Category: General

City of Cape Town Metro Police Specialised teams have made three arrests and recovered some of the property stolen from a Gift of the Givers warehouse over the weekend. Relief packs for fire victims were among the stolen items. In total, 10 suspects have been arrested as part of a multi-agency operation with the South African Police Services (SAPS).

Following up on a tip-off on Monday, metro police were able to nab three suspects, who were handed over at Philippi SAPS along with the recovered goods.

‘Metro Police officers played a role in the multi-agency joint operation together with SAPS and other roleplayers which led to 10 arrests in total, three of which were made by our officers. Information was gained of the stolen Gift of the Givers property being stored at four different warehouses in Hanover Park. Arrests were made for “possession of stolen goods”. Further investigation by SAPS will be needed to ensure all those responsible face the full might of the law. Crime scenes need to be properly processed, including forensic and fingerprint samples, and detective resources will be needed to process results and bring all those involved to book,’ said Alderman JP Smith, Mayoral Committee member for Safety and Security.

‘We salute the commendable work of our metro police officers and partner law enforcement agencies including SAPS. The successful arrests and recovery of goods stolen from Gift of the Givers shows what is possible when all authorities join forces to fight crime. We can do even more to help SAPS fight crime if more policing powers are devolved to our well-trained municipal officers. We continue to call on President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Ministers of Police and Justice to devolve powers, particularly for criminal investigation, so that we can produce prosecution-ready case dockets to gain convictions. For too long, our country has struggled with diminishing SAPS resources, with criminals emboldened by investigations and prosecutions that end up going nowhere. The City is ready to help SAPS immediately if more powers are devolved,’ said Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.

‘The City has already made a substantial investment in expanding our boots on the ground through Metro Police, Law Enforcement and specialised units, including the Law Enforcement Advancement Programme together with the Western Cape Government. But that alone will not achieve the impact needed in communities living in daily fear of crime. For that reason, our focus over the next four years will be on information management and expanding our role in investigations through our units – the Strategic Information Management System (SIMS) and the Safety and Security Investigations Unit (SSIU). This will occur alongside major investments in cutting-edge camera-based safety technologies for data-led policing operations,’ said Alderman Smith.

Source: City Of Cape Town

Llandudno beach has reopened while, as a precautionary measure, the Dalebrook tidal pool and Hout Bay beach were closed on Tuesday, 10 January. Read more below:

Thank you to beach-goers for their cooperation when sewage-related matters temporarily affect public access to our beaches.

Llandudno beach reopened

Water samples taken for water quality testing indicated the levels are within the minimum requirement for recreational activities as determined by the National Water Quality Guidelines.

Health warning signage has been removed.

Hout Bay beach closed until further notice

The City is investigating (a) possible pollution source(s) that has led to the temporary closure of Hout Bay beach, as a precautionary measure.

Various City departments have been activated to respond to this incident.

City Health will be taking water samples on a daily basis for water quality testing until such time as the levels are within the minimum requirement for recreational activities as determined by the National Water Quality Guidelines.

Health warning signage is in place, advising the public accordingly.

Dalebrook tidal pool has been temporarily closed again. The beach section between the tidal pools, from Dalebrook to Kalk Bay, remains closed until further notice.

The temporary closure is due to a sewer overflow, and the cause is still under investigation.

City Health has been taking water samples on a daily basis for water quality testing and will continue to do so until such time as the levels are within the minimum requirement for recreational activities as determined by the National Water Quality Guidelines.

Health warning signage remains in place at the beach section and will be placed at Dalebrook tidal pool, advising the public accordingly.

Please note:

The public is advised to avoid contact with the water as indicated above until further notice.

This is a precaution as contact with the water could result in potential gastro-intestinal issues and therefore any person who enters the water does so at their own risk.

The City apologises for any inconvenience and thanks the public for its cooperation during this time.

Source: City Of Cape Town

WASHINGTON — Companies including GM, Ford, Google and solar energy producers said on Tuesday they would work together to establish standards for scaling up the use of virtual power plants (VPPs), systems for easing loads on electricity grids when supply is short.

Energy transition nonprofit RMI will host the initiative, the Virtual Power Plant Partnership (VP3), which will also aim to shape policy for promoting the use of the systems, the companies said.

Virtual power plants pool together thousands of decentralized energy resources like electric vehicles or electric heaters controlled by smart thermostats.

With permission from customers, they use advanced software to react to electricity shortages with such techniques as switching thousands of households’ batteries, like those in EVs, from charge to discharge mode or prompting electricity-using devices, such as water heaters, to back off their consumption.

VPPs are positioned for explosive growth in the United States, where the 2021 Inflation Reduction Act has created or enlarged tax incentives for electric cars, electric water heaters, solar panels and other devices whose output and consumption can be coordinated to smooth grid load.

RMI estimates that by 2030, VPPs could reduce U.S. peak demand by 60 gigawatts, the average consumption of 50 million households, and by more than 200 GW by 2050.

