” Hudson said.

Although Levi is one the younger members of the squad at 24, and fellow debutant fast bowler Marchant de Lange is still only 21, there is a growing number of familiar faces returning to the squad. Justin Ontong and Albie Morkel lead the way here, forming the skeleton of the “middle-tier” players, like Hudson has described them.

“We have guys who are coming back, and they have played a lot of first-class cricket, they know their games. They know what they need to do, and a guy like Justin Ontong has gone about it magnificently,” he added.

“We might be building, but we don’t have a young side, neither do we have an ageing team. Our average age is 28.”

Hudson has also had to manage a rotation policy, mostly involving the senior players. Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn and Smith missed the T20 series in New Zealand, and Hudson believes this management decision will be mutually beneficial to the team as well as the individuals.

“We haven’t really consulted them, but we have to manage them well, with the amount of cricket being played this year. They would never be able to get through the volume of cricket if they had played all the games, and at the same time it is a fantastic opportunity for the youngsters,” he said.

The imminent return of Richard Levi to the top of the Cape Cobras' batting order is not going to restrain Stiaan van Zyl from playing his shots when the Cape side take on the Impi at Boland Park in Paarl tonight.

John Goliath

THE imminent return of Richard Levi to the top of the Cape Cobras’ batting order is not going to restrain Stiaan van Zyl from playing his shots when the Cape side take on the Impi at Boland Park in Paarl tonight.

While Levi had the spectators in New Zealand diving for cover last weekend, Van Zyl has been just as impressive for the Cobras in the opening berth during the Twenty20 Challenge

Van Zyl scored 58 in the tournament opener against the Warriors, and followed that up with a quick-fire 48 from 29 balls in Sunday’s tie with the Knights in Kimberley.

The blonde left-hander and his opening partner, stand-in captain, Andrew Puttick have shared opening stands of 99 and 83 in the first two games. But that partnership is sure to be broken up with Levi expected back in the country before the Cobras’ clash against the Lions in Johannesburg on Friday night.

Van Zyl is aware that Levi will slot straight back into the team. But he is not too bothered and is only looking forward to “having fun” out in the middle.

“Richard has to come straight back into the team because he is playing international cricket and he is in great form,” Van Zyl told the Cape Times yesterday. “But I’m not really thinking about that at the moment. I’m just happy to be playing at the moment and enjoying having fun out there.”

Van Zyl couldn’t make the Cobras’ T20 team last season, and didn’t feature in their triumphant run in the 1-Day Cup as well. The product of Boland Agricultural High School just outside Paarl has been viewed as more of a four-day player, while he has also battled with the likes of Levi, Herschelle Gibbs, Justin Ontong and JP Duminy for a spot in the side.

However, the talented Van Zyl has pulled out his full array of strokes in the T20 Challenge, particularly severe on anything drifting down the legside.

Van Zyl and Puttick will again strive to get the Cobras off to a good start, especially as the new ball will come on nicely in the powerplay overs. That will set up big hitters like Owais Shah and Mark Boucher to launch from a nice platform.

“Me and Andrew Puttick have been playing well up front and we have managed to get some good starts,” Van Zyl said. “A good opening partnership is crucial in T20 cricket, so that we can give the big hitters down the order the freedom to play their shots.

“We are not always going to provide that sort of platform. But we will certainly give it another go on Wednesday,” Van Zyl added.

Van Zyl said that they have prepared well for the tonight’s match against the relatively unknown Impi outfit. While most of the seventh franchise’s players don’t get a lot of game time at their provinces, there are players who Van Zyl has faced during the SuperSport Series, while the four international stars they will come up against are on television most of the time.

“We do our homework ahead of every match and I have seen a lot of their players, especially bowlers like Craig Alexander and Pumelela Matshikwe,” Van Zyl said. “I think it’s definitely going to be a great challenge for us, so we dare not underestimate the Impi.”

There has been lots of talk about the possible condition of the pitch for tonight’s encounter. Van Zyl would obviously like it to be conducive to shot-making, and he is hoping the ball comes on to the bat.

“I’m hoping for a good wicket so that the crowd can see a couple of long balls being hit. They have produced some good one-day pitches in Paarl so far this season, so we are hoping for a few more.”

