News of the day

November 16, 1872 Arms for the natives DURING the last two years the quantity of arms and ammunition supplied to the Transvaal natives through the Diamond-fields has been enormous. There is hardly a firm in Cape Town or Port Elizabeth that has not had orders for guns from Klipdrift, Du Toit’s Pan, or the New Rush to an immense extent. And we suppose it would be no exaggeration to say that every native who has been employed on the Fields and has left there for his distant home in the interior has gone on his way rejoicing in the possession of one or more of these weapons. Yet, if the finest gentlemen in Cape Town wants to buy a pistol or a pound of powder, he must procure a certificate from the Resident Magistrate that he is a fit and proper person to be thus entrusted, and in no ways liable to be suspected of a penchant for shooting himself or anybody else. Could anything be more preposterous? November 20, 1899 Brave Churchill – the highest praise THE FOLLOWING letter has been forwarded to the General Manager of Railways from Inspector Campbell, N.G.R., Estcourt: On behalf of all the employees who escaped with the armoured train, six railway men who accompanied the train asked me to convey to you their admiration of the coolness and pluck displayed by Mr Winston Churchill, a war correspondent who accompanied the train and to whose efforts, backed up by driver Wagner, was due that the armoured engine and tender were brought successfully out after being hampered by the derailed trucks in front, and was able to bring the wounded in here. The whole of our men are loud in their praises of Mr Churchill, who, I regret to say, has been taken prisoner. November 17, 1906 The Rugby Tour – First International THE WEATHER was dull and showery at Glasgow this afternoon on the occasion of the international match between South Africa and a fifteen representing Scotland The attendance at kick-off numbered some 35 000. Bands of pipers played the team on to the ground. The South Africans won the toss, but lost the match 6-0 to Scotland. [The 1906–07 South Africa tour of Britain, Ireland and France was the inaugural South Africa tour and is recognised as the event during which the South African team assumed the nickname, Springboks.] November 20, 1944 The insidious Broederbond “THE BROEDERBOND is the most insidious movement ever established in this or any country; it has been created out of darkness, it moves in darkness, its founders are in the darkness. It is a secret organisation founded by predikants, its ideal is to establish in South Africa an Afrikaans republic, and to do this they are prepared to employ revolutionary methods,” said Senator A. M. Conroy, Minister of Lands, addressing a meeting today. November 15, 1969 Pele scores his 999th goal PELE, “King” of Brazilian football, scored the 999th goal of his professional career last night and then played goalkeeper for the rest of the match. He said afterwards he hoped he would score his 1 000th goal in Salvador (formerly Bahia) tomorrow. Pele played a strategic and not an attacking role in the friendly match against Paraiba State. When a player from his team, Santos, was fouled in the penalty area, Pele suggested he take the penalty. But after chanting from the crowd hoping to witness his 999th goal and a request from his manager, Pele took it and scored. November 15, 1969 Group of protesters rejected by police – rugby ground invaded ABOUT 100 demonstrators swarmed on to the pitch during the rugby match between Swansea and the Springboks here today. It took police and rugby stewards about three minutes to hurl them back and clear the ground. The invasion seemed to unsettle the players. For some time afterwards play was scrappy and there was a rush of mistakes, though the Springboks kept their clear lead to win 12-0. This followed clashes outside the ground which rated as about the angriest scene since tour. The demonstrators surged on the pitch when one of their leaders gave a signal about three minutes after the start of the second half of the game. In the first half, the vigilant stewards had shown signs of anger when a South African player was injured and the demonstrators had yelled: “Take him to a Black doctor.” November 18, 1993 Taxis SIR, After the minibus taxis started operating in Kloof Street, travelling by public transport became a pleasure and the agonizing half hours spent waiting for buses a memory. But these days in Adderley Street everybody has to pile in at the speed of light for the taxis are not allowed to stop there for too long. Along the way, a crowd of people stand waiting, their taxi driver arrested because someone took too long to get in. The taxis are responsible for very efficient transportation and, if the public’s welfare is of any concern in this matter, the taxis should be allowed to stop for passengers to get aboard in a dignified manner. Miss E Coetzee, Gardens. November 11, 2006 Yengeni free for weekend ELEVEN weeks after beginning his four-year jail sentence for fraud, Tony Yengeni is a free man this weekend. The former ANC chief whip, sentenced in 2003 to four years in jail after being convicted of fraud related to his acceptance of a discount on a luxury vehicle from one of the bidders in the multibillionrand arms deal, is on his first parole weekend, and is expected to be out for good in just over two months. Yengeni was seen off by senior ANC colleagues when he reported to Pollsmoor prison on August 24 to begin his sentence. Within hours he was transferred to Malmesbury, a relatively modern and uncrowded prison 60km north of Cape Town. Today and tomorrow he will be with his family, confined to his Milnerton home – a sure sign that he has a firm release date. November 16, 2006 Cup dream closer as state stumps up R1.93bn for stadium THE way has been cleared for the building of the Green Point Stadium with the national government confirming a contribution of R1.93 billion. But another R60 million still needs to be found to cover the total stadium cost of R2.49bn. The City will spend R400m and the Province another R100m to build the stadium at Green Point, putting the total secured amount at R2.43bn. David Polovin of the Green Point Common Coalition said they would appeal against the decision and take the City of Cape Town to court before December 1.