Not sure where to mention this, and whether it might have been mentioned somewhere else? The calendar stops at 2006...are we getting a new one?

It's a great country because:
1. You can eat half dried meat and not be considered disgusting.
2. Nothing is your fault, you can blame it all on apartheid.
3. You get to buy a new car every 3 months and the insurance company even pays for it.
4. You can experience *** service in eleven official languages.
5. Where else can you get oranges with 45% alcohol content at rugby matches?
6. It's the only country in the world where striking workers show how angry they are by dancing and singing.
7. You're considered clumsy if you cannot: use a cell phone (without car kit), change CDs, drink a beer, put on make-up, read the newspaper and smoke, all at the same time while driving a car at 160 kph in a 60 kph zone.
8. Great accent. (!!!)
9. If you live in Johannesburg, you get to brag about living in the most dangerous city in the world.
10. Burglar bars become a feature, and a great selling point for your house.
11. You can decorate your garden walls with barbed wire.
12. The tow-trucks are the first on the scene for most major crimes, without being called. The police you have to call about three times.
13. Votes have to be recounted until the right party wins.
14. Illegal immigrants leave the country because the crime rate is too high.
15. The police ask you if they must follow up on the burglary you've just reported.
16. When a murderer gets a 6 month sentence and a pirate TV viewer 2 years.
17. The prisoners strike and get to vote in elections!
18. The police stations have panic buttons to call armed response when they are burgled
19. Police cars are fitted with immobilisers and gearlocks!

Ja nee!! Dis lekker hier!! affer:

January 08, 2007 Edition 2

AZIZ HARTLEY and CARYN DOLLEY

AT LEAST 352 motorists caught driving under the influence of alcohol in the Western Cape this festive season face the sobering prospect of having their vehicles confiscated by the state.

"To arrest such a high number of drunk drivers is cause for concern," Community Safety MEC Leonard Ramatlakane said yesterday.

"Our road accident fatalities are 10% lower than last time, but we remain concerned about the attitude of some motorists. We still experience speeding and motorists not observing safe following distances. More worrying is the number of drivers arrested for driving while under the influence."

Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) head Willie Hofmeyr said the unit would examine cases referred to it by traffic authorities countrywide, and in addition to fines courts might impose, drunk drivers could have their cars seized.

"Seizing a vehicle is but part of the solution. South Africans don't seem to take the drunk driving problem seriously enough. The idea of a fine is to punish the actual wrongdoing, but the law allows us to seize property used in the crime. It is partially a measure to prevent the same kind of crime in future and it serves as a deterrent to other people.

"We started these cases after the traffic department indicated the seriousness of the problem posed by drunk driving. It is having a big impact because thousands of people die on our roads every year due to drunk driving," Hofmeyr said.

He said: "We have to look at evidence first. I can't tell exactly how many cases have been referred to us, but we are going to do a significant number," he said.

According to the AFU guidelines, a vehicle can be confiscated if the driver awaits trial on a previous drunk driving charge, had been convicted of drunk driving within three years before the latest arrest or drove an overloaded vehicle while over the legal limit of 0.05g of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

Bank-owned vehicles that were seized were returned to the financial institutions and the purchaser would have to continue payments, and privately owned vehicles confiscated were sold at public auctions, Hofmeyr said.


Ramatlakane's spokesman Makhaya Mani said that at a pre-Christmas roadblock outside Swellendam, 48 motorists were arrested for driving under the influence.

At another roadblock on Saturday in Mossel Bay, three drivers were arrested for drunk driving and locked up, Mani said, adding that the Western Cape's road death toll of 141 since the start of December, was 10% down from the same period a year ago.

"Drunk driving has been one of the main contributing factors to accidents on our roads. Most accidents this festive season occurred in metropole areas. At one stage there were 44 in metropolitan areas and 12 on provincial roads.

"In the metro motorists drive short distances and some of them leave clubs where they've had a few drinks, and while heading home get involved in accidents," he said.

"We support the idea of having people's vehicles confiscated. It is an effective deterrent to those who think driving while under the influence is acceptable. We have a situation where some people think 'It is my car, and so I can do what I like'. This is an attitude that cannot be tolerated."

Meanwhile, heavy traffic was experienced on freeways towards Cape Town at the weekend as holidaymakers headed home and authorities expected the situation to continue throughout the week.

Mani said two people were killed on Saturday in an accident outside Laingsburg when a woman driving towards Cape Town lost control of her car after a truck passed her. He said there were six passengers in the car, including a three-month-old girl.

"Luckily, the baby survived," said Mani.

He said as holidaymakers returned to Cape Town from coastal towns like Hermanus, Knysna and Mossel Bay "traffic picks up in the mornings and becomes particularly heavy around noon. We're told it will be the same for the rest of the week".

The weather has calmed down somewhat today and I have lots to do.
Hope you all have a grand Monday and a good week :thumbs:

hi everyone .

im back after my little adventure yep its been a while and now im back for a short time ,

i went back to sa to see friends and places ive missed and enjoy the company i wanted to be with plus wait for it drum roll please ............ i have a new girlfriend yep ive finally found someone to make me happy and the first date was horse rideing how does that sound .

My humble opinion - have no sympathy with that woman what-so-eve, she was repeatedly told she is too large and still insisted on entering and feel she should be made to pay for the recue - she has been named- 37 yr old Veronia Hlabelela from Durban.

1 point: A, E, I, L, N, O, R, S, T, U
2 points: D, G
3 points: B, C, M, P
4 points: F, H, V, W, Y
5 points: K
8 points: J, X
10 points: Q, Z

:bday3:

Have a great day and an even better year ahead

travel is for the troubled

I will be happy to grow old without travel

Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year

its good to be back home