Soup kitchen reverend claims victory

THE owner of a church-run soup kitchen has claimed victory for the thousands of needy people his organisation feeds following the withdrawal of a noise complaint against him by his neighbours.

Methodist Church of Southern Africa minister Reverend Cecil Begbie was hauled before court following his refusal to sign the summons served by metro police officers alleging that he permitted noise in a private residence in Lansdowne.

On Friday the case against him was withdrawn by the State after his legal team made representations, saying the State would not get a conviction against Begbie and that the case was a waste of the court’s time and the State’s resources.

In their representations, Begbie’s lawyer, Shamiel Naidu, of the faculty of law clinic at the University of the Western Cape, said that on receiving further particulars upon which the State’s case was based, no proper recording or description of the noise existed in any form.

“There is no witness statement or statements from the police in this regard.

“As a result, the accused himself is unaware of what the charge is based on or why, and therefore can only come to the reasonable conclusion that it is evidently clear the complainant is using the law as a tool to meet his own personal whims and intentions,” said Naidu.

Begbie maintained that the noise complaint was in violation of the human rights of those his organisation fed.

These included children at schools not far from his residence.