“Virtual power plants will enable grid planners and grid operators to (better manage) growing electricity demand from vehicles, from buildings and from industry, and make sure that the grid can stay reliable even in the face of ongoing extreme weather challenges and aging physical infrastructure,” said Mark Dyson, managing director with the carbon-free electricity program at RMI.

Rob Threlkeld, director of global energy strategy at General Motors GM.N, told Reuters that VP3 would be able to “show that EVs can become a reliable asset to the retail utility and or the retail transmission operator” and “can be an asset to a homeowner and to fleet customers.”

VPPs have already improved grid reliability in such countries as Germany and Australia and in some U.S. states.

During an extreme heat wave last August, wholesale market operator California Independent System Operator avoided blackouts by calling on all available resources, including VPPs, to dispatch electricity. Google Nest smart thermostats contributed to easing the load.

“That is increasingly going to be required to make sure that the grid remains resilient, that we avoid blackouts and that we enable the grid to become cleaner and greener,” said Parag Chokshi, director of Google’s Nest Renew.

Other founding members of VP3 include Ford F.N, SunPower SPWR.O and Sunrun RUN.O.

Source: Voice of America

LONDON — A mission to launch the first satellites into orbit from Western Europe suffered an “anomaly” Tuesday, Virgin Orbit said.

The U.S.-based company attempted its first international launch on Monday, using a modified jumbo jet to carry one of its rockets from Cornwall in southwestern England to the Atlantic Ocean where the rocket was released. The rocket was supposed to take nine small satellites for mixed civil and defense use into orbit.

But about two hours after the plane took off, the company reported that the mission encountered a problem.

“We appear to have an anomaly that has prevented us from reaching orbit. We are evaluating the information,” Virgin Orbit said on Twitter.

Virgin Orbit, which is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange, was founded by British billionaire Richard Branson. It has previously completed four similar launches from California.

Hundreds gathered for the launch cheered earlier as a repurposed Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 aircraft, named “Cosmic Girl,” took off from Cornwall late Monday. Around an hour into the flight, the plane released the rocket at around 35,000 feet (around 10,000 meters) over the Atlantic Ocean to the south of Ireland.

The plane, piloted by a Royal Air Force pilot, returned to Cornwall after releasing the rocket.

Some of the satellites are meant for U.K. defense monitoring, while others are for businesses such as those working in navigational technology. One Welsh company is looking to manufacture materials such as electronic components in space.

U.K. officials had high hopes for the mission. Ian Annett, deputy chief executive at the U.K. Space Agency, said Monday it marked a “new era” for his country’s space industry. There was strong market demand for small satellite launches, Annett said, and the U.K. has ambitions to be “the hub of European launches.”

In the past, satellites produced in the U.K. had to be sent to spaceports in other countries to make their journey into space.

The mission was a collaboration between the U.K. Space Agency, the Royal Air Force, Virgin Orbit and Cornwall Council.

The launch was originally planned for late last year, but it was postponed because of technical and regulatory issues.

Source: Voice of America

DENNILTON – The South African Police Service in Dennilton outside Groblersdal request public assistance in locating a 14-year-old teenage girl, Mokgatla Mothekgeng Kgaladi from Dennilton, who went missing on Sunday, 08 January 2023.

The Police preliminary investigation revealed that she left her home on Sunday at about 13:00 in the afternoon to a nearby shop to buy chips however, she never returned.

The matter was reported to the Police on Monday, 09 January 2023 and a search operation has since been launched.

Police request anyone one with information that can assist in locating the missing teen, to contact the Investigation Officer Sergeant Inanda Selala on 082 279 0036 , the Crime Stop number on 08600 10111 or MySAPS App.

The search operation continues

Source: South African Police Service

WESTERN CAPE – Efforts to fight the spread of illegal firearms in the Mitchell’s Plain area have once again resulted in the discovery of firearms, and ammunition and the arrest of two suspects on charges relating to possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of an unlicensed firearm and the unlawful possession of ammunition.

Members attached to the Anti Economical Crime Team followed up information that firearms and ammunition are being stored at a premises Cathedral Street, Tafelsig West, Mitchells Plain.

They immediately operationalised the information and searched the mentioned address. While searching the premises they found a firearm without a serial number and eight rounds of ammunition. A 43-year-old female was arrested for the possession of a prohibited firearm and ammunition.

In an unrelated matter, members attached to Anti-Gang Unit arrested an adult male on 09 January 2023 at about 17:45, after they followed up information about a suspect in possession of a firearm in Bisley Street, Beacon Valley.

The members spotted the suspect who ran into the yard and disposed of an object in the dustbin and ran into the house. They swiftly apprehended the suspect and took him back to the dustbin, where they found a firearm. The suspect was arrested.

Both suspects are due to appear in the Mitchell’s Plain Magistrate’s Court once they have been charged.

Source: South African Police Service