Circumstances surrounding five murders and a suspicious suicide in the city can all be linked to the underworld network operating in nightclubs and the drug trade, a probe by the Cape Times has found.

Caryn Dolley

CIRCUMSTANCES surrounding a number of murders and a suspicious suicide and shooting in the city can all be linked to the underworld network operating in nightclubs and the drug trade, a probe by the Cape Times has found.

The deaths include those of a city official and gang leaders as well as that of a child of four years old.

During a series of interviews with various underworld figures, the Cape Times has been told the string of murders and the suicide of a city councillor are all linked to a group of criminals who feared losing control of illegal operations and who therefore ordered hits, in some cases making the planned killings look like random crimes or acts.

The murders and suicide – including four incidents previously not connected to underworld dealings – took place around Cape Town over a six-year period.

The allegations have surfaced while the focus is on the city’s notorious nightclub bouncer industry, which was quickly dominated by a new company, Specialised Protection Services (SPS), after underworld businessman Cyril Beeka’s murder last year.

About two weeks ago, SPS was effectively crippled when managers and employers were arrested for not being registered with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority.

The sources, who fear being murdered and have therefore declined to be named, have linked the following incidents:

l April 5, 2006: Gavin Myburgh, an Americans gang leader, was gunned down while sitting in a bakkie with a friend outside Access Park in Kenilworth. Seven men were later arrested.

Sources have told the Cape Times that Myburgh, linked to underworld businessmen, was gaining too much control in criminal operations, especially drug peddling, and was therefore “taken out”.

l May 21, 2007: Yuri “the Russian” Ulianitski was gunned down while driving in Milnerton. His daughter, Yulia, 4, was also killed in the attack. His best friend, Igor Russol, currently in custody and accused of extortion, previously told the Cape Times that Ulianitski’s control over underworld dealings in the city centre, including nightclubs, resulted in his murder.

No arrests were made.

l April 25, 2009: Glen Kleinsmith, 38, the chairman of the city’s substance abuse enforcement task team, nicknamed the Drugbusters, was found dead in his Bellville home. He allegedly committed suicide by strangling himself by using the cord of a cellphone charger tied to a cupboard handle.

At the time of his death, Kleinsmith had been probing various drug syndicates and operations, and the Cape Times was told he had been at a nightclub hours before he was found dead. Kleinsmith’s laptop had also been taken from his Bellville office.

A few days ago, mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said he did not believe Kleinsmith committed suicide, and felt his death could be linked to drug probes. “I understand police were never able to get enough evidence to charge anyone… There’s no way he could’ve ended his life.”

However, last week, police spokesman Frederick van Wyk said: “No foul play was suspected in connection with this suicide. The case is closed.”

l August 3, 2009: Rashaad “Charra” Abrahams, who owned popular nightclub @mospheer, was shot dead by a guard from a private security company when he and an accomplice apparently broke into a Tamboerskloof home.

His accomplice fled and last week Van Wyk confirmed this person had never been tracked down. A number of underworld sources told the Cape Times that Abrahams was lured to the home and set-up as other criminals wanted to run his clubs and take over illegal operations he was in charge of.

l March 21, 2011: Beeka was assassinated while being driven by Serbian fugitive Dobrosav Gavric in Bellville South.

Last month during Gavric’s bail application in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court, the investigating officer, Paul Hendrikse, said Jerome Booysen, whom he identified as the leader of the Sexy Boys gang, was a suspect in Beeka’s murder. But arrests are yet to be made.

l February 7, 2012: Bruno Bronn, the owner of popular gay nightclub Bronx, was found murdered in his Green Point home.

His hands had been bound and there were marks on his neck.

Four arrests were made a few days later. Accused number one in the case is John Frederick Coetzee, 36, a former bouncer at Bronx and who was previously in a relationship with Bronn.

caryn.dolley@inl.co.za

The ANC used the debate on Premier Helen Zille's State of the Province Address to tear into the DA and its policies as members of both parties accused each other of racism.

THE ANC used the debate on Premier Helen Zille's State of the Province address to tear into the DA and its policies as members of both parties accused each other of racism.

Attacking the theme of Zille's opening address, ANC caucus leader Lynne Brown said that "Better Together" was contrary to the actions of the DA in government.

In her speech last week Zille highlighted her government's achievements and future plans including:

l The establishment of an Economic Development Partnership on April 1.

l Plans to have each household in Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain connected to broadband internet by 2014.

l Rigorously embracing an oversight role for the police through the Western Cape Community Safety Bill.

But Brown cited the closure of the Provincial Development Council, Zille's twitter spats with singer Simphiwe Dana, and the police's attitude towards protesters in Hangberg, Makhaza and Rondebosch Common as a true portrayal of the DA's attitude to the lesser privileged.

And instead of transforming the province's historic inequalities, Brown accused Zille and her government of maintaining the status quo.

"Access to power and the economy should still only be left in the hands of big, white business, at the exclusion of blacks and coloured people," said Brown.

The DA government had stated that it would focus on creating jobs in established businesses.

In his response Health MEC Theuns Botha, the Leader of Government Business, said the DA had inherited "a fragmented, divided government" when it took over from the ANC in 2009.

"Now we see a slow integration of programmes resulting in less fragmentation, improved service delivery and less duplication and triplication of financial and human resources. The transversal management system proves - we are indeed Better Together," said Botha.

Using the example of Limpopo, Botha said financial mismanagement was only uncovered due to internal strife within the party and that there were more dysfunctional departments in other provinces.

Responding to comments and asides from the opposition benches, Botha said that despite the Western Cape being "a horrible" place, according to members of the ANC many people still came to live in the province.

This prompted the DA's Bokkie Geyer to heckle Brown, calling her "racist".

Brown responded: "Stop calling me racist. We fought racism during apartheid and we'll continue to fight it (in the present day)".

The ANC benches responded with howls of derision as Botha claimed the DA government did not deploy its "cadres" into government or practise patronage.

DA member of the National Council of Provinces Michael de Villiers caused a chuckle when he claimed the ANC was being ridden by "Satan like a wildhorse" due to corruption in provinces governed by the party. Public Works and Transport MEC Robin Carlisle said the "racist" policies meant that his young daughter could not become a doctor, join the diplomatic corps or join Woolworths as a cashier due to race quotas.

Later he accused the previous ANC government of looting the province's assets, saying: "They stole everything that couldn't be bolted down."

Carlisle said instead of supporting the poor, the ANC government had built the Gautrain for the rich, along with other projects for those already rich.

quinton.mtyala@inl.co.za

]]> 1.1239970 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:01:52 +0200 http://www.iol.co.za/cape-road-safety-director-testifies-1.1239951

The case of taxi driver Jacob Humphreys, convicted of killing 10 children, was postponed in the Western Cape High Court yesterday.

Jenna Etheridge

Sapa

The case of taxi driver Jacob Humphreys, convicted of killing 10 children, was postponed in the Western Cape High Court yesterday.

Judge Robert Henney said the case was being postponed for closing arguments today.

In the meantime, he would deliberate on arguments that had been given in aggravation and mitigation of sentence.

Yesterday the State called provincial road safety programme director David Frost to the stand.

He told the court that deaths in minibus taxi accidents in the Western Cape had increased by more than 2 percent since 2005.

Taxis accounted for 10 percent of casualties in 2005 compared to 12.48 percent in 2010/2011. He said the taxi industry had evolved to suit the needs of drivers and fleet owners rather than passengers.

The safety of commuters was secondary to the amount collected in fares by driving fast. There had also been an increase in damage to provincial level crossing booms, with almost one incident every working day of the year.

“This is clearly indicative of the disregard for the booms when they are down,” he said. “There is a vast disparity of the weight and momentum of a train compared to a motor vehicle. It’s like a fight between a heavyweight and a lightweight.”

While taking children to school on August 25, 2010, Humphreys overtook a row of cars at the Buttskop level crossing in Blackheath, ignored safety signals and drove over the tracks. A train hit the taxi and 10 of the children were killed. Four others were seriously injured. Frost said safety had not been improved at Buttskop level crossing since the accident. Judge Henney said it was shocking that instances of damage to booms of this crossing had increased in the last year. “What are you guys doing wrong? Why hasn’t it stopped? What are you people doing to curb this?” he asked.

Frost testified that 64 instances of damage had been reported for 2011 compared with 43 in 2010. Judge Henney said it appeared that policing at the spot was not up to standard.

“Would this have occurred if there was effective policing? You can have all these nice plans in place, but 64 incidents happened.”

Frost said everything possible was being done to curb road accidents.Cross-examining Frost, defence lawyer Johann Engelbrecht asked him what he meant by the term minibus taxis in his pre-sentencing report. Frost explained that he was referring to minibuses that transported people between destinations at a cost.

“You do realise that Jacob Humphreys did not operate a minibus taxi service,” Engelbrecht said. He said Humphreys offered a special service of transporting children to school, rather than strangers to various pick-up and drop-off points. “A distinction must be made between minibus taxis and these service providers... Some parts of your report deal exclusively with minibus taxis and minibuses.”

Engelbrecht criticised Frost’s inclusion of crash examples at level crossings in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Taiwan.

“There might be totally different circumstances in DRC than in South Africa,” he said.

Judge Henney said Engelbrecht was being unfair as Frost was just trying to make a point that level crossings were dangerous.

“The point is that when you approach a level crossing with passengers you don’t take chances.”

Humphreys, dressed in a blue shirt, silver-grey tie and khaki pants, listened attentively during proceedings. He seemed in good spirits, greeting family as he entered the courtroom.

Family and friends of Humphreys’s victims filled all the benches.

They wore shirts with pictures of their children as well as paraphernalia highlighting railway safety.

As Humphreys exited the court, they all pushed signs silently to his face with the words: “10 lives, 10 life sentences, no parole”.

Cape Town is scoring economic gains from international gay travellers, who constitute up to 12 percent of the city's tourists, says a report.

Staff Writer

CAPE Town is scoring economic gains from international gay travellers, who constitute up to 12 percent of the city’s tourists, says a report.

The city is loved by the Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) travellers from Europe and the US for its matchless beauty, diverse lifestyle, colourful people and large local gay population.

The report was published last month by the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in partnership with the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association. The report cautioned against making assumptions about this market, as sexuality is not necessarily an indicator of socio-economic status or leisure choices.

South African events such as Gay Pride, the Pink Loeries Mardi Gras, the Out in Africa Film Festival, Mother City Queer Project and Mr Gay South Africa are further reasons for LGBT travellers to choose SA as their destination, said the report.

“Although difficult to accurately measure the impact of gay tourism, sources in the USA attribute 5 percent of tourism spend to the LGBT market. In Cape Town, this is thought to be 10-12 percent of all tourists,” said Cape Town Tourism’s public relations manager, Skye Grove, in a statement yesterday.

“The gay travel market is generally more recession-proof than others, and Cape Town already has a high appeal and strong positioning in this market.”

She said Cape Town Tourism has strong links with gay travel associations such as the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) and promotes gay tourism as one of several niche tourism fields through its various national and international marketing initiatives.

Cape Town Tourism has strong links with gay travel associations and promotes gay tourism through national and international marketing initiatives.

Progressive attitudes in countries such as SA, Argentina, India, Spain, Mexico and South Korea have attracted the LGBT market in droves.

The wedding market was a big driver for this sector which appeared to have bucked the recession trend and brought higher than average spend to their holiday destinations. The introduction of same-sex marriage laws have led to many gay couples travelling with children and spending in the family market.

Destination marketing associations which were successful in attracting the LGBT market were working proactively at gay-targeted expos and fairs, but were also aligned with equal rights organisations that promoted tolerance.

The UK’s Guardian recognised Cape Town as “One of the Ten Most Popular Gay Destinations in the World”, said Cape Town Tourism.

Local muso Cedric Vandenschrik's latest offering at GrandWest's Roxy Revue Bar is a tribute to the Liverpool quartet who, in the beginning, felt that if they were lucky, they might be successful for a few years.

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE Tribute to The Beatles. Directed and choreographed by Cedric Vandenschrik, musical director Shaun Johannes. At GrandWest’s Roxy Revue Bar, Wednesdays to Saturdays until March 17. DEBBIE HATHWAY reviews

LOCAL muso Cedric Vandenschrik’s latest offering at GrandWest’s Roxy Revue Bar is a tribute to the Liverpool quartet who, in the beginning, felt that if they were lucky, they might be successful for a few years.

Almost 60 years on, The Beatles still have a huge fan following across generations. All You Need Is Love opens almost predictably with four men in Beatles guise, a background AV projecting original footage of the public hysteria that accompanied their appearances, live and on television.

With Vandenschrik on acoustic guitar and vocals, Chad Zerf on vocals, Aldert du Toit on electric guitar and vocals with Adam Coolsaet on drums, they present a pleasing first set with aplomb. Beatles fans will appreciate the carefully constructed left-handed bass-playing image projected by Zerf, Paul McCartney-style, as well as the tone and pitch of the singers which could almost pass as the real thing.

The men leave the stage and everything changes. Enter Candice Malander-Thorne in casual wear for an incredible, slow version of Help. She is joined by bassist Rob Nel and keyboardist Tracy Johannes and eventually by the rest of the cast in casual garb, sans wigs and suits.

The programme includes a medley, honouring some of the women The Beatles wrote about: Eleanor Rigby, Norwegian Wood and Michelle, and an incredible While My Guitar Gently Weeps highlight solo by Du Toit on vocals and guitar.

Costume changes fluctuate between casual and evening wear for Malander-Thorne, but the return to suits for the John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr representatives makes no sense.

What’s more, they needed a whole lot more help from their (wardrobe) friends to get it right. Du Toit, in his first professional show, was particularly challenged by the angle of his wig, but to his credit was equally unfazed by the audience’s hilarity, which proved to be excessive.

His fellow band members took it in their stride too – the performance didn’t miss a beat.

The beginnings of another surprise surface as Zerf tickles the ivories in Revolution. He later takes over the piano for I Am the Walrus and Long and Winding Road as well as Let It Be, accompanying Malander-Thorne on vocals.

Vandenschrik likes to strut his stuff during the upbeat numbers and the audience responded well to his energy in songs like Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da. Coolsaet, on the other hand, is typically “Ringo-ish” in his management of drums and percussion, and undoubtedly an asset to the group.

With Hey Jude performed as one of the encores, this tribute ended on a high note after doing justice to the memory of the group that is considered to be one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed to date.

During the final bows, homage was paid to a left-handed, violin-shaped semi-hollow McCartney bass guitar that held pride of place on stage. After two months of searching, and two days before opening night, the owner responded to an old Facebook group post confirming that he would lend Vandenschrik the instrument for the duration of the run.

l Tickets are R67. Doors open at 8pm, show starts at 8.30pm. To book, call Computicket at 0861 915 8000.

Why would a group of Norwegians make an annual trek to South Africa to put on a music festival?

Atiyyah Khan

WHY would a group of Norwegians make an annual trek to South Africa to put on a music festival? “Because we’re stupid” they laugh. But considering that On the Edge of Wrong is the only kind of improvised music festival that exists here, providing a valuable service by presenting ear-opening music, the fact that they receive no local funding is cause for concern.

For the past seven years, Morten Kristiansen has organised On the Edge of Wrong in various intimate venues in Cape Town – which, if you experienced any, were some of the most memorable musical happenings in the city.

The image of Carlo Mombelli playing an amplified handsaw – or a drummer sitting on the floor banging frenetically on a cymbal – are clear vignettes of musical exploration that stand out. Kristiansen, now armed with a team of facilitators, will present the next instalment of On the Edge of Wrong festival from Monday until Saturday. About returning to town, Kristiansen says, “It feels very different from the first time. We now have a good idea of what makes a festival work. We are introducing new things this year.”

Aside from the music line-up, the festival has expanded on a number of levels. The first is that it has found a permanent space with brand new jazz club, The Mahogany Room. Kristiansen comments, “It feels like a little breathing space for me and for artists on the festival, because there aren’t any venues like this – that let you do whatever you want.”

A new addition is Conversations, which as suggested are artists in discussion about music. Often performances can isolate audiences if they feel confused by what they’ve seen – this is a way to facilitate understanding. The programme is organised by Andreas Delsett, co-founder of the Norwegian art publishing house Feil Forlag. These discussions will happen between or before performances and allow musicians to explain their creative process. Kristiansen says the idea has been a long time coming, but was finally facilitated by Delsett.

Another new addition to the festival is DIVERSE Diverse – an initiative by Norwegian visual artist Ørjan Moen, an old friend of Kristiansen’s. In the spirit of improvisation, Moen will be available throughout the week for a Drawing Club at The Mahogany Room. The goal is to exchange ideas, techniques and artworks. The reasoning behind this is to encourage artists to collaborate and not create work in isolation. The Mahogany Room will be an exhibition space in progress. The Drawing Club is a great opportunity for local artists to network.

In September, Moen will take work from South African artists to the next instalment of DIVERSE Diverse in Norway, so local artists are encouraged to participate.

As usual, the music line-up is a collaboration of musicians from Europe and South Africa. This year audiences can look forward to Swiss duo MorFrom who combine field recordings with improvised guitar and organ. Headliner Rolf Erik Nystrøm is a saxophonist who will be performing solo, conducting workshops and also leading the Explorers Summit – a big band with revolving members. Nystrøm has had more than 100 works written for him by contemporary composers. Kristiansen says, “We’re very lucky to have him. He plays all over the world.”

Local drummer Andre Swartz will perform for the first time at the festival and dynamic Mozambican drummer Texito Langa returns to the festival to perform solo. Tune Recreation Committee (TRC) is the brainchild of trumpeter Mandla Mlangenis and includes Keenan Ahrens (guitar), Brydon Bolton (bass) and Claude Cozens (drums). Kristiansen says he was drawn to them because of their strong connection to improvised music.

Conceptual sound artist James Webb will present Telepylos, described as an ongoing work of sonic science fiction inspired by cinematic mythology. Cape Town-based artist and musician Josh Ginsburg’s works are an exploration in still image, film, sound and text. South African performance artist Leila Anderson, who performed at last year’s festival, will collaborate with Stan Wannett from the Netherlands on Afrika Lag [deel 2], a collage of live action animation and sound.

Not to be missed is The Oslo Experience with dancer Magnhild Rem Fossum who will trigger sound with the movement of her body. She is joined by sound artist Mats Sivertsen for a piece that examines the human condition in a techno-crazed world. Completing the line-up is multi-instrumentalist Maxim Starcke and percussionist Ronan Skillen.

The festival receives funding mostly from Norwegian arts organisations and also Prohelvetia Swiss Arts Council. While the organisers joke about why they continue to stage the festival here, on a serious level they add that aside from being rewarding, it “provides value of thinking outside the box” to audiences.

l Events take place daily throughout next week. The Drawing Club will run from 2pm at The Mahogany room (79 Buitenkant Str) and is free. Each night’s music programme starts at 7pm and tickets are R80 for the entire evening. Other venues this year include Commune 1 (64 Wale Street, CBD) and Theatre Arts Admin (Cnr Wesley and Milton roads, Observatory). See www.edge ofwrong.com/2012.

Embattled Auction Alliance boss Rael Levitt has offered to step down as a board member of the SA Institute of Auctioneers (SAIA) pending an investigation into his business dealings.

Zara Nicholson

EMBATTLED Auction Alliance boss Rael Levitt has offered to step down as a board member of the SA Institute of Auctioneers (SAIA) pending an investigation into his business dealings.

In an e-mail yesterday to the chairman of SAIA, Tirhani Mabunda, Levitt offered to “step back” while allegations relating to payouts and kickbacks to liquidators, bank staff and attorneys were investigated by the Consumer Protection Commission and the Estate Agencies Affairs Board.

Levitt and his company are alleged to have paid parties to swing business its way.

According to signed affidavits, Auction Alliance had regularly used bogus bidders to drive up bids at auctions.

SAIA’s board members planned to convene an urgent meeting today followed by a press conference to respond to the issue.

However, Mabunda said yesterday they would no longer be holding the press conference due to Levitt’s e-mail.

“I received an e-mail from Rael and he offered to step back while the allegations are being investigated. Unfortunately our code of conduct is silent on how we deal with it when one of our members is being investigated. We can’t take a view on claims and counter-claims. I will be circulating his e-mail to all the board members to get their view before we decide on his offer,” Mabunda told the Cape Times.

He said Levitt in the meantime had been asked to excuse himself from any board meetings where the allegations would be discussed.

Mabunda said Levitt also denied any of the claims reported in weekend newspapers, calling the allegations “sensationalist rumours” made up by people who wanted to

bring him down.

“There is nothing for SAIA to decide at this stage and we will wait for the relevant bodies to investigate. The allegations of kickbacks have always been made over the years but no auctioneer has ever been mentioned by name,” Mabunda said.

“The allegations that have been levelled are very serious and we hope there is a conclusion to the investigation. If the allegations are found to be true and prosecution is pursued, then it will be a clean-up of the industry.”

The saga started unravelling after businesswoman and philanthropist Wendy Appelbaum disputed the procedure followed at the auction of Quoin Rock Estate where she was the winning bidder.

Appelbaum said she was the only bidder and had bid against herself, which had raised serious concerns.

Last month she lodged a complaint with the Consumer Protection Commission and Levitt responded by suing her for defamation.

Appelbaum told the Cape Times that Levitt had offered her a settlement but wanted her to drop her case. She refused.

Levitt was meant to respond to the Consumer Protection Commission by last Friday.

He did not respond and has been granted an extension until today.

zara.nicholson@inl.co.za

"When he hit you, you stay hit."

Zaahier Adams

AUCKLAND: “When he hit you, you stay hit.” These were the words of Ernie Accorsi, general manager of the New York Giants, when speaking about great Chicago Bears middle linebacker and Hall of Famer Dick Butkus.

It is believed that opponents often had a deer-in-the-headlights look of fear when seeing the behemoth Butkus barrelling down on them.

The sheer panic in their eyes bears a close resemblance to the expression of fast bowlers when running in to bowl to South African Twenty20 sensation Richard Levi. It’s no wonder then that the Proteas’ American fielding coach, Mike Young, has given Levi the nickname “Butkus”, because when the 24-year-old hits a cricket ball, it certainly stays hit.

And on Sunday in Hamilton, Levi really showed the world that he could hit a cricket ball a long way, a really long way – and many times as well. He hit 13 sixes – a world record – and posted the quickest century in the history of T20 internationals, requiring just 45 balls to reach that mark.

One bowler who certainly knows what it is like bowling to Levi is Vernon Philander. The Proteas Test new-ball operator has been Levi’s franchise teammate since the former Wynberg Boys’ High prodigy swapped his khaki shorts for the blue flannels of the Cape Cobras six years ago.

Levi often talks about the “initiation” he received from Philander and fellow Cobras seamer Rory Kleinveldt when he first arrived at senior training sessions.

“Rors (Kleinveldt) and Vern really gave it to me, hey. Rors bounced the hell out of me, and Vern was just seaming it away. (They) made me look pretty stupid, and I knew whatever I had achieved at high school meant nothing. I was now in the big leagues.”

The admiration now seems to be on the other foot. Philander may be South Africa’s find of the summer in Test cricket with 30 wickets in four matches, but he knows bowling to Levi can be a nightmare experience.

“Richie handles pace very well, because he has such a presence at the crease. He uses space well by either moving deep or sideways to create his own lengths,” Philander explained. “When you’re bowling to Richie, whether it be in the nets or in the middle, you have to be up for a battle or you will travel.”

But does the muscular right-hander have limitations in his game that can be exploited, as it appears he lunges on the front foot before the ball is even delivered?

“Yes, he is front-foot-dominated,” Philander added. “But remember, this is one-day cricket. A fast bowler is only allowed one bouncer per over, and Richie knows that very well. And it’s not like he can’t play the short ball either. We saw what happened to Tim Southee when he got it wrong. And that’s his big strength. He has the ability to pick up the length of the ball very easily.

“Many teams try and tuck him up by bowling straight in order not to give him width to free his arms. This is a dangerous plan, because often they stray down the legside. Richie feeds off these loose balls, simply picking it off his pads for six.”

While Levi will never have the athleticism of gazelles like Justin Ontong and JP Duminy, Philander puts it in perspective: “He is a big boy, there’s no doubt about that. Those forearms are massive. But it’s not all power with Levi. It’s in his technique. He creates unbelievable bat speed, which allows him to lift the ball so easily. He is playing really well, and long may it continue for South Africa